Extreme weather has Americans skipping theme parks this year
Amusement park attendance is off to the worst start for its busiest period of the year in the post-pandemic era as bad weather deters thrill seekers.
Foot traffic at United Parks & Resort Inc.’s 12 U.S. locations has fallen an estimated 9.6% on average over the 30 days through June 20, compared with a 1.3% drop in the same period last year, according to an analysis of Placer.ai cellphone mobility data.
Similarly, the average across Six Flags Entertainment Corp.’s parks where data was available fell 17%, versus a moderate 0.8% increase last year. The figures include 11 of the Cedar Fairs locations and the U.S.-based Six Flags-branded properties acquired in a merger last year.
A wet start to the busy season in April has given way to scorching heat across wide swaths of the country as the Fourth of July holiday approaches. Meteorologists expect weather in the U.S. this summer to oscillate between record-setting temperatures and severe thunderstorms, both of which can deter would-be thrill seekers at theme parks.
Parks in the southeastern U.S. could be further disrupted by an active hurricane season, which runs from June to November. Colorado State University expects at least 17 named storms from the Atlantic this year, above the average of 14, Bloomberg News previously reported.
United Parks and Six Flags operate 15 parks in Florida, Texas and Georgia, states susceptible to those storms.
Likewise, the intense conditions are disrupting major outdoor sporting events like FIFA’s Club World Cup soccer tournament being held in 12 locations across the country in June and July. The event, seen as a dress rehearsal for the 2026 World Cup hosted in the U.S. next summer, has sustained at least four weather-related game delays and low attendance numbers due, in part, to scorching temperatures.
Six Flags operated 14 fewer days than a year ago because of the inclement conditions in the first quarter. The second quarter didn’t start much better as attendance in April fell short of expectations due to wet and cold weather at some parks, Chief Executive Officer Richard Zimmerman said in May.
“We estimate the impact of weather on April attendance was approximately 175,000 visits,” Six Flags’ Chief Financial Officer Brian Witherow said during the company’s first-quarter earnings call. April accounts for around 20% of second-quarter attendance and, absent the adverse conditions, foot traffic would’ve risen 8% from the year prior, Witherow added.
Customers may be seeking shelter in movie theaters and bowling alleys, with Placer.ai data showing foot traffic at these venues as growing 19% on average over the 30-day period, compared with a 22% drop last year.
To help mitigate the impact of increasingly erratic weather, theme parks are pushing membership and season passes.
“Memberships, season passes and all-season add-ons secure advanced purchase commitments and make sure that it provides stability to our revenue base that people come even when the weather’s iffy,” Six Flags’ Zimmerman said in May during the company’s investor day.
Still, those products are relatively new and account for little more than 20% of sales, said Chris Woronka, an analyst at Deutsche Bank, and won’t really begin to benefit the companies until next year.
“I don’t think they’re a silver bullet,” as the businesses are driven by spending in parks just as much as ticket sales, he continued.
Both companies have been offering more events during March and April or September and October – so-called “shoulder seasons” – outside of the busy period in the middle of the year. Since 2023, attendance at Six Flags parks has grown faster during these periods than overall.
These efforts, along with keeping locations open longer during the summer, will likely be more beneficial in the near term, Woronka said. “Weather is more likely to be on your side in late September and early October, so you can have more confidence in planning” lucrative concerts or adult-friendly events for Oktoberfest and Halloween, he added.