Amusement Park News

With wind gusts of up to 80 miles per hour, five wildfires were raging in the Los Angeles area in early January. And Universal Studios Hollywood, along with Six Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita, shuttered January 8th and 9th, closing their gates to the public for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fires that were most devastating to the region were the Palisades Fire on the coast, and the Eaton Fire which destroyed hundreds of homes in Altadena. The Hurst, Woodley, and Sunset fires also flared but with far less devastation.  The Palisades and Eaton fires were the two biggest and by far the most damaging, destroying thousands of homes, and torching over 63 square miles, causing mass evacuations, power outages, and in some areas, undrinkable water
according to CalFire.

The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board issued this statement “We are heartbroken to see the devastation caused by the Los Angeles wildfires… our focus remains on the safety and well-being of residents, visitors and first responders in affected areas across our city."

Several major theme parks were affected, too. Universal Studios Hollywood closed on Wednesday, January 8th and extended its closure through Thursday, January 9th, issuing the statement that "We extend our heartfelt sympathies to those impacted by the recent and ongoing fires, as well as our deepest appreciation to the first responders for their valiant and ongoing efforts during this difficult time." The park's announcement also noted that “The safety of our team members and our guests is our top priority."

When the closure continued for a second day, the park issued a second statement, “Out of an abundance of caution, Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal CityWalk will be closed on Thursday, January 9 as a result of the extreme winds and fire conditions…We continue to assess the situation and are directing guests to visit our website for updates.”

Farther away, Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia was also closed “due to high winds,” as the park stated on a social media post.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood closed as well, due to “continued strong winds and fire conditions.”

While the parks and attractions that closed undoubtedly lost considerable revenue over the two-day period of closure, there was a sense of unreality throughout the city when they quickly reopened on Friday, January 10th with regular operating hours.

And now that the fires are quelled, Universal is also offering a free single day ticket to first responders and providing 50% off for up to three more tickets for their guests now through April 10. Dubbed Universal's First Responder Heroes Ticket, the offer was extended to all eligible firefighters, police officers, sheriff's deputies, National Guard, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians, and requires in-person pick up at a booth dedicated specifically to serving these personnel at the park entrance. Eligible first responders are required to present a valid government-issued photo ID and employee ID card. Comcast NBCUniversal has also since donated $10 million dollars to support Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts.

Universal Studios Hollywood executive v.p. and general manager Scott Strobl issued a statement saying, "The selfless dedication and tireless resilience exhibited by the first responders in response to combatting the L.A. wildfires has been nothing short of extraordinary and we are very grateful to these unsung heroes for their courage during this difficult time… When these first responders are ready for a much-needed break, we look forward to welcoming them to our theme park.”

At Six Flags, an ongoing program continues offering an admission discount to first responders and all active and retired military when registered with ID.me. However, this program was unrelated to the recent fires.  

Moving south and far from the fire zones, Knott's Berry Farm, located in Buena Park, remained open, and offered discounted entry rates for full-time fire and law enforcement personnel including EMTs.

Disneyland and California Adventure in Anaheim is currently offering two free one-day Park Hopper tickets to first responders for the dates May 5th through August 7th Mondays through Thursdays. Making advance theme park reservations to use the free tickets is required by the park. This Disneyland Heroes Ticket offer can be utilized by California firefighters, Los Angeles law enforcement officers, and Los Angeles emergency medical technicians as well as other mutual aid assistance departments that worked to combat and contain the January Los Angeles area fires.

The Walt Disney Company also announced that it is donating $15 million toward both response efforts and rebuilding of the fire ravaged communities. Disney CEO Bob Iger issued a statement saying  “As this tragedy continues to unfold, The Walt Disney Company is committed to supporting our community and our employees as we all work together to recover and rebuild from this unbelievable devastation.” Disneyland has said that it will send information in April directly to qualifying departments about necessary eligibility and requirements.

And, Disney has also said the park will donate $25 to the American Red Cross from the sale of every Mickey Mouse LA Strong T-shirt to help mitigate the impact of the wildfires as well.