Attendance and revenue at Playland Park both increased in the 2026 season, according to data released Friday by Westchester County.
Park attendance so far this year stands at 320,708 people, and park admissions revenue at $3.49 million. In 2025, attendance was 235,210 and park admissions revenue was $1.31 million.
The park made $1 million in parking revenue in 2026. Playland Beach and Pool admissions revenue also increased slightly to $552,429, up from $533,307 last year. Parking revenue for the beach and pool this year was $234,676.
Playland’s attendance and revenue were not made available from 2022-24, when the park was privately owned by Standard Amusements. The company exited its contract with Playland three years into a 30-year contract, and the county reclaimed ownership.
Due to the change in ownership and maintenance needs, many rides were closed for the 2025 season and reopened when the park did this May.
“We are exceedingly proud of the 2026 numbers thus far and of just how far Playland has come,” said County Executive Ken Jenkins. “After Standard Amusements abandoned the park in 2025, leaving it in disarray, Westchester County stepped in with a commitment to restore, rebuild, and bring Playland back to the place generations of families know and love.”
The county owned Playland for most of its nearly 100-year history, but the years following COVID have been tumultuous. After increasing attendance to more than 500,000 and revenues to $10 million in 2019, the park was closed for the entire 2020 season due to health and safety protocols. When the park reopened in 2021, both numbers were slashed by 40 percent.
Data became even bleaker in 2025, the year the county regained ownership. This year’s attendance was roughly on par with 2021. Attendance remained lower, but both numbers saw their first reported year-over-year uptick since 2019.
The biggest draw of Playland is the Dragon Coaster, which was closed for all of 2025. The historic coaster reopened on Memorial Day weekend this year. The 97-year-old ride was operational all season, but sustained damage from an electrical fire on Sept. 19, two weeks after the park’s summer season ended. Jenkins said the coaster will be repaired in time for the 2027 summer season.
For the second year in a row, there was no admission charged to enter the park. Instead, visitors purchased wristbands to go on rides. There were 171,677 wristbands sold this year, up from 93,415 in 2025.
The park plans to add to its 2026 revenue by hosting Scared by the Sound, a Halloween haunted house attraction held on the weekends from Oct. 9-31.
“We look forward to closing out this incredible season with Scared by the Sound, and then turning our attention to 2027,” Jenkins said. “Next year, we will once again open Playland’s gates so another generation of Westchester children can experience the rides, the cotton candy, the sunshine and the simple magic of a summer day at Playland. Playland is back, and its future is bright.”
