Worlds of Fun to end season weeks early after rocky pandemic-era opening

Just six weeks after opening with a host of coronavirus-era safety measures, Worlds of Fun announced it will end its 2020 season early.

The park announced Tuesday evening that it will close for the season after Labor Day weekend, forgoing its popular Halloween-themed weekends. The final day of operation will be Monday, Sept. 7.

The park also announced Oceans of Fun will not open this year.

“We look forward to a great 2021 and can’t wait to show you a host of new ways to have fun,” said Vice President and General Manager Tony Carovillano in a news release.

The theme park, which usually starts the season in April, finally opened on June 22 and was requiring masks and reservations and only allowed season ticket holders.

Come July 13, the park announced it would close three days a week and would no longer require patrons to make reservations online — a rule officials had instituted to keep crowds small.

The theme park’s season, which typically goes weekends-only from Labor Day to Halloween, is cut short as local health officials confront a rising number of COVID-19 cases in the region.

“We are so pleased to be able to welcome guests back to the park this year, despite all the challenges that have come with 2020,” the news release read. “It has been a truly unique season, and I want to thank our guests and ambassadors for making Worlds of Fun a safe and joyful place to visit. We appreciate everyone’s support and cooperation with the park’s new health and safety measures. We are getting through this together.”

Season passes will be valid through 2021, the release said.

This story was originally published August 4, 2020 at 6:48 PM.