As we begin the Memorial Day holiday weekend, more parks have announce delayed openings of their water parks due to storms and poor May weather. The "swim season" industry, especially outdoor water parks, rely on great weather for a brief 3 month period of time and it got me thinking about the role evolving weather patterns have on a water park season.
Tradition has been that water parks operate Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend. In recent times we have seen delayed openings or closed days in May/June due to poor weather. At the same time, we experience record warm temperatures in September/October but water parks are already closed and there hasn't been a reaction from the industry to capture revenue on weekends in late Summer/early Fall. Is it an ingrained cultural thing or just an unwillingness by operators to adjust their seasons to capture additional revenue? What would that adjustment take?
Staffing is clearly a barrier to extended seasons. High school/college students are back at school and typically involved with school events on weekends. The J-1 international student visa program remains volatile given the current state of the Federal Government. Competition from other service industry career options plays a part where those jobs are full-time, year-around. Development of programs to "grow a pipeline of lifeguards" by working with local schools' swim teams and youth swim clubs probably doesn't get the attention from park HR teams given the full-time staffing cuts experienced at companies like Six Flags. Workforce culture has changed requiring flexibility in scheduling and the need for lifeguards to see career development opportunities. An unwillingness by major national park operators to offer lifeguards full-time employment w/benefits, utilizing them in other roles when water parks are closed for the season to solve staffing issues for seasonal events, also plays a role in securing and retaining dedicated staff.
A park leader willing to think outside-the-box might be best positioned to achieve revenue growth as our weather patterns change, the planet warms, and people re-think the value of a college degree vs. the cost and the rise of AI eliminating jobs. I am seeing staffing shortages as well for life guards with local community pools, private clubs, recreation centers, etc. Is it time that we view life-guarding as a serious career profession in order to grow the water park industry/swim season and revenue?
If I remember right, Dollywood's Splash Country closed on Labor Day until maybe 2022. Since 2023 the park has stayed open several weekends into September. It stood out to me at the time since it was one of the first instances I had seen of a major park operator acknowledging that warm weather continues through the month even with the traditional "end of summer" being Labor Day. In 2026, the first weekend of Dollywood's fall Harvest Festival actually overlaps with the last weekend of Splash Country.
"Thank the Phoneticians!"
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