October Thursdays

Hi Everyone. I was wondering if anyone attended any of the October Thursday nights and if so, how was attendance? I know it may seem like a dumb question because I'm guessing crowds were low but I was just curious for any first-hand experiences.

I know when they were first announced I was excited because I figured they'd be great nights to be at the park. Unfortunately I wasn't/won't be able to attend any this year but my hope is they return next year so that's what prompted the question. I'm sure crowds were low but at the same time hope they weren't too low so they will continue in future seasons.

I went for early entry on Thursday 2 weeks ago, I was only there until 7:30 as the humidity got to me. A friend who also went for early entry was there all evening and reported the ride lines were great. I didn't go last Thursday but that same friend went and he reported great riding lines.

I assume being open for Thursday evenings is tied to their being open Friday all day so next year if they have Fridays open all day again, Thursday evenings should also be open.

^^I think that was exactly what I took away from it when we went the first Thursday in October. When we showed up for early entry, there was really nobody there at all, which was great for riding, but we were skeptical about it being a lasting thing. However as the night went on, a decent amount of people showed up. SV had over an hour wait, though I think most of that was due to the terrible put-through of the wands that evening. In any case, I think they drew enough of a crowd, even on a night calling for rain, that I think there's potential to keep it going in future seasons.

We went on Thursday Night last week (10/14). It felt like Friday nights used to be. Low crowds at the start, with attendance building during the night. We went in for early entry and got 5 rides in on Valraven/Gatekeeper/Raptor in a span of 40 minutes. Went to eat, wandered around, and got rides in on Magnum/ CCMR/Pipe Scream. Went through the outdoor Haunts and headed out around 9:30. Parking lot was full back to a row or two past 28.

Hoping the Thursday nights stay for next year. It seems to draw a large enough crowd to be worthwhile, but not crowded enough where you can't accomplish anything. We are fans.

Thanks for reports. Sounds like they may stick around. Looking forward to taking advantage next year!

My theory is that even if park attendance is low, it allows the resorts to open a day early and resort revenue is likely what will make it worthwhile. Same with Sundays - you may not have much going (aka: spending) on from 8-10pm outside of cold coaster rides. But if you get enough resort stays until Monday morning, it's likely worth it.

I just posted in the “Anyone at the park today” thread but based on my experience this past Thursday 10/28, I agree with and echo all of the comments thus far about crowd levels, the effect of rain, and crowds generally increasing to a nice level and then slowly tapering off especially as soggy people leave in the case of extended rain.

Parking lot seemed maybe half full when I popped out to the car about halfway through the evening. I struck up conversations during early entry with groups of 2 and 3 who all happened to mention they booked Breakers stays, so as others have discussed you can see the effect on resort stays right there in this small sample. The fact they weren’t just passholders in for early entry is the important takeaway here.

To add to that- I very rarely book a stay but I wanted a place to warm up, shower & crash for a few hours given the late closing before heading back in early morning. With a deal almost too good to pass up IMO (~$101 total after passholder discount and tax) I booked an Express stay which worked out perfectly. I was impressed with the accommodations and would return if it made sense in the future. I usually just do the drive straight home but that was a nice change of pace.