While the theme park titans continue to pack people in, some smaller spots that have been around for decades are struggling.
Latest in the spotlight is California’s Great America in Silicon Valley. Six Flags Entertainment, the company that controls the park, disclosed this month that it will lay off 184 seasonal workers in November.
Longtime fans and analysts of the almost 50-year-old theme park and its iconic double-decker merry-go-round are worried about its future.
Great America shortened its season this year, which will wrap up on Oct. 26, compared with the previous season, when it ended in early January. Much of its live entertainment for the 2025 season was canceled this year, as were its marquee seasonal events, including its Halloween-themed Tricks and Treats and Winterfest, featuring Snoopy ice skating.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a sign that the plug is being pulled,” said Martin Lewison, associate professor of business management for Farmingdale State College in New York, who is also a Six Flags shareholder.
Speculation about the timing of Great America’s closure in Santa Clara has swirled ever since the 112 acres underneath the park were sold to a San Francisco real estate company in 2022.
As part of an agreement, the park’s previous owner had agreed to a lease that expires in the middle of 2028, with an option to extend it until the middle of 2033. The previous owner, Cedar Fair, had planned to close the park at the end of the lease.
When asked about the timing of the park’s closure, a Six Flags spokesperson told The Times in an email: “We are considering our options and will share when finalized. Until then, we are looking forward to another season at the park in 2026, which will coincide with its 50th anniversary.”
One challenge for Great America and other parks in California is the rising wages and other costs of labor. Another burden is the weight of the company’s debt.
Six Flags said it filed the notice of the Great America layoffs as required by state law. The Charlotte, N.C.-based company said all full-time positions at Great America will be retained and its seasonal employees can apply to get rehired next year.
“This is typical of a seasonal park and the timing reflects our operating schedule,” Six Flags said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming back many of our associates in 2026.”
Six Flags said it does not yet know how many associates it will employ next year.
The San Francisco Chronicle earlier reported the layoffs.
Great America has already started selling season passes for 2026 at its theme park. The Gold annual season pass typically includes entry to Great America and the nearby Gilroy theme park, Gilroy Gardens.
This year, in a special deal that ends Sunday, the Gold Pass for 2026 also includes access to other theme parks in the Six Flags ecosystem, including Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo.
Six Flags has been struggling to reduce costs after a 2024 merger with Cedar Fair. Earlier this month, the company announced its CEO Richard Zimmerman is stepping down.
Zimmerman said in August that the company’s second-quarter results fell short of its expectations, noting that poor weather and a challenging consumer environment hurt sales.
The company reported a net loss of $99.6 million in the second quarter, compared with a net profit of approximately $55.6 million in the same quarter a year earlier. Overall park visitation was 14.2 million guests, down 9% in the second quarter compared with a year earlier.
Christian Dieckmann, Six Flags’ chief commercial officer, at an investor’s meeting in May, outlined a strategy to regain 10 million guests a year that were lost during the pandemic.
During the May meeting, executives said their focus for the company has been expanding the number of season pass holders. The company said it wants to make its parks “comfortably crowded” again.
Increasing guest numbers and lines can boost revenues by convincing people to stay longer at the parks, buy more food and drinks, and purchase special passes to avoid the lines.
It has been tough for regional theme parks to compete against other forms of entertainment, including video games, sports and other live events.
“There are so many new distractions and ways to spend your time,” Lewison said.
Opryland, a country music-themed park in Nashville, closed in 1997 and is now a mall. Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston closed in 2005, as did Geauga Lake in Ohio in 2007. Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor, in Bowie, Md., will close after its last operating day on Nov. 2, and the land will be put up for sale.
Unlike major theme park operators such as Walt Disney and Universal, regional theme parks often lack the deep pockets to invest billions of dollars in new parks and rides. They also lack new attractions associated with big names such as Star Wars and Harry Potter.
Six Flags is trying to keep up. It is investing more than $1 billion in 2025 and 2026 in its parks.
The company announced this week that it has extended its licensing agreement with Peanuts Worldwide, allowing it to use Snoopy and the Peanuts gang for another five years.
Santa Clara’s Great America fans want to see it thrive.
Although it may not feature rides from the latest Pixar movies, it does offer Planet Snoopy for the kids. It also has what it calls the world’s tallest carousel and long-loved rides, like Gold Striker, one of the nation’s top 20 wooden roller coasters, and the steel-inverted coaster Flight Deck, originally called Top Gun when it opened 32 years ago.
For Jose Aguirre, 23, of Castro Valley, Great America has long brought joy to his entire family. He said his 14-year-old brother, A.J., loves riding RideBlazer, which plunges riders down a single-rail track at a 90-degree angle, and he likes tucking into the spicy chicken sandwich sold near that ride.
“It’s just overall fun — gives good memories, even if it’s like the smallest trip ever,” said Aguirre, a season pass holder. “It’s one of those spots you can be at in the Bay Area, and just say, ‘Oh, yeah, we’re gonna go to Great America and just hang out.’”
“This is our Disneyland,” Aguirre said.
Times staff writer Rong-Gong Lin II contributed to this report.
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