Raging Waters Sacramento once packed 25 water attractions onto 20 acres of the Cal Expo fairgrounds, but the gates have been locked since November 2022 — and the plan to bring it back has now fallen apart too.
If you’re trying to figure out whether the Sacramento water park at Cal Expo is open, what happened to the CaliBunga rebuild announced in 2023, or where else to swim this summer, here’s the full picture: the closure, the failed rebuild, the rides people still remember, and the real alternatives operating near Sacramento right now.
Quick Answer
Raging Waters Sacramento — the water park that operated on the Cal Expo fairgrounds — is permanently closed and has been since November 2022. A planned rebuild called CaliBunga Waterpark, announced in 2023 for a 2027 opening, collapsed in February 2026 when Cal Expo terminated the developer’s lease over more than $200,000 in unpaid rent. As of late 2026, the 20-acre site at 1600 Exposition Blvd sits vacant while Cal Expo looks for a new operator or use for the land, and there is no operating water park anywhere on the fairgrounds.
Is Raging Waters Still Located at Cal Expo?
Yes — Raging Waters Sacramento was never a separate property from Cal Expo. The water park sat on roughly 20 acres inside the Cal Expo fairgrounds at 1600 Exposition Blvd, the same state-owned complex that hosts the California State Fair every summer. Cal Expo, a state agency, owned the land and leased it to a private operator over the years: Premier Parks acquired the lease in 1996, followed by Six Flags, then Palace Entertainment, and most recently California Dreamin’ Entertainment.
That arrangement is why the water park’s fate has always been tied to Cal Expo’s decisions rather than to one company’s brand. When Palace Entertainment walked away in 2022, the rides and slides didn’t move anywhere — they sat idle inside the fairgrounds until demolition began in 2025. Today the fenced-off, partially cleared lot is still Cal Expo property, visible from the same parking areas used for the State Fair and other Cal Expo events, but there’s no operating water park on it, and none is scheduled to open there.
From WaterWorld USA to Raging Waters: A Four-Decade Timeline
The Cal Expo water park has carried several names since it opened in 1980 as WaterWorld USA on land leased from the state-owned fairgrounds. Premier Parks acquired that lease in 1996 and rebranded the site Six Flags Waterworld Sacramento ahead of the 2005 season, but that lease ended after the 2006 season when Six Flags pulled out.
Palace Entertainment picked up the lease in May 2007 and reopened the park as Raging Waters Sacramento, the name it kept for the next 15 seasons. Palace Entertainment terminated its lease on November 8, 2022, ending the water park’s run at Cal Expo after 42 years under one operator or another.
Why Did Raging Waters Sacramento Close?
Palace Entertainment closed the park in November 2022, pointing to a company-wide review of its business priorities. The closure came after the pandemic forced Raging Waters Sacramento to sit out the 2020 season entirely and reopen in 2021 under capacity limits and modified operations — losses the operator said the park never fully recovered from.
Unlike some seasonal closures that get reversed the following spring, this one stuck. Palace Entertainment did not reopen the park for 2023, and Cal Expo began fielding proposals for what to do with the vacant 20 acres.
What Happened to the CaliBunga Waterpark Rebuild?
In 2023, California Dreamin’ Entertainment — a brand operated by Silverwood Entertainment — signed a new lease with Cal Expo to demolish the old park and build a new one called CaliBunga Waterpark, with an accompanying restaurant concept, targeting a 2027 opening. This Sacramento project was a separate park from the similarly named CaliBunga that Silverwood opened in San Jose on July 4, 2024; the two are not the same facility, and the San Jose park’s opening has no bearing on Sacramento’s status.
Demolition of the old Raging Waters structures was underway by summer 2025, and the project appeared to be moving forward despite the opening date already sliding from earlier estimates. That changed on February 3, 2026, when Cal Expo’s board terminated California Dreamin’ Entertainment’s lease, citing breach of contract after the developer fell more than $200,000 behind on payments and missed several extensions to resolve the debt.
Silverwood Entertainment acknowledged the termination but disputed how the situation was characterized, saying it didn’t consider it appropriate to litigate a business dispute in the media. With the lease terminated, the partially demolished site reverted to Cal Expo, and the CaliBunga Sacramento project is no longer active. No successor developer, lease, or construction timeline has been announced since.
The Rides and Attractions That Made the Park Famous
At its peak, Raging Waters Sacramento offered 25 water attractions. The signature thrill ride was the Cliffhanger, a pair of 60-foot dual-racing free-fall body slides that dropped riders side by side into a splashdown pool. Splashdown added a trapdoor-style drop slide that ejected riders straight into a plunge pool, while the Shark Attack Slide Complex, Dragon’s Den, and the Honolulu Half Pipe rounded out the high-speed slide lineup.
Families spent most of their time at Treehouse Reef, a multi-level interactive water playground with slides and spray features, and at Hook’s Lagoon, a gentler area built for younger kids. The 800-foot Calypso Cooler lazy river offered a slow-paced float, and Breaker Beach — billed as Northern California’s original wave pool — and Hurricane Bay delivered ocean-style surf to a landlocked city. None of these attractions survived demolition; the rides were removed rather than relocated or sold to another park.
Where to Swim Near Sacramento Now
With no water park operating at Cal Expo, several real alternatives are running within about 30 minutes of downtown Sacramento. Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Concord, about an hour southwest in the East Bay, is the closest traditional slide-and-wave-pool park comparable in scale to the old Raging Waters, with dozens of water attractions and a large wave pool.
Closer to home, Golfland Sunsplash in Roseville is the nearest classic slide park, roughly 30 minutes northeast of Sacramento, with a wave pool and tube slides for anyone missing the Raging Waters-style experience. West of the city, Velocity Island Park in Woodland and Wake Island Waterpark in Pleasant Grove offer a different kind of day on the water — floating obstacle courses, cable wakeboarding, and sandy swim beaches on private lakes rather than slides and concrete pools. For younger kids, local municipal pools and splash pads around Sacramento County remain the cheapest option for cooling off.
What’s Next for the Cal Expo Site
Cal Expo has said it is exploring new partnerships and development proposals for the water park property, but as of late 2026 no new operator, timeline, or concept has been announced. The site sits within a broader period of change at Cal Expo, which has also been winding down horse racing contracts and discussing a possible stadium partnership with Sacramento State, so any decision about the water park’s future will likely be made alongside those larger plans rather than in isolation.
Raging Waters Sacramento closure and Cal Expo status FAQs
Is Raging Waters Sacramento open in 2026?
No. Raging Waters Sacramento has been closed since November 2022, and the site at Cal Expo remains a vacant, partially demolished lot with no water park operating there in 2026.
Is CaliBunga Waterpark still being built in Sacramento?
No. Cal Expo terminated developer California Dreamin’ Entertainment’s lease on February 3, 2026 over more than $200,000 in unpaid rent, ending the CaliBunga Sacramento project. The similarly named CaliBunga park in San Jose is unaffected — it’s a separate facility that opened in 2024.
Why did Raging Waters Sacramento close?
Palace Entertainment closed the park in November 2022 following a company-wide review of its priorities, after pandemic-era closures and reduced-capacity seasons left the park unable to recover financially.
Will Raging Waters Sacramento ever reopen?
Not under that name, and not on any confirmed timeline. Cal Expo is looking for a new operator or use for the 20-acre site, but as of late 2026 no new water park lease, developer, or opening date has been announced.
What water parks are open near Sacramento right now?
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Concord, Golfland Sunsplash in Roseville, Velocity Island Park in Woodland, and Wake Island Waterpark in Pleasant Grove are all currently operating within about a 30-to-60-minute drive of Sacramento.
What happened to the old Raging Waters rides?
The rides and slides were demolished starting in summer 2025 as part of the (now-collapsed) CaliBunga rebuild project. They were not relocated or sold to another park.
Get More from Raging Waters Sacramento closure and Cal Expo status
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Raging Waters Sacramento closure and Cal Expo status, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.
Want the day’s theme park news in your inbox? Subscribe to ThrillZing Daily — free.