Amusement Park Buzz

IAAPA, the global association for the attractions industry, announced significant progress in strengthening federal safety and security protections for U.S. fixed-site amusement parks as unauthorized drone activity continues to pose growing risks to guests, employees and operations.

Amusement parks are among the most highly attended public spaces in the United States, welcoming nearly 880 million visitors each year. On busy days, crowd sizes at outdoor parks can rival attendance at major stadium events, placing thousands of people in open, high-density environments.

As drone use expands nationwide, unauthorized drone flights over amusement parks have increased. Those flights can create safety hazards, disrupt operations and raise security concerns — whether caused by careless operators or potentially malicious activity.

IAAPA’s Public Affairs team has worked closely with Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration to advance solutions that improve both long-term airspace protections and real-time response tools.

A major milestone includes IAAPA’s work to help advance and pass federal legislation that strengthens response capabilities by improving coordination between fixed-site amusement parks and state and local law enforcement. The legislation helps clarify authority and coordination mechanisms to detect and mitigate unauthorized drone activity, allowing for quicker responses when drones pose a threat.

At the same time, IAAPA is working with the FAA on a rulemaking process that would allow eligible fixed-site amusement parks to petition for permanent airspace restrictions over their facilities. If implemented, the rule would create a federal pathway for parks to reduce unauthorized drone activity in environments where safety, security and high visitor volumes require additional safeguards.

“Amusement parks cannot mitigate a risk they do not have the authority to control,” said Keith Stephenson, director of public affairs for IAAPA North America. “These federal advancements help close that gap — giving parks stronger tools to prevent unauthorized drone activity and respond effectively when necessary.”

Together, these federal actions strengthen the industry’s ability to prevent and respond to unauthorized drone threats, while preserving the ability for parks to operate drones for legitimate purposes, including drone shows, inspections, media production, fireworks integrations and security operations.

IAAPA will continue working with federal agencies and policymakers to advocate for a risk-based framework — rather than one based solely on attendance — to ensure protections reflect the real-world operating environment of fixed-site amusement parks.