Islamic celebration at Grand Prairie water park is canceled after threat by Gov. Abbott
By Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela, Alexsis Jones
May 6, 2026 at 5:22 PM CDT
The city of Grand Prairie has canceled a private party for Muslims at a city-owned water park.
The decision came hours after Gov. Greg Abbott issued an ultimatum to call off the event at Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark by Monday or lose $530,000 in state funds.
Aminah Knight rented the park for a June 1 celebration of Eid, an Islamic holy day that celebrates devotion and sacrifice.
An emailed statement to the Dallas Morning News from the city said it canceled the party "after further review and in the best interest" of the city.
Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to pull state funding from the city of Grand Prairie Wednesday.
The governor threatened to pull $530,000 in state funding if the city did not cancel the event by May 11, citing an early version of the flier that advertised it as “Muslims only.”
The event’s organizer, Aminah Knight, told KERA News the goal of the event was to promote modesty and was never about excluding other faiths from the event.
“We're just saying that for one day, we are curating a space where people who value modesty can come together,” Knight said. “It's a family friendly event, and they will also need to adhere to modesty, which means wearing swim shirts and trunks.”
Knight says she booked Epic Waters, a Grand Prairie-owned water park, for the June 1 event and has paid the associated fees.
“What is being portrayed is that the park is shutting down to have Muslims only,” Knight said. “I am curating this event for the Muslim community for which I am a part of, so that we can gather and have a good time in a modest environment that is rare for water parks.”
Eid al-Adha is a four-day Islamic celebration that focuses on community and charity.
Knight said Grand Prairie has not contacted her about the event but hopes the event is not canceled. The city declined to comment to KERA Tuesday.
It is not the first time Abbott has threatened state funding for Islamic related events and projects.
Late last year, the governor targeted the Muslim-centric housing development The Meadows, formerly EPIC City, for housing discrimination. That battle is ongoing.
Supporters of the Meadows have said Abbott is targeting them based on their religious beliefs.
Additionally, Abbott currently investigating the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the country’s largest Muslim civil rights organization.
The legislature also passed a bill banning “Sharia Law” in Texas — a law Abbott pointed to when addressing the June 1 celebration, calling the event “religious discrimination” and “unconstitutional” in an X post.
https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/2052074705582989453
Knight said she was frustrated by conservative attacks, calling them hypocritical.
“I think it's quite funny that we're getting pushback from other conservative groups because what people don't realize sometimes is that most Muslims are conservative,” said Knight. “I mean, the thing that we're trying to do with this event is have a modest dress code. That's pretty conservative, right?”
Correction: This story has been updated to accurately reflect when Eid al-Adha is observed.
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Emmanuel at erivas@kera.org. KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members.
If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
The decision came hours after Gov. Greg Abbott issued an ultimatum to call off the event at Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark by Monday or lose $530,000 in state funds.
Aminah Knight rented the park for a June 1 celebration of Eid, an Islamic holy day that celebrates devotion and sacrifice.
An emailed statement to the Dallas Morning News from the city said it canceled the party "after further review and in the best interest" of the city.
Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to pull state funding from the city of Grand Prairie Wednesday.
The governor threatened to pull $530,000 in state funding if the city did not cancel the event by May 11, citing an early version of the flier that advertised it as “Muslims only.”
The event’s organizer, Aminah Knight, told KERA News the goal of the event was to promote modesty and was never about excluding other faiths from the event.
“We're just saying that for one day, we are curating a space where people who value modesty can come together,” Knight said. “It's a family friendly event, and they will also need to adhere to modesty, which means wearing swim shirts and trunks.”
Knight says she booked Epic Waters, a Grand Prairie-owned water park, for the June 1 event and has paid the associated fees.
“What is being portrayed is that the park is shutting down to have Muslims only,” Knight said. “I am curating this event for the Muslim community for which I am a part of, so that we can gather and have a good time in a modest environment that is rare for water parks.”
Eid al-Adha is a four-day Islamic celebration that focuses on community and charity.
Knight said Grand Prairie has not contacted her about the event but hopes the event is not canceled. The city declined to comment to KERA Tuesday.
It is not the first time Abbott has threatened state funding for Islamic related events and projects.
Late last year, the governor targeted the Muslim-centric housing development The Meadows, formerly EPIC City, for housing discrimination. That battle is ongoing.
Supporters of the Meadows have said Abbott is targeting them based on their religious beliefs.
Additionally, Abbott currently investigating the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the country’s largest Muslim civil rights organization.
The legislature also passed a bill banning “Sharia Law” in Texas — a law Abbott pointed to when addressing the June 1 celebration, calling the event “religious discrimination” and “unconstitutional” in an X post.
https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/2052074705582989453
Knight said she was frustrated by conservative attacks, calling them hypocritical.
“I think it's quite funny that we're getting pushback from other conservative groups because what people don't realize sometimes is that most Muslims are conservative,” said Knight. “I mean, the thing that we're trying to do with this event is have a modest dress code. That's pretty conservative, right?”
Correction: This story has been updated to accurately reflect when Eid al-Adha is observed.
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Emmanuel at erivas@kera.org. KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members.
If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.