Six Flags California’s Great America Faces Possible Permanent Closure

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Six Flags California’s Great America may close permanently after the 2027 season due to lease issues. The park’s chief financial officer, Brian Witherow, revealed this potential fate during Six Flags Investor Day on May 20, 2025. Unless a lease extension is decided, the park would operate until October 2027, ending its long history that began with its opening in 1976.

The parent company of Great America, Cedar Fair, sold the land beneath the park to Prologis for $310 million in 2022. Cedar Fair agreed to lease back the land for six to eleven years, but Witherow noted that Great America is underperforming financially.

“Those are two parks that are very low on the ranking of margins,” said Witherow, marking the bleak outlook for the park. The lease is currently set to end on June 30, 2028, with an option to extend until 2033, but no extension has been confirmed.

Prologis is already planning ahead for the park’s land. “We’re focused on identifying and partnering with planning and design experts to help us create a master plan for the property,” said company spokesperson Jennifer Nelson in January.

Great America’s counterpart, Six Flags Great America near Chicago, opened in the same year but is slated for improvements, contrasting the uncertain future of its California sibling. No official closure date or final operational details have been announced by Six Flags yet.