Attendance drops at top Legoland theme parks in the US
Attendance declined at Legoland California and Florida last year, owner Merlin Entertainments reported today.
Merlin saw a 6.2% drop in attendance at its North American properties last year. That includes attendance at Legoland Discovery Centers, Sea Life aquariums, Madame Tussaud's and Peppa Pig attractions in addition to the Legoland theme parks. The company noted that the California and Florida Legoland parks saw a year-over-year attendance gain in the fourth quarter of 2025, but that was not enough to offset the decline earlier in the year.
Legoland California and Legoland Florida each opened major new Lego Galaxy-themed attractions last month. Parks that announce major new attractions often see a drop in attendance for the season before those attractions open, but Merlin also attributed its attendance to "a challenging macroenvironment, heightened competitive pressures, and subdued consumer confidence."
"Competitive intensity remained elevated throughout the year, driven by increased promotional activity, widespread discounting across the sector, and the launch of new attractions by competitors, including the entry of a new resort into the Florida market," Merlin said in its annual report.
Overall, Merlin reported a 3.6% decline in visitors globally, to 60.5 million last year. Revenue declined 2.8%, to UK£1.999 billion [US$2.67 billion].
"Looking ahead, we are seeing positive momentum in Q1 2026 with an exciting pipeline of new rides and experiences opening as the main season gets underway," said CEO Fiona Eastwood, who moved into that position in February 2025. "Our position as the partner of choice for owners of the world’s most beloved brands is confirmed by Mojang Studios working with us to build the first ever Minecraft accommodation, and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences helping us create the first ever Harry Potter accommodation. We have turned a corner and are firmly on the path to improved profitability and sustainable growth."
Replies (4)
"One day, some AI is going to start running a company and put these overpaid CEOs out of a job."
*Going* to start? I would not be surprised to learn that some executives have been using chatbots to write their memos and press releases for some time now. Or, at least, that the people that they hired to write that stuff have been using AI.
When will these guys realize that the experience they offer is not worth the cost of admission?
Well, at least they didn’t trot out United’s go-to excuse of bad weather.
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That's a pretty big drop for parks that should be building on a stable attendance base. I'm concerned that this may be a bellwether of what's to come for parks in 2026, including Disney and Universal. With fuel prices skyrocketing and overall travel and vacation costs growing on already borderline unaffordable levels for many potential guests, 2026 could see an end to the steady increases seen post-Pandemic across the industry. I don't think Legoland/Merlin is doing anything wrong, and I certainly don't think announcing Galacticoaster late last summer had any dramatic impact on their annual attendance, so to see a 6.2% drop should be a warning to every theme park operator in the country. I do worry that managers see this and instantly look to the cost side of the equation (like United) instead of working harder to earn and maintain the customer that they have.
You still have to laugh at some of the silly CEO-speak that comes out of these calls - "Minecraft accommodation", "Harry Potter accommodation", and "turned a corner". Like what "corner" did LegoLand/Merlin need to turn, and when precisely was that corner turned? Did announcing Harry Potter and Minecraft "accommodations" really make that much of a difference in the outlook?
"A challenging macroenvironment, heightened competitive pressures, and subdued consumer confidence." Really??? Work is hard, you have competitors, and customers didn't want to spend money on your product at the same rate as last year. Was that word salad really needed to say that? One day, some AI is going to start running a company and put these overpaid CEOs out of a job.