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Park Hoppin’ In association with Park Hoppin’with Susan Storey N
ovember is a strange month.
After the hustle and bustle of regular park operation for most regional parks, and the closing of over- the-top Halloween happenings,
November is traditionally seen as a transitional month - a time when the industry can pause a bit for a deep breath. This month though, this applies to the parks we know and several we will Fall is an exciting time for parks, as many
continue to share news about what they have planned for the coming year, as well launch into holiday-themed events, annual pass sales and the ever-important Black Friday deals. Even if a favorite continue to move forward as many continue to Late in October, Universal Orlando Resort
announced its incredible new theme park, Universal Epic Universe will officially open on May 22, 2025. The company also shared that ticket sales for Epic Universe were launching, and that a drip campaign of new dates, with ticket offerings for varying audiences would continue in the coming week and coincidental that the name of the park is also the perfect way to describe it. It will be epic. For many, it already is. As an Orlando resident, I often drive by the park to check out the progress as buildings, roller coasters and even greenery and foliage emerge from a formerly flat, empty space. During a recent ride on the Orlando Eye, I embraced my Further south from Orlando, waterpark thrills
and family-focused resort fun are officially splashing open this month with the debut of Great Wolf Lodge Naples. The new resort is the first delayed the grand opening a bit, Great Wolf is up about ready to howl and welcome its guests. Smaller in scale, and yet, also impactful to our
industry, the all-new Peppa Pig Theme Park Dallas- Fort Worth is readying for its March 2025 grand The 14-acre park (5.6 hectares) starring Peppa Pig and her oinktastic family in their very own perfectly playful themed lands will be the third of its kind the Mattel Adventure Park is expected to open this month. This park has caught the attention of so many as it combines the imagination and play
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
of favorite toy brands with big thrills by creating life-sized, interactive and engaging theme park rides and experiences from them. As someone who addresses her Magic 8 Ball regularly, and is a very to the park and interact with both games in new ways. New parks, new plans, new opportunities. Perhaps this month should be called New-vember.
things taking place this month. As the spooky jack- o-lanterns came down on October 31, many were seamlessly replaced by wreaths. The holiday season does begin at the stroke of midnight on November nutcrackers and decorated trees of all sizes, shapes and theme twinkle on midways and main streets. early in the month before heading fulling swing into December with more hours, more cocoa and more lights. While November is technically still fall, park color palettes swiftly transition to reds, Studios embraces the holidays while adding a touch theme park event. Guests are encouraged to dress in holiday attire for the evening event. Peppered throughout the park are Disney seasonal stories Nights exclusive character meet and greets. Some make complete holiday sense, such as Santa Duffy Bear and Santa Stitch while others are nostalgic and appeal to Disney fans. They feature characters Peep and Lotso from the Toy Story movies. Photos with characters are always special. Photos with
that IAAPA Expo occurs in mid-November. More than 40,000 professionals from every aspect of the industry gather for it. The timing is perfect. Most regional parks have closed, and the aforementioned holiday happenings
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is IAAPA month. This year, more than 30 press conferences will take place on the tradeshow floor, demonstrating that IAAPA Expo is the place, and November is the time, when industry news is we do. It honors industry leaders and mentors, it welcomes young professionals and encourages innovation. It embraces all of us. November is the month when the United States celebrates Thanksgiving. Aside for all of the business reasons for the Expo dates, I think it is also symbolic we gather as in industry, together, in November. IAAPA Expo allows us to set aside Zoom and Teams for a couple days and replace them with handshakes and bear hugs. We share meals with colleagues and friends from all over the world. We intertwine the business at hand with updates on families. For one week, the attractions industry comes together to be, and beyond, and we celebrate each other, perhaps we can rethink how we study our budgeting, operations and industry calendar. Maybe, just maybe, we can look at November as our most important month of our year.
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