Tending: Prolonging the 2024 Season

As the traditional summer operating season winds down, Funworld has identified a trend this August: to maximize guest engagement and revenue, attractions are extending their seasons by adding new events and additional operating days before Labor Day and beyond.

In North America, Palace Entertainment recently increased operating days at Adventureland Resort in Altoona, Iowa; Lake Compounce located in Bristol, Connecticut: and Kennywood, the classic American amusement park outside Pittsburgh in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. This move is in response to strong consumer demand, according to Mark Pauls, vice president of operations at Palace Entertainment.

"We've added more days to offer our guests time to enjoy our parks right before the school year begins and to test if there is an appetite to continue extending our summer seasons," Pauls tells IAAPA News.

Palace Entertainment also hopes the additional days will give guests more reason to buy a season pass. "To close out the summer season, we have added the first-ever drone shows at Lake Compounce and Adventureland, plus more drone shows at Kennywood. These shows have allowed us to extend our operating hours," Pauls says.

The new offerings build on Palace Entertainment's proven success with seasonal events, such as Dutch Wonderland's Eggcellent Easter Celebration that takes place around the Easter holiday in the spring. "This year, Story Land will offer the longest season ever with the debut of its Halloween event, Happy Hauntings," he says.

The trend to offer late-season entertainment continues at Palace's Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe, as the water park in Greensboro, North Carolina, celebrates 40 years by offering more time to splash. Extended operating hours until 8 p.m. and a reimagined Kids Fest event headlined the weekend of August 16.

"The fun isn't over yet as we continue our 40th birthday bash celebration with even more ways to celebrate the park and our guests all August long," says General Manager Adam Good.

Additional live entertainment offerings on later weekends in August include bubble dance parties, bubble artists, a DJ, and games. The Bootstrap Bash this weekend features pirates and mermaids, along with foam parties, photo ops, and a specialty menu offering the Snap, Crackle, and Swirl funnel cake.

In Santa Claus, Indiana, Holiday World & Splashin' Safari extends their season this year by opening Friday evenings in August for Friday Night Live! The event, taking place from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on three Friday nights, features live music, drink specials, and night rides on Holiday World's roller coasters and major attractions. Meantime, only a limited amount of children's attractions will be in operation.

"Friday Night Live! is the perfect way to kick off the weekend," says Lauren Crosby, fourth-generation owner and director of entertainment and events. "Between the live music, incredible night rides, and drink specials, this event is tailored for a fun date night or a night out with friends at Holiday World!" The park is partnering with local bands to provide live music.

The Friday Night Live! event is open to all Holiday World season pass holders, while tickets for the event are available online for $25. Tickets purchased at the park cost $30.

Oktoberfest for Months
Carowinds on the North Carolina and South Carolina boarder is inviting guests to experience a taste of Germany with the park's new Oktoberfest event. Beginning with a celebratory keg-tapping ceremony, traditional German music will fill the air, thanks to live polka bands.

Carowinds plans to hold Oktoberfest on Saturdays and Sundays from Sept. 14 to Nov. 2. Authentic German food and a wide selection of beer-including imported German offerings-will join family-friendly entertainment. Planned activities at the park owned by the Six Flags Entertainment Corporation include yard games, such as cornhole and horseshoes, a stein-holding contest, a brat-eating contest, and an Oktoberfest color-by-numbers mural from11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on event days.

Carowinds is positioning Oktoberfest as a way to drive season pass sales. Guests who purchase a 2025 gold pass will also be able to use their pass for all remaining operating days in 2024, including the park's Christmas event, WinterFest.

Shoulder Season Haunts
The tend of adding additional operating hours in 2024 continues past the American Labor Day holiday.

Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, will give guests more opportunities to enjoy Halloween hijinks in 2024. Vikki Hultquist, vice president of Hersheypark and entertainment operations at the Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company, explains the backstory to IAAPA News: "Hersheypark has offered a Halloween attraction for more than 30 years. Based on guest feedback to add scare to our offerings, we debuted the Dark Nights immersive haunt experience in 2022-our largest investment to date for a seasonal event. At that time, we also added more weekends to our Halloween event. Over the last two years, the event has grown in popularity, so we have added even more operating days for year three of Dark Nights."

In 2024, the family-friendly Hersheypark Halloween and scarier Dark Nights will run for 25 days over eight weekends, including extended days and hours around Halloween. "Our Halloween event now truly offers something for everyone, with unique experiences you can only enjoy in 'The Sweetest Place On Earth' during the fall," Hultquist says.

With extra days on the calendar, Dark Nights will offer guests five haunted houses, including the new Estate of Evil. Midways will transform into three scare zones each evening, including Darkstone's Hollow: Battle for Spring Creek. A fresh addition this year is the Avenue Of The Afterlife, a scare-free zone with themed food and drink offerings, pop-up retail, and live entertainment.

"Adding extra operating days to the schedule has allowed us to increase the value of a season pass for our most loyal customers and provide more flexibility for season pass holders and transient guests to plan a visit over eight weekends of fun. We are especially excited about being open on a Thursday for the first time-on Halloween!" Hultquist says.

Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, has also extended its popular Halloween season, adding an additional operating weekend into November. HalloWeekends will now run through November 2, instead of ending on October 27 as first planned. "We know there's demand for more HalloWeekends operating days. We are hopeful that the schedule will give guests more flexibility for a visit, as Saturdays in October tend to be our busiest HalloWeekends days," says Tony Clark, Cedar Point's director of communications.

Supporting Staff
Clark notes that managing staffing is a key consideration for parks that open for extra days. "We also have to be mindful of our vendors, as well as any construction and/or ride rehab schedules, as it 'shrinks' our off season by a week. Our team is very well versed in adapting to changes in schedules, so we're confident it will have minimal impact as we prepare for 2025."

Michael Collins, senior partner at Leisure Development Partners, believes a mix of factors encourages season extension. Some parks are looking for ways to drive revenues in markets where consumers are curbing their spending due to inflation.
"Bringing in additional visitors is attractive," he says. "Of course, some parks are doing well, but even then, who doesn't want more visitors? If opening adds to EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization], then it is a good thing."

Two Paths Forward
Collins defines two primary forms of season extension: first, adding to the existing season by extending for a few days or weeks and second, creating new seasonal events that dramatically lengthen the season. "Both strategies require good analysis to sense check the likelihood of covering the variable costs of opening and turning a profit," he says.

"It is also important to consider whether modest season extensions, without special events and soft programming, risk spreading the same visits across more days, cannibalizing profitability on other days in the calendar. Special events have proven in many cases, such as PortAventura World's Carnival, the Scandinavian Christmas openings, and countless Halloweens to grow overall visitation. It is tougher, though, to prove that adding regular days to the end of the season will have a positive impact."

Parks must weigh the risks and rewards. The weeks ahead will provide valuable data.

• This original reporting from IAAPA News first appeared in the IAAPA News Hub. For more stories and videos covering the global attractions industry and to read a digital version of Funworld magazine, click here.

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