IRVINE, Calif. — After supply chain issues postponed its opening, Wild Rivers will make its highly anticipated debut in Irvine’s Great Park this weekend.

The new $60 million rehashed waterpark will hold a soft opening Sunday, July 10, Wild Rivers officials wrote on social media.

What You Need To Know

  • The brand new Wild Rivers waterpark will hold a soft opening Sunday, July at the Great Park in Irvine

  • Wild Rivers is a $60 million rehash of the original Wild Rivers Waterpark, which was a popular local attraction in Irvine for more than 25 years

  • The original Wild Rivers closed in 2011 after its lease with the Irvine Co. ended

  • The new Wild Rivers is twice the size and features more than 20 attractions

“As you know, we are committed to building Southern California’s best-in-class waterpark experience but have been severely impacted by supply chain issues causing construction delays,” officials wrote on social media. “We know this is not the news you want to hear, and we are sorry for any inconvenience.”

The waterpark had earlier announced a soft opening on July 1. Officials said customers who purchased tickets from July 1-9 could exchange them for access on any other day of the season or receive a full refund. 

Despite the slight setback, the new Wild Rivers will finally debut after the original one closed its doors over 10 years ago. 

(Courtesy Wild Rivers)

The new Wild Rivers is a $60 million ground-up waterpark that will feature more than 20 water rides and other attractions such as a lazy river, water slides and wave pools. 

The original Wild Rivers opened in 1986 in Irvine, attracting more than 300,000 to 400,000 visitors a year, owner Mike Reidel said in a previous interview with Spectrum News. 

Despite community rallies to save the water park, the original Wild Rivers closed when its lease with the Irvine Co. ended in 2011. In its 26 years of operations, Reidel said more than 10 million visited the water park. 

The Irvine Co. demolished the site to build new apartment homes.

Since then, Reidel worked feverishly to build a brand new Wild Rivers larger than the original.

In 2020, the Irvine City Council approved Reidel’s plan to build a new water park on an undeveloped 20-acre parcel at the Orange County Great Park. 

Construction began last summer. The new Wild Rivers is still a work in progress. Several attractions will not be available during the soft opening. However, the wave pool, lazy river and a few water slides will be operational. 

Wild Rivers officials did not return a Spectrum News request asking when the waterpark would fully open.

Tickets start at $40 for people under 48" and $65 for anyone above 48". Season passes went on sale late last year and have already sold out.