Green Tagged: Theme Park in 30

Green Tagged: Theme Park in 30

An insider’s take on the theme park and themed entertainment industry trends, Green Tagged Covers the Top Theme Park News from each week. From theme parks to zoos and aquariums to haunted houses, we scour the world for what you need to know. We may not have all the answers, but we ask the right questions. Subscribe to PRO content on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GreenTagged

Episodes

October 13, 2025 30 mins
Disney has hiked prices again—day tickets, annual passes, parking, and even Lightning Lane. At Disneyland, parking now costs $40 a day and the top-tier Inspire Key annual pass jumps to $1,899, still with blockout dates and reservation limits. In Florida, annual passes are up as well, though one-day tickets remain steadier. Philip and Scott debate whether these moves are a strategy to manage crowd levels or a sign of the parks leani...
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Universal has reopened Stardust Racers at Epic Universe, following a fatal incident earlier this year, and introduced new signage and stricter accessibility requirements. The latest safety guide now warns guests with weakened bones, limited mobility, or difficulty maintaining an upright position not to ride—and the “must walk independently” clause now extends across multiple attractions. Philip and Scott unpack what this means for ...
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This week, we respond to your comments from last week's show regarding Six Flags. Scott recaps his visit to IAAPA Expo Europe; Lego invests £200 million in the acquisition of Lego Discovery Centers from Merlin; and a New immersive art venue, Atlas9, opens in Kansas City. 
Listen to weekly BONUS episodes on our Patreon.
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Six Flags reported 298,000 more visits this summer, a 3% attendance bump compared to 2024. But guests spent 7% less on admission, pulling overall revenue down 2% even as food and merch ticked up. Management insists that trading short-term ticket prices for long-term passholder growth will pay off, pointing to early 2026 pass sales pacing ahead with prices up 3%.
Philip and Scott unpack why this strategy only works if guests return—a...
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Only 19% of U.S. adults say they want “scary vibes” this Halloween—while 30% plan to wear multiple costumes and 70% say organized events are steady or increasing. Philip and Scott unpack the annual HalloweenCostumes.com survey and why it matters: the demand for cute, funny, and cosplay-style experiences is growing faster than gore, audiences are starting to plan earlier, and AI is already a factor in how people search for inspirati...
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Universal’s roaming Art the Clown character has become a lightning rod at Halloween Horror Nights Orlando, with videos showing guests harassing, chasing, and even blocking his path. Meanwhile, Hollywood’s version of the same character ran smoothly—suggesting this is less about the IP and more about training, staffing, and audience management.
Philip and Scott break down why safety lapses around street performers are a business probl...
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Halloween Horror Nights Orlando is quietly reshaping its playbook. This year, Universal pushed queues outside the park, massively expanded the backstage infrastructure and food offerings, and layered in new entertainment to complement returning classics. From two full shows to new roaming characters, scare zone “boo boxes”, and stage moments like The Cat Lady on Crooked Lane, there's entertainment blanketing most of the park. The r...
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Las Vegas has logged six straight months of year-over-year visitor declines, with June alone down 400,000 guests amid economic jitters, inflation, and weaker Canadian travel. Yet in Orlando, Epic Universe’s Monsters Unchained just passed a million visits, SeaWorld hit record attendance, and Disney reported another record quarter. Plus, fan conventions nationwide are posting record attendance. As consumers become more savvy, one ans...
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Legacy Cedar Fair parks are moving to the Six Flags model this Halloween, requiring a new $10–$20 Haunted Attractions Pass for mazes—and an extra $15 for The Conjuring house. Even Gold Pass holders must pay, sparking backlash from fans who see it as a bait-and-switch. Philip and Scott debate whether this is a necessary step toward higher-quality haunts or a misstep that erodes trust. It appears that Six Flags is moving to the 'sepa...
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Six Flags posted a nearly $100 million loss in Q2—down from a $55 million profit a year ago—on 1.4 million fewer visitors, a smaller base of season passholders, and what it calls “adverse weather.” The company is looking to sell nonessential assets, while also running an aggressive August pass sale to bring in quick cash and rebuild its passholder base. Philip and Scott unpack why front-loading revenue can backfire if you can’t kee...
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Six Flags just canceled its Christmas and Halloween events at multiple parks—including Holiday in the Park at Great Adventure and Over Georgia, and Fright Fest at Six Flags America, which will now close permanently on Nov. 2. Michigan’s Adventure also dropped its Tricks and Treats event and will end its season on Sept. 1. The company says it’s “focusing on the core season,” but Philip and Scott aren’t buying it.
This week, the hosts...
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What makes an IP popular today? It’s not just the box office or streaming stats—it’s the fans who show up, dress up, and wait five hours for a free experience. At San Diego Comic-Con, Percy Jackson, Alien, and K-pop Demon Hunters proved that passion, not just numbers, powers IP. Philip and Scott break down why pop-ups are becoming the new focus groups, how activations create the data stories that boards and licensors want, and what...
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As record heat continues to disrupt attendance, attractions in Asia are innovating to keep guests cool. Tokyo Disneyland is extending evening hours and spraying down guests in its summer parade, while Universal Studios Japan is giving out salt candy and shifting its operating schedule later. Water parks in Korea are going further—launching crossovers with popular brands like One Piece, Air Conditioned Ferris Wheels, K-pop concerts,...
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Asia was expected to become the new theme park capital of the world—then the pandemic hit.  IAAPA Asia drew 7,000+ attendees to Shanghai, but is that enough to signal Asia’s tourism comeback? Philip reports from the show floor, including takeaways from Disney executive Jill Estorino’s keynote, where she credited young adult women with shaping the guest culture at Shanghai Disneyland—impacting everything from merchandise and mobile ...
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Hallmark is back with its Kansas City “Christmas Experience,” aiming to top last year’s 100,000-guest debut by doubling down on comfort-food tradition—workshops, red-carpet movie premieres, and even themed Marriott suites. Philip and Scott unpack how leaning into safe, repeatable rituals can turn a pop-up into a pilgrimage. Next, Meow Wolf launches Phenomenomaly, a summer-long loop of live dance, puppetry, and guest interaction ins...
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Universal is doubling down on pop-culture firepower with the enormously popular gaming IPs of Fallout and Five Nights at Freddy’s confirmed for this year's Halloween Horror Nights. They're also charging superfans $350 for “Premium Scream Night,” a ticketed dress rehearsal.  With massive IPs and superfans willing to pay premium prices just to attend a dress rehearsal, how can smaller attractions compete? Thirteenth Floor and Winches...
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The Louvre’s staff closed the world’s most-visited museum with a snap strike, blaming “untenable” crowding and a 20 % cut in state funding even as attendance soars. Philip and Scott pull three operating fixes every attraction can steal now—hard capacity caps, timed-entry tech, and reinvesting in on-site teams before adding the next wing—because a six-year master plan won’t save a gallery that melts down tomorrow. Across the Atlanti...
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Disney and Universal just opened Hollywood’s first heavyweight copyright war against Midjourney, arguing the AI was trained on “countless stolen works.” Philip and Scott debate the case and what it means if your park’s creative team. Then Disney drops a fresh study valuing its U.S. parks at nearly $67 billion and 400,000 jobs, a powerful flex to hedge against future political turmoil. Listen to weekly BONUS episodes on our Patreon....
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Six Flags and Cedar Fair’s $8 billion mash-up, Herschend’s shopping spree, and Falcon’s Beyond devouring Oceaneering are just the opening salvo in a consolidation wave now squeezing most regional parks into four corporate camps. But deal-making is only the first of five seismic shifts Philip and Scott unpack this week. They probe why per-guest spending keeps climbing even as attendance flattens, how velvet-rope up-charges like Disn...
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Herschend finalized its acquisition of Palace Entertainment’s 24 U.S. attractions with a $1.1 billion leveraged loan—and vows 2025 will be a “listening year” before sprinkling Dollywood-style cinnamon bread and “Heartspitality” across Kennywood, Lake Compounce, and 47 other properties. Meanwhile, Six Flags fired every park president overnight, favoring a regional management model instead of a local one. We unpack whether family cul...
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