Rain or Shine: How Weather Impacts Arts & Culture Attendance

After an unusually warm and dry autumn in New York City, December has brought in the cold, the rain, and the early sunsets. The impact of weather on arts & culture attendance has been studied for decades, and most of it is common sense: rain brings crowds to museums & theaters, sunny summer days send people to parks and beaches, snowstorms keep everyone inside. It only rained about a dozen days in the last three months (with barely one day of a light drizzle in the whole month of October), but when it did, we tracked significant increases in museum attendance. One museum saw a 20% increase in attendance during rainy days on average compared to non-rain days (adjusted for holidays) this autumn. Suffice to say, the rainy Thanksgiving days drove higher than projected attendance across live arts experiences. These last-minute weather-related decisions are possible because a good number of people make event plans within the week or on the day. For example, a recent study we conducted across the US found that 38% of museum-goers report buying their tickets the day of their visit. For marketers, this is an opportunity: digital out-of-home and Google search are great placements to reach audiences with same-day call-to-actions in real-time.

I spoke to Nick Bosanko, our Sales, Groups, and Tourism Manager to discuss some specific ways we can adapt to the weather. He brought up that to combat the unexpected issues that can arise from weather and its impact on travel, some Broadway shows like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child include a Winter Weather Guarantee for group bookings. For orders between an established period (usually from just after the New Year’s holiday through the end of March), this guarantee allows for groups affected by the winter weather to exchange their tickets for a comparable performance pending availability. The group's business on Broadway is heavily dependent on the motorcoach industry and their ability to transport these enthusiastic theatregoers into New York City from sometimes 6 hours away. If that travel is disrupted due to the often-changing Northeastern weather conditions, groups can feel relieved that their tickets will still be honored at a future performance – and keeping that trust with the group leader will mean subsequent visits to Broadway and more tickets purchased down the road.

As for the cold weather and early sunsets, leaving the house and staying out late can feel even more challenging, compared to staying in on the cozy, warm couch. It hasn’t helped that since the pandemic, regardless of season, getting out of the house has felt particularly tough for folks (see a recent article on this topic with my colleagues and I at AKA). The dark and cold weather can also affect our mental health. Indeed, google searches in New York for “light boxes” to beat seasonal affective disorder ticked up the last week of November (a bit later than previous years thanks to the 80-degree October days). Importantly, attending live arts & culture is another great way to stave off the blues. Qualitatively this may be obvious, but many studies support this positive impact that the arts have on well-being and mental health ( Study 1 and Study 2). Additionally, live events & experiences are excellent ways to get together with others: in fact, our previously mentioned study found that the #1 reason visitors attend museums is to spend time with family or friends.

So, if you’re feeling cold and sluggish, especially on dreary rainy days, getting out of the house may be exactly what you need.