Inland Empire amusement park Fiesta Village is closing after 52 years

After 52 years of providing the Inland Empire with mini golf, roller skating and go-karting, Fiesta Village Fun Park is shutting down.

The Colton amusement parkland said successful a connection Tuesday that it volition stay unfastened to the nationalist for its last days this weekend.

“This determination has not been easy. For decades, Fiesta Village has been a spot wherever families gathered, friendships grew and memories were made,” the institution said successful the statement.

Owner Michelle O’Brien told SFGate that rising operational costs and declining attendance were the main reasons down the closure.

The parkland archetypal opened successful 1974, with a mini play course, waterslides and go-karts. O’Brien purchased it successful 2002 and has operated it ever since. Under her and her hubby Patrick’s ownership, they added attractions similar The Scrambler and Tilt-a-Whirl, on with laser tag and a roller skating rink.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the taxable parkland manufacture has struggled to afloat rebound. Rising operational costs and a deficiency of tourism, person made the concern progressively hard to sustain.

Last year, California’s Great America, a Silicon Valley parkland operated by Six Flags Entertainment, had to chopped its workforce and shorten its season. Even taxable parkland giants similar Disneyland are seeing flimsy downturns successful attendance. Disney executives antecedently said its U.S. taxable parks saw a 1% driblet successful attendance compared with the anterior year, which the institution attributed to “continued softness” successful planetary visitors. Disneyland’s Anaheim parkland besides precocious began offering $71 tickets to lure much section visitors.

For parks similar Fiesta Village, the rising costs of essentials similar nutrient yet makes endurance harder, said Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services, a consulting steadfast successful the industry. He added that contention from adjacent parks is besides drafting concern away. As a Southern California venue, Fiesta Village sits wrong driving region of destinations similar Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland.

“It’s hard for smaller parks to vie with the large entities that situation them. Particularly, present arsenic we proceed to spot this astonishing maturation successful exertion for rides and attractions,” Speigel said. “Big attractions are precise costly propositions for parks to enactment in, and parks similar Fiesta Village can’t support up with that.”

Given the existent economical uncertainty, Speigel said taxable parks volition apt spot a “flat year” —meaning nary large maturation oregon diminution industry-wide.

Following Fiesta Village’s last solemnisation with the nationalist connected Friday and Sunday, the parkland volition reportedly big a fewer backstage events earlier shutting down for good. It’s unclear what volition hap to the spot afterward.

“Thank you for allowing america to beryllium portion of your lives and your household traditions,” the institution wrote. “We volition ever cherish the relation Fiesta Village has played successful bringing radical together.”

Times unit writer Samantha Masunga contributed to this report.