California's Great America Amusement Park to Shut Down Within 11 Years

The popular amusement park in California named Great American Amusement Park soon to wind-up. The San Francisco-based company and real-estate developer Prologis Inc. bought the entire 112-acre property for USD 310 million from Cedar Fair. However, for the short term, the amusement park will continue its operation before the owner will completely shut it down within 11 years. The 46-year-old Santa Clara, California-based park has been a popular destination for families and enthusiasts and appeared in several films since then.

Talking about the acquisition history, the park has been under acquisition by multiple companies. The Marriot Corporation started the park in 1976 and then sold it to Paramount Communications, the parent company of Paramount Pictures, in 1992. The Cedar Fair bought the property from Paramount in 2006 and renamed it California’s Great America.

In a press release, the Cedar Fair said that it sold the property in a move to cut back its USD 2.6 billion debt to around USD 2 billion. The company has been undergoing tough times since the advent of Covid-19 facing multiple shutdowns during the period. The company also said it has made a good return on investment since purchasing the Great America property. As per the deal, the Cedar Fair has signed a 6-year lease with Prologis to continue operating the park and has an option to further extend this lease to five more years. However, Prologis can terminate the lease early by providing a 2 years notice in advance to Cedar Fair. The closure could happen anytime between 2024 and 2033.


The news spread like a fire, and people started asking what would happen to the 112-acre property. Given the fact that Prologis is a developer of warehouses and other industrial properties, it indicates the company is planning something big. The surrounding area features Levi’s stadium, a large football stadium, and also consists of several tech buildings and training facilities. Great California currently employs 2,500 people, so until and unless some new job centre replaces it, the early closure will remain in question.

Moreover, it is the only major amusement park between San Francisco and San Jose, which means once it shuts down, the thrill-seekers will have to travel a distance to quench their thirst.