Attendance at Ark Encounter has picked up over the past several months, and it’s still continuing, much to the delight of Creationist Ken Ham.
Thanks to a public record request by local paleontologist Dan Phelps, we now have the numbers for August. You can read more background about how it’s calculated here.
The bottom line? Ark Encounter had 104,350 paying visitors in August. That’s a few more than the 98,106 they had last August. However, it’s a bit lower than what they had in August of 2017. Considering all the recent investments Answers in Genesis has made, it’s not a shock to see some growth especially over these busier summer months. August is typically a popular month for tourist attractions, though summer is ending so the numbers are heading back down.
Here are all the attendance numbers we know along with the Safety Fee that Answers in Genesis has paid to the city of Williamstown. (The public nature of that fee is how we know the attendance numbers at all.)
| Month | 2017 (Fee) | 2018 (Fee) | 2019 (Fee) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13,250 ($6,625.00) | 14,885 ($7,442.50) | (Increase from previous year: 1,635) | |
| February | 17,961 ($8,980.50) | 16,328 ($8,164.00) | (Drop from previous year: 1,633) | |
| March | 62,251 ($31,125.50) | 70,466 ($35,233.00) | (Increase from previous year: 8,215) | |
| April | 67,613 ($33,806.50) | 79,908 ($39,954.00) | (Increase from previous year: 12,295) | |
| May | 73,353 ($36,676.50) | 90,803 ($45,401.50) | (Increase from previous year: 17,450) | |
| June | 113,901 ($56,950.50) | 124,230 ($62,115.00) | (Increase from previous year: 10,329) | |
| July | 142,626 ($71,313.00) | 135,922 ($67,961.00) | 160,124 ($80,062.00) | (Increase from previous year: 24,202) |
| August | 106,161 ($53,080.50) | 98,106 ($49,053.00) | 104,350 ($52,175.00) | (Increase from previous year: 6,244) |
| September | 83,330 ($41,665.00) | 69,207 ($34,603.50) | (Drop from previous year: 14,123) | |
| October | 93,659 ($46,829.50) | 89,434 ($44,717.00) | (Drop from previous year: 4,225) | |
| November | 51,914 ($25,957.00) | 40,193 ($20,096.50) | (Drop from previous year: 11,721) | |
| December | 36,472 ($18,236.00) | 46,400 ($24,200.00) | (Increase from previous year: 9,928) |
Keep in mind all of this is happening as Ark Encounter is dealing with a (hilarious) million-dollar lawsuit involving rain damage.
Ham may have forestalled a catastrophic drop, but it’s likely due to factors that have nothing to do with interest in a biblical myth. The warm weather certainly helps. So does the brand new conference center on the premises that allows thousands of people to visit the park in one fell swoop. There’s also a playground and petting zoo. They’ve also been advertising on Facebook and on FOX News. All of that requires a lot of money; the question is whether the investment is worth it in the long run.
Remember that actual attendance is much higher than these numbers represent because kids get in for free, as do members with lifetime passes. But giving away freebies to children and life members doesn’t help the local economy as much as drawing in first-time customers who are ready to spend money or conference attendees who are there for another reason.
(Large portions of this article were published earlier)
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