Updated
Updated · KQED · Jun 14
San Jose Shuts 23-Acre CaliBunga for Summer Overhaul, Delaying Reopening for Years
Updated
Updated · KQED · Jun 14

San Jose Shuts 23-Acre CaliBunga for Summer Overhaul, Delaying Reopening for Years

3 articles · Updated · KQED · Jun 14

Summary

  • San Jose’s only major standalone water park will remain closed through the summer as the city and a newly selected operator prepare a broader transformation of CaliBunga.
  • No reopening date has been set; the city said the operator will work toward bringing visitors back only “in the coming summers,” extending the shutdown during a heat-prone season with temperatures near 97 degrees.
  • The 23-acre Lake Cunningham site—known for decades as Raging Waters—has served South Bay families since 1985 and includes 14 water slides and a 350,000-gallon wave pool.
  • The closure leaves Great America’s smaller South Bay Shores in Santa Clara as the area’s main remaining water-park option while San Jose pursues a reimagined aquatic destination.

Insights

With no funding announced, can San Jose's water park revival succeed where past operators failed?
Can a massive water park rebuild solve its attendance woes without a major environmental cost?