Raging Waters ends lease in Sacramento. Will Cal Expo’s water park reopen?
Raging Waters Sacramento is no more.
Palace Entertainment, which has operated the Cal Expo-based water park since 2007, terminated its lease at the site, effective immediately “after a careful review of company priorities,” the company wrote in a Tuesday news release and statement to the Raging Waters website.
Cal Expo plans to keep the water park open, venue officials said in an emailed statement to The Sacramento Bee.
Palace Entertainment “exercised the buy-out provision of their current agreement with Cal Expo,” according to Cal Expo’s statement.
Cal Expo officials said Raging Waters was “unable to be profitable over the past three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” and that the venue’s Board of Directors and staff will “determine the best course of action” in the coming months.
“We fully expect the water park to be profitable going forward and continue to be a fun and safe attraction for our region’s families for years to come.”
Those who purchased a season pass for 2023 at Raging Waters can secure a refund, according to Palace Entertainment.
The 20-acre water park at Cal Expo first opened in 1980, initially named Waterworld USA and operated by a company called Premier Parks.
Premier Parks, which acquired Six Flags in 1998, renamed the park Six Flags Waterworld Sacramento ahead of the 2005 season, then ended its lease on the site at the end of the 2006. Palace Entertainment took over the following year, rebranding the site as Raging Waters.
The COVID-19 pandemic and related business restrictions in California forced Raging Waters Sacramento to close for the 2020 season and modify park operations in 2021.
Raging Waters parks in San Jose and Los Angeles will remain open, Palace Entertainment said.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 1:58 PM.
