The tides are shifting at Sesame Place San Diego, as the amusement park announced a move to seasonal operation. Shuttering its doors during the cooler months will leave pass holders and employees in a swirl of confusion. The theme park, a subsidiary of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, has historically been a year-round destination for families seeking the cheerful company of Elmo and friends.
With a sudden announcement on social media, confirmed by ABC 10News, Sesame Place indicated the park's last day for the 2025 season would be September 21, before resuming operations in May 2026. This comes as a shock to visitors like Adrianna Brewster, who lamented missing out on "Halloween and Christmas time," events that were "one of the funnest times there."
The park has offered an olive branch in the form of complimentary SeaWorld Fun Cards to 2025 Season Pass Holders, granting access to SeaWorld's seasonal events, including the Halloween Spooktacular and Christmas Celebration. However, the compensatory measures have left Platinum Pass Holders, who previously enjoyed cross-access between parks, puzzled about the benefits this arrangement offers.
While Sesame Place extended a peace offering by reassigning employees to roles at SeaWorld during the off-season, the staff's dismay was evident in a social media post from Sesame Place San Diego—an outlet that seemingly replaced formal communication channels, "Everyone found out just about that post," according to Daniella, a food and beverage employee at Sesame Place. Subsequent emails from the park to ABC 10News explained pass holders' options and hinted at "valuable enhancements and special considerations" for Platinum Members, to be determined by their original sign-up dates.
Guests feeling short-changed by the unexpected schedule change, specifically those holding passes for the nonexistent 2026 season, have been directed to contact Guest Services to explore their refund options. While the park promises more details to come, the abrupt nature of the announcement remains a point of contention amongst the Sesame Place community.
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