California's Great America, the Santa Clara amusement park that has drawn South Bay families since 1976, will close permanently after next summer.
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. announced Friday that the park's last day will be Labor Day, Sept. 6, 2027, KQED reported. The 2027 season, billed as a farewell season, is set to open in March.
"For more than 50 years, California's Great America in Santa Clara, CA has been where the Bay Area comes together," the company said in a statement quoted by The Sacramento Bee. Park manager Dave Vosejpka said much the same about the park's five decades, according to KQED.
Why it is closing
The decision follows a 2022 deal in which Cedar Fair, which owned the park before its 2024 merger with Six Flags, sold the 112-acre site to industrial real estate firm Prologis for $310 million, largely to reduce debt, KQED reported. The sale came with a lease through 2028 and an option for five more years.
Six Flags chose not to extend it and did not give a detailed reason.
The land, between Levi's Stadium and Mission College, belonged to the City of Santa Clara for decades and was leased to the park. Cedar Fair bought it from the city in 2019, after the state's dissolution of local redevelopment agencies forced the sale, according to KQED.
Marriott opened the park in 1976 for the nation's Bicentennial, and it later passed through other owners including Paramount. Six Flags estimates tens of millions of people have visited.