San José’s popular Raging Waters water park, most recently rebranded as CaliBunga, abruptly shut down last week after more than 40 years of operation.
The water park first opened in the mid-1980s, quickly becoming one of the Bay Area’s favorite go-to spots for hot summer days. After the park’s previous operator walked away in 2023, the location briefly came under new ownership as CaliBunga for the 2024 and 2025 summer seasons.
But on June 11, 2026, the City of San José announced in a press release that the park’s gates had closed.
In its place, San José is promising a next‑gen aquatic destination and a full slate of warm‑weather events around Lake Cunningham.
What’s coming instead at Lake Cunningham
“For more than 40 years, Lake Cunningham’s water park has been where San José families go to beat the heat,” said Mayor Matt Mahan. “Despite a temporary closure, our commitment is to keep this park active now and build an aquatic destination worthy of the next generation.”
The city has selected local firm Lakeside Partners to help transform the former Raging Waters site into a new “state‑of‑the‑art water park” with expanded amenities and modern play areas for families and teens. No concrete reopening date has been announced beyond “the coming summers.”
In the meantime, San José plans to keep Lake Cunningham busy with other summer activities for 2026. Look out for Agua Fiesta “water fun days,” live concerts, free performances by Circus Bella, skate-punk shows, BMX movie nights, and expanded summer swim hours at nearby pools.
The city is referring residents to their website’s Swimming and Pools page for alternatives to CaliBunga/Raging Waters, and to the Lake Cunningham Park page for information about upcoming summer activities.
