SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: SEAS), a leading theme park and entertainment company, and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organisation behind Sesame Street®, today revealed the location of a new Sesame Place® theme park, the second Sesame Place® in the United States. The new park will open in San Diego in spring 2021 and will be the first Sesame Place on the West Coast.
“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,” said Steve Youngwood, President, Media & 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.”
Sesame Place San Diego will feature all the fun, laughter, and learning of Sesame Street in a highly immersive way, with exciting family rides, water slides, live character shows, parades and interactive experiences that will extend the laughter and learning of Sesame Street.
The original Sesame Place, currently the only U.S. theme park based entirely on the iconic children’s program, opened outside Philadelphia in July 1980 and has been a premier destination for families countrywide for nearly 40 years.
“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,” said 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.”
Sesame Place San Diego will open as a Certified Autism Center (CAC), mirroring its Philadelphia sister park, which was the first theme park in the world to achieve this designation. Staff-wide autism sensitivity and awareness training will be completed prior to the park’s debut, and robust pre-visit planning resources, including a park-specific sensory guide will be featured on its website, making it easier for parents to plan activities that satisfy their child’s specific needs and accommodations. Designated quiet spaces with adjustable lighting and comfortable seating will be incorporated into the park’s design.
“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,” added Swanson. “Providing fun and memorable experiences through exceptional service is a part of that.”
Sesame Place San Diego will be located on the site of the current Aquatica San Diego, extending SeaWorld’s commitment to not only the local community but also establishing this new park as a premier tourist destination in the western United States.
SeaWorld has been Sesame Workshop’s exclusive theme park partner in the United States for almost 40 years. Sesame Street Bay of Play opened at SeaWorld San Diego in 2008 and SeaWorld Orlando recently opened Sesame Street Land™, a brand new land with six themed rides, over 30 innovative and educational ways to play, and the park’s first ever parade. There is also a distinct Sesame Street land inside the SeaWorld theme park in San Antonio.
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