INDIANAPOLIS — Conner Prairie announced its 2021 Headless Horseman festival has shattered the former ticket sales record for the fall favorite event. Its past record of 40,283 tickets sold — set in the 2017 season — was eclipsed this week as the festival’s ticket sales hit 42,502, with 6 days still to go before the conclusion of the event on Halloween.
This is a positive sign of recovery not only for Conner Prairie, but for the central Indiana tourism industry, which faced challenges and significant setbacks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and related admission caps, safety-based event modifications, and guests’ hesitancy to participate in large public gatherings.
Other local organizations are also celebrating this rebound: The Indianapolis Zoo reports strong 2021 sales for its annual Zoo Boo event, trending to attendance numbers that have not been seen since 2015. This weekend, the Zoo will exceed its 2021 full-year goal for attendance, according to Karl Traeger, director of marketing for the Indianapolis Zoo.
In addition to guests’ desire to enjoy entertainment and activities they may have missed last year because of COVID-19, Conner Prairie also attributes its record-breaking ticket sales to the expansion of its Access Pass program. The Access Pass makes fun family learning more accessible by allowing Hoosiers who receive support from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Hoosier Healthwise Insurance, Commodity Supplement Food Program, or the Healthy Indiana Plan to visit Conner Prairie and other museums and cultural attractions for just $2 per family member.
Conner Prairie has also been able to expand its Access Pass program to include reduced-price admission to Conner Prairie’s festivals in addition to general admission. This new policy has allowed the museum to welcome nearly 1,000 guests to Headless Horseman under the program.