Raging Waters closes this summer as San Jose promises water park upgrades

SAN JOSE — Fans of the beloved water park, long known as Raging Waters, will have to look elsewhere this summer to shoot down serpentine water slides or to cool off in a giant wave pool and in-pool playgrounds.

The city announced this week in a press release that it was temporarily closing the 23-acre water park, next to Lake Cunningham, as a new operator carries out improvements to make the water park more “state of the art” with expanded aquatic amenities and new interactive play areas.

The press release did not specify how long the water park on the city’s eastern side will remain closed, but it said the operator, Lakeside Partners, will work on plans and improvements necessary to reopen in the coming summer.

“For more than 40 years, Lake Cunningham’s water park has been where San Jose families go to beat the heat,” Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement. “Despite a temporary closure, our commitment is to keep this park active now and build an aquatic destination worthy of the next generation.”

Although the water park operations will be suspended for the time being, the city remains “committed” to keeping other parts of 50-acre Lake Cunningham Regional Park open and has planned a variety of community events. That means that Action Sports Park, with its 68,000-square-foot skate park, the largest in California, and its 8.5-acre bike park, will remain open.

“As someone who grew up spending summers at the Water Park, I know how much this place means to our community,”Councilmember Domingo Candelas said. “While I’m disappointed it won’t open this season, I’m excited about the opportunity to reimagine this beloved East Side jewel and ensure it continues creating memories for generations to come. In the meantime, I look forward to the activations and community programming that will keep this special place vibrant and connected to residents.”

This is the second time in recent years that families have had to deal with the sudden and abrupt closure of the water park, which first opened in 1985 and became known for its 14 water slides, 350,000-gallon wave pool and “endless” river that users could float along.

Near the end of summer 2023, it was announced that Raging Waters had closed for the season and would not reopen in 2024. At the time, the owners of the water park, Palace Entertainment, said they had decided to end their lease due to low attendance.

But the water park in fact reopened in 2024, with new owners and a new name, CaliBunga. The city’s press release did not say why Raging Waters’ CaliBunga era only lasted two summers. But Candelas, whose district includes Raging Waters, said at the time that the city was committed to providing city residents with a water park.