Long Island's Adventureland Will Not Reopen In 2020

FARMINGDALE, NY — Adventureland will not reopen in 2020, the Farmingdale amusement park announced in a statement on Tuesday. The park is hoping to reopen in spring 2021 after the coronavirus pandemic forced it to shutter during this year's season.

"With a heavy heart, Adventureland is devastated to announce that we have ended our hopes of having any type of 2020 season," the statement on the Adventureland website reads.

"The safety of you, your families, and our more than 650 employees comes first, as it always has since Adventureland opened 58 years ago. We never thought there would be a season when we could not welcome Long Island into our gates and on to our rides and we hope there will never be one again. Despite our preparedness and our confidence that we can welcome guests into our park safely, as we approach the end of October still without guidance and instruction regarding reopening from our state leaders, Adventureland has no choice but to officially end our hopes of an outdoor season and focus on our 2021 season."

All 2020 season passes will be valid in 2021; nothing needs to be done by holders, according to the park.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo mandated an emergency shutdown of all non-essential businesses in March due to COVID-19. Long Island was eligible to reopen Phase Four businesses on July 8. However, certain industries, including gyms and bowling alleys, were not able to reopen until late August. Amusement parks, including those outdoors, were never given the green light to reopen.

Theme park and ride owners on Long Island and in New York City — Adventureland included —sent Cuomo a letter in September seeking clarity on reopening guidelines, The New York Post reported. Jack Sterne, a Cuomo spokesperson, called amusement parks a "higher-risk" industry in a statement to The Post.

"Thanks to our data-driven public health policies and New Yorkers’ hard work, we have achieved — and so far maintained — one of the lowest rates of infection in the nation, but with hot spots popping up across the country, we are continuing to monitor how and when higher-risk industries like amusement parks can safely reopen," Sterne told The New York Post in September. "We appreciate that these business owners want to plan in advance to operate safely, and will work with them as that process continues."

Nearly a month-and-a-half later, Adventureland was never given the thumbs-up to reopen. It will not do so until spring 2021 at the earliest.

The amusement park typically opens in mid-March and closes the last week of October. The park was holding out hope it would be able to open for the fall season, as a slew of fall activities were made available at other venues, including pumpkin picking and haunted houses. But once it became apparent the state wouldn't issue any timeline on amusement parks reopening and the weather grew colder, Adventureland was forced to turn to next season — it hopes.

Caitlin DiSclafani, an Adventureland spokesperson, told Patch it feels like their industry was "left behind" by the state. The Long Island venue was never issued any guidance or information about reopening, and it was not made aware that the industry would not be included in the state's Phase Four reopening plan until July 8 arrived and amusement parks were not on the list.

Adventureland was told New York, New Jersey and Connecticut would work together on reopening all its industries but watched as amusement parks in the other two states reopened in July, according to DiSclafani.

"We watched our potential patrons spend their amusement park dollars in other states, and still we have no word from New York State about when we can reopen," DiSclafani said. "It makes our business and industry feel unvalued and paints an unfair picture that our industry is somehow unsafe — when in fact all the other states that have opened their amusement parks have had no COVID outbreaks. Our industry is regulated, inspected, and permitted by New York State — so for them to label our industry as 'high-risk' — it’s quite unfair."

Steve Stern, a Democratic state assemblyman whose district covers part of East Farmingdale, said he was "saddened" to learn Adventureland won't reopen in 2020.

"Adventureland is truly a Long Island institution that has entertained and been a special part of the lives of generations of Long Islanders," Stern told Patch in a statement. "The COVID-19 pandemic remains a challenge for our public health and our local economy. It is my hope that all of our local businesses will be able to open as quickly and as safely as possible."

Adventureland, if able to open in spring 2021, will go at least 18 months without income, according to the park. Staff members have been laid off, and pay cuts have been doled out due to the forced closure. More than 650 part-time employees of the theme park went unemployed in 2020.

"We do not know the future of our park or our industry in New York State at this point in time," DiSclafani said. "We need communication from New York State to see this through."

While Adventureland can't open as it normally does, the park is offering drive-in movies and concerts throughout fall. Tickets are available on its website. The business also launched its "Wall of Support," where families can donate towards the park's future success. Anyone who donates will have their name placed on the wall. More information on the "Wall of Support" can be found on the park's website and social media pages.

Adventureland is a 12-acre, 30-ride amusement park located at 2245 Broadhollow Road, Farmingdale.