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HAPPY 4TH OF JULY??
By: Dennis L. Speigel, Founder & CEO - ITPS
This year, the 4th of July will be unlike any we have ever celebrated in the USA, and in the history of our industry.
This will be the first time in over 67 years that Disneyland and other major theme parks and family parks will not be open to celebrate Independence Day. What a shame. Theme park visitation is synonymous with July 4th celebrations. Picnics, fireworks, parades, and huge family get-togethers have always been carried out at amusement parks, beaches, etc.
(Photo Walt Disney World)
This year has presented a lot of challenges to our industry and our valued guests. Not having some parks available to attend in 2020 is a first, and hopefully the last time we ever see an occurrence of this nature. Being closed on the 4th of July by parks and attractions in the USA is sacrilegious. It ruins many people’s traditional holiday experience. I know I for one will not experience the typical 4th of July that I celebrated at amusement and theme parks for over 50 years.
(Photo Cedar Point)
It is not the end of the world as we say, but it is the end of a long time tradition for me and my family, as well as many others.
Next year will be, has to be better. We can start getting back to normal (as we continue to say) celebrating our heritage and traditions in the places we love best – amusement parks, theme parks, waterparks, and attractions. But for now, Happy 4th of July! Carry the banner as high as one can, and don’t drag the flag.
(Photo Kings Island)
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Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak
Daily Update
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2020 Closings, Cancellations, and Yet to Decide
Will Not Open in 2020
Big Surf Waterpark - Arizona
Cedar Point Shores - Ohio
Dreamland Margate (rides)
Funtown Splashtown - Maine
Hydro Adventures - Missouri
Legoland - New York
Ocean Breeze Waterpark - Virginia
Ocean Oasis Water Park - New Jersey
Point Mallard Waterpark - Alabama
Rye Playland - New York
Sylvan Beach - New York
Water World - Colorado
Waves Waterpark - Corpus Christi
Event Cancelled
Disney's Not So Scary Halloween
Queen Mary - Dark Harbor - California
No Opening Date
Kings Dominion - Virginia - no date determined
Aquatica San Diego
Blizzard Beach
Busch Gardens Williamsburg - Virginia
California Adventure
California's Great America & Boomerang Bay
Canada's Wonderland Splash Works
Carowinds & Carolina Harbor
Castaway Bay
Disneyland
H2OBX - North Carolina
Hurricane Harbor Concord
Hurricane Harbor Great Adventure
Hurricane Harbor Rockford
Hurricane Harbor Splashtown
King's Island Soak City Waterpark
Knott's Berry Farm & Soak City
La Ronde
Legoland California
Legoland Dubai
Michigan's Adventure & WIldwater Adventure
Oceans of Fun
Seabreeze Amusement Park
SeaWorld San Diego
Sesame Place
Six Flags Darien Lake & Splashtown
Six Flags Great America & Hurricane Harbor
Six Flags Great Escape & Hurricane Harbor
Six Flags Magic Mountain & Hurricane Harbor
Six Flags Mexico & Hurricane Harbor
Six Flags New England & Hurricane Harbor
Typhoon Lagoon
Universal Studios Hollywood
Valleyfair & Soak City
Whitewater Bay at Great Escape Lodge
Wildwater Kingdom Dorney Park
Opened and Now Closed
Golfland Sunsplash - Arizona (one month closure)
Miami Seaquarium
All Arizona waterpark - one month closure)
If you have an opening, closing, or status update please email shwnhaas@interthemepark.com
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Two months after Kings Island's original opening date and three months since COVID-19 threatened to keep the park closed all year, the Mason, Ohio, theme park is finally opening for the 2020 season.
And the highlight is Orion, the coaster that the park started teasing in summer 2018 and called "Project X" during its planning phase. It's now Kings Island's longest, fastest and tallest steel coaster.
Kings Island changes: What to know about new park rules as it opens today
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Masks are mandatory, reservations are a must, spaced out rides and new entrance gate will welcome visitors as Pennsylvania’s Hersheypark reopens with measures in place aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Hersheypark reopens with big coaster
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“You can choose from these three rides.” “Let’s go with Men In Black,” I said. “I can rock a necktie.” This was 10 years ago when I interviewed for a job at Universal Orlando Resort. I was given the choice of which attraction to work, and I chose MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack. Admittingly, I based my choice solely on what wardrobe I thought I would look best in. Little did I know that this would become one of the biggest life-changing moments for me…but more to come on that later.
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Bosses at a popular amusement park have announced rides will not be running this summer despite other attractions being given the green-light to reopen. Dreamland Margate has mostly vintage rides, which means it cannot accommodate "very specific and unprecedented social distancing and safety measures" amid the coronavirus outbreak.
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When Knoebels Amusement Resort announced last week they would be reopening, it was a surprise to many that their opening day for 2020 would come as soon as July 1.
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WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- Legoland announced it has laid off its workers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Legoland released a statement on Wednesday saying it had to reduce its workforce across the resort. Legoland did not specify how many people it had let go.
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The Actors’ Equity Association’s executive committee has unanimously rejected Walt Disney World Resort’s proposed safety plan for Cast Members because it does not include COVID-19 testing for theme park performers, Deadline reports today.
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China's first Smurfs theme park opened in Shanghai on May 29, giving Chinese parents a nostalgic place to revisit their good-old memories and their children a new magical land to explore.
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DXB Entertainments PJSC (DFM: DXBE) today announced that the temporary suspension of theme park operations implemented in March 2020, will be extended for the summer period with the destination re-opening on 23 September 2020. The company will, in the interim, focus on the roll-out of the enhancement program and completion of maintenance works.
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When Disney announced that it would retheme Splash Mountain to The Princess and the Frog, that got some fans thinking about the future of other Disney theme park attractions. Putting aside, for a moment, issues of exploitation and social justice, there remains the question of Disney's business strategy with its theme parks.
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A slew of businesses will be allowed to reopen Thursday after many were shuttered for months because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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SANDUSKY, Ohio — As Cedar Point opens for its shortened 2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic, one of the new rules requires all guests and employees to wear a mask inside the park.
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According to details released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and reported by WESH, Jennifer “Jenny” Insuasti of Kissimmee, a former Guest Experience Services Coordinator at Walt Disney World, stole more than $100,000 from the company by issuing fraudulent refunds which were then deposited into bank accounts belonging to her, as well as her friends and family.
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A treasure that many thought was lost has been given new life in Western New York. Empire Adventures has announced a plan to bring back Fantasy Island, located in Grand Island, New York, starting in 2021.
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UK - Sundown Adventureland, based in Retford, Nottinghamshire have introduced new safety measures in line with government advice and precautions in order for their rides and attractions to reopen.
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In Heide Park you can now find a “toilet for everyone” - a sanitary facility equipped with a ceiling lift and a couch. It is available to people with severe and multiple disabilities to change incontinence pads.
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General views at Alton Towers Resort as it prepares to reopen on Saturday, July 4 with social distancing measures in place
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The Walt Disney World theme parks begin a phased reopening from July 11, along with resort hotel reopenings. This is the line-up of transportation options that are expected to be available:
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California has ordered indoor businesses, including restaurants and movie theaters, to close across 19 counties as the state grapples with a resurgence of coronavirus cases, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.
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Researchers in Brazil are sifting through the ashes of a fire that destroyed part of a museum in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais on 15 June. The blaze follows repeated warnings about fire risks at museums, and comes less than two years after a massive inferno gutted the prized National Museum in Rio de Janeiro.
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Guests of The Amsterdam Dungeon must currently undergo a sniff test prior to their visit. The horror palace supposedly wants to check whether rats can detect the corona virus. Visitors must also do a smell test to prove that their sense of smell is not affected.
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Following guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local public health authorities, Gateway Arch National Park is increasing recreational access to the Tram Ride to the Top and Documentary Movie experiences. The National Park Service (NPS) is working service-wide with federal, state, and local public health authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and using a phased approach to increase access on a park-by-park basis.
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Indoor family entertainment venues in Fresno, Merced, Tulare and Kings counties are being forced to shut down once again per the state’s orders to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. “First we went to John’s Incredible, they said that they have been closed since 12 p.m. So then we called Chuck E. Cheese, and they said that they’re closed,” said Fresno resident Sonia Brown.
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The opening of the highly-anticipated Dave & Buster's in the Lehigh Valley is still a go. Whitehall Township Mayor Michael Harakal told 69 News the restaurant was set to open in August, but because of some hiring snags, it got pushed back. He says the new opening date is expected to be in October.
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KidZania's Mandar Natekar has resigned from the post of Chief Business Officer. Natekar had joined the company in March 2019 and was responsible for driving strategic and business objectives of KidZania across verticals.
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At a 6 p.m. Monday meeting, the Jackson Town Council will consider conditional use permit applications for a new gondola and a proposed zip line course on Snow King Mountain Resort. While the proposed gondola, which would have its base in Phil Baux Park, seemed to be largely well-received by the council, the zip line faced resistance at the council’s hour-and-a-half-long workshop June 15. Councilor Jim Stanford called it “a bait and switch” after the council shot down a previous zip line proposal last year.
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The Seaside Heights borough council on Wednesday unanimously voted to award a $2,597,000 to a construction firm to immediately begin work on a planned building which will hold a historic carousel and serve as a museum and meeting place.
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As silly and ephemeral as it sounds, the MOIC was also a high-flying business. Last August Elizabeth Street Ventures and Maywic Select Investments, which also backs Peloton, agreed to give the company $40 million in a deal that valued the parent Figure8 at $200 million. The numbers aren’t there—total revenue for the entire four-year life of the company has only hit an estimated $10 million. Instead, those investors were buying into the hype. Limited-time pop-up installations in cities across America fomented sell-outs and waitlists, with Bunn emerging as the “Millennial Walt Disney” (according to New York Magazine), who operated a company with “Willy Wonka flair” (per the New York Times). Forbes named her to its 2018 30 Under 30 list.
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Officials at Hurricane Harbor water parks in Gurnee and Rockford have begun hiring lifeguards and other employees in preparation to open for an abbreviated summer season. Six Flags Great America officials announced Wednesday they have received word from Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Restore Illinois team that water parks may begin opening.
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A £60m leisure resort, which would include a water park, is being planned for north Wales. Maybrook Investments wants to develop the old Ferodo factory site and nearby Plas Brereton on the banks of the Menai Strait, near Caernarfon.
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Noah’s Ark waterpark in Wisconsin Dells announced across-the-board raises for seasonal staff June 22, looking to bring in local workers to fill out the park staff. Like many other Dells businesses, Noah’s Ark employs J-1 students as seasonal workers, with much of the park’s staff living abroad during the offseason. However, due to travel restrictions from COVID-19 countermeasures, the park’s ability to bring in J-1 workers has been severely impacted.
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City officials and staff are working to keep the Rock’N River Water Park a destination for Round Rock families looking to beat the heat in the age of coronavirus. Beginning in the spring, many residents were asking Parks and Recreation Department officials when the water park would reopen, said Roger Heaney, director of marketing and communications for the department.
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Thousands of gallons of water are flowing once again at Split Rock Resort's H2Oooohh!. While the resort reopened on June 11th, it waited until Wednesday to reopen the indoor water park.
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Hydro Adventures in Poplar Bluff announced on Wednesday, July 1 their park will be closed for the rest of the 2020 season due the coronavirus pandemic. The water park had tentative plans to reopen on July 1, but has since reconsidered. In a statement, Hydro Adventures said it was not a financially viable option to open for a shortened season.
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GEORGE TOWN: As the water theme park at Escape Theme Park in Teluk Bahang reopens, the chlorine level of the pool is monitored every two hours, instead of three, says CEO Sim Choo Kheng. This was being done as part of the park’s new standard operating procedure (SOP), he said. “With the correct level of disinfection, we will be able to kill any pathogen, including viruses. “We have our international standard benchmark conforming to the TUV Nord ISO 9001 Theme Park operations standards, ” he said during an interview yesterday.
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Mountain Creek Waterpark will reopen Thursday, just in time for the Fourth of July weekend. Gov. Phil Murphy announced the reopening of outdoor amusement parks and waterparks last week as part of the next COVID-19 reopening phase.
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The Kentucky Splash waterpark, which was scheduled to open Wednesday, July 1, announced today that its opening had been postponed until Saturday, July 4. “Unfortunately, we have had an unexpected delay and will have to postpone our opening for a few days. We hope to have it resolved quickly,” Kentucky Splash officials announced Wednesday.
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Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown may be temporarily closed, but those with its season passes can now use them at Typhoon Texas in Katy. Present your 2020 Splashtown season pass at Typhoon Texas to get a pass good for the remainder of the season. To receive the Typhoon Texas pass, you must purchase a 2021 Typhoon Texas at the price of $59.99 per person.
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Cincinnati's Coney Island is opening all of its water slides, splashgrounds and paddleboats on Friday. The Cincinnati amusement park opened its pool features in June, including Sunlite Pool, the largest recirculating pool in the United States, and Cannonball Cove.
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Following drastic budget cuts and millions of dollars in revenue loss, the Oakland Zoo is faced with the possibility of closing permanently if it does not receive approval to reopen this month, according to Dr. Joel Parrott, the zoo’s president and CEO. Normally, attendance soars during July, and the popular summer months are critical to sustaining the zoo’s operating costs through the less-visited winter season.
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PRNewswire/ -- Page Development Group and Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) are proud to introduce Clearwater Beach's newest family-and-eco-friendly hotel, Winter the Dolphin's Beach Club, located at 655 S. Gulfview Blvd.
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After closing its doors because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Minnesota Zoo is slated to get some desperately needed financial help. The Zoo will receive $6 million in COVID-19 relief funding from the state to maintain operations. The Legislative COVID-19 Response Commission approved the proposed expenditure request on Tuesday.
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The Louisville Zoo may not be run by the city for much longer. Louisville officials have put out a request for proposals seeking new management for the zoo, citing "budgetary challenges" that city government faces in continuing its operation. Zoo Director John Walczak said in a press release that the RFP process is an "opportunity to explore options" given Metro Government's pension challenges.
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It’s fitting that the first king penguin chick to hatch at the Zoo since 2012 arrived in 2020, a year that Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is calling the “Year of the Penguin.” “The Zoo’s first birth of the year, in early January, was a little blue penguin, and we’re gearing up to open two new penguin habitats later this summer,” said Cincinnati Zoo director Thane Maynard.
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The Roundhouse Aquarium, which had recently announced protocols to deal with COVID-19 and an online reservation system, is going dark thanks to the most recent order from California State Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles County. "We are saddened to announce that we must again close our doors to the public, effective immediately," Roundhouse wrote in am email. "Due to the restrictions and guidelines announced by the state and county today [Wednesday, July 1], we will be unable to open to the public for at least 3 weeks, starting tomorrow, July 2nd. We are so sorry for the inconvenience.
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If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, why not check out all the fish and penguins at the National Aquarium? It reopened Wednesday morning for the first time since March.
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The South Carolina Aquarium is launching a new experience that highlights the small and large "monsters" that lurk in the ocean off the state's shores. The feature is called "Monsters: From Micro to Mega" and will begin on the July 4 weekend. The goal is to showcase "monsters" by creating sculptures and scenes from scratch to show they are not "obtrusive or scary," but a part of an important ecosystem.
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Special effects company Edge Innovations has created a robotic dolphin to potentially replace live cetaceans in captivity in aquariums and theme parks across China. In response to the coronavirus crisis, China has implemented strict limitations on the import and export of wild animals.
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Adventure Aquarium will reopen to members on July 15 after a four-month closure amid the COVID-19 crisis. The general public can return two days later. All guests will be required to make an online reservation before visiting the Camden waterfront attraction – an effort to limit capacity amid the pandemic. Additional health and safety measures will be announced later this month.
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Starved of the travel experience during the coronavirus lockdown? One Taiwanese airport has the solution - a fake itinerary where you check in, go through passport control and security and even board the aircraft. You just never leave.
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Several soccer stars took to social media this week to share pictures of their pitiful quarantine diet, courtesy of the Magic Kingdom's hotels in Orlando where the MLS is Back Tournament will begin next week.
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ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — International Drive may be one of the most tourist-dependent areas of Central Florida. Unfortunately, souvenir shops are closing because of a dramatic decline in visitors.
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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — For the first time in 108 days, slot machines will beep, dice will tumble and cards will be dealt at Atlantic City's casinos Thursday as they reopen amid a coronavirus pandemic that has drastically changed things both inside and outside the casino walls.
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