Not long after writing about the everyday places we lost between 2020 and 2023, I found myself thinking about another kind of experience that defined my life growing up in Southern California (SoCal). This is the kind of experience that one could often hear before even seeing it.
That line to get into parking lot.
The queue at the front gate before entry.
The screams of half fear and half excitement.
The smell of churros, sunscreen, and asphalt baking in the sun.
The distant roar of a rollercoaster.
For many of us in SoCal, these aren’t just occasional experiences or places to visit, they were part of growing up. Amusements Parks were a slice of our summer vacation (including spring and fall), part of family traditions, and part of loving life for kids of all ages. Whether it was a quick day trip, a season pass stop, or a planned vacation places like SeaWorld San Diego, Six Flags Magic Mountain, and Knott’s Berry Farm were always there for us. And then… al of sudden… they weren’t there … in the same way we had always loved.
Reference Blog: https://www.lifecycle365.com/socals-vanished-experiences-from-2020-2023
When the Gates Closed
Unlike restaurants that could pivot to a takeout and delivery model or retail shops that could move online, amusement parks had no available backup plan in place. They also had no options that were allowed by the state of California during the shutdowns that started in 2020. Their entire business model depended on people physically being there, in-person, for the experience(s).
People would normally be packed into ride queues, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on rides, and gathering in crowds across the midways to enjoy a day away from normal life. When California shut down, in 2020, these parks didn’t just slow down… they stopped 100% until they were allowed to move again by the government.
- No guests were allowed entry
- No day ticket sales happened
- No food cooked or consumed
- No merchandise revenue generated
The worst of the happenings being the following.
- Credits and discounts were handed over which depleted on-hand cash
- Passes extended, for an additional year, at no cost to the customer
- No new annual passes or memberships sold because no solid open date was available
Ongoing Operational Costs that Didn’t Disappear
For months at a time, gates stayed closed, restricted by fears. Even when reopening became possible, it didn’t look like what we remembered at our favorite parks.
- Strict capacity limits
- Reservation systems mandated
- Reduced attractions were available
- Required cleaning intervals to adhered to
- Masking requirements directed, even outdoors
- Social distancing guidelines provided
- Seats purposely left empty on rides
- Removal of shows in close quarters
Heavy operational restrictions impacted the experience and that change had been forced ultimately leading to negative financial impact and attendee frustrations.
SeaWorld San Diego: Still Paying for Empty Days
For SeaWorld San Diego, the impact didn’t end when the park was allowed to reopen by the City and State. During the shutdown period, the park still had financial obligations, including lease-related payments tied to the City of San Diego. With no visitors coming through the gates, there was no revenue to offset those contractual costs during the required lockdown. The park even had committed contracts with suppliers, vendors, and ride manufacturers that could not be circumvented during shutdowns.
That gap of dollars didn’t just disappear when guests were allowed to return to the park. SeaWorld has continued to deal with those financial strains from those months of zero attendance, including outstanding obligations connected to that shutdown period. It’s a reminder that even as crowds come back, the bill for those lost days doesn’t simply go away.
Six Flags & Cedar Fair: Restructuring to Survive
For regional amusement parks like the following set, the damage ran even deeper that just some lost revenue.
- California’s Great America (legacy Cedar Fair)
- Knott’s Berry Farm (legacy Cedar Fair)
- (Six Flags) Discovery Kingdom
- (Six Flags) Magic Mountain
These parks rely heavily on repeat visitors, season pass holders, membership subscriptions, and consistent foot traffic. The disruption of closures hit their core model hard and in the years that followed, recovery didn’t look like a simple bounce-back. Instead, it led to something much bigger and impactful.
Six Flags and Cedar Fair merged into “Six Flags Entertainment Corporation”:
- Their individual stock values fell drastically
- They consolidated operations in an effort to stabilize finances
- The combined company began evaluating and selling locations
- High-cost markets like California became harder to justify under the new financial reality
What we’re seeing now with the new Six Flags Entertainment Corporation isn’t just recovery… it’s restructuring. It is a reorganizing of a long-standing business model due to strict shutdowns imposed by the state of California and others across the nation. That was a direct response to how severe the disruption to their operations was.
Their Parks
Knott’s Berry Farm and other amusement parks have remained a strong presence in Southern California, but like the rest of the industry, they didn’t escape untouched.
The shutdown period forced:
- Staffing reductions
- Operational resets
- Corporate positions eliminated
- Reservation requirements
- Changes in how guests move through the parks
- More structured planning for visits
- Parking prices increased
- Different crowd flow patterns
- A stronger focus on controlled experiences
They’re open, they’re active, they’re running, they’re still thrilling but it’s not quite the same version that existed before 2020. Perhaps one of the clearest examples of long-term impact is California’s Great America. While it continues to operate, its future has been tied to broader corporate and real estate decisions that are shaped in part by the financial stress of the shutdown period. When companies are forced into survival mode, everything gets reevaluated and for some parks, that means their future isn’t as certain as it once felt.
- Land values increase
- Operating costs skyrocket
- Long-term viability is unstable
- Alternative land use options arise
Articles for Reference
SeaWorld San Diego and the 2020 Shutdowns
In March 2020, SeaWorld San Diego announced the temporary closure of its park as California responded to the growing health-concerns. According to NBC 7 San Diego, the closure was part of a broader effort affecting major attractions throughout the region, following state and local public health restrictions on large gatherings. The report also noted that SeaWorld had already begun canceling shows that typically draw large crowds before ultimately closing the park to guests. Looking back, the article serves as a snapshot of the moment when one of Southern California’s most recognizable attractions went silent, marking the beginning of a period of unprecedented disruption for the theme park industry.
Article: NBC 7 San Diego: “SeaWorld San Diego, Legoland, San Diego Zoo, Safari Park to Shut Down Amid Coronavirus Pandemic“
Six Flags and Cedar Fair Merger Following Industry Recovery Challenges
As amusement park operators continued to face the long-term effects of the 2020 health-concern related period, Cedar Fair and Six Flags announced plans to merge in 2023. Reuters reported that the companies described the merger as a way to strengthen revenue and cash flow while pursuing a broader recovery for the regional amusement park industry. The combined company would bring together dozens of parks across North America under a single corporate structure, reflecting how operators were reassessing their business strategies after years of operational disruption and changing consumer spending patterns. The merger highlights the ongoing efforts of major theme park companies to adapt to an industry landscape reshaped by the events that began in 2020.
Article: Reuters: “Cedar Fair, Six Flags to merge in search of amusement park recovery“
The Experience We Took for Granted
Just like the restaurants and local spots I wrote about prior, theme and amusement parks weren’t something that most of us thought twice about. We assumed these loved locations were always going to be open when we wanted to visit them. The shutdowns proved otherwise to all of us and their chains.
They were just… there for us to enjoy!
- Summer trips with friends
- School break traditions
- Impromptu weekend outings
- First roller coaster rides
- Family photos you probably still have somewhere
Still Climbing the Hill
Amusement and theme parks are open again and the rides are running. The crowds are coming back to most locations and the queues exist again. Behind the scenes, the climb isn’t over for companies like Six Flags Entertainment Corporation and United Parks (SeaWorld and Busch Gardens locations).
- Debt and financial strain are still being worked through
- Corporate restructuring is still unfolding
- Long-term decisions about locations are forcing sales
- Operations are still in play and costly
What we’re seeing today is not a full recovery as much as it is a slow, ongoing rebuild back to normal, instead of the new normal.
Holding Onto the Moments That Remain
If the last few years taught me anything, it’s that experiences are the most important part of life and they are not guaranteed.
- Not the small ones
- Not the big ones
- Not the traditional ones
- Not the unplanned ones
- Not the nostalgic ones
- Not the local ones
- Not even the ones that felt permanent
Amusement parks may still be here, but they’ve been changed just like everyone and everything else since 2020. So, the next time you hear that distant roar of a rollercoaster climbing its lift hill, it might be worth pausing for just a second… Because just like that empty Souplantation building I wrote about before… it’s a reminder that even the loudest, most vibrant places can go quiet when the government tells them to.