DOSWELL, Va. — COVID-19 has claimed another victim. On Aug. 4, the well-known amusement park, Kings Dominion, announced that they will be remaining closed for the remainder of their 2020 season.

This will be the first time the park will not open for an entire season since the park opened its gates in 1975.

“The safety of our guests and associates is always our top priority, and we have done our due diligence in developing a comprehensive safety plan in accordance with industry and public health standards,” Kings Dominion Vice President and General Manager Tony Johnson said in a release. “However, [Virginia’s] Phase 3 reopening restriction of limiting the park to only 1,000 guests has brought us to the difficult decision to keep the park closed for the rest of the year.”

Earlier in the year when COVID-19 became a cause for concern, the park had announced that passes for the 2020 season would already be valid through the 2021 season. Johnson also said that day tickets which were sold for this season will currently be valid until September 6, 2021.

However, down in Williamsburg, Virginia, another well-known amusement park is planning to reopen for a special event that starts Aug. 6 called “Coasters and Craft Brews.” Running for a total of 11 days, Busch Gardens has plans to increase its safety measures, but will still be subject to statewide regulations that would limit their capacity to 1,000 visitors, a significant decrease from their traditional capacity of 24,000 people.

Kings Dominion is arguably considered a major tourism draw for Virginia, and its seasonal employment records show that it is one of the state’s largest employers during its fully-operational parts of the year.

Additionally, Johnson teased some improvements that can be expected in the next season such as: “new exciting dining options,” some seasonal events that will return such as “nighttime international festival Grand Carnivale,” and various redeveloped aquatic-play areas across the park.

“As we look forward to brighter days, our team will continue to work with public health authorities to ensure that our guests and associates can return to fun in a safe environment next season,” Johnson said. “We thank our guests and associates for their continued loyalty and support during this challenging time and we look forward to seeing you at the park in 2021.”


Contact Zach at zach.hill@thebaynet.com