It has been a tough year for multiple smaller theme and amusement parks across the country.
The family-run Brean Theme Park in the British town of Somerset was assigned to liquidators at the start of 2026 while Wild Waves Theme and Water Park in Washington State and Fun Spot America in Atlanta are both currently running their final season before shutting down for good due to mounting operating costs and challenges around finding the funds to keep aging ride infrastructure attractive to visitors.
The CaliBunga Waterpark in San José also closed down indefinitely at the start of the summer season amid lack of agreement around necessary renovations between the city and the 41-year-old park’s new owners.
Fiesta Village Family Fun Park shuts down after final weekend of operations
The Fiesta Village Family Fun Park, which opened outside San Bernardino in California in 1974, has become the latest park to announce that it will close down forever after a final weekend on July 10 and 11 as well as a final private farewell event on July 12.
The park was running year-round and had entered the summer season before making the final call to close down before its end.
Related: 42-year-old water park shuts down during summer season, offers refunds
Michelle and Patrick O’Brien purchased the park from its previous owners in 2002 and have over the last few years seen declining attendance despite the fact that it was for many a community hub and source of generational memories.
The park charged a $52 entrance fee for adults and had dozens of rides with nostalgic themes including go-karts, large batting cages, a tilt-a-whirl and Dizzy Bears. The owners said that the water slides were the first of its kind in California when the park opened in 1974.
Fiesta Village Family Fun Park
“The economics of the amusement park industry have changed dramatically”: Fiesta Village Family Fun Park owners
“The economics of the amusement park industry and what we’re doing have changed dramatically,” co-owner Michelle O’Brien described to San Francisco outlet SFGate. “We’ve just reached a point where continuing simply wasn’t sustainable. We used to do 22 [children ‘s parties] on a Saturday, and now we do nine.”
The O’Briens also named the rising cost of living and lower discretionary spending power in the local community as the reason Fiesta Village Family Fun Park attendance took a hit in recent years.
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They also said that they tried “to find somebody that was interested in keeping it Fiesta Village” but discovered there “was just no interest.”
As a result, the closure was initially broken to its approximately 30 employees in an announcement that has also been emotional to many local residents with memories of attending the park who shared those memories on various social media channels following the public announcement.
“It was the most fun job in the world,” Michelle O’Brien described her time leading the park further. “We got to work with a lot of high school and college kids, their first-time job. Getting to watch them grow and develop through the time that they had with us was so incredibly meaningful.”
Related: 32-year-old theme park to close water ride forever after summer season
