About thirty park attendees were at the gate when Rye Playland opened for the 2026 season at 12 noon on Saturday, May 16, 2026. It was perfect weather for the soft launch opening ahead of a more formal grand opening next Saturday, May 23.
“It’s a great dress rehearsal for the staff,” said Kathy O’Connor, commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, who was at Playland to see the gates open. “It’s a soft opening. We don’t have 1000s of people here, but next Saturday it will be fully open. The county executive is meeting everybody at the Dragon Coaster.”
O’Connor stressed that entry into the park is free. Park attendees, of course, will pay for rides. The food concessions, which were closed last year, will open on May 23 along with the Dragon Coaster.
More Improvements?
“We’re still in the process of capital improvements,” said O’Connor. “A tremendous amount of money has been put in. What people will see this year is the colonnades that have gone through nine different changes. They are back to what they basically were, you know, almost 100 years ago, but they’re so beautiful.”
One large capital improvement still on the horizon is the parking lot at Playland and how this gets redesigned to get people in and out faster and more efficiently. It’s early stages related to parking so the timing is not clear. There is also a new space next to Playland’s Music Tower that at some point in the future will be built out for eating and entertainment.
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New Rides?
Playland fans are always speculating about the possibility of new rides.
“Once we get into this season,” teased O’Connor. “There could always be a discussion of maybe another new ride, maybe a replacement of a ride. I can’t tell you what that is yet.”
The people of Rye can come here, obviously they’re on the boardwalk all the time, but you, when the park is open, you can come walk, have a great day, and, not pay to unless you go on the rides”
