Super Bowl Sunday is one of the biggest “at home” moments of the year, not the best thing for out of home entertainment and edutainment. But for visitor attractions, that often translates into something very predictable you can actually plan around: a reliable attendance valley that shows up consistently across various attraction types and different parts of the U.S.

We pulled multi year patterns from a cross section of attractions, looking specifically at how Super Bowl Sunday stacks up against typical Sundays, especially in February, plus what happens immediately after. What we found is less random noise and more calendar gravity.

What tends to happen on Super Bowl Sunday

Across the attractions we analyzed, Super Bowl Sunday consistently landed below normal Sunday performance, often by roughly a third. In several cases, the drop sat in a ~25%–45% range.

A few things make this especially actionable:

• It repeats year after year. Even as operating contexts changed (recovery periods, normalization, shifting demand), the Super Bowl signal didn’t disappear.

• It shows up in different segments. Cultural, commercial, East to West Coast – locations with very different visitation drivers still showed the same directional impact.

• It’s predictably unpredictable in magnitude. The direction is stable; the size of the dip can widen or narrow depending on local dynamics (weather, travel patterns, exhibition schedule, city event calendars and how compelling the game feels to your audience).

A quick read on the pattern: in typical concentrated attraction markets with a tourism element, Super Bowl Sunday visitation came in about 26% to 40% below across multiple years. In higher traffic contexts with a more local audience focus, this pattern extended beyond visitation into per cap revenue underperformance as well, with a gap that widened in more recent years.

It’s not an every attraction, every time phenomenon. But it’s frequent enough that ignoring it can lead to overstaffing, over ordering and mistimed campaigns.

The rebound is the real story

Here’s the part operators and marketers should care about just as much as the dip:

In several cases, the following Sunday (often aligning with Presidents Day weekend) bounced back hard, showing well over +100% more visitors than Super Bowl Sunday. It’s a one two punch that looks like this: Super Bowl Sunday: predictable valley, next Sunday or holiday weekend: predictable surge. If you’ve ever felt like you “lost a Sunday” and then suddenly got slammed the next week, you weren’t imagining it. That swing is a planning gift, because it means you can shift staffing budget to where it matters, time campaigns for when people are actually ready to go out and protect guest experience during the surge.

Guest experience: the quiet strength

One worry we hear a lot is: “If we reduce staffing, will guest satisfaction drop?” In the data we reviewed, visitor experience signals (such as visitor feedback) were generally steady around Super Bowl weekend and in some cases, quieter conditions may even help. Less crowding can mean smoother arrival flow, easier wayfinding, more breathable spaces, better photo moments and shorter ride or food and beverage lines. This can also be a promotional angle for international tourists. 

That said, there was at a few cases where the biggest attendance drop coincided with notably lower ratings, a reminder that “quiet” can still go sideways if key guest services are understaffed, amenities scale down too far (cafés, retail, timed entry support), the building feels under-activated (fewer touchpoints, less energy) or expectations aren’t aligned (e.g., visitors assumed “normal Sunday” operations).

The move isn’t “cut until it hurts.” The move is right size intelligently. Revenue will dip from fewer visitors, but not always weaker yield. The Super Bowl dip often showed up in both attendance and total revenue, which is what you’d expect given lower demand. But here’s the nuance marketers should love: per cap spending can hold steady (or even tick up) on Super Bowl Sunday.

In other words, while you may welcome fewer guests, the guests who do come can are high intent and the lighter crowd can create a more enjoyable pace that supports spending. mThis is where promotions and packaging matter. You don’t necessarily need everyone to come: you need the right audiences to feel like your attraction is the better play that day.

An earlier pull than you’d expect 

Even though kickoff is later in the day, behavior shifts earlier as people plan watch parties,  run errands and prep food and cluster travel and social time at home. This leads to a consumer behavior about anchor the day mentally around “the game,” not “let’s go out”. 

For many attractions, that translates into fewer spontaneous day of visits and a softer afternoon curve.

A practical playbook: how attractions can win the day

1) Forecast it as a special day (not a normal Sunday)

If you’re building February projections, Super Bowl Sunday shouldn’t sit inside your standard Sunday model. Instead, treat it like a calendar effect day – plan for a meaningful dip versus typical Sunday demand and plan for a rebound the following weekend – particularly if it is a holiday weekend. Change staffing, inventory and expectations across the building.

2) Staff for the reality but protect the experience

This is a great day to approve optional time off requests, slim down certain roles and run a leaner admissions posture. But keep guest satisfaction guardrails: maintain visible guest services coverage, keep wayfinding and front of house response times strong, avoid reducing the vibe so much it feels like an off day. Quiet shouldn’t feel abandoned. 

3) Market the rebound harder than the valley

If the next weekend is set up to surge, meet the demand with momentum. Tactics that align with what we observed:

• Schedule your biggest February push to land post Super Bowl

• Build “holiday weekend” creative that highlights limited time exhibits, events or experiences, family programming, member perks and timed entry advantages

• Use retargeting windows that start immediately after the game (don’t waste the ad spend prior, especially if it’s more expensive at that time) – if you’re going to spend, spend when the audience is actually in “go out” mode.

4) Create a “Skip the Super Bowl” offer (without being weird about it)

This is one of the easiest wins for cultural and commercial alike. You’re not competing with football fans – you’re recruiting tourists looking for daytime activities, locals who don’t care about the game (target particular demographics, or rebels), families who want to do something before the evening plans or couples looking for a calmer outing without the chaos. 

Promotion ideas that tend to fit include early day admission bundles (coffee and ticket, family bundle, etc), “quiet hours” positioning (lean into less crowding), member guest passes or bring a friend nudges and limited time add ons (behind the scenes moments, mini tours).

Use the cultural moment to frame your message. Like “Not into the game? We’ve got you.” Or “Trade the couch for something unforgettable.” Or “Your most serene Sunday visit of the month.” Short, confident, and frictionless.

5) If you can host, consider a watch party hybrid (selectively)

Not every attraction should do this. But if your venue has a café or bar space that can handle it, a strong evening audience or the potential for and the right license and operations setup (let’s just say a dry watch probably won’t win the market)…a “watch + wander” concept can convert the day from a total valley into a differentiated event. The trick: make it feel on brand. If it feels forced, your audience will feel it. You don’t need to post football content if that’s not you.