A beloved California theme park is set to close its gates for good, just months before its milestone 70th anniversary.
California has long been a hub for theme parks, with iconic destinations like Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain dating back decades. Yet, it’s Disneyland that reigns supreme, capturing hearts worldwide since its opening in 1955. As the park approaches its 70th anniversary, it remains the gold standard of theme parks, with timeless appeal and a legacy that continues to shape the entire industry.
However, it wasn’t the only popular theme park to open in California in 1955.
California Theme Park Playland Announces Permanent Closure
Playland opened just six weeks before Disneyland in Fresno’s Roeding Park. While its sister park, Funland, is reportedly doing well, Playland is not. “Hanging on is a good way to describe it,” Susan Anderson, who serves on the board of Playland and Storyland, told SF Gate.
Helm and Sons, which supplies rides for fairs and carnivals, previously managed Playland but pulled out of the park at the end of their contract in February. Most of its rides closed in 2000 after California changed amusement park safety regulations.
Now, the California theme park has announced that it will permanently close on March 30.
This isn’t the first time the park has closed. It temporarily shuttered in 2015 for its attractions to be modernized, then closed again for COVID-19 and took longer to reopen than other theme parks due to the close proximity between its employees and customers on rides. In January 2024, the park announced its permanent closure but was saved by a last-minute deal with Storyland.
It remains to be seen whether a similar last-minute rescue will occur this year. For now, however, it seems like Disneyland will be the only California park celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.
Disneyland Prepares For 70th Anniversary
Walt Disney famously opened the theme park in July 1955, marking the first in what would go on to become a global empire of theme parks.
From May onwards, the park – which has since been joined by a sister, Disney California Adventure Park – will celebrate this legacy with the return of Paint the Night and Wondrous Journeys Nighttime Show), a new character cavalcade known as The Celebrate Happy Cavalcade (where Duffy and ShellieMay will also make an appearance), and new experiences in both parks.
Most notably, Disneyland will welcome Walt Disney – A Magical Life, a brand-new show featuring an animatronic of Walt Disney himself, to the spot typically occupied by The Disneyland Story presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln from July. The two shows will later go on to be performed in rotation with one another.
Did you ever get a chance to visit Playland?
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