Skip to main content

Cedar Fair reports record attendance and revenue for 2019

News
cedar point

Cedar Fair has reported record results for 2019. Attendance and revenue continue to grow, and last year was the most successful in Cedar Fair’s history.

The company points out that full-year 2019 results are not directly comparable with full-year 2018, as 2019 includes results from the two Schlitterbahn water parks.

“We are extremely pleased with our 2019 season, which was the most successful year in Cedar Fair’s history,” said Richard A. Zimmerman, president and CEO of Cedar Fair.

“The initiatives within our long-range strategic plan, which focused on broadening the guest experience through more immersive attractions and entertainment, are clearly resonating in our markets.

Improving guest experience with immersive attractions

“The successful execution of these initiatives by our talented park teams, and the early contributions from the newly acquired Schlitterbahn water parks, combined to produce our record results in 2019.”

In 2019, Cedar Fair generated record net revenues of $1.47 billion, an increase of $126 million (9 percent) compared with 2018.

This was driven by an 8 percent increase in attendance to a record 27.9 million guests, a 1 percent increase in in-park per capita spending, and an 11 percent increase in out-of-park revenues.

Excluding the two Schlitterbahn water parks, Cedar Fair generated net revenues of a record $1.43 billion, an increase of $84 million (6 percent).

Cedar Fair generated record net revenues of $1.47 billion

This was driven by a 5 percent increase in attendance, a 1 percent increase in in-park per capita spending, and an 8 percent increase in out-of-park revenues.

The 5 percent increase in attendance reflects record performance in July through October, and record performance of the season pass programmes

In addition, Cedar Fair attributed an increase in attendance to the Winterfest expansion at Canada’s Wonderland.

“I am particularly pleased we once again, achieved solid growth across our three core revenue metrics of attendance, in-park per capita spending and out-of-park revenues,” added Zimmerman.

“These record results reflect the strong consumer demand for our parks, rides and attractions, the special event programming and the immersive entertainment they offer.”

Cedar Fair rejected Six Flags’ $4 billion cash-and-stock offer to merge the companies. The move would have united two of the largest theme park operators in the US.

Share this

Bea Mitchell

Bea is a journalist specialising in entertainment, attractions and tech with 10 years' experience. She has written and edited for publications including CNET, BuzzFeed, Digital Spy, Evening Standard and BBC. Bea graduated from King's College London and has an MA in journalism.

More from this author

More from this author

Related content

Your web browser is out of date. Update your browser for more security, speed and the best experience on this site.

Find out how to update