While theme park giants such as Disney and Universal have continued to see high visitor numbers in an uncertain economy, many smaller amusement parks and themed hotels in different parts of the world have struggled with rising operational costs, to the point of having to shut down business.
After posting a loss of more than $1.2 billion at the end of 2025, Six Flags shared its intention to close more “underperforming” locations in its amusement and water park portfolio across North America. A Six Flags park in Maryland had closed down month earlier in November 2025.
At the start of the new year, the Cartoon Network Hotel serving primarily visitors to the Dutch Wonderland park in central Pennsylvania also shut its doors over a string of financial challenges dating back to the Covid pandemic.
80-year-old Brean Theme Park prepares for shutdown process, liquidators assigned
Operating in the British seaside town of Somerset since 1946, Brean Theme Park has become the latest theme park to risk a total shutdown after being assigned liquidators over its financial situation.
The 80-year-old park was originally a campsite for visitors to the coastline along the Bristol Channel but was expanded into a theme park with rides in the 1970s.
The park that had become beloved local staple known for its free entry (visitors paid credits for rides they wanted to take) had more than 40 attractions and was preparing to open for the summer season in March when it announced that it was taking “resolutions for winding-up” on February 4.
Related: Disney and Universal both close down popular parks
Nicholas Stafford of Hazlewoods LLP is the insolvency attorney overseeing the liquidation of Brean in a way that helps creditors and shareholders recoup some of their losses.
As a former public company, Brean stopped trading at the end of January and, short of a last-minute Hail Mary, will be shuttered forever in the coming weeks. The local notice announcing this decision states that “the Company be wound up voluntarily.”
According to local reports, visitor numbers dipped significantly during the Covid pandemic, and the theme park was not able to recover from the debt created during that period.
Brean is a small village outside of Somerset, England, on the coast of the Bristol Channel.
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Nearby theme parks say they are unaffected, will open for 2026 season
The closure marks a significant blow to both the Somerset community and vacationers from nearby cities such as Gloucester and Bristol.
The struggling theme park had been renting land from Unity Holidays, the company also behind parks such as Brean Unity Holidays, Brean Splash, Brean Play, and Brean Gym, reported U.K. outlet Daily Express. Those parks, according to their ownership, will continue to operate in the coming summer.
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“While Brean Theme Park leases land from Unity Holidays, it is not a business we own,” Unity said in a statement.
“The theme park is its own business. We continue to operate as normal, and Brean Play, Brean Splash, and Brean Gym will re-open as planned for the 2026 season — all with many improvements and enhancements as part of our ongoing investment in our Unity Beach resort.”