Bingemans waiting on greenlight to reopen

People hoping to visit Bingemans in the near future will be in for a very different type of experience under the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some parts of the park are ready to reopen with public health measures in place, once the province gives the greenlight.

“Certainly, some of the messaging from Premier Ford has been, you know, things happening in July and August, so that makes us hopeful,” said Mark Bingeman, President of Bingemans.

The tourism and hospitality sector has been hit hard by the pandemic. A significant portion of Bingemans staff has been temporarily laid off at this point, and seasonal staff that are just standing by until the park gets the go ahead to reopen.

The park has been in the process of preparing to open for some time, reinventing itself in the pandemic. Staff are being provided and trained in the use of PPEs, and portions of the park are getting an overhaul. 

Whenever Bingemans does open, visitors will be in for a very different experience to previous years. Indeed some of their recent Bingemans@Home events have seen the park operate more as a drive-thru. But Bingeman says their recent Ultimate Poutine Drive-Thru was a success, with the entire weekend selling out. Now they have a Lobsterfest, a Tacofest and Wingfest lined up for the upcoming weekends.

There are also plans to convert the On the Grand Amphitheatre into a drive-in entertainment complex. Meanwhile, the park's minigolf courses, Boston Pizza, Kingpin Bowl Lounge and camping grounds are all prepped and ready to run, according to Bingeman.

The larger question still remains: what about the water park side of Bingemans?

“It will certainly be different in terms of a much lower capacity, which in some cases, will be great for the patrons,” Bingeman said. There's still plenty to do on that side of the park, but he has been keeping up with other water parks in the country and abroad to establish a working plan for how it would function. 

Once given the greenlight, you can expect smaller crowds, along with the ability for residents to choose their seating area, giving ample room to physically distance from one another.