While the origins of the world’s first theme park are believed to trace back to sixteenth-century Denmark, the water park full of slides, pools and splash pads is a much more recent invention.
The first water park in the world opened in 1977 when SeaWorld creator George Millay realized that with all of Florida’s “heat and hot sun, you naturally think about cooling off in water” and opened the Wet ‘n Wild theme park in Orlando.
While the original location became too expensive to maintain and closed permanently in 2016, five parks under the Wet ‘N Wild brand currently operate in different cities around the world. The first indoor water park, meanwhile, was built near Lake Zürich in Switzerland in 1977.
CaliBunga Waterpark closes for indefinite period before start of summer
The CaliBunga Waterpark in San Jose is another water park old-timer. Opened in 1985 as Raging Waters, the 23-acre park with 14 rides and a 350,000-gallon wave pool is now closing down for an indefinite period as it goes through a major renovation to modernize the attractions.
The announcement of the shutdown came abruptly given that CaliBunga was initially intended to operate through the summer season. According to a press release put out by CaliBunga and the city of San Jose, the park closed on June 11 after developer Lakeside Partners was selected to create a new “state-of-the-art water park, expanded aquatic amenities, and innovative interactive play areas.”
Related: 32-year-old theme park to close water ride forever after summer season
CaliBunga has changed hands multiple times over the last half-decade after Palace Entertainment behind the Dollywood brand walked away from its lease and contract to continue operating the park in 2023.
Sacramento-based California Dreamin’ Entertainment Inc. ran the park until 2025 until it was handed over to Lakeside through what San Jose’s Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department called an “open competitive process.”
CaliBunga WaterPark
“Incredibly disappointed that the water park won’t be open this summer”: San Jose Mayor
But because of unspecified plans and new direction from the owners, the summer season ended up getting cut off suddenly for local resident families with the renovation plans.
“I’m incredibly disappointed that the water park won’t be open this summer, and I share the frustration of every family that was counting on it to beat the heat,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said to local broadcaster KQED. “The time to have an operator in place was months ago — not during the hottest weeks of the year.”
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Mahan also added that “despite a temporary closure, our commitment is to keep this park active now and build an aquatic destination worthy of the next generation.”
San Jose Councilmember Domingo Candelas also put out a statement saying that “as someone who grew up spending summers at the Water Park, I know how much this place means to our community.”
The water park has not confirmed an opening date after the renovations so it is, at least for the time being, closing down indefinitely. The nearby Action Sports Park used for various sporting and community events is remaining open.
Related: Disney World shut down four classic rides, attractions
