Playland to open at full capacity this weekend

The amusement park will open to 100% capacity, although social distancing guidelines will remain in effect.

News 12 Staff

Jun 25, 2021, 1:16 PM

Updated 1,170 days ago

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Playland is set to fully reopen this weekend for the first time since the pandemic began.
Playland Beach will also open daily starting this weekend.
The amusement park will open to 100% capacity, although social distancing guidelines will remain in effect.
Adults will pay $20 for admission while kids pay $15 with unlimited use of rides.
For Westchester County residents, it’s free to walk around the park. Otherwise, it's $10 for spectators.
As many camps and pools across the region deal with staff shortages, Playland is also looking at a similar situation, considering it being a seasonal facility. And many people are looking for full-time jobs rather than part-time. However, Westchester County Executive George Latimer says they currently have people recruiting part-time work for the park.
Latimer says this means there will be a shift in demographics throughout the day. For example, younger families are expected to come earlier in the day while older crowds would likely come later in the evening.
Now because of COVID-19, the park has lost a whole year of income, but thanks to the CARES ACT, the park finished the year off solvent.
Meantime, there has been much construction and refurbishing happening to touch up the park.
It'll be a challenge this year though. The park is opening a little later than usual and shortening the season, cutting Memorial Day profits out of the mix.
If attendance is successful on the Fourth of July and overall attendance this season at the park reaches above 500,000, which were the numbers in 2019, the county is projecting to make a few million dollars this year.
"If we have a good Fourth of July weekend, if we have a good Labor Day weekend, we could make a profit down here by a few million dollars," Latimer says.
Latimer says this year is the reintroduction year that will set the stage for the next year to see what it’s like to manage the park during COVID.
The park opens this Saturday at 12 p.m. It will be open five days a week Wednesday through Sunday.