SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Not everyone received the email. But the rumor spread with fear.
Northern California’s most famous theme park, California’s Great America, plans to close its winter operations for the 2025 season, according to a message sent to some season pass holders, which means the annual Snoopy’s Christmas ice show and other festivals may also end. It has become a seasonal staple for die-hard fans.
A message sent Dec. 19 said the park’s next season will run from April 5 to late October, and that “seasonal events will not be included in the 2025 calendar.” As of Friday night, Great America’s online calendar did not indicate a date for the park to open in November or December, when Winterfest-themed events are typically held.
Trent Turner, a spokesperson for Great America’s parent company Six Flags Entertainment, reiterated to the Times in a follow-up email that this year’s seasonal event will not be on the calendar, but he did not know whether it will be held in the future. He did not answer specifically. We are planning to open during the winter season.
Great America’s current winter season ends Sunday.
For some, this development was shocking. For others, it was a sad reminder that the park’s expiration date is nearing. Barring any unforeseen changes, a complete shutdown is on the horizon, even if the exact schedule has not yet been made public.
“It was like being punched in the chest or heart again,” said Jose Aguirre, 22, of Castro Valley. “It hurts so much. It’s definitely one of those things that you grow up with and learn to love, and then all of a sudden it just drips off and you can’t appreciate it anymore.”
Like their son, Carla and Armando Aguirre fondly remember visiting the park as children. This trip was a rite of passage for countless young people in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Watching parts of the park disappear is “like watching a family member who is dying from a terminal illness die, little by little,” said Carla Aguirre, 44. spoke.
“This was like our Disneyland,” Armando, 42, said.
When the 112 acres beneath the theme park are sold to San Francisco logistics real estate company Prologis in 2022, Great America’s owners said they will continue to operate the theme park until at least 2033. Operations could cease by then, and the landowner could end the park’s lease with a two-year warning.
Gary Rose, a spokesman for Six Flags, which added Great America to its portfolio after merging with its former parent company, said the company had “nothing new to report regarding future plans” and added: , also said in an email that there was no update on the timing of the merger. Final closure of the park.
The company did not directly respond to additional questions about whether live entertainment at the park would continue or whether the park had laid off some long-tenured employees.
“Seasonal staffing levels will be adjusted based on the operating calendar and anticipated demand. We are committed to continuing to provide the best experience possible,” Turner said in an email. I wrote it by email. Turner said the park employs an average of 1,400 workers.
Despite the uncertain future, some fans are trying to immerse themselves in the world as much as possible.
Just beyond the main gate of the theme park in Santa Clara, California, lies a rare two-story merry-go-round that is said to be the tallest in the world.
(Rong-Gong Lin II / Los Angeles Times)
Jose Aguirre often takes his 13-year-old brother AJ to the park and rides the train from Castro Valley to Santa Clara. But now, with each visit filled with a sense of urgency, Jose wants to take him as many times as possible and let him experience what he was able to do when he was a child.
After all, both he and his siblings know that they can’t take their kids to the park like their parents can.
In addition to Winterfest, there’s also my favorite “It’s Christmas, Snoopy!” ice skating and acrobatics show. Great America’s past seasonal events include a tricks and treats Halloween celebration; A midsummer carnival where you can ride a Mardi Gras-style parade float. And last spring’s Peanuts Celebration included an elaborate rooftop concert of Snoopy’s legend.
“This is clearly an ominous sign,” says Barry R. Hill, author of “Imagineering an American Dreamscape: Genesis, Evolution and Redemption of the Regional Theme Park.” Seasonal events like Winterfest are “huge moneymakers,” he says.
Six Flags officials have noted how important seasonal events are to the company’s theme parks, with Halloween-themed events in particular drawing large crowds and driving season pass applications. are.
Great America doubled down on its seasonal events last year, adding Oktoberfest in addition to Tricks and Treats.
But there is also an urgent need for company officials to prove the value of a strategy to merge Six Flags with Great America’s former owner, Ohio-based Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which was completed in the summer. . The combined company will be primarily operated by former Cedar Fair executives and will operate 27 amusement parks, 15 water parks and nine resorts in North America.
But seasonal events can also be difficult to pull off, and eliminating them may not necessarily make all that much sense for the immediate future of our great America. The park previously operated a season from April to October. Winterfest began in 2016 and a Halloween-themed season was introduced in 2008.
Brad Jasinski, an analyst at market research and management consulting firm Gartner and former digital marketing manager at Knott’s Berry Farm, says of refurbishing décor, “There’s a capital cost to seasonal events every year.” Ta. “I don’t think the juice was worth the squeeze in that regard.
“I think seasonal events work very well for many parks that are experiencing significant attendance growth, especially if they want to focus on season passholder growth over the long term. It makes sense.”
In a message to passholders, Great America said it is dedicating resources to “delivering exceptional everyday experiences with more than 50 amazing rides and attractions, including an encounter with the ‘Peanuts’ gang at Planet Snoopy.” He said he would invest in it.
“Additionally, as Northern California’s only amusement park with a water park, we offer unparalleled value for thrill-seekers and families alike,” the email said. The South Bay Shores water park will be open on Memorial Day weekend.
Crowds of spectators filled Orleans Plaza at California’s Great America to watch fireworks on Dec. 31, making it one of the park’s busiest days of the year, according to users. Before the closure was announced, the park and its consultants were considering expansion plans, including a new roller coaster, Ferris wheel, and space for restaurants and retail just outside the entry gates.
(Rong-Gong Lin II / Los Angeles Times)
Great America’s current lease agreement was originally for a six-year term that would end in 2028, but Six Flags has an option to extend it for an additional five years through 2033. Lease payments to new landowners will start at $12.2 million per year and increase by 2.5% each year.
Six Flags CEO Richard Zimmerman said on a recent earnings call that the company recognizes the need for capital investment.
The company has announced plans to invest more than $1 billion in new rides and attractions over the next two years, including a new “first-ever” roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia; Adjacent Hurricane Harbor Water Park. Knott’s Soak City in Buena Park will also be “refreshed,” according to a company statement.
Six Flags Great America, a sister theme park to the Santa Clara venue near Chicago, is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2026 with a new kids area and other enhancements, but no such park in California. There is no mention of a commemorative ceremony.
During Great America’s Winterfest, the reflecting pool in front of the double-decker carousel transforms into an ice skating rink. The merry-go-round’s animals, including rabbits, camels and dragons, are being restored by artists from Monterey County-based Signs by Van.
(Rong-Gong Lin II / Los Angeles Times)
Originally opened under the Marriott Corporation, Great America was considered the jewel in a series of theme parks built as small regional venues to provide people with a more convenient and less expensive venue.
The “Great America” branding at both Santa Clara Park and its Midwest parks is a nod to the park’s opening date, 1976, the country’s bicentennial year. Santa Clara Park is filled with themed lands that evoke periods in American history, including Orleans Place and Hometown Square, which are representative of the town’s 1920s era.
However, regional theme parks and amusement parks have been increasingly endangered over the years. Opryland, a country music-themed park in Nashville, closed in 1997 and is now a shopping mall. Six Flags Astroworld in Houston closed in 2005, and Lake Giga in Ohio also closed in 2007.
“The biggest takeaway is these parks will never be rebuilt. We’re never going to get anything to replace them, right? Because it’s just too expensive to do,” Hill said. Ta. “So every time we lose Great America, Astroworld in Houston, Opryland in Nashville, there’s nothing to replace it.”
Even in its early days, the existence of great America was somewhat shaky. Unsatisfied with the financial returns, Marriott chose to sell Great America Park. According to news reports at the time, Marriott initially tried to sell the Santa Clara property to a developer, but the city had the option of purchasing the park and did so through the Redevelopment Agency in 1985.
According to media reports at the time, Marriott had hoped for 3.5 million visitors a year to the park, but only 2 million actually attended.
Six Flags said Friday that it does not release attendance numbers or financial results by park. However, the 2012 Cedar Fair report stated that California’s Great America hosts at least 1.5 million guests per year, compared to at least 3 million guests per year who visit parks such as Knott’s Berry Farm. are. The documents show that the company’s revenue from Great America is relatively small compared to popular parks such as Knott’s.
Santa Clara’s Redevelopment Authority sold the Great America property to King’s Entertainment Company in 1989, the first of a series of theme park operating companies. The park’s assets were subsequently sold to Paramount Communications in 1992 and to Cedar Fair in 2006.
“It’s Christmas, Snoopy!” The performance has become an annual tradition for Winterfest patrons since California’s Great America debuted its Christmas-themed season in 2016.
(Rong-Gong Lin II / Los Angeles Times)
The city’s Redevelopment Agency kept the land on which the park was located until 2019, when it sold the parcel to Cedar Fair for $150 million. After the state abolished the redevelopment agency, it was forced to sell, and the city was not in a financial position to outbid Cedar Fair for the land.
In 2022, Cedar Fair announced it would sell the land to Prologis for approximately $310 million and “close existing park operations at the end of the lease term.”
Prologis is not seeking to terminate the lease early, said company spokeswoman Jennifer Nelson. Regarding future plans for the site, “we are focused on identifying and working with planning and design professionals to assist in developing a master plan for this property, and working with the city and community along the way.” ,” Nelson wrote in an email. .
Hill said that when it finally happens, it’s important to say a proper goodbye to the park and not end things without giving people a chance to ride one last ride. said.
“There are generations of people who have realized that this is more than just a business problem for them,” he says. “This is their memory. This is their family. They grew up with that park.”
Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gilmore said she hopes Great America will remain open. Gilmore, whose father was mayor when Great America opened, said his first job as a teenager was at the theme park, working in a jewelry, china and silver store on Orleans Place.
“They have been a huge part of our city for decades, and we have come to rely on them not only for youth employment but also for entertainment,” Gilmore said. spoke. “If you ask most people what they love about Santa Clara, you’ll probably get the first two answers: ‘We love great America.'”
Times staff writer Wendy Lee and librarian Cary Schneider contributed to this report.
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