2024 Main Season Entertainment Gutted

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CoasterAuditor

CoasterAuditor

Theme parks are cool
Jul 5, 2017
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Richmond, VA
So I noticed this, I know it’s been discussed as budget cuts on here. Why did they completely GUT KDs entertainment lineup for 2024? If you go in the app right now and filter to shows, the only option is the peanuts baseball show…..which has to look abysmal to a normal park guest. I have to admit having essentially zero interaction on the paths with guests whatsoever no live music, nothing other than peanuts in Planet Snoopy REALLY subtracts from the park atmosphere. I noticed Carowinds still has an entertainment lineup (which accordingly, triggers me as a KD local). There’s nothing on the main stage itself right but a sign saying to go away.

I don’t go to parks for this reason but it feels a lot more “hollow” to visit a park that once had 3 or 4 different shows on the midways to……nothing. Hopefully they’re just stockpiling some cash to make the 50th more special. Right now, Six Flags America has superior entertainment options and that’s not a park KD wants to lose in anything to…..
 
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guy305 said:
My (optimistic) take is that the budget is going into the new coaster and 50th updates and we will see a return of live entertainment in Jungle-X in 2025 or 2026. A Let’s Get Wild variant will pop up in that same spot.
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More likely Six Flag presents the Kings Dominion Stunt Spectacular.
 
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I remember seeing somewhere that RetroSpect is returning during Grand Carnivale at least.

Live entertainment across the industry seems to be at a crossroads as major players like Cedar Fair/Six Flags and SeaWorld Parks cut back on what they apparently see as decreasing in value for their guests. Herschend seems to still understand the importance of live shows after many years of cultivating the audience for those offerings.
 
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Parks see shows and entertainment as an expense they can cut without much impact on attendance. People don’t plan trips to their regional park for shows— they go for coasters and rides. Of course it impacts the experience overall but most parks see entertainment beyond the bare minimum as fluff that costs more than it’s worth to them. Entertainment budgets are poured into Halloween and Christmas events which depend more on shows than rides.
 
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My impression is that a lot of BGW guests do (did?) go to the park primarily (or at least equally) for the shows. So, I wouldn’t generalize the importance of entertainment too broadly from regional park to regional park.
 
It's interesting how some parks have maintained a strong audience base for live entertainment (BGW, Dollywood, Silver Dollar City) while other parks are apparently seeing less of a need (nearly every Six Flags that isn't Fiesta Texas). Is there something about the demographics around where certain parks are located?
 
Nicole said:
My impression is that a lot of BGW guests do (did?) go to the park primarily (or at least equally) for the shows. So, I wouldn’t generalize the importance of entertainment too broadly from regional park to regional park.
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Absolutely right, although even they have cut back their entertainment offerings and let things get stale. BGW and Dollywood are definitely parks that have a following for shows, but they are the exception at this point.

Six Flags/Paramount/Taft/Marriott and other regional parks used to have a proud history of shows in the parks, but over the years they have become thrill focused and budgets cut to support that.
 
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I know this is hard to measure, but I've got to imagine having at least a decent show has real impacts on the parent/grandparent that doesn't like rides and would like to have some form of entertainment when taking kids to the park.
 
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GAcoaster said:
Six Flags/Paramount/Taft/Marriott and other regional parks used to have a proud history of shows in the parks, but over the years they have become thrill focused and budgets cut to support that.
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See the issue here is that Six Flags America a park MALIGNED by the thoosie community for general quality across the board has 3 different shows you can watch and a pathway entertainment event at this point in time. Where Kings Dominion a park with 13 going on 14 roller coasters with multiple large theater venues not being used for any reason, currently has the atmosphere of a bunch of rides with food stands. The park just had one of the cooler outdoor shows you could find at a theme park and now there is absolutely nothing but the peanuts show.

My general guess is that it's moving money around or conserving the budget surplus if there is one from this for next season for the 50th and just relying on the special event entertainment to carry this season. Regardless, it's a bit odd and probably off-putting to some guests.
 
Timchat2 said:
I remember seeing somewhere that RetroSpect is returning during Grand Carnivale at least.

Live entertainment across the industry seems to be at a crossroads as major players like Cedar Fair/Six Flags and SeaWorld Parks cut back on what they apparently see as decreasing in value for their guests. Herschend seems to still understand the importance of live shows after many years of cultivating the audience for those offerings.
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That’s why Herschend can operate their parks with the live entertainment the majority of days of the year while the high majority of CF/SF parks sit vacant the majority of the year.

Herschend targets various markets of people while CFSF only targets thrill riders and kiddies who cannot support the park on school days.

The elimination of live entertainment at Kings Dominion was definitely a short sighted decision to save a few bucks. With the kind of heat, Kings Dominion gets, it’s actually foolish not to have a full production show at least in the Kings Dominion theater, where there is great air conditioning.
 
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GAcoaster said:
Absolutely right, although even they have cut back their entertainment offerings and let things get stale. BGW and Dollywood are definitely parks that have a following for shows, but they are the exception at this point.

Six Flags/Paramount/Taft/Marriott and other regional parks used to have a proud history of shows in the parks, but over the years they have become thrill focused and budgets cut to support that.
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Paramount destroyed the legacy entertainment division from the Taft/KECO era. KD lost at least 4 show venues due to Paramount. I still believe the park lost 10%-15% attendance due to folks not coming after realizing almost no entertainment was offered after 3-4 years of Paramount ownership.

Going forward with the combined companies, it should be interesting to see if corporate leadership decides to invest more in entertainment. It could be a way to capture a larger percentage of potential guests that are not interested in just rides. With changes of just 1%-2% in attendance being meaningful in today's economic environment, if having a more well rounded park experience could boost attendance by 3%-4%, you would think SF might give it a shot.
 
Blauer said:
Because this is a mid tier park in the chain (

That’s why Herschel can operate their parks with the live entertainment the majority of days of the year while the high majority of CF/SF parks sit vacant the majority of the year.

Herschend targets various markets of people while CFSF only targets thrill riders and kiddies who cannot support the park on school days.

The elimination of live entertainment at Kings Dominion was definitely a short sighted decision to save a few bucks. With the kind of heat, Kings Dominion gets, it’s actually foolish not to have a full production show at least in the Kings Dominion theater, where there is great air conditioning.
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Allowing the air conditioned theater to sit and rot rather than have a show is almost criminal. Whoever consistently allows that to happen year in and year out should be fired from the company and never allowed to work in the entertainment industry again.
 
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^^-- Seems to me more like the guests decided. Even with A/C, getting people to show up in a park at a specific location and time to enter, to see a show they can't preview, is a hard sell. There were probably showtimes with almost nobody watching. To increase crowds substantially requires a quality increase sufficient to bring more people seeking shows through the front gate. Meanwhile, unlike most theaters, they own the streets, so the shows have come out there and it seems to work, except for summer heat.

I find a lot of theme park shows cringe worthy, and the main stage show last summer was maybe the worst, so generic. Maybe someone said "we're paying WHAT for that?" And there are good reasons to aim effort at next year, as it really could be transformative.
 
I recall going to a godawful musical revue in the KD Theatre for Haunt in the last decade or so with a packed house... I doubt many were there for the show itself, but it was nice and warm in there when outside it was seasonably chilly.
 
bill s said:
^^-- Seems to me more like the guests decided. Even with A/C, getting people to show up in a park at a specific location and time to enter, to see a show they can't preview, is a hard sell. There were probably showtimes with almost nobody watching. To increase crowds substantially requires a quality increase sufficient to bring more people seeking shows through the front gate. Meanwhile, unlike most theaters, they own the streets, so the shows have come out there and it seems to work, except for summer heat.

I find a lot of theme park shows cringe worthy, and the main stage show last summer was maybe the worst, so generic. Maybe someone said "we're paying WHAT for that?" And there are good reasons to aim effort at next year, as it really could be transformative.
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From what I remember, shows were always packed - especially on weekends.
 
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I was under the impression that Let’s Get Wild was not done this year because of the
Wing Coaster construction. The fencing traverses the area where the show was performed. Plus, electrical was being affected by the construction. It was a good show. I hope it comes back next year. I watched the Country show in CAG last year and the show in between the fountain and the Eiffel Tower.
 
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mwhinva said:
Paramount destroyed the legacy entertainment division from the Taft/KECO era. KD lost at least 4 show venues due to Paramount. I still believe the park lost 10%-15% attendance due to folks not coming after realizing almost no entertainment was offered after 3-4 years of Paramount ownership.

Going forward with the combined companies, it should be interesting to see if corporate leadership decides to invest more in entertainment. It could be a way to capture a larger percentage of potential guests that are not interested in just rides. With changes of just 1%-2% in attendance being meaningful in today's economic environment, if having a more well rounded park experience could boost attendance by 3%-4%, you would think SF might give it a shot.
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Paramount gutted the park for non thrill riders. And chased off that market of customer. That’s one big reason Kings Dominions attendance is lackluster. Although Cedar Fair has corrected some of the theming that Paramount did, they really haven’t added any attractions to bring back the non-thrill riding crowd. That’s where BGW has the upper hand.
 
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