Splish Splash opened its gates for the 2026 season on May 23, and the Calverton water park did not simply reopen the same rides for another summer. This year's lineup adds a new water playground, brings back one of last year's most popular after-dark additions, and gives longtime visitors a couple of new reasons to stick around once the sun starts to set.

The headline addition is Stingray Bay, a new water playground built around more than 15 different ways to stay cool, aimed squarely at families looking for a lower-key alternative to the park's bigger slides and coasters. It joins a lineup that already includes Kahuna Bay, the park's wave pool, giving guests another dedicated splash zone that does not require waiting in a slide line.

After dark, the park's biggest addition returns for its second year running. Neon Nights, described by the park as "an electric event under the stars," comes back for select Friday and Saturday nights through July and August, transforming the park's evening hours into something closer to a themed party than a standard closing shift. The event proved popular enough in its debut year to earn a return engagement, and this summer's run gives visitors a second shot at the after-hours atmosphere.

Some of the park's established attractions got attention too. Dr. Von Dark's Tunnel of Terror, one of Splish Splash's more theatrical rides, received upgraded theming and lighting for 2026, with the park leaning further into the ride's villain-run premise through new lighting effects layered throughout the course.

Hunger and comfort got upgrades as well. Two new dining options, the Splish Splash Diner and All About Dogs, joined the park's food lineup this season, giving visitors more to eat between rides than the standard boardwalk fare. For guests looking to upgrade their whole day rather than just a meal, two new luxury cabanas, Paradise Pavilion and Hang Ten Hideaway, opened directly in front of Kahuna Bay, offering a shaded, reserved home base steps from the wave pool.

None of it changes what Splish Splash fundamentally is: Long Island's largest water park, and for a lot of families on the Island, the default answer to "what are we doing this weekend" for roughly four months a year. But between a new playground, a second round of Neon Nights, refreshed theming on an existing favorite, and new places to eat and lounge, the 2026 season gives regulars a genuine reason to notice what's different, rather than just returning to the same rides on repeat.