Palace Playland announces July 1 limited opening

OLD ORCHARD BEACH —Seaside amusement park Palace Playland has announced that it will open the arcade on July 1.

Governor Janet Mills announced on Wednesday that outside amusement parks and water parks were allowed to open on July 1, as part of stage three of her “Restarting Maine’s Economy Plan.” For details on the governor’s rules for amusement parks, go to https://www.maine.gov/decd/checklists/outdoor-amusement . 

Palace Playland posted on Facebook on Thursday afternoon that staff were working toward a “limited opening” on July 1, beginning with the arcade.

“Your time here at Palace Playland, and the use of our facilities is going to look a lot different. Due to the current restrictions still in place by the State of Maine, the operation of the park and games is far from typical,” said park management in a Facebook post.

Palace Playland staff said in the post that it won’t be offering passes to rides due to the limited offerings the park is starting off with, and ticketing options will be different than in years past.

“As state restrictions are lifted, and once we feel it is safe, we will start to add more rides to our operation,” said park management on the Facebook post.

Palace Playland officials said there will be safety guidelines established at the park for both customers and staff.

Palace Playland, according to information on the park’s website, is a five-acre amusement park with 28 rides and the biggest arcade in Maine.

Aquaboggin Water Park in Saco also announced this week that it will open on July 1. Saco amusement park Funtown Splashtown USA will not open this year, but will open in 2021.

Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.