January 28, 2025, 8:54 PM ·
Legoland Florida is laying off 234 workers – mostly from its entertainment department. The move is fueling speculation that owner Merlin Entertainments is moving to outsource entertainment productions at some of its theme parks.The Florida park has filed notice with the state that it intends to lay off 234 employees, starting March 25 and continuing through April 7. Almost all of the layoffs are aimed at employees working in entertainment at the Winter Haven theme park.The layoff notice provides context to Legoland Florida closing its Brickbeard’s Watersport Stunt Show last month. Water-skiing shows have a long history at the park site, which operated as Cypress Gardens before becoming Legoland Florida in 2011.Insiders have been reaching out to me with chatter that Merlin is moving to outsource its theme park entertainment to a third party that provides show production, casting, and support services, such as RWS Global. However, I have not been able to confirm any such plans, much less a specific partner. But it does not seem credible that a park as popular as Legoland would choose to go without live entertainment. If Legoland is not going to employ a substantial entertainment staff going forward, someone will have to hire and manage the park’s productions.A Legoland spokesperson said, “We are making operational changes to help us elevate the guest experience in 2025 and beyond. The decision to reduce the size of our entertainment team was undoubtedly difficult, but these changes will allow the resort to operate more flexibly and responsively in a competitive market.”To keep up to date with more theme park news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider’s weekly newsletter.
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