Rip Ride Rockit Closing September 2025 - Replacement To Be Announced

[Andrew25]

You could say the parade is the main, staple characteristic of Mardi Gras, but I'm not convinced it's the main draw. The park is often a relative ghost town on nights where there's no concert, which would indicate it isn't what's driving the bulk of the event's attendance. I don't know why they've cut down on the number of concerts, but I'm willing to bet those are still the busiest nights by far.

Like it or not, special events come with certain requirements. Just like how they need to keep a theater operational for at least one show during HHN (there should really be several) despite the theater they use serving no purpose during the day, and having served no purpose for many years now.

Of course the nights with concerts are busier, as locals with APs flood to see a "free" concert during the event. I've been at the event with various artists performing and only a handful ever make a significant impact to crowd levels.

Again, I don't see it being an issue to host a concert, but I do see an issue with empty theaters & not being able to touch this piece of land for park expansion.

Edit: Like you mentioned in your post, they've cut down on concerts over the past few years... so either they aren't seeing their return on investment from booking talent or have no interest in adding more nights.