PROVIDENCE – In times of crisis, you can fall in love again. Administrators at Roger Williams Park Zoo firmly believe that was the case in 2021, and have the numbers to back that up.
A year into the worldwide health crisis, the nation’s third-oldest zoo attracted 834,960 visitors in 2021, setting a new record for the zoo. That mark was 23.5% higher than the 2019 attendance before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of Rhode Island. Additionally, Roger Williams Park Zoo set a new attendance record for its annual Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular, attracting 168,850, 20% higher than the previous record set in 2015.
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Ron Patalano, the zoo’s interim executive director, told Providence Business News that multiple factors played into the zoo’s attendance going to all-time highs. First, the zoo’s signature nighttime events – the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular, the Holiday Lights Spectacular and Asian Lights Spectacular – all returned to their traditional walking events. In 2020, the zoo, due to the pandemic, made those events drive-thru to keep guests safe.
The zoo also brought back other adult-aged events, such as its Sip & Stroll, Food Truck Friday and Brew at the Zoo, for guests to participate in after being on pause for a year, Patalano said. Additionally, the zoo kept limits on capacity to provide a safe environment for guests. The zoo, Patalano said, admitted about 1,800 people per hour, in which each person had an approximately three-hour stay.
But Patalano feels the pandemic forced people to think differently about their entertainment and which venues to visit for that, and began to turn to the zoo.
“I think people reengaged with the zoo again and fell in love with the zoo again,” he said. “We always had our locked-in group of guests every year. But I think, during the pandemic, I think we had some new people revisit and fall in love with the zoo again.”
Patalano also said the zoo’s nighttime event attendance is beginning to rival the daytime attendance, mostly due to the zoo expanding its night offerings to the public. That, in turn, resulted in the zoo bringing on more employees to manage those events, he said. Patalano says the zoo currently employs about 190, which includes about 100 full-timers and the rest being seasonal staff.
The zoo, though, did not get through the pandemic unaffected. Patalano said the zoo put on hold its interactive exhibits, such as the cow-milking stations and farmyard veggie stands, because the zoo wasn’t yet comfortable opening those with the pandemic ongoing. He said the zoo will think about bringing those back online this summer.
Patalano also said construction of the zoo’s new education center and pavilion, which was planned for this year, was delayed due to the pandemic. But, he said the zoo has reengaged in the design process of the facility and, with the confidence of having a “good fundraising effort” this year, shovels will be in the ground for construction by the first quarter of 2023.
Fundraising, in general, continued, with the focus on making sure the zoo remained functional and taking care of the animals housed there, Patalano said.
Moving forward, there will be some differences at Roger Williams Park Zoo that could attract larger crowds this year. For starters, Stacey Johnson, the zoo’s new executive director, is expected to start his new role in March. Sadly, Sukari, a longtime beloved giraffe at the zoo, died in late December, but the zoo will still have a “robust collection” of animals for guests to see, Patalano said.
The zoo is also “not in a rush” to move away from having guest capacity limits, Patalano said. He said it depends on the current omicron wave come April school vacation and summer when larger crowds are expected as to whether to increase capacity at the zoo.
Also, the zoo will celebrate a milestone 150th anniversary this year with some special events and offerings. On April 1, the zoo will have a $1.50 admission price and entertainment to celebrate the occasion. Additionally, the zoo will choose a single guest per day over 150 days as a winner of a grab bag full of commemorative zoo memorabilia beginning April 1.
The zoo’s largest annual fundraiser, Zoobilee – Feast with the Beasts, will return as an in-person event on June 25. The 21-plus event will feature music, dancing and food from local restaurants, with proceeds supporting the zoo.
The zoo will also have new themes for the Asian Lanterns Spectacular, Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular and Holiday Lights Spectacular that could attract larger crowds as well.
“We’re a very confident bunch here at the zoo. We work very hard to provide a good product for the guests. We always to try to build off one year to the next, so I’m very excited to see what the staff comes up with,” Patalano said.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
