Wet 'n' Wild will not reopen, owner confirms

North Shields waterpark Wet ‘n’ Wild will stay closed for its 2020 season as the website becomes limited to a single statement while it reviews plans for the future of the site.
North Shields waterpark Wet ‘n’ Wild will stay closed while its future is reviewed.North Shields waterpark Wet ‘n’ Wild will stay closed while its future is reviewed.
North Shields waterpark Wet ‘n’ Wild will stay closed while its future is reviewed.

On Friday, February 7, it was announced that Wet ‘n’ Wild won’t be open for operation this Easter.

A statement on the Wet ‘n’ Wild website reads: “Wet 'n' Wild will not be re-opening this year. We realise this will come as disappointing news to many people out there, and this has been a difficult decision to make.

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“We are currently reviewing the future use of the site and will make another announcement regarding that in due course.”

The park first opened in 1993 but closed in 2013 when the operator went into administration. Serco Leisure took over in 2014 and invested in refurbishment but since then, the water park has been unable to attract visitor numbers of the 1990s.

Serco Leisure claims it has worked “extremely hard” to improve this with its new initiatives including: the introduction of swimming lessons, pool hire, school hire and birthday parties; increased marketing and community engagement; a refresh of the catering and retail on offer at the site; and more investment.

In 2019, Serco Leisure introduced seasonal opening with the facility only open at weekends and during school holidays between Easter and September. While some days proved popular, figures weren’t high enough and the decision has had to be made to avoid reopening the park for 2020.

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Simon Bailey, Managing Director, Serco Leisure said: “I know the special place that Wet n Wild holds in the hearts of people in North Shields and the wider region and recognise that this announcement will come as a disappointment to many.

“Since taking over operation of the waterpark in 2014, Serco Leisure has explored every avenue to make the park a viable operation but regrettably we cannot continue to sustain the level of financial losses that we are experiencing.

“This has forced us to make the difficult and regrettable decision not to reopen in 2020, while we consider all options for the future of the site.”