MASON, Ohio (AP) — Kings Island’s Winterfest is reviving its once-popular winter festival after a 12-year absence.

The event is returning Friday and will run through Dec. 30.

Park spokesman Chad Showalter tells WLWT-TV that parkgoers have been asking for years when the event would return.

Crews are stringing up more than 5 million lights to transform the park for the winter season and a new cooling system has been installed to keep the ice rink frozen in any weather.

Seventeen rides will operate during WinterFest.

Showalter says people who remember the old festivals will be able to pass the memory on to their children and grandchildren.

Information from: WLWT-TV, http://www.wlwt.com