Former Blue Bayou Water Park will have a new name and new operator

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    Blue Bayou Water Park is being leased to a Mandeville management company to operate under a new name, according to an announcement Tuesday.

    Leisure, Sports and Recreation LLC, the operator of Gulf Islands Waterpark in Gulfport, Mississippi, will reopen the water park in 2026 under the Soak’n Fun brand, marking its expansion into the Baton Rouge market.

    “We’re ready to build a team and get to work this offseason in preparation for May 2026,” Leisure Sports managing partner Glenn Haggerty said in a statement.

    Leisure Sports will lease just the Blue Bayou property and not Dixie Landin’ Theme Park next door.

    Tuesday’s news comes weeks after Blue Bayou announced it would not open this year. Earlier this month, Dixie Landin’ Theme Park closed for the rest of the 2025 season after operating for only eight days. Blue Bayou Water Park opened in 1989. Dixie Landin’ Theme Park was added in 1999.

    According to the lease filed Friday with the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court’s office, SFBB LLC of Mandeville will pay $50,000 monthly in base rent for Blue Bayou. Business filings with the Secretary of State’s office list Haggerty, Paul Rees and Mark Moore as managers of SFBB. Rees is the president and CFO of Leisure Sports and Moore is the COO of Leisure Sports and the general manager of Gulf Islands Waterpark.

    The lease is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2027, but the lessee will have the option to renew the lease for up to six five-year terms. On Sept. 30 of each year of the renewal term, the lessee will pay the landlord an additional $5,000 annually, increasing by $5,000 each subsequent year.

    SFBB has the right of first refusal to buy Blue Bayou if the park ownership receives an offer for the land. 

    The lease agreement allows SFBB to bring in third parties to run restaurants, gift shops or retail in the park and to add new attractions, waterslides and permanent structures to the park.

    The announcement coincides with a milestone season for Leisure Sports, as Gulf Islands Waterpark celebrates its 20th anniversary of operating in Gulfport.