Sesame, SeaWorld Announce West Coast Theme ParkSesame, SeaWorld Announce West Coast Theme Park

SeaWorld Entertainment and Sesame Workshop have announced that the location of the new Sesame Place theme park will be San Diego, Calif.

San Diego will be home to the second Sesame Place theme park in the U.S. and the first to open on the West Coast. The new Sesame Place theme park will be located on the site of Aquatica San Diego. The theme park is set to open spring 2021.

“As we celebrate ‘Sesame Street’s’ 50th anniversary, we are excited to share the news of a major opportunity for kids and families to connect with and learn from the brand and its beloved characters,” says Steve Youngwood, president, media and education, and chief operating officer, Sesame Workshop. “The opening of Sesame Place San Diego will give guests a unique and powerful way to experience ‘Sesame Street,’ enable us to connect with even more families and further our educational mission.”

Visitors of Sesame Place San Diego will enjoy all the fun and laughter of “Sesame Street” in an immersive experience that will include rides, water slides, character shows and parades.  Sesame Place San Diego will also be a Certified Autism Center, just like its Philadelphia sister park which was the first theme park in the world to achieve this title. Staff members will undergo autism sensitivity and awareness training, and a park-specific sensory guide will be featured on its website for parents to plan ahead for specific needs and accommodations. The park will also feature designated quiet spaces with adjustable lighting and comfortable seating.

“We share Sesame Workshop’s goal of educating and entertaining generations of children, and the opening of a second park, the only one of its kind on the West Coast, furthers our company mission to provide guests with extraordinary experiences,” says Marc Swanson, interim chief executive officer, SeaWorld Entertainment. “We are thrilled to be able to grow the presence of Sesame Place theme parks in the United States, and San Diego is the perfect complement to our Philadelphia location.”

“We are proud to be opening this new park as a Certified Autism Center and are committed in our efforts to offer families inclusive activities for children with autism and other special abilities,” adds Swanson. “Providing fun and memorable experiences through exceptional service is a part of that.”

The original Sesame Place, the only U.S. theme park based entirely on “Sesame Series,” opened in Philadelphia in July 1980. SeaWorld has served as Sesame Workshop’s exclusive theme park partner in the U.S. for nearly 40 years.