Six Flags

This article is about the current company following the 2024 merger of Cedar Fair and Six Flags. For the historic company, see Six Flags (1961–2024). For Cedar Fair's history, see Cedar Fair.

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation

Company type	Public
Traded as	NYSE: FUN S&P 600 component
Industry	Theme parks
Predecessors	Cedar Fair Six Flags
Founded	July 2, 2024 (2024-07-02)
Headquarters	Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Number of locations	42
Area served	United States Mexico Canada
Key people	Richard Zimmerman (president & CEO) Selim Bassoul (chairman)
Revenue	US$1,358,236,000 (2022) US$1,496,905,000 (2021)
Net income	US$108,928,000(2022) US$129,923,000 (2021)
Number of employees	1,450 full-time; 40,000 seasonal (2022)
Website	sixflags.com

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, or simply Six Flags, is an American amusement park corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It was formed on July 2, 2024, following a merger between longtime rivals Cedar Fair and the former Six Flags company. The combined company owns and operates 51 properties throughout North America, including amusement parks, water parks, and resorts.

History

Pre-merger

Six Flags

Main article: Six Flags (1961–2024)

Six Flags Theme Parks originated in 1957 with the creation of The Great Southwest Corporation by Angus G. Wynne and other investors, who would go on to open the chain's original park, Six Flags Over Texas, in August 1961. After the Pennsylvania Railroad gained a controlling stake in the company's shares, a handful of new park were constructed and multiple independent parks purchased over the following two decades. Following the acquisition of Marriott Corporation's Great America theme park in 1984, Six Flags acquired the rights to feature Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes animated characters at their properties; Time Warner subsequently purchased much of the company and was its sole owner from 1993 to 1995. Six Flags Theme Parks, Inc. was later bought out by Premier Parks – an Oklahoma-based real estate firm and theme park chain – on April 1, 1998, for $1.86 billion. Premier began to apply the Six Flags name to several of their existing properties in North America and Europe, eventually fully assuming the brand name in 2000.

Throughout the 2000's, Six Flags began to suffer from growing debt and organizational bloat, eventually first resorting to selling off its European parks in 2004. Some of the company's largest investors grew frustrated with Six Flags and demanded change; Daniel Snyder's Red Zone, LLC successfully gained control of Six Flags' board of directors in 2005 by means of a proxy battle. New management continued to sell off various American amusement park locations throughout 2006-2007, although their cash flow continued to decrease, falling $120 million annually under Red Zone's board. Weighed down by the financial crisis of 2007–2008 and the New York Stock Exchange's decision to delist their stock, Six Flags filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2009 but continued to operate the parks as normal. Six Flags re-emerged as Six Flags Entertainment Corp. on May 3, 2010, moving head offices from New York City to Grand Prairie, Texas and allowing lenders to control 92% of the company in exchange for canceling $1.13 billion in debt.

Jim Reid-Anderson was instated as chairman, president and chief executive officer (CEO) on August 13, 2010 and succeeded by Mike Spanos in late 2019. New initiatives were launched to build Six Flags theme parks in global markets; the previously cancelled Six Flags Dubai was revived in 2014 before being called off again in 2018. Six Flags Zhejiang and Six Flags Chongqing both began construction in China before a declining real estate and the collapse of its local investment firm in 2020 forced both projects to be sold on to other developers. The COVID-19 pandemic also hindered Six Flags' operations during 2020, forcing many parks to remain closed for the year. Mike Spanos stepped down in 2021, allowing chairman Selim Bassoul to assume the role of CEO. Seeking reinvention, Bassoul announced a new strategy favoring guest experience over capital investments; this meant raising prices in order to lower daily park crowds, thus improving the park experience for higher-paying guests. The initiative and various comments made by Bassoul proved controversial with shareholders, and was abandoned in November 2022 after park attendance plummeted by 33%.

Cedar Fair

Main article: Cedar Fair § History

Merger

Previous unsuccessful attempts had been made to assimilate Cedar Fair in the decade leading up to the merger. One such deal with Apollo Global Management fell apart in April 2010 October 2, 2019, Reuters reported that Six Flags had first approached Cedar Fair with a cash-and-stock acquisition offer, although the proposal was quickly rebuffed. In February 2022, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment (now United Parks & Resorts) made an unsolicited all-cash bid to buy Cedar Fair for $3.4 billion; the offer was rejected two weeks later.

Properties

Year acquired lists the year the property was acquired by the property's previous respective owner among the current company's two predecessors.

Amusement parks

Name	Location	Year opened	Year acquired	Notes
California's Great America	Santa Clara, California	1976	2006	A seasonal amusement park acquired by Cedar Fair in 2006 during the purchase of Paramount Parks.
Canada's Wonderland	Vaughan, Ontario	1981	2006	The most visited seasonal amusement park in North America, acquired by Cedar Fair in 2006 during the purchase of Paramount Parks.
Carowinds	Charlotte, North Carolina	1973	2006	A seasonal amusement park acquired by Cedar Fair in 2006 during the purchase of Paramount Parks.
Cedar Point	Sandusky, Ohio	1870	—	Once the flagship of the Cedar Fair chain, it is one of the oldest Six Flags parks.
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom	Allentown, Pennsylvania	1884	1992	A seasonal amusement park acquired by Cedar Fair in 1992.
Frontier City	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	1958	2018	An original Six Flags property during the Premier Parks era. Owned by EPR Properties; operated by Six Flags since 2018.
Kings Dominion	Doswell, Virginia	1975	2006	A seasonal amusement park acquired by Cedar Fair in 2006 during the purchase of Paramount Parks.
Kings Island	Mason, Ohio	1972	2006	A seasonal amusement park acquired by Cedar Fair in 2006 during the purchase of Paramount Parks.
Knott's Berry Farm	Buena Park, California	1920	1997	Originally acquired by Cedar Fair from the Knott Family in 1997, the year-round park is the most-visited park in the chain.
La Ronde	Montréal, Quebec	1967	2001	Built for Expo 67. Emphyteutic lease from the City of Montréal through 2065.
Michigan's Adventure	Muskegon, Michigan	1956	2001	A seasonal amusement park acquired by Cedar Fair in 2001.
Six Flags America	Largo, Maryland	1973	1999	Acquired in Premier Parks deal. Formerly known as Adventure World, and before that Wild World.
Six Flags Darien Lake	Darien, New York	1981	2018	Owned by Six Flags from 1999 to 2007. Owned by EPR Properties; operated by Six Flags since 2018.
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom	Vallejo, California	1968	1997	Acquired in Premier Parks deal. Initially re-branded as Six Flags Marine World, it received its current name in 2007.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas	San Antonio, Texas	1992	1998	Originally owned by USAA and managed by Gaylord Entertainment from 1992 to 1995. Six Flags took over park management in 1996 and the park was purchased mid-season 1998.
Six Flags Great Adventure	Jackson, New Jersey	1974	1977	Safari Off-Road Adventure is attached to the park, making Great Adventure the second-largest theme park in the world.
Six Flags Great America	Gurnee, Illinois	1976	1984	Acquired from Marriott Corporation. By acquiring this park, Six Flags gained the rights to the Warner Bros. licenses. Purchase price $114.5M
Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor	Queensbury, New York	1954	1996	Acquired in Premier Parks deal. Originally known as Storytown USA until 1982.
Six Flags Magic Mountain	Valencia, California	1971	1979	Acquired from Newhall Land and Farming Company. Purchase price $51M
Six Flags México	Mexico City, Mexico	1982	1999	Acquired from Reino Aventura. Purchase price $59M
Six Flags New England	Agawam, Massachusetts	1870	1997	One of the two oldest parks in the chain, predating the founding of the first Six Flags Park by nearly a century. Acquired in Premier Parks deal, formerly Riverside Park.
Six Flags Over Georgia	Austell, Georgia	1967	—	Built by Six Flags, the second of three locations. The park is partially owned by a limited partnership and is managed and operated by Six Flags.
Six Flags Over Texas	Arlington, Texas	1961	—	Built by Six Flags, the first location. The park is partially owned by a limited partnership and is managed and operated by Six Flags.
Six Flags St. Louis	Eureka, Missouri	1971	—	Built by Six Flags, the last of three locations and the only one completely owned by Six Flags. Originally opened as Six Flags Over Mid-America.
Valleyfair	Shakopee, Minnesota	1976	1978	A seasonal amusement park acquired by Cedar Fair in 1978 that led to Cedar Fair's formation in 1983.
Worlds of Fun	Kansas City, Missouri	1973	1995	A seasonal amusement park acquired by Cedar Fair in 1995.

Water parks

Outdoor

Name	Location	Year opened	Year acquired	Notes
Located in amusement parks
Carolina Harbor	Charlotte, North Carolina	1982	2006	Located within Carowinds.
Oceans of Fun	Kansas City, Missouri	1982	1995	Located adjacent to Worlds of Fun. In 2013, the water park became included with admission to Worlds of Fun.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor	Queensbury, New York	1995	1996	Located within Six Flags Great Escape. Was originally known as Splashwater Kingdom until 2019.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Maryland	Largo, Maryland	1982	1992	Located within Six Flags America. Renamed to Hurricane Harbor Maryland in 2023.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor	Darien, New York	2010	2018	Located within Six Flags Darien Lake.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor	Agawam, Massachusetts	1997	1998	Located within Six Flags New England.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor	Austell, Georgia	2014	—	Located within Six Flags Over Georgia.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor	Eureka, Missouri	1999	—	Located within Six Flags St. Louis.
Soak City	Doswell, Virginia	1992	2006	Located within Kings Dominion.
Soak City	Mason, Ohio	1989	2006	Located within Kings Island.
Soak City	Shakopee, Minnesota	1983 as Liquid Lightning	—	Located within Valleyfair.
South Bay Shores	Santa Clara, California	2004	2006	Located within California's Great America.
Splash Works	Vaughan, Ontario	1992	2006	Located within Canada's Wonderland.
WildWater Adventure	Muskegon, Michigan	1991	2001	Located within Michigan's Adventure.
Separate admission or property
Cedar Point Shores	Sandusky, Ohio	1988	—	Located adjacent to Cedar Point.
Knott's Soak City	Buena Park, California	2000	—	Located adjacent to Knott's Berry Farm, Opened under the name, Soak City U.S.A., a legacy Cedar Fair park.
Schlitterbahn Galveston	Galveston, Texas	2006	2019	Purchased by Cedar Fair in 2019 from the Henry family.
Schlitterbahn New Braunfels	New Braunfels, Texas	1979	2019	Purchased by Cedar Fair in 2019 from the Henry family.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Los Angeles	Valencia, California	1995	—	Located adjacent to Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Arlington	Arlington, Texas	1983	1995	Acquired from Wet 'n Wild. Located across Interstate 30 from Six Flags Over Texas.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor New Jersey	Jackson, New Jersey	2000	—	Located adjacent to Six Flags Great Adventure.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Oaxtepec	Oaxtepec, Mexico	2017	2016	Reopened in the former Parque Acuatico Oaxtepec location. One hour from Six Flags Mexico.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Concord	Concord, California	1995	2017	This water park was built by Premier Parks prior to its purchase of Six Flags. It was sold to PARC Management in the 2007 property sell-off. On April 27, 2017, Six Flags announced it had entered into an agreement with EPR Properties to manage the park. On February 22, 2018, Six Flags announced that the park would be renamed from Waterworld Concord to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Concord. Located about 15 miles from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix	Phoenix, Arizona	2009	2018	Owned by EPR Properties; operated by Six Flags.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor SplashTown	Spring, Texas	1984	2018	Owned by EPR Properties; operated by Six Flags.
Six Flags White Water	Marietta, Georgia	1983	1999	Located about 15 miles from Six Flags Over Georgia.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Oklahoma City	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	1981	2018	Located about 15 miles from Frontier City, the park is owned by EPR Properties and is operated by Six Flags.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Rockford	Cherry Valley, Illinois	1984	2019	Owned by Rockford Park District, operated by Six Flags under a ten-year lease agreement beginning April 1, 2019.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago	Gurnee, Illinois	2005	—	Located adjacent to Six Flags Great America. It became a separate gate from Great America, making it the company's 27th amusement park and was rebranded to Hurricane Harbor Chicago in 2021.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor San Antonio	San Antonio, Texas	1992	1998	Located adjacent to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Formerly called Ol' Waterin' Hole from 1992 to 1998, Armadillo Beach from 1999 to 2005. It was rebranded to Hurricane Harbor San Antonio and became a separate gate in 2023.

Indoor

Name	Location	Year Opened	Year Acquired	Notes
Castaway Bay	Sandusky, Ohio	2004	—	Located about a mile from Cedar Point, a legacy Cedar Fair park.
Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark	Queensbury, New York	2006	—	Located across from Great Escape, includes a resort. Water park is named Six Flags White Water Bay.

Upcoming properties

Amusement parks

Name	Location	Year Opening	Year Acquired	Notes	Source
Six Flags Qiddiya	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	2025 (expected)	—	This will be the first Six Flags-branded theme park in Saudi Arabia, and the first Six Flags park outside of North America since 2004.