Rye Playland just had the kind of summer Westchester has been waiting for.

Westchester County says 320,708 people came through the park in 2026, up from 235,210 a year earlier.

That is 85,498 more visitors, a jump of roughly 36 percent.

The numbers come from a season-end statement by County Executive Ken Jenkins, whose office released attendance and revenue figures for the county-owned park.

Ride wristbands tell an even bigger story.

The park sold 171,677 of them this year, compared with 93,415 in 2025.

That is an increase of about 84 percent, which suggests people did not just show up, they stayed and rode.

Put another way, more than half of everyone who came through the gates this year bought a wristband.

Last year it was about four in ten.

Money followed the crowds.

Playland admissions brought in about $3.49 million, compared with roughly $1.31 million the year before.

Parking at the amusement park added about $1 million more.

Admissions at Playland's beach and pool were steadier, at about $552,000 against $533,000 in 2025.

The county notes these are not the park's full-year totals.

Revenue from Scared by the Sound, the Halloween attraction that closes out the season, was still being counted.

None of this was guaranteed.

Jenkins said the summer tested the park with extreme heat, heavy rain and even wildfire smoke.

He described the Playland that visitors found as refreshed, welcoming and happy.

The season also brought back a familiar face.

The county billed 2026 as the return of the historic Dragon Coaster, the wooden ride that has long defined the park's skyline.

Playland opened for the year on May 23 and ran Wednesday through Sunday for most of the summer.

The regular season wrapped up the weekend of September 12 and 13.

For Rye and the Sound Shore, a busy Playland means more than full parking lots.

Summer visitors eat, shop and fill up nearby, and a strong year gives the county a better case for continued investment in a park that has been part of local summers for nearly a century.

The harder question is whether 2026 was a rebound or a new baseline.

One strong summer does not settle that.

Next year's numbers will.

For now, the county says the gates will reopen in 2027.

If you have a Playland story from this summer, whether a first ride on the Dragon Coaster or a family tradition that goes back decades, 914knows would like to hear it.

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