Subscribe to our new Patreon for BONUS content

Episodes

Sept. 11, 2023

Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood Opens; D23 Announcements

Halloween Horror Nights has opened in Hollywood, and we share takeaways any attraction can apply to their operations.

Episode page
Sept. 4, 2023

Theme Parks Continue Investment, Despite Waning Attendance and Weather

Theme parks in the United States are anticipated to make a $1.5 billion investment in new attractions this year despite experiencing a decline in attendance numbers; there's a new Weather-or-Not policy rolling out.

Episode page
Aug. 28, 2023

Knott’s Scary Farm Celebrates 50 Years of Never-Ending Nightmares

This year’s 50th anniversary of https://www.knotts.com/events/scary-farm includes three new mazes (totaling 10), five scare zones, and four shows. Beginning on September 21 and running through October 31, the event will see 29 terrifying nights of...

Episode page
Aug. 22, 2023

Q2 Earnings and Hurricane Hillary

While Hurricane Hillary causes SoCal theme parks to close for the first time in a long time, we review the Q2 2023 earnings from Disney and Universal

Episode page
Aug. 14, 2023

Successful Second Gates: A Case Study

Mickey's not so scary Halloween party opened August 10 and has already sold out event dates in Aug. Today we'll break down the successful elements of this second gate.

Episode page
Aug. 6, 2023

What theme parks can learn from GenCon

Q2 earnings are our for Universal, and Scott visits GenCon.

Episode page
July 31, 2023

LIVE from Midsummer Scream 2023

Attractions from all over Southern California gathered at Midsummer Scream this weekend to engage with fans and announce their Fall plans; we'll review the takeaways.

Episode page
July 26, 2023

Iger on the Writer's Strike, Streaming, and Theme Park Demand

After Iger's contract extension, he outlined some strategic plans for the next few years. We'll break down his comments on the Writer's Strike, Streaming, and demand for theme parks.

Episode page
July 18, 2023

Halloween is the new 5th Quarter for Attractions

This week: Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando extends through Nov 4th; Disney extends CEO Bob Iger's contract through 2026; iSwii by Angry Birds: world’s first Angry Birds retail café opening in NY.

Episode page
July 10, 2023

Should attractions use the Threads app?

Threads, Meta's Twitter Rival, has had the best app launch is history by reaching 100 million subscribers in 5 days. But should your attraction be using Threads?

Episode page
July 3, 2023

Hasbro City & Crystal Tower Open

Hasbro City opens in Mexico, Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park reopens Haunted Mide Drop as Crystal Tower, and The Mall of America (Bloomington, MN) and American Monsters are set to open a new haunt this Halloween season: “Onionhead’s Revenge”.

Episode page
June 25, 2023

Disney Jollywood Nights

The Walt Disney world Resort will have a new holiday ticketed event this year in Disney Jollywood Nights. Plus, Halloween Horror Nights Singapore partners with Netflix.

Episode page
June 21, 2023

Pride Nite at Disneyland & The Last of Us at Horror Nights

Disneyland hosted its first-ever Pride Nite on June 13th, and Philip discusses how it went. Halloween Horror Nights announced that a haunted house based on The Last of Us would come to both coasts.

Episode page
June 12, 2023

LIVE from Midwest Haunters Convention 2023

We're in Chicago for the Midwest Haunters Convention, recapping learnings from the weekend. We're also looking at the upcoming Halloween announcements from Disneyland, Ocean Park in Hong Kong, and Knott's Scary Farm.

Episode page
June 6, 2023

SeaWorld Abu Dhabi Opens

SeaWorld Abu Dhabi Opened in May, and Scott was there to bear witness. Also this week: Fiesta Village Reopens at Knott's Berry Farm, the final night of Splash Mountain saw wait times of 260 minutes, and Six Flags Great Adventure …

Episode page
May 29, 2023

IAAPA's Outlook Report & Scott's Return

IAAPA released its 2022-2026 Global Theme and Amusement Park Outlook Report and forecasts a seven percent boost in attendance for North American theme parks, with an estimated attendance of 308.5 million in 2023. We discuss the report, and Scott...

Episode page
May 22, 2023

Disney Axes Lake Nona & Galactic Starcruiser

Disney has canceled the Lake Nona Campus plans and will no longer require those Imagineers to relocate from California to Florida. Meanwhile, Disney announced that the final Galactic Starcriser voyages will be Sept 28-30, 2023. We have opinions.

Episode page
May 14, 2023

Q2 Earnings from Disney, SeaWorld, and Cedar Fair

Disney’s Parks, Experiences, and Products division saw an astounding $17% increase compared to the same quarter in 2022. SeaWorld is operating at a loss but is improving. Cedar Fair is trending down on all metrics.

Episode page
May 8, 2023

Sippin' Success: Tips from Bar & Restaurant Expo 2023

Unlock the food & beverage potential of attraction with the latest insights and tips from the 2023 Bar & Restaurant Expo. In this special, we blend food trends with practical advice and mouth-watering inspiration!

Episode page
April 30, 2023

Disney Sues DeSantis

Disney is suing DeSantis; Meanwhile, Cedar Fair has instituted chain-wide chaperone policies in response to escalating violence at its parks.

Episode page
April 24, 2023

Will investment in Saudi Arabia's Tourism work?

Haichang Ocean Park plans tourism investment in Saudi Arabia, but will it work for the area?

Episode page
April 16, 2023

Signals from IAAPA: Safety and Sustainability

Sustainability, Safety, and Staffing- these areas continue to be challenging in the attractions industry.

Episode page
April 11, 2023

DeSantis VS Disney: The Saga Continues

Everything you need to know about the Disney VS DeSantis debacle involving the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

Episode page
April 2, 2023

2023: The Year of Year-Round Horror Experiences?

Theme parks nationwide have announced expanded Halloween schedules; meanwhile, more horror experiences are opening up in the off-season. Will 2023 be the Year of Year-round horror? In this episode, we look at the Creepiest Trends for 2023.

Episode page