A Texas city learned the hard way that “public” doesn’t mean “private club for one religion.”
A controversial Eid celebration planned at the taxpayer-funded Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark in Grand Prairie has officially been canceled after furious backlash — and after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to yank more than half a million dollars in state grants if city leaders didn’t shut it down.
The June 1 event, organized by a local Islamic group for the Dallas-Fort Worth Muslim community, originally advertised itself in plain English as a “Muslim only event.” Not exactly subtle.
The now-scrapped bash at the city-owned indoor water park also pushed a strict “modest dress code,” complete with instructions that women wear burkinis while men keep shirts on in the pool area. Promotional material also touted halal food and private prayer space “for Muslims only.”
Once the backlash hit social media like a cannonball, organizers suddenly discovered inclusivity.
The phrase “Muslim only event” quietly disappeared from the flyers and was swapped out for the softer, lawyer-approved language: “All are welcome.”
Funny how fast that happened. But by then, Abbott had already entered the chat. “A city-owned water park in Grand Prairie openly advertised a ‘MUSLIMS ONLY’ event — closed to the general public,” Abbott blasted on X. “That’s religious discrimination. It’s unconstitutional.”
The Republican governor then dropped the hammer, warning Grand Prairie officials they could lose $530,000 in public safety grants unless the event was canceled and the city pledged never to allow something similar again. “Facilities funded by ALL taxpayers are not just for a subset of Texans,” Abbott wrote.
The city folded within hours. In a terse joint statement Wednesday night, officials for both Grand Prairie and Epic Waters confirmed the cancellation: “After further review and in the best interest of the City of Grand Prairie, the June 1 EID event at Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark has been canceled.”
The water park itself isn’t some private venue rented out in the middle of nowhere. Epic Waters is city-owned and partially funded through a voter-approved sales tax in Grand Prairie. That little detail turned what might have been a niche cultural event into a statewide political firestorm.
Critics argued the setup amounted to government-backed religious exclusion at a public facility — especially since the original promotional material explicitly told non-Muslims they weren’t invited. Organizers tried to walk it back. Event organizer Aminah Knight insisted the gathering was really about “creating a space where individuals and families, particularly those who value modest dress and a modest environment, can come together and enjoy a recreational setting comfortably.”
“In response to feedback, we have updated our materials to clearly reflect that this is a modest dress-only event, centered around a respectful and family-friendly environment,” Knight added.
But the rebrand didn’t stop the fallout. The controversy also landed in the middle of Texas’ broader political fight over religion-based developments and so-called “no-go zones.” Abbott recently signed HB 4211, legislation he says prevents religiously exclusive communities and discriminatory housing arrangements in Texas. The governor has repeatedly framed the law as a crackdown on attempts to impose religious restrictions in publicly accessible spaces.
