A Lower Mainland institution of summer fun will be closing for good after more than three decades in South Delta.
Located just off Highway 17 on Tsawwassen First Nation land, Splashdown Park announced this week it's closing its doors after the Labour Day long weekend.
The water park officially opened on Canada Day in 1984 when then-mayor Ernie Burnett slid down one of the many waterslides.
The Lower Mainland's only waterpark attracts close to 100,000 visitors every summer, but the lease that began when the park opened is now nearing its end and won't be renewed.
Noting the park would require significant upgrades, manager Harold Frederiks said Splashdown will make its final splash with special events and giveaways planned for the coming season, which opens June 4. "We're definitely looking at going out on a high, so we want to make sure we have lots of fun stuff going on this summer. We're working on some different events," Frederiks said.
"The biggest one we have confirmed right now is an annual event we have every second Sunday in August with the Summer Splash. We have some performances, DJs and watermelon eating contests and we have reduced rates that day where proceeds go to Make-A-Wish Foundation.
"There's some other stuff in the making and it will be a real summer experience here."
The closure has nothing to do with the opening of the two mega malls next door this fall, Frederiks added.
The land Splashdown sits on is owned by a member of the First Nation, not the TFN government. It's not clear what will end up at the site, which is zoned "tourist commercial" under the TFN's land use plan. The zoning stipulates it may accommodate commercial retail, highway oriented commercial and tourism/entertainment uses.
Last year, the F440 Racing Challenge next door to the waterpark closed after more than 20 years in operation.
