What is Attraction Madness?
Attraction Madness is a tournament made up of 68 competing attractions from theme parks around the world. After taking a year off in 2023, we’re returning with the tournament this year featuring all sorts of new and returning attractions!
2024 Selection Process
Every attraction is selected due to various accomplishments in the industry. If an attraction is the winner of a category in a well-recognized awards show (i.e. The Golden Ticket Awards, USA Today 10 Best) then that attraction will most likely appear in the Attraction Madness tournament. Previously, we would also include picks based on rankings from popular Youtubers in the theme park and coaster community. Due to previous controversies surrounding these creators, we have decided to not include their opinions this year. The Final Four of Attraction Madness 2022 will also receive a spot in the tournament.
The organizations we are taking into consideration for the 2024 tournament are:
- The Golden Ticket Awards
- USA Today 10 Best
- Previous Final Four of Attraction Madness 2022
If an attraction has been selected to join the tournament, it will be bolded.
Seeds are chosen at the discretion of Limitless Park. Higher and lower seeding is not randomized, but instead awarded based on the merit of a particular award. For instance, it is our opinion that the previous Attraction Madness champion is one of the greater honors an attraction can receive, so it holds a “1 seed” in the tournament.
If the recognized category awards an attraction that already has a spot in the tournament, the attraction will be listed again but will not be bolded.
If the recognized category awards a theme park rather than an attraction, the newest major attraction (i.e. extreme roller coaster, large-scale dark ride) will receive a spot in the tournament to represent the park. If that attraction has already claimed a spot in the tournament, the spot will go to the next eligible newest ride. For instance, if SeaWorld Orlando were to win a category for “best theme park” but Pipeline the Surf Coaster (2023) already has a spot in the tournament, the spot would go to Ice Breaker (2022).
If the “new” attraction is more than five years old, a different, more popular attraction may be chosen at the discretion of the tournament selector.
If the award is given to a person, the tournament spot will be given to an attraction at the theme park the person is most closely associated to. If the award is given to a manufacturer, the tournament spot will be given to the newest major ride built by the manufacturer.
Finally, an attraction must be open in order to compete in Attraction Madness 2022. A special exception will be made for Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa and Pantheon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg as they started holding passholder previews in February 2022 and March 2022 respectively.
2024 Tournament Selections
2022 Attraction Madness Final Four
1. Winner – Velocicoaster (1)
2. Runner Up – Steel Vengeance (2)
3. Final Four Qualifier – Mako (3)
4. Final Four Qualifier – Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (4)
2023 Golden Ticket Awards
Main Awards List
5. Best Amusement Park – Dollywood – Big Bear Mountain (8)
6. Best Family Park of 2023 – Dutch Wonderland – Merlin’s Mayhem (9)
7. Most Beautiful Park – Busch Gardens Willaimsburg – DarKoaster (3)
8. Best Wooden Coaster – Knoebels Amusement Park – Phoenix (2)
9. Best Steel Coaster – Carowinds – Fury 325 (2)
10. Best Water Ride – Blackpool Pleasure Beach – Valhalla (5)
11. Best New Attraction Installation of 2023 – Epcot – Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (1)
12. Best New Roller Coaster of 2023 – AerieForce One (1)
13. Best Innovation of 2023 – Rocky Mountain Construction – Silver Dollar City – Fire in the Hole (8)
14. Renaissance Award – Kennywood – Spinvasion (9)
5 Picks from 2021 Golden Ticket Awards Best Wooden Coasters List
15. Second Best Wooden Coaster – Holiday World – Voyage (3)
16. Third Best Wooden Coaster – Six Flags Great Adventure – El Toro (4)
17. Fourth Best Wooden Coaster – Dollywood – Thunderhead (5)
18. Fifth Best Wooden Coaster – Lake Compoune – Boulderdash (6)
19. Sixth Best Wooden Coaster – Kings Island – Beast (7)
5 Picks from 2021 Golden Ticket Awards Best Steel Coasters List
20. Second Best Steel Coaster – Cedar Point – Millennium Force (1)
21. Fifth Best Steel Coaster – Busch Gardens Tampa Bay – Iron Gwazi (4)
22. Sixth Best Steel Coaster – Holiday Park – Expedition G-Force (5)
23. Seventh Best Steel Coaster – Six Flags New England – Superman The Ride (6)
24. Eighth Best Steel Coaster – Phantasialand – Taron (7)
USA Today 10 Best – 2023 Lists
3 Picks from Best New Roller Coaster
25. Third Best Roller Coaster – Six Flags Over Texas – Titan (3)
26. Sixth Best Roller Coaster – Hersheypark – Skyrush (4)
27. Seventh Best Roller Coaster – Six Flags Over Georgia – Goliath (5)
10 Picks from Best Theme Park
28. Best Theme Park – Silver Dollar City – Mystic River Falls (2)
29. Second Best Theme Park – Kings Island – Sol Spin (6)
30. Third Best Theme Park – SeaWorld Orlando – Pipeline the Surf Coaster (6)
31. Fourth Best Theme Park – Cedar Point – Wild Mouse (7)
32. Fifth Best Theme Park – Knoebel’s – Tornado (7)
33. Sixth Best Theme Park – Hersheypark – Wildcat’s Revenge (8)
34. Seventh Best Theme Park – Busch Gardens Williamsburg – Pantheon (8)
35. Eighth Best Theme Park – Busch Gardens Tampa Bay – Serengeti Flyer (9)
36. Ninth Best Theme Park – Kennywood – Steel Curtain – (9)
37. Tenth Best Theme Park – Dollywood – Dragon Flier (10)
Picks from Best Non-Roller Coaster Rides
38. Best Ride – SeaWorld San Antonio – Tidal Surge (10)
39. Second Best Ride – Dollywood – Smoky Mountain River Rampage (11)
40. Fourth Best Ride – Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Avatar: Flight of Passage (12)
41. Fifth Best Ride – Disney’s Hollywood Studios – The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (10)
42. Sixth Best Ride – Universal Studios Florida – Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringott’s (11)
43. Seventh Best Ride – Universal’s Islands of Adventure – Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (12)
44. Eighth Best Ride – Universal’s Islands of Adventure – The Amazing Adventure’s of Spider-Man (10)
45. Ninth Best Ride – Knott’s Berry Farm – Timber Mountain Log Ride (11)
46. Tenth Best Ride – Epcot – Soarin’ Around the World (12)
Picks from 2023/2024 Best New Theme Park Attraction – CLICK HERE TO READ!
47. Best Attraction – Lagoon – Primordial (11)
48. Fifth Best Attraction – World’s of Fun – Zambezi Zinger (12)
49. Sixth Best Attraction – Funtown Splashtown USA – Whispering Pines Haunted Hotel (13)
50. Tenth Best Attraction – Magic Kingdom – TRON Lightcycle / Run (11)
Limitless Park Picks
51. Six Flags Great America – Raging Bull (16)
52. Universal Studios Hollywood – Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge (14)
53. Six Flags Over Texas – Aquaman: Power Wave (16)
54. SeaWorld San Diego – Arctic Rescue (13)
55. Parque Warner Madrid – Batman Gotham City Escape (14)
56. Adventureland – Flying Viking (13)
57. Liseberg – Luna (16)
58. Lost Island Theme Park – Matugani (14)
59. Parc Asterix – Toutatis (15)
60. PortAventura Park – Uncharted: The Enigma of Penitence (15)
61. Chessington World of Adventures – Mandrill Mayhem (15)
62. Universal Studios Florida – Villain Con: Minion Blast (15)
63. Hong Kong Disneyland – Frozen Ever After (16)
64. Disneyland – Matterhorn Bobsleds (16)
65. Disneyland Paris – Big Thunder Mountain (16)
66. Universal Studios Japan – Flying Dinosaur (14)
67. Disneyland – Indiana Jones Adventure (11)
68. Shanghai Disneyland – Zootopia: Hot Pursuit (13)
2024 Tournament Bracket
Winners written in bold.
FIRST FOUR
1. Big Thunder Mountain [DLP] (16) v. Matterhorn Bobsleds (16)
2. Luna (16) v. Aquaman Power Wave (16)
3. TRON: Lightcycle / Run (11) v. Primordial (11)
4. Smoky Mountain River Rampage (11) v. Timber Mountain Log Ride (11)
FIRST ROUND
BRACKET 1
Velocicoaster (1) v. Raging Bull (16)
Big Bear Mountain (8) v. Merlin’s Mayhem (9)
Valhalla (5) v. Avatar: Flight of Passage (12)
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (4) v. Whispering Pines Haunted Hotel (13)
Boulderdash (6) v. Timber Mountain Log Ride (11)
Mako (3) v. Flying Dinosaur (14)
Beast (7) v. Tidal Surge (10)
Steel Vengeance (2) v. Villaincon: Minion Blast (15)
BRACKET 2
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (1) v. Luna (16)
Fire in the Hole (8) v. Spinvasion (9)
Thunderhead (5) v. Soarin’ Around the World (12)
El Toro (4) v. Arctic Rescue (13)
Superman the Ride (6) v. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringott’s (11)
DarKoaster (3) v. Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge (14)
Taron (7) v. Amazing Adventures of Spider Man (10)
Phoenix (2) v. Uncharted the Enigma of Penitence (15)
BRACKET 3
AerieForce One (1) v. Frozen Ever After (16)
Wildcat’s Revenge (8) v. Steel Curtain (9)
Expedition G-Force (5) v. Zambezi Zinger (12)
Iron Gwazi (4) v. Flying Viking (13)
Sol Spin (6) v. Tron Lightcycle / Run (11)
Voyage (3) v. Matugani (14)
Wild Mouse (7) v. Dragon Flier (10)
Fury 325 (2) v. Toutatis (15)
BRACKET 4
Millennium Force (1) v. Big Thunder Mountain (16)
Pantheon (8) v. Serengeti Flyer (9)
Goliath [SFOG] (5) v. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (12)
Skyrush (4) v. Zootopia Hot Pursuit (13)
Pipeline the Surf Coaster (6) v. Indiana Jones Adventure (11)
Titan (3) v. Batman Gotham City Escape (14)
Tornado (7) v. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (10)
Mystic River Falls (2) v. Mandrill Mayhem (15)
SECOND ROUND
BRACKET 1
Velocicoaster (1) v. Big Bear Mountain (8)
Avatar: Flight of Passage (12) v. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (4)
Boulderdash (6) v. Mako (3)
Beast (7) v. Steel Vengeance (2)
BRACKET 2
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (1) v. Fire in the Hole (8)
Thunderhead (5) v. El Toro (4)
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringott’s (11) v. Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge (14)
Taron (7) v. Phoenix (2)
BRACKET 3
AerieForce One (1) v. Wildcat’s Revenge (8)
Expedition G-Force (5) v. Iron Gwazi (4)
Tron Lightcycle / Run (11) v. Voyage (3)
Dragon Flier (10) v. Fury 325 (2)
BRACKET 4
Millennium Force (1) v. Pantheon (8)
Goliath [SFOG] (5) v. Skyrush (4)
Pipeline the Surf Coaster (6) v. Batman Gotham City Escape (14)
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (10) v. Mystic River Falls (2)
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