Back in September, there was a moment that caught a lot of people off guard. Sesame Place San Diego suddenly announced it would be shifting away from year round operations and wrapping up its 2025 season that very week. At the time, the calendar pointed all the way ahead to Memorial Day weekend as the next opportunity for the park to reopen.

I remember feeling a bit disappointed. I had been looking forward to the Christmas season, especially the chance to photograph the park during that sweet spot where operating hours overlap with sunset. It is one of those rare opportunities where the lighting can elevate even the simplest scenes. When the season ended early, that window disappeared with it.

Then early March rolled around, and out of nowhere, an email popped up announcing a fourth birthday celebration for the park. That immediately raised a question. How do you celebrate a birthday if you are not even open?

A quick look at the calendar answered that. The park had quietly added a full week of Spring Break operations, using the birthday celebration as the anchor. After that, it would settle into a weekend schedule leading up to Memorial Day. Whatever the reason behind it, it was nice to see the gates open again.

At the same time, there is a bigger story unfolding in the background. Sesame Workshop has filed a lawsuit against United Parks & Resorts, the company that operates both Sesame Place and SeaWorld San Diego along with several other parks across the country. The claim centers around unpaid royalties and concerns about how the Sesame Street brand has been handled, including decisions like the abrupt schedule change in San Diego. From what has been reported, Sesame Workshop is even seeking to end a partnership that has lasted decades and reclaim the theme park rights.

With that context, it is hard not to wonder if the timing of this reopening is purely coincidental. I do not have any inside information, so this is simply speculation, but it does make you think. A park tied so closely to the Sesame Street intellectual property sitting closed does not exactly strengthen the operator’s position when being sued by the Sesame Workshop. Reopening for a birthday celebration at least shifts that narrative, even if only temporarily.

Once inside the park, the birthday celebration itself felt fairly modest. The promotional emails mentioned a one hour celebration at park opening, complete with a sweet treat and a themed birthday headband. In reality, the treat turned out to be a small slivered slice of cake, and the headband felt more like the Sesame Street version of a Burger King paper crown than something tied to a fourth anniversary. It did the job, but it did not quite match the build up.

There were other subtle signs that this reopening may have come together quickly. At the parking booth, signage indicated that all water attractions would remain closed for the day. That is understandable given the time of year, although San Diego had been enjoying an unusually warm stretch of weather that could have supported opening at least some of those attractions. Considering the park’s history as a former water park, it was noticeable how much of it remained inactive.

Inside the gift shop, things felt largely unchanged from the final weekend back in September. There was plenty of merchandise, but nothing that really called attention to the birthday milestone. No special collections, no obvious nod to four years. It felt more like a continuation than a celebration.

For me personally, visits to this park are usually brief. I do not have kids, I haven't been on a waterslide in decades, and pretty much all of the dry rides are geared toward a much younger audience. My connection here is more about the characters. There is something timeless about seeing those Sesame Street Muppets brought to life. On this visit, I stayed just long enough to catch Big Bird hosting a storytime with kids, which ended up being one of the more genuine and memorable moments of the day.

Despite everything, I am genuinely glad to see the park open again. There is value in having a place like this nearby, especially one tied to characters that have meant so much to so many generations.

At the same time, it is hard to ignore the uncertainty hanging over it. Depending on how things unfold between Sesame Workshop and United Parks and Resorts, there is a real possibility that this park’s future could look very different in the coming years. There is even a scenario where a fifth birthday never comes.

And that would be a tough one to take. The fan in me, especially the one that grew up with Jim Henson’s creations, would hate to see these characters lose a physical home so close to where I live. They may not be the Disney Muppets, but they still carry a kind of magic that deserves a place to be experienced in person.

For now, at least, the gates are open again. And sometimes, that is enough reason to stop by and take it all in while you still can.

If you've ever been to Sesame Place here in San Diego or the original park in Langhorne Pennsylvania and have taken photos with any of the Sesame Street characters or the themed environments we'd love to see your photos. Some of the other SeaWorld and sister parks also have Sesame Street themed areas, come share those photos as well. The place to be to share your photos is the Theme Park Photography community on Skool. Membership in the community is free to join. We'd love to have you there and join in the discussions.