Holiday World Entrance Gates – Jeremy Thompson · Jeremy Thompson · CC BY 2.0 · edited
Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari came back from Austin with three of the industry’s top honours, and the one that had never been won before is the water park itself. Splashin’ Safari was named the world’s best water park for the first time at the 2026 Golden Ticket Awards, the park said in its announcement.
For anyone weighing a 2027 trip to Santa Claus, Indiana, this is the clearest signal yet that the water side of the property is the reason to go. Our Holiday World planning guide covers the layout, and the awards point at which half of it to plan around.
- Best Water Park: Splashin’ Safari, the first time it has held the title.
- Best Wooden Coaster: The Voyage, reclaimed after fifteen years.
- Best water park ride: Mammoth first, Wildebeest second, Cheetah Chase third, a clean sweep of the top three.
- Where it was decided: a ceremony on 12 September at COTALand in Austin, Texas.
- What it costs to see: Splashin’ Safari is included with Holiday World admission in the summer season.
The Water Park Win Is the New One
Splashin’ Safari has been ranked highly for years without taking the top spot. This is the first year it has, and the park’s own framing makes clear it had been chasing it since 1993.
The scale behind it is worth knowing before you plan a day: the water park covers nearly forty acres of a one hundred and twenty five acre property, with two wave pools, a lazy river, children’s play areas and a large slide inventory.
“This is a dream come true,” said Leah Koch-Blumhardt, director of communications and a fourth generation owner, crediting the maintenance and operations teams for keeping rides running and the free soft drinks stocked.
Three Water Coasters, Ranked One, Two and Three
The sweep of the best water park ride category is the result that tells you how to spend a day. Mammoth, Wildebeest and Cheetah Chase took the top three places in that order.
Those are the three to queue for first, and they are the reason the park calls itself the water coaster capital. A visitor who rides nothing else has still ridden the top three in the world by this year’s vote.
On the dry side, The Voyage reclaimed the best wooden coaster title for the first time in fifteen years. Local coverage of the ceremony put the reason plainly: roughly 2.5 million dollars spent over five years replacing more than 3,000 feet of track.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Are planning a single day | Build it around Mammoth, Wildebeest and Cheetah Chase, then The Voyage. Those four carry every title the park won. |
| Are visiting outside summer | Splashin’ Safari is a summer season operation. The autumn calendar is dry park only, so the water park titles do not apply to a Halloween visit. |
| Are budgeting the day | Parking, soft drinks and sunscreen are included, and the water park is included with admission in season. Budget for food and merchandise, not for add-ons. |
| Are choosing between water parks | This is now the voted number one, so the comparison you are making is against a titleholder rather than a regional option. |
| Are booking for 2027 | A new attraction called Cannonball is announced for Boulder Canyon in 2027, so check what is open before fixing a date. |
The Award Is a Poll, and That Matters
The Golden Tickets are decided by an international poll of more than five hundred ballots sent to people who travel the industry, not by attendance figures or revenue.
That makes them a strong read on ride quality and operations and a weaker read on crowds or value. A park can win on maintenance and throughput while still being busy on the Saturday you were thinking of.
Amusement Today presented twenty two categories this year at a ceremony attended by around three hundred industry professionals, so the field these results came out of is broad rather than a shortlist.
What Has Not Been Published
No 2027 operating calendar for the water park and no confirmation that the award changes anything about capacity, pricing or reservations. The titles describe last season, not next.
The park’s own site currently leads on Happy Halloween Weekends, which runs 19 September to 1 November, and on 2027 passes. Holiday World’s own page is where a dated 2027 water park calendar will appear first.
The water park is now the headline. If you were treating Splashin’ Safari as the add-on to the coasters, the vote says reverse that.
Season matters more than the award. The water titles are only collectable in the summer operating season, so an autumn trip is a different park.
Four rides carry every title. Mammoth, Wildebeest, Cheetah Chase and The Voyage are the whole of what was recognised.
What did Holiday World win at the 2026 Golden Ticket Awards?
Three titles: best water park for Splashin’ Safari, best wooden roller coaster for The Voyage, and a sweep of the top three places in best water park ride.
Which rides took the top three water park places?
Mammoth first, Wildebeest second and Cheetah Chase third, all three of them water coasters at Splashin’ Safari.
Is Splashin’ Safari included with admission?
Yes, during the summer season it is included with Holiday World admission, and the park also includes parking, soft drinks and sunscreen.
Why did The Voyage win again after fifteen years?
Coverage of the ceremony attributes it to a track rebuild, roughly 2.5 million dollars over five years replacing more than 3,000 feet of track.
Can I use these results to plan an autumn visit?
Only partly. Splashin’ Safari operates in the summer season, so an autumn visit during Happy Halloween Weekends is the dry park and The Voyage rather than the water park titles.
