A total of 28 rides at Playland will be out of commission when the park opens on Saturday, either temporarily or for the entire 2025 season, Westchester officials confirmed Friday morning.
During a media tour of the park on May 23, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, a Democrat, said there are four rides the county won’t open at all this summer. In addition, there are dozens that the county deems inoperable – including the park’s crown jewel, the Dragon Coaster – but Jenkins said officials will try to get them cleared at some point this summer.
The Derby Racer will also remain closed and the section of the landmark park that includes the Dragon Coaster is not ready to open for the season. In total, more than half the rides at Playland will be closed as the season kicks off.
“There was no way to make sure that everything could be open in one swoop,” Jenkins told the press Friday morning. “There’s 41 different rides that we have here at Playland.”
The county executive said his team has divided the park into quadrants for repair.
The county’s top priority, Jenkins noted, was getting the kiddy quadrant operational before other areas of the historic amusement park. Out of the 21 kiddy rides, only eight will be open to start, he said.
Jenkins commended the officials, especially those with the Westchester County Parks Department, who have been working to get the park ready for opening weekend.
“We’re not going to say enough about the energy (and) work from the leadership team,” he said, noting that the county will open the park “successfully.”
The park officially opens to the public on May 24, with free admission and free parking.
Earlier this spring, it wasn’t clear whether or not Westchester County would open the park on time this season – following its messy break up with for-profit management partner Standard Amusements, which announced in late January it would be exiting their 30-year management contract after just three years.
Jenkins admitted this month he didn’t know which rides would be operable in time for opening day. That was after the county declared an “emergency situation” at the Rye-based park in order to hire an Italian ride manufacturer — Zamperla, Inc. — without competitive bidding to inspect, repair, and maintain the rides at Playland.
The $1.7 million contract with Zamperla runs through Sept. 30, according to Lohud. The company runs Luna Park on Coney Island, and owns 11 of the rides at Playland.
Photo Tim O’Donnell
Update: This story was updated with information about parking this weekend at Playland. The county had originally offered a $10 discounted rate, but announced Friday that parking would be free for opening weekend.
