Six Flags says the Santa Clara park opens in March for one last Farewell Season, then shuts down Sept. 6, 2027, after more than 50 years of coasters, carousels and Bay Area summers.
The rumors were right. California’s Great America is closing for good, and now there’s a date on the calendar.
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. said Friday, Nov. 6, that the Santa Clara theme park will run one final “Farewell Season” in 2027. KQED reports the company’s statement gives the last day as Labor Day, Sept. 6, 2027.
That gives Bay Area families about six months of rides once the gates open in March. Then the park that opened for the Bicentennial in 1976 goes dark.
Here’s a front-row look at RailBlazer, one of the park’s newest coasters, from AmusementInsider:
Why is California’s Great America closing?
It comes down to the dirt under the coasters. Cedar Fair, which ran the park before its 2024 merger with Six Flags, sold the land to industrial real estate company Prologis in 2022 for $310 million and leased it back.
KQED reports that lease runs to June 2028, with an option to extend. Six Flags chose not to. Prologis also has the right to end the deal with two years’ notice.
The writing was on the wall well before Friday. At a May 2025 investor day, Six Flags CFO Brian Witherow said “that park’s last year without that extension would be after the ‘27 season,” according to SFist. The company’s 2024 annual report also listed the park’s useful life as running through Dec. 31, 2027.
What did Six Flags say about the Farewell Season?
Park manager Dave Vosejpka said in the statement, quoted by KQED and KPIX, “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.”
KPIX also quoted him calling the Farewell Season “an opportunity for generations of Bay Area guests to return, spend time with family and friends, and revisit the attractions and traditions” that made the park part of the community.
The company says the park will honor its legacy through in-park experiences and stories shared on its digital and social channels. Exact 2027 dates and hours haven’t been announced yet. Inside the Magic reports 2027 season passes are already on sale, but check the park’s site before you buy.
When did California’s Great America open?
The park opened March 20, 1976, as Marriott’s Great America, with a twin park near Chicago that’s still running today as Six Flags Great America.
The Santa Clara park changed hands a lot. The city of Santa Clara bought it in 1985, then came Kings Entertainment, Paramount in 1992 and Cedar Fair in 2006.
Longtime fans will miss a lot of rides:
Gold Striker, the wooden coaster that opened in 2013 and regularly lands on fan “best of” lists
RailBlazer, the single-rail Rocky Mountain Construction coaster from 2018
Flight Deck, the 1993 inverted coaster that started life as Top Gun
Grizzly, a wooden coaster from 1986
Carousel Columbia, the double-decker carousel that’s been there since day one
No plans have been announced for where the rides go, and Six Flags hasn’t said whether any of them will move to its other parks.
Is Six Flags closing other parks?
This is part of a pattern. Six Flags America in Bowie, Maryland, and its Hurricane Harbor water park closed for good on Nov. 2, 2025.
In March 2026, Six Flags agreed to sell seven parks to EPR Properties for $331 million, including Valleyfair, Worlds of Fun, Michigan’s Adventure, Six Flags St. Louis, Great Escape, La Ronde and Schlitterbahn Galveston. KQED reports the company posted a $366 million net loss on $1.17 billion in revenue in its third-quarter report this week.
What happens to the land after Great America closes?
Prologis hasn’t said. KQED notes the 112-acre site could end up as logistics space, data centers or manufacturing, which is a rough swap for a place where people got engaged on the Ferris wheel.
Santa Clara Councilmember and Mayor-elect Karen Hardy told KQED, “I am beyond frustrated.” She added, “Because we don’t own the land anymore, we don’t have as much say, but we do have some say.” Hardy said she has asked Prologis about keeping the water park and the carousel.
The park sits next to Levi’s Stadium, home of the 49ers. Neither the team nor the city had issued a formal statement by Friday night.
If you’ve got a Gold Striker ride left in you, 2027 is the year.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
KQED (Nov. 6), the Six Flags statement, closing date, Vosejpka and Hardy quotes, lease and earnings details
KPIX (Nov. 6), the second Vosejpka quote and March opening
Attractions Magazine (Nov. 6), the opening date and park history
SFist (June 24, 2025), the Witherow investor day quote
Inside the Magic (Nov. 6), season pass details
KTVU, the EPR Properties park sale
AmusementInsider, the RailBlazer POV video
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