I would push back on the claim that only hardcore “superfans” care about the park’s themed music choices. The immersive, European setting is central to what differentiates BGW from other parks and other entertainment options. Anecdotally, I still hear people all the time saying that they make the extra drive from Richmond to BGW instead of KD because they prefer the theming and setting of BGW.
I believe music is one of the most impactful elements a park can use to create an immersive environment. Even if the average guest isn’t actively paying attention to the music the park is playing, I think music at least causes guests to subconsciously suspend disbelief and embrace the environment the park is trying to create. When used correctly, music adds a particular sense of life and place to a park and engages every guest, even if they don’t actively notice it. The sound of accordions and bagpipes is what cues to you that you’re not just on a hillside in Virginia with some horses — you’re in an old Scottish village.
As further evidence that the average guest does care about themed music, I’d point out that pretty much every single one of the world’s most-visited parks exclusively play themed music (Disney, Universal, etc.). People visit those parks in droves and pay money hand over fist to visit them because they care about experiencing the environments the parks have created. Would Frontierland really feel like an old western town with Billie Eilish songs playing instead of fiddles and banjos? Would Main Street USA have its same charm if it played Imagine Dragons?
Pop music at BGW is impossible to escape. It’s hard to suspend disbelief and pretend you’re in a quaint Scottish village when Dua Lipa is playing on the speakers. You can’t avoid it. It brings you back to reality. Suddenly, I’m not in a European village anymore. I’m in an amusement park, hearing the same music I can hear at Buffalo Wild Wings. When I go to BGW, I don’t go to experience what I experience everywhere else in life. I go there to escape, for something different. And based on BGW’s success in providing that escape for most of its history, clearly others go to the park for that same reason.
