California’s Great America will close for good on Labor Day, Sept. 6, 2027, Six Flags Entertainment announced Friday, bringing more than a half century of thrills, twists and turns in Santa Clara to an end.
The park’s future has been uncertain since 2022, when Bay Area real estate firm Prologis paid $310 million for the land beneath it and leased it back to Cedar Fair, which owned Great America at the time. The lease runs through June 2028, with an option to extend it by as many as five years.
Six Flags said last year that 2027 could be Great America’s final season. On Friday, the company confirmed it would let the lease expire. Earlier this year, it extended the park’s 2026 season, adding fall dates through Nov. 1.
The park will reopen in March for what Six Flags is calling its “Farewell Season.”
The company said school groups can still book outings and employers can hold company picnics during the park’s final year.
“We wanted to create a farewell season that gives our guests, our team members, and the community a chance to celebrate and make a few more memories before saying goodbye,” said Kristin Fitzgerald, Six Flags Entertainment’s director of public relations.
The Celebration Swing whips riders around during opening day at California’s Great America in Santa Clara Calif. in 2016. The 100-acre amusement park will be shutting down after the 2027 season. (Gary Reyes/Bay Area News Group)
Cedar Fair and rival amusement park owner Six Flags merged in 2024 to form Six Flags Entertainment. In May 2025, Six Flags CEO Brian Witherow told investors the Santa Clara park ranked near the bottom of the company’s parks on profit margins.
The 112.6-acre site near Levi’s Stadium has access to Highway 101, Highway 237, light rail and an ACE train station behind the stadium. When Prologis bought the property in 2022, commercial real estate brokers told this news organization the site could accommodate a mix of homes, offices and shops.
Great America celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. It opened on March 20, 1976, as one of two theme parks developed by Marriott Corp. Both parks, the one in Santa Clara and one in Illinois, were initially known as Marriott’s Great America.
“For more than five decades, this Santa Clara theme park has brought people together, created family traditions and served as the backdrop for unforgettable memories,” said Dave Vosejpka, park manager.
Carousel Columbia, the 100-foot-tall double-decker carousel at the park entrance, has greeted visitors since opening day in 1976. Six Flags’ closure announcement did not say what will become of it or the other rides after Labor Day.