Photos: Hersheypark 2025 Off-Season Maintenance

Date: February 19, 2025

The countdown to the 2025 Hersheypark season is on! While there are plenty of Hersheypark Happy memories to be made from the springtime through early January, the work doesn't stop when the Park is closed. At the beginning of January, Hersheypark traditionally closes its gates to the public for what the industry calls the “off-season.” 

While the 121-acre park may seem quiet to the average guest during this timeframe, a team of more than 200 full-time maintenance staff is entering its busiest season. Throughout the winter, carpenters, electricians, laborers, machinists, mechanics, painters, plumbers, utility workers and welders disassemble, inspect, repaint and reassemble each of the more than 70 Hersheypark attractions. The collaborative efforts of these teams ensure that each attraction is ready to provide a safe and sweet experience in time for opening day.

Hersheypark opens for the 2025 operating year on April 5, 2025. As we wait for the gates to open, we wanted to give you an exclusive peek inside the Hersheypark Service Center where work is currently being done on family-favorites including the historic Carrousel, as well as coasters like sooperdooperLooper and Lightning Racer, celebrating 25 years this year.

The Hersheypark Service Center is the main maintenance headquarters where off-season work is done for the majority of the Park's rides and attractions. Coasters that don't have dedicated maintenance bays built into their stations such as Cocoa Cruiser, Comet and Jolly Rancher Remix are brought here for upkeep along with many of the park's kiddie and thrill rides. Some coasters that do have their own built-in maintenance facilities, such as Great Bear, are large enough to accommodate workspace for neighboring rides like The Convoy and Hershey Triple Tower. 

The maintenance shop is also home to a wide variety of supporting departments that help to maintain the rides and other amenities of Hersheypark. In the fiberglass shop, you can find Coal Cracker boats receiving enhancements to their frames and seating while Starship America rockets get their final touches within the paint shop. The sign shop not only provides their services to the coasters, but also to the various restaurants and landmarks across the Park like the Tram Stops. Similarly, carpenters can share their time and efforts between coaster cars for our wooden coasters and the coaches of the Dry Gulch Railroad.

There's so much to see in the maintenance facility, including the gondolas for the all-new Twizzlers Twisted Gravity. As we wait for the debut of the tallest Screamin' Swing in the world in summer 2025, the branded gondolas will take cover within our shop until they're ready to be brought out to the ride site for installation. Stay tuned for construction updates coming soon!

Learn More

Are you interested in more behind-the-scenes ride maintenance? Check out off-season spotlights from previous years on Wildcat's Revenge, Skyrush, Candymonium and Great Bear.

Join the Team

Want to join our sweet team? Hersheypark is hiring for the 2025 season! Apply online, and a member of our Hiring Team can schedule a phone interview with eligible applicants. 

We look forward to seeing you in April for the start of our 119th operating year!

Plan a Visit

Is your family considering a visit to Hersheypark this year? Now is the time to plan and purchase tickets! Guests can save more than 45 percent on 1-day tickets to Hersheypark when buying online with the current Best Price Of The Year offer through March 31. Tickets purchased during the sale are valid on any 2025 public operating day from April 5, 2025 through Jan. 4, 2026.