Amusement season set to begin

After a long winter, the borough’s amusement parks will spring into action this weekend.

On March 24, the annual Coney Island Palm Sunday Celebration will take place at Deno’s Wonder Wheel at 10 a.m., and Luna Park will host the 39th Annual Blessing of the Rides and the traditional Egg Cream Christening at 10:45 a.m.

The first 104 people to line up at the Wonder Wheel will ride for free, and the park will also give free tickets to children from the Salt and Sea Mission, a food pantry.

The first 97 visitors to Luna Park will ride the Cyclone for free. Guests can also enjoy new restaurants and retail shops and an upgraded arcade area. The park will open a new go-cart ride, the Electric Eden Raceway, later this summer.

“The March opening provides an extra thrill and gives Coney Island the distinct privilege of welcoming the warmer weather and outdoor recreation season to New York City when the sun and the fun come out to play,” said Daniel Murphy, executive director of the Alliance for Coney Island. “After more than a century, there is still no better way to celebrate spring than by riding on the Wonder Wheel and the Cyclone, savoring a hot dog at Nathan’s, and taking in a Brooklyn Cyclones game at Maimonides Park.”