COTALAND Announces Its Opening Date: Tickets, Passes and Pricing Explained
We finally have a date.
COTALAND will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at Circuit of the Americas in Austin. After years of construction, changing timelines and a whole lot of "when is this place actually going to open?", tickets are now on sale.
This is also our first complete look at what a normal visit will cost. COTALAND has released its dated tickets, flexible tickets, two annual pass levels, parking options and a few add-ons that range from an all-day drink bottle to a high-speed lap around the Formula 1 circuit.
I have been following this park since before construction started, so seeing a real opening date attached to a real ticket feels a little strange. Let’s go through what COTALAND is offering and which options make the most sense.
COTALAND’s grand opening is September 26
The grand opening will run from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 26. The evening begins with a ceremonial ribbon cutting at 4:00 p.m. and ends with fireworks.
The special Grand Opening Day ticket costs $99 per person and includes:
- Admission during the six-hour grand opening event
- Unlimited dining
- Unlimited non-alcoholic fountain beverages
Parking is not included. At the currently listed rate of $30 for general parking, a guest driving alone would be at $129 before taxes and fees.
The food and drinks make the $99 ticket easier to understand, but this is still a shorter evening event rather than a full operating day. You are paying to be there for the ribbon cutting, fireworks and first official night of the park. For me, that part matters. I have watched this project develop for years, and I plan to be there when it finally opens.
COTALAND’s first regular full day is Sunday, September 27, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., according to the park’s operating calendar.
Regular COTALAND tickets start at $65
There are currently two regular single-day options in the ticket store.
Choose Your Day Ticket: Starting at $65
Admission on the specific date selected at purchase.
Any Day Ticket: $75
One visit within 365 days of purchase, subject to blackout dates.
The Choose Your Day Ticket is the least expensive way into the park. COTALAND says prices may vary based on demand, so $65 is a starting price rather than a guarantee for every date.
The Any Day Ticket costs $10 more but gives you flexibility. It can be used once within 365 days of purchase on an eligible operating day. It is specifically not valid for the September 26 grand opening.
Neither ticket includes parking. A $65 dated ticket and $30 general parking puts the practical starting cost for a solo visitor at $95 before taxes, fees, food or drinks. Parking is shared by everyone in the vehicle, of course, so the math becomes friendlier for families and groups.
Children under 3 receive free admission. COTALAND also says military tickets will be sold at Guest Services, while discounted group rates are available for groups of 15 or more. Those prices have not been posted publicly.
The park’s FAQ describes a two-day ticket, but one is not currently listed in the live storefront. The same FAQ says Rookie Pass and Hall of Fame Pass products will be available later.
The Pro Pass costs $199
The Pro Pass provides admission for 12 months from the date of purchase. That rolling 12-month term is important because you are not buying a pass that expires at the end of 2026.
For $199, the current benefits include:
- Free general parking
- Preferred parking for $20 per visit
- 25% off eligible COTALAND single-day tickets, limited to six per day
- A dedicated passholder entrance
- 10% off participating food, beverage and retail purchases
- 10% off in-park photos and mobility rentals
- 10% off Speed City, Hot Lap reservations and Podium Pass products
- Two complimentary rounds of mini golf per passholder per year
This is probably the pass that will make sense for most local enthusiasts.
If you visit alone and pay for general parking, two visits with $65 dated tickets would cost about $190 before taxes and fees. The Pro Pass is only $9 more and becomes the clear value on visit three. Without factoring in parking, it costs slightly more than three $65 tickets and less than four.
The 25% ticket discount is also more useful than it might look at first. At the current $65 starting price, an eligible companion ticket would drop to $48.75. A household may not need a pass for every person if one frequent visitor buys the Pro Pass and everyone else comes less often.
The Champion Pass costs $249
The Champion Pass is also valid for 12 months and includes the same basic admission, free general parking and passholder entrance. The extra $50 raises most of the discounts and adds more mini golf.
Champion Pass benefits currently include:
- Free general parking
- Preferred parking for $10 per visit
- 50% off eligible COTALAND single-day tickets, limited to six per day
- A dedicated passholder entrance
- 15% off participating food, beverage and retail purchases
- 15% off in-park photos and mobility rentals
- 15% off Speed City, Hot Lap reservations and Podium Pass products
- Four complimentary rounds of mini golf per passholder per year
The most interesting benefit is the 50% ticket discount. At a $65 base price, that would bring an eligible guest ticket down to $32.50.
That makes the Champion Pass worth considering for someone who expects to bring friends or family. Compared with the Pro Pass, its larger discount saves an additional $16.25 on a $65 guest ticket. Three or four eligible companion tickets would cover most or all of the $50 price difference. The cheaper preferred parking and larger in-park discounts can close the gap even faster.
For someone who usually visits alone, I think the Pro Pass is the better starting point. If COTALAND becomes the place where you regularly bring other people, Champion begins to make much more sense.
Does a pass include the grand opening?
I would not assume it does.
COTALAND is selling September 26 as a separate $99 event, and the Any Day Ticket explicitly excludes that date. The park’s ticket terms also allow special events to become blackout dates for pass products.
The current Pro and Champion sales pages do not clearly say that either pass includes grand opening admission. Until COTALAND confirms otherwise, the safest plan is to treat September 26 as a separately ticketed event.
Parking starts at $30
COTALAND’s location at Circuit of the Americas gives it plenty of parking, but none of the regular single-day tickets include it.
- General Parking: Starting at $30
- Preferred Parking: Starting at $45
- Valet Parking: Starting at $75
Preferred parking is listed as covered garage parking closer to the park. Valet also uses the covered garage.
Parking is subject to availability and is not valid during race events or other excluded dates. Both annual passes include general parking on eligible operating days, which is a major part of their value.
Podium Pass and the other add-ons
COTALAND has also launched several date-specific upgrades.
All Day Drink: Starting at $18
Includes a souvenir bottle with fountain beverage refills every 15 minutes.
Podium Pass: Starting at $39
Provides one priority entry per participating attraction.
Podium Pass Unlimited: Starting at $69
Provides repeat priority access with a 15-minute cooldown on the same ride.
Hot Lap: Starting at $175
Includes a passenger ride with a professional driver on the COTA circuit.
The Podium Pass products do not include park admission. COTALAND says they cover participating attractions, so we still need to see the final ride list and how the priority queues operate in practice.
The regular Podium Pass allows one priority entry per participating attraction. The Unlimited version allows repeated use during the day, with a 15-minute cooldown before using it again on the same attraction.
The All Day Drink includes a souvenir bottle and non-alcoholic Coca-Cola fountain refills as often as every 15 minutes. ICEE, coffee and alcoholic drinks are excluded.
The Hot Lap is the add-on that makes COTALAND different from almost any other park. For $175, guests ride with a professional driver around all 3.4 miles and 20 turns of the Circuit of the Americas track. Park admission is required separately, participants must be at least 14, and a specific date and time must be reserved.
My first impression of COTALAND’s pricing
The $65 starting ticket price feels reasonable for a new park with more than 30 attractions and two major new roller coasters. The part guests need to notice is parking. Once that $30 is added, a solo day visitor is much closer to $100 before food or any upgrades.
That also explains why the Pro Pass is positioned at $199. COTALAND clearly wants Central Texas locals to consider becoming passholders, and the included parking makes the decision easier after only a few visits.
The Champion Pass is more situational, but I like that its biggest advantage is easy to understand. If you bring guests, 50% off their tickets could be worth far more than another small merchandise discount.
There are still details to learn. We need a confirmed list of blackout dates, the final two-day ticket price, clarification on pass access for grand opening and a better idea of which rides participate in Podium Pass. Prices and benefits are also subject to taxes, fees, availability and change.
Still, this is the moment COTALAND has felt real in a completely different way. The rides have been standing for a while. Now there is a date on the calendar, tickets in the store and an actual decision to make about which pass belongs in my wallet.
September 26 is finally the answer.