While theme park giants such as Disney and Universal Studios continue to see an increase in attendance amid economic uncertainty, many smaller amusement parks and theme hotels around the world are struggling with rising operating costs or even having to close.
After losing more than $1.2 billion at the end of 2025, Six Flags said it intends to close more “underperforming” locations across its North American amusement and water park portfolio. Six Flags Park in Maryland has closed a month early in November 2025.
At the start of the new year, the Cartoon Network Hotel, which primarily serves visitors to Dutch Wonderland Park in central Pennsylvania, also closed its doors due to a series of financial challenges since the coronavirus pandemic.
Burien Theme Park, which has operated in the English seaside town of Somerset since 1946, has become the latest theme park to face the risk of total closure after liquidators were appointed due to its financial situation.
The 80-year-old park was originally a campsite for tourists along the Bristol Channel, but was expanded into a theme park with rides in the 1970s.
The park, a beloved local staple with free admission (guests pay points for the rides they want to ride) with more than 40 attractions, was preparing for a summer opening in March, but announced on February 4 that it would be taking a “closure decision.”
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Nicholas Stafford of Hazlewoods LLP is the bankruptcy lawyer overseeing Brean’s liquidation to help creditors and shareholders recover some of their losses.
A former public company, Brean ceased trading at the end of January and, without a last-minute Hail Mary, it would have closed for good in the coming weeks. A local notice announcing the decision described the company as “voluntary liquidation.”
According to local reports, visitor numbers have plummeted during the coronavirus pandemic and theme parks have been unable to recover from the debt incurred during the period.
The closure is a major blow to the Somerset community, as well as holidaymakers in nearby cities such as Gloucester and Bristol.
The struggling theme park has been leasing land from Unity Holidays, which also owns Brean Unity Holidays, Brean Splash, Brean Play and Brean Gym, according to British media outlet The Daily Express. The parks, according to their ownership, will continue to operate through next summer.
