When Playland reopens Saturday for the 2026 season, the historic Rye amusement park will be as close to fully operational as it’s been in years. County officials hope the return of iconic rides will mark the return of larger crowds as well.
During a walk-through of the park Thursday, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins and Peter Tartaglia, Westchester County Parks Department’s deputy commissioner, explained which rides and attractions will be operational in the park’s 98th year, coming off a season of turmoil in 2025.
Tartaglia said 90% of children’s rides and 80% of adult rides will be running Saturday, including the historic Dragon Coaster, which was closed all of last year.
“Everyone loves the Grand Carousel, the historic Dragon Coaster, the gondola,” Jenkins said. “Then, we have the new rides that have come in over the last few years, like the Dragonator, the spin-around type of rides. I think there’s something here for everyone.”
The park will host a grand opening ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, and the park will open to the public at noon. The Dragon Coaster will reopen at 12:15 p.m., and Jenkins said he’ll be seated on the first car.
The Ferris wheel and the Double Shot tower drop are also reopening after a year off. Tartaglia said all but a couple of the 20 rides in Kiddyland will be running this weekend, along with the arcade and the return of concession stands. Nathan’s hot dogs and Dippin’ Dots will be served, along with burgers and the introduction of chicken options.
Rides that remain closed include the Playland Yo-Yo, which is still in need of maintenance, the log flume, and other water rides, which Tartaglia said he expects to open when it gets hotter and children are out of school.
“If anyone wants to know what’s open day by day, go to playlandpark.org,” Tartaglia said. “If the ride is on there, it’s due to open … I know a lot of the focus has been on which rides are opened and closed because of the situation we’ve been in the last two years. You may come down here, and something may be down, maybe something needs a part or needs to be reset. That’s normal procedure for any park.”
Last year, the park opened Memorial Day weekend with just 14 of its 42 rides running due to maintenance needs and the abrupt transition in ownership from Standard Amusements back to Westchester County. While more rides opened gradually throughout the summer, that combination of factors contributed to a down year in the park’s attendance and revenue.
“It wasn’t a real year,” Tartaglia said of 2025. “We go back to last year, under the direction of the county executive, he wanted to open the park for the public … We got it open on a much smaller scale. This year, we are expecting the crowds to come back, and it’s going to be a good season.”
Just over 213,000 people visited Playland in 2025, according to data obtained through a freedom of information request from Westchester County, which owns and operates the park. The county reported around $2.1 million in revenue from Playland.
That’s less than half of where the park’s attendance and revenue stood before the pandemic. In 2018, when the county managed Playland, the park saw more than 460,000 visitors and reported $8.98 million in revenue. In 2019, Playland accommodated more than 508,000 visitors and raked in $10.36 million in revenue.
The park was closed during the entire 2020 season, and the county turned over management to for-profit operator Standard Amusements for the 2022, 2023, and 2024 seasons.
“Playland’s attendance and revenue numbers for the 2025 season were understandably lower than pre-COVID levels seen in 2018 and 2019, when the county previously operated the park,” Westchester County Communications Director Catherine Cioffi told The Record, noting “the county has remained committed to restoring and revitalizing this historic landmark.”
Playland’s struggle to rebound is likely due not only to the pandemic, but also to the county’s fallout with Standard.
“The last few years have been interesting because we went from private operators running the park back to us,” Tartaglia said. “We definitely expect more crowds this year.”
In January 2025, Standard Amusements left Playland only three years into a 30-year deal – claiming the county hadn’t made necessary infrastructure upgrades to the park, which prompted the two sides to enter litigation over the matter. An arbitration panel ultimately decided Standard defaulted on its contract, but ruled the county would still have to pay up to $36 million in damages, since Westchester terminated its contract with the for-profit management company.
“It is important to remember that the park was not fully operational this past season, as numerous rides remained closed for critical repairs after the county inherited a severely deteriorated facility from Standard Amusements,” Cioffi said.
Westchester County Attorney John Nonna said last month Standard Amusements had apparently not received “the revenue that they projected to get” during the 2022, 2023, and 2024 seasons it managed Playland, and “they weren’t getting the number of visitors that they were projecting.”
However, multiple county officials have told The Record they don’t have actual attendance and revenue data on the seasons Standard was running the park, so it’s unclear what the totals were.
One change implemented in 2025, which will continue this year, is free park admission. Rather than charging people to enter, park visitors can purchase wristbands for rides. Bands for adult rides are $27 for residents and $32 for non-residents. Kiddyland bands are $20 for residents and $25 for non-residents. Parking is $15 per car and $20 on holidays.
“We do not charge admission anymore. You buy a wristband,” Tartaglia said. “You see the beauty of that. People walk around the park and buy cotton candy, play a game, come with family members.”
While rain is in the forecast for opening weekend, the county is hopeful the overhaul to the Dragon Coaster, and the park itself, will help restore attendance and revenue to pre-COVID levels.
“It had a tremendous amount of work that was done to it,” Jenkins said of the Dragon Coaster. “Replacing bolts and all kinds of things, making sure the tracks are aligned. Standard Amusements did not do that level of investment. We did. It took a year to get that done. To replace those wood parts, it’s not like you can just run down to your local hardware store to pick up these parts. So, we’re happy that the Dragon Coaster will be operational and running from Day 1, starting on May 23.”
After Memorial Day weekend, the park will be open Wednesdays through Sundays through Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 7.
