Knott’s Berry Farm could reopen this year “with a little luck” even as the Buena Park theme park’s parent company closes its other California theme park for the rest of 2020 and shutters half its parks amid continuing coronavirus woes.
Knott’s parent company Cedar Fair saw a 98% decline in revenues and an attendance drop of 8 million visitors as coronavirus concerns closed most of the company’s theme parks, according to a second quarter financial report.
SEE ALSO: Will Knott’s Berry Farm drop reservations and cut days when theme park reopens?
Cedar Fair has closed five theme parks for the rest of 2020, but left the door open to a return this year of Knott’s and Canada’s Wonderland — two of the chain’s largest parks.
“We continue to monitor and evaluate conditions related to Canada’s Wonderland and Knott’s Berry Farm — our other major parks — that with a little luck could be opened yet this year,” Cedar Fair CEO Richard Zimmerman said on a call with analysts.
Knott’s — the largest theme park in the Cedar Fair chain — has been closed for nearly 5 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Knott’s has reopened on a limited basis without rides for the separate-admission Taste of Knott’s craft beer, wine and food event that runs through Sept 13.
SEE ALSO: California theme parks reopen — without rides
Cedar Fair has canceled plans to reopen California’s Great America and the Santa Clara amusement park will remain closed for the rest of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We evaluate each of our parks on a market-by-market basis,” Zimmerman said on the call. “Even out in California, there was a market difference between Northern California and Southern California as we got into the coronavirus pandemic. Some of the counties in the Bay Area were among the first in the country to shut down.”
California theme parks remain closed until further notice with no indication when state officials will issue COVID-19 protocols for safely reopening theme parks.
Two of Cedar Fair’s four largest parks — Ohio’s Cedar Point and Kings Island — reopened in early July. The other two largest parks — Knott’s and Canada’s Wonderland — remain closed until further notice but in a “state of readiness” to reopen.
Cedar Fair’s four biggest parks generate more than 80% of the company’s revenue, according to company officials.
Cedar Fair put its five other unopened parks — California’s Great America, North Carolina’s Carowinds, Virginia’s Kings Dominion, Minnesota’s Valleyfair and Michigan’s Adventure — into “deep hibernation” with no plans to reopen in 2020 because of the pandemic.
SEE ALSO: Knott’s Berry Farm reopens: What it’s like to be back inside a theme park
In addition to Cedar Point and Kings Island, Cedar Fair has reopened Dorney Park in Pennsylvania and Worlds of Fun in Missouri.
Cedar Fair warned in May that some or all of its theme parks in the United States and Canada might remain closed throughout 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the cancellation of the separate-admission Knott’s Scary Farm 2020, Knott’s will turn its attention from Halloween to a potential reopening in time for the highly profitable WinterFest event.
The Link LonkAugust 05, 2020 at 11:17PM
https://www.ocregister.com/2020/08/05/knotts-berry-farm-could-reopen-this-year-with-a-little-luck/
Knott’s Berry Farm could reopen this year ‘with a little luck’ - OCRegister
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