ACE Year In Review:

American Coaster Enthusiasts as Seen on Nickelodeon: Fun, Friendship and Coasters

Orlando, FL ( November 14, 2023) - American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE), the world’s largest ride enthusiast group, celebrates remarkable achievements while also celebrating the club’s 45th anniversary. With a feature of the benefits of roller coasters on health on Nickelodeon, a partnership with Adventure Lab and so many opportunities to share history and fun at in-person and online events across the world this year, ACE President Elizabeth Ringas commented, “I am proud of the innovation and ingenuity for the opportunities that our volunteers generated to share our mission to preserve, promote and enjoy roller coasters.”

The second annual world’s largest ride simultaneously dispatched over 400 people on 25 roller coasters across the United States on June 16. This annual event, part of World Roller Coaster Appreciation Month, celebrates the opening day of the first modern roller coaster in 1884, LaMarcus Thompson’s Switchback Railway at Coney Island.

Forty-five years after the first Coaster Con, which was held at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, ACE membership now exceeds 7,000 across the world. This year’s Coaster Con at Dollywood and Carowinds hosted a record 1,300 attendees. In addition to this annual event, 77 events were hosted across the world along with eight digital events, which allow our members the opportunity to connect and converse about roller coasters from home. With even more meetups being hosted than ever before, the opportunity to catch a ride with fellow enthusiasts has become a much-anticipated opportunity in some regions.

While events are a highlight of membership, ACE advances preservation efforts with fundraising efforts, special events and recognition of historical coasters. Rutschebanen at Tivoli Gardens in Denmark was designated an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark for its significance as one of the last side-friction scenic railways to be operated with an onboard brake operator. ACE also supports the fundraising efforts of the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives to contribute toward the opportunity for visitors to be immersed in roller coaster history. $55,000 was raised through auctions and donations.

“As ACE’s 45th anniversary year comes to a close, I am overjoyed to be a part of an organization that looks to the future of the amusement industry as well as celebrating and respecting our past," commented ACE Communications Director Derek Perry.

About ACE: Founded in 1978, American Coaster Enthusiasts is a nonprofit, volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation, promotion, appreciation, and safe enjoyment of roller coasters. With over 7,000 members worldwide, ACE is the largest and longest-running enthusiast organization in the world. Members of ACE receive exclusive park benefits, newsletters, magazines, and the opportunity to attend national, local, and even international tours at parks. ACE hosts more than 75 national and regional coaster events across North America annually and has been prominently featured on various news programs and cable networks such as the Travel Channel.