Theme park to close doors forever after 52 years – 'unsustainable'

A much-loved family theme park that has entertained generations of visitors for more than half a century is set to close its doors forever this weekend.

Fiesta Village Family Fun Park, which opened in San Bernardino, California, in 1974, will welcome visitors for one final weekend before closing permanently after more than 50 years in operation.

Owners Michelle and Patrick O’Brien, who bought the attraction in 2002, said the decision had been driven by rising costs and a sharp decline in visitor numbers.

“The economics of the amusement park industry and what we’re doing have changed dramatically,” Michelle O’Brien told SFGate.

“We’ve just reached a point where continuing simply wasn’t sustainable.”

The couple said birthday party bookings had more than halved in recent years, dropping from around 22 on a typical Saturday to just nine, while rising living costs had left many local families with less money to spend on leisure activities.

The park, which charged around $52 (£38) for adult admission, featured dozens of classic attractions including go-karts, batting cages, a Tilt-A-Whirl ride and the Dizzy Bears. Its water slides were among the first of their kind in California when the attraction first opened.

The owners said they had hoped to find a buyer willing to keep Fiesta Village operating but were unable to do so.

“We tried to find somebody that was interested in keeping it Fiesta Village,” Michelle O’Brien said. “There was just no interest.”

The closure is expected to affect around 30 employees, many of whom worked at the park during their first jobs.

“It was the most fun job in the world,” Michelle O’Brien said. “Getting to watch them grow and develop through the time that they had with us was so incredibly meaningful.”

Fiesta Village is the latest in a growing number of smaller amusement parks across the US to announce closure as operators struggle with rising operating costs and changing consumer spending habits.