Lagoon Opens For 2026 and Debuts a Brand New Ride, the Nutcracker

Lagoon is officially open on weekends, and they already debuted a brand-new, exhilarating ride on the opening weekend. While Primordial took years to complete after being announced, the new Nutcracker ride was constructed over the winter and was running for opening weekend last week.

Lagoon has introduced a few new rides in recent years, including Primordial, Time Tinker, Steamworx, and Rivets and Rotors.

Lagoon is Open for the 2026 Season and Nutcracker is the Newest Ride

I first heard about the Nutcracker ride when I went to Lagoon last year during Frightmares, which was at the end of the 2025 season. At that time, there was no real indication that there would be a towering swing ride ready for visitors in just a few months. There was work happening near The Spider and Wild Mouse, but the signs around the site only said ‘Something Big is Coming’ with a pair of blue eyes peering over the message. Though at the time I didn’t realize they were the eyes of the Nutcracker.

I took a picture over the construction wall, and this is what was there.

On our way out of the park at night, is when I finally saw a small presentation they had announcing the new ride.

Now, just a few months later, the ride has already been open for a week and is thrilling visitors. Nutcracker is 150 feet tall and reaches speeds up to 68 miles per hour. Lagoon posted a video to their social media of the first riders on Nutcracker, the crew that assembled it over the winter months.

Lagoon is now open on weekends through April, weather permitting, and then will be open daily beginning in late May.