A classic amusement park in West Mifflin, near Pittsburgh, with a Quiet Room you open with a code, quiet spots like the Gazebo, a list of rides with strobe and flash effects, and an Alternative Access Program that can use the IBCCES Accessibility Card.
Sensory supports. Quiet Room, strobe and flash list, IBCCES card.
Hours
Holiday Lights runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from November 13 through December 13, 2026, and daily from December 18, 2026 through January 3, 2027 (closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). Posted hours: Fridays 5 to 9 pm (Friday, November 27, 2026: 3 to 9 pm), Saturdays and Sundays 3 to 9 pm, and 3 to 9 pm daily from December 19, 2026 through January 3, 2027, including New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Closed Thanksgiving Day. Check the park calendar for your date.
“We have a Quiet Room located beneath the Lost Kennywood main entrance. To access the room, you will need a four-digit code. This code will be given to you if you enrolled in our Alternative Access Program. If you did not receive the code, stop by our Service Center located by Noah's Ark, near the Quiet Room.”
“Several quiet locations are in the park, including the Gazebo.”
“If granted admission into the Alternative Access Program, you will be able to initially board any attraction with a minimal wait.”
“The Accessibility Pass is NOT a "front of the line" pass.”
How the Alternative Access Program works: staff at the Safety Center or Service Center ask a series of questions, and you fill out a ride accessibility questionnaire. If your kid qualifies, you get a yellow Accessibility Pass for the ADA entrance at each ride, marked by a blue sign (in most, but not all, cases the ride exit). It covers the pass holder and three more guests, and the pass holder must ride. After riding certain attractions once, you get a boarding time about equal to that ride's regular wait; you can hold only one boarding time at a time, and boarding times must fall within regular park hours. If the regular line is closed for any reason, pass holders are not admitted either.
The IBCCES Accessibility Card: Kennywood calls a valid card recommended to help expedite enrolling in its ride admission program. You register at accessibilitycard.org, the person applying must be 18 or older, the card is free, and it lasts one year. To register, you upload a recent photo of your kid and a statement from a healthcare provider, or an IEP, with the professional's full name, title, phone, email and NPI number (no NPI needed for an IEP), saying the guest has a disability or other qualifying impairment under the ADA and/or applicable state law that prevents waiting in a standard queue (it doesn't have to name the disability). IBCCES asks you to register at least 48 hours before your visit. With a card, you still go to the Rider Safety Center or the Service Center by Noah's Ark for your Ride Admissions Pass. The card does not guarantee entry, and accommodations are at Kennywood's sole discretion.
Kennywood's card page lists a provider statement or an IEP for registering the card, but its FAQ answers someone without a doctor's note this way: “We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience, but you will need a valid Doctor’s note to enroll in the program.” With the card also called only recommended, call (412) 461-0500 before you go to ask what to bring.
Parent Swap lets one parent wait at the ride exit with a child too young to ride while the other parent rides, then switch.
Holiday Lights has more than three million lights, Pennsylvania's tallest Christmas tree, a light show around the Lagoon set to holiday hits, an ice-skating show with BMX stunts, Santa at Celebration Station in Gingerbread Junction, and a holiday bonfire near Noah's Ark. Select rides operate on nights when temperatures stay above 40 degrees.
For a full-size copy your child can use, open this page at squaredsteps.com, tap Make it yours, then print.
More about Kennywood
Strobes and flashes, in the park's words
Exterminator, Ghostwood Estate, Old Mill and Noah's Ark (strobe lighting, or lighting that can imitate it; Noah's Ark has a bypass)not stated
Musik Express (its motion effects may simulate strobe lights)not stated
Exterminator, Jack Rabbit, Phantom's Revenge, Sky Rocket, Steel Curtain and Thunderbolt (a ride photo taken with a quick series of flashes, more noticeable at night)not stated
Quieter, in the park's words
Quiet Room, beneath the Lost Kennywood main entrancequiet zone
The Gazeboquiet zone
Model trains in the Penny Arcade (Holiday Lights, from November 20, 2026)quiet zone
Holiday Lights bags: only bags up to 15 by 15 by 15 inches, plus medical and diaper bags. Outside food and drinks are not allowed during Holiday Lights, except one sealed bottle of water or for guests with special dietary needs. For food allergy questions, ask the team member at each food stand; Small Fry's in Lost Kennywood is entirely gluten-free. Menu boards are at many popular food stands.
Parking: enter Gate B for accessible parking (with an approved placard) through the preferred lot and follow the signs. Preferred parking starts at $20 and is included with Gold and Platinum Season Passes. Gate A is free parking farther from the entrance, and Gate C is short-term parking and drop-off.
Personal Care Assistant: admission is waived for a government-funded or privately paid PCA whose attendance a guest with severe disabilities needs; ask at the Customer Service office at the park entrance.
Family restrooms are in Kiddieland, at the entrance of Steelers Country and across from the Kangaroo. First Aid, run by UPMC, is next to the Potato Smash, and lockers rent next to the Potato Smash too.
If your kid gets separated from you, stop any Park Security Officer or go to Customer Service (Main Gate or by Noah's Ark).
Every ticket includes the Rainy Day Guarantee: if weather gets in the way of your visit, you get a free ticket to come back another day.
Questions: (412) 461-0500. IBCCES card help: 877-717-6543 or customersupport@ibcces.org.
