The slides at Lake Cunningham stayed dry all summer, and the park kept its calendar anyway. This Friday, October 2, the Action Sports Park hosts a free evening concert that its listing bills as the close of the Fridays at the Lake series. Doors open at 6 p.m., and food trucks will be on site.
The park runs on three separate clocks. The water park is on an operator's timeline that has no date on it yet. The summer programming ran on organizers' calendars and is winding down. The lake, the loop and the skate park run on the city's own schedule, and that one did not pause. Knowing which clock governs which piece explains what to plan around this fall.
The Slides: A Clock With No Date
On June 11, 2026, the City of San José announced that the water park would close temporarily. It had most recently operated as CaliBunga and was known for decades as Raging Waters. The city said its selected proposer, Lakeside Partners, would keep working on the plans and improvements needed to reopen "in the coming summers." The announcement gave no reopening date.
Reporting at the time filled in the gaps. NBC Bay Area noted that no seasonal workers had been hired for 2026 and that it was unclear whether the reimagined park would be ready by next summer. KQED reported that the details of Lakeside's contract with the city had not been released, including how long it runs, what rent looks like and who pays for the upgrades. A city spokesperson said those terms were still being worked out.
The site is large enough that the delay is felt across the East Side. It covers 23 acres and opened in 1985 with 14 slides and a 350,000-gallon wave pool. KQED described it as the area's only major standalone water park, since Great America's South Bay Shores in Santa Clara is smaller.
"For more than 40 years, Lake Cunningham's water park has been where San José families go to beat the heat."
Mayor Matt Mahan said that in the city's announcement. District 8 Councilmember Domingo Candelas, whose district includes the area, said he spent his own childhood summers there. Both statements describe a plan to rebuild. Neither describes a schedule.
The Concerts: A Clock Someone Else Winds
The city's Lake Cunningham page says outside event organizations planned the summer activity. The list included water play days, live music, maker events, outdoor movie nights, and BMX and skate showcases. Coverage of the announcement also named Agua Fiesta and Circus Bella.
That programming belongs to whoever books it, and the Oct. 2 concert shows how it works. The Eventbrite listing credits Filco Events as the presenter and says the evening closes out the Fridays at the Lake concert series. Here is what the listing says:
- Friday, October 2, 2026, at the Lake Cunningham Action Sports Park
- Free admission, with doors at 6 p.m. and entertainment starting at 6:30
- Live San Jose punk, food trucks, and a kid-friendly setup
- Free skating during the show
When the listing was published, organizers were still finalizing the lineup. Check the event page before heading over if the artists matter to you.
No fall calendar for the park after this show had been announced in the sources reviewed. The city's page says event details will be posted there as they are finalized. The District 8 page points to Candelas's newsletter and his Instagram account, @DomingoCandelasD8, for upcoming community activations. Those are the two places most likely to show what follows October 2.
The Loop and the Skate Park: The Clock That Kept Running
The city was specific that only the water park was closing. The 50-acre lake stays open, along with the par course, the picnic areas and the Action Sports Park. The park's hours are 8 a.m. to half an hour after sunset. Dogs are allowed on a leash. Beer and wine are permitted in picnic areas only. Parking fees are collected daily, and the city's annual pass is honored at Lake Cunningham, Alum Rock Park, Almaden Lake, Kelley Park, and Happy Hollow Park & Zoo.
The skate park has the longest-standing claim to being permanent. Voters approved a city bond measure that paid for it, and it opened in 2009. Wormhoudt Inc. designed it and California Skate Parks built it. At 68,000 square feet, Visit San Jose lists it as the largest skate park in California, with the world's largest cradle, the tallest vert wall and the largest full pipe. It takes skateboards, scooters and bikes. Current skate park hours were not confirmed for this post, so call (408) 794-7574 before making a special trip.
The Oct. 2 concert takes place here, at a facility the city said would stay open during the water park closure.
Side by Side
| Who sets the schedule | What the sources show | |
|---|---|---|
| Water park | City and Lakeside Partners | Closed since the June 11 announcement. Reopening "in the coming summers," with no date and no released contract terms |
| Events and concerts | Outside organizers, working with the city and Lakeside Partners | Fridays at the Lake closes October 2. No fall calendar found |
| Lake, loop, picnic areas, skate park | City of San José | Open, with daily parking fees and posted hours |
One Name, Two Sites
Lakeside Partners is connected to a second East San José project. KQED reported that the company is tied to the proposal to redevelop the former Pleasant Hills Golf Course, a 113-acre site next to the lake. The proposal calls for up to 2,000 homes and roughly 13.8 acres of open space. As of KQED's June reporting, the project remained under environmental review. No newer public milestone appeared in the sources reviewed, so no date is available.
A Weekend Around the Park
The Evergreen side of the neighborhood has its own standing calendar. The Evergreen Farmers' Market runs Sundays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., year-round, at 4055 Evergreen Village Square. Evergreen Inn & Pub at 3273 S White Rd is a family-owned breakfast spot known for its crepes and French toast, and it is on S White Rd, the same road as the park. Eastridge Center is a short drive away, with AMC Eastridge 15 and Round 1 for an indoor afternoon.
A workable sequence for the next few days starts with the free show at the skate park on Friday, October 2. A morning at the Sunday market on October 4 and a loop around the lake would fit the same weekend. The park's hours run to half an hour after sunset, so a late-afternoon walk can end at the water's edge.
The Samit Shah Team tracks what is happening around Lake Cunningham and across East San Jose. If you are thinking about your own next move near the park, Work With Us.
