HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, formerly Six Flags Theme Parks, Inc., was an American
amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...
corporation, headquartered in
Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...
. At its height, Six Flags owned more theme parks and waterparks than any other company: 42 properties in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, including theme parks, amusement parks,
water park A water park (also waterpark, water world, or aquapark) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming ...
s, and a
family entertainment center A family entertainment center (FEC) in the entertainment industry, also known as an indoor amusement park, family amusement center, family fun center, soft play, or simply fun center, is a small amusement park marketed towards families with small ...
. In 2019, Six Flags properties hosted 32.8 million customers, the seventh-highest attendance in the world. Founded in the 1960s and named for its first theme park,
Six Flags Over Texas "Six flags over Texas" is the slogan used to describe the six sovereign countries that have had control over some or all of the current territory of the U.S. state of Texas: Spain (1519–1685; 1690–1821), France (1685–1690), Mexico (1821� ...
, the company was known first as Six Flags, Corp., and later Six Flags, Inc. The company maintained a corporate office in
Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...
, and headquarters in
Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...
. On June 13, 2009, the corporation filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wh ...
, which it exited after corporate restructuring on May 3, 2010. On July 1, 2024, Six Flags merged with rival
Cedar Fair Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, or simply Cedar Fair, was an American company headquartered at its flagship Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. The company was a publicly traded master limited partnership that origina ...
in an $8 billion deal; the merged company, also called
Six Flags Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park company 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 ...
and based in Charlotte, operates 51 properties, including 27 amusement parks, 15 water parks, and nine resorts.


History


Origin

In 1957, real estate businessman Angus G. Wynne and other investors created The
Great Southwest Corporation The Great Southwest Corporation, officially abbreviated as GSC was a real estate development company established in January 1956 for the specific creation of the Great Southwest Industrial District. While developing a side project for the industr ...
, which in 1960 began building its first theme park in
Arlington Arlington most often refers to: *Arlington, Virginia **Arlington National Cemetery, a United States military cemetery *Arlington, Texas Arlington may also refer to: Places Australia *Arlington light rail station, on the Inner West Light Rail in S ...
, Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth. They named it
Six Flags Over Texas "Six flags over Texas" is the slogan used to describe the six sovereign countries that have had control over some or all of the current territory of the U.S. state of Texas: Spain (1519–1685; 1690–1821), France (1685–1690), Mexico (1821� ...
, a reference to the six nations that have governed Texas:
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
,
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, the
Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...
, the
United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...
, and the
Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...
. The park opened the following year for a short, 45-day season. Six Flags Over Texas initially featured a Native American village, a
gondola The gondola (, ; , ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, in a scul ...
ride, a railroad, some
Wild West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...
shows, a
stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...
ride and "Skull Island", a pirate-themed adventure attraction. There was also "LaSalle's River Adventure", inspired by the late-1600s
La Salle Expeditions LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...
, that carried customers on French riverboats through a wilderness of animated puppets., California."La Salle's River Adventure 1961 – 1982"
''ParkTimes.com'', August 15, 2010
Over the years, all of those attractions, except the railroad, were replaced by others, such as
roller coaster A roller coaster is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride employing a form of elevated Railway track, railroad track that carries passengers on a roller coaster train, train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usua ...
s,
swing ride The swing ride or chair swing ride (sometimes called a swing carousel, wave swinger, yo-yo, waver swinger, Chair-O-Planes, Dodo or swinger) is an amusement ride that is a variation on the carousel in which the seats are suspended from the r ...
s,
log flume A log flume or lumber flume is a watertight flume constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain using flowing water. Flumes replaced horse- or oxen-drawn carriages on dangerous mountain trails in the late 19th century. Loggi ...
s and shoot-the-chute rides, as well as an observation tower.


Growth and acquisitions

In 1964, Angus Wynne's uncle Toddie Lee Wynne announced he would sell his stake in the Great Southwest Corporation, a sale valued around $6 million. The
Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...
purchased 500,000 shares of the company, a controlling interest, as part of its effort to diversify its revenue sources. The railroad merged with the
New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...
to form
Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals, the Pennsylvania, New York Central and the ...
in 1968 and went bankrupt two years later; still it bankrolled geographic expansion and additions for its Six Flags parks. The company opened
Six Flags Over Georgia Six Flags Over Georgia is a amusement park in Austell, Georgia, United States. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain following the original Six Flags Over Texas, which opened in 1961. Six Flags Over Georgia is one of t ...
in 1967 and Six Flags Over Mid-America in 1971. Those were the last two parks built by Six Flags, which continued to grow by acquiring independent parks. Six Flags purchased AstroWorld in
Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, in 1975; Great Adventure in
Jackson, New Jersey Jackson Township is a township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A portion of the township is located within the Pinelands National Reserve. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 58,544, an increas ...
, in 1977; and Magic Mountain in
Valencia, California Valencia is an unincorporated community in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The area, west of Interstate 5, is expanding with residential development and already includes major commercial and industrial parks. It stra ...
, in 1979. In 1982, Penn Central—which had sold its railroad assets to
Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busine ...
and now consisted largely of its diversified sub-firms—sold the company to
Bally Manufacturing Bally Manufacturing, later renamed Bally Entertainment, was an American company that began as a pinball and slot machine manufacturer, and later expanded into casinos, video games, health clubs, and theme parks. It was acquired by Hilton Hotels ...
. In 1984, Six Flags bought the
Great America Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...
theme park in
Gurnee, Illinois Gurnee ( ) is a Village (United States), village and suburb in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 30,706 as of the 2020 census. It borders the city of Waukegan, Illinois, Waukegan, and is a popular tourist attraction within ...
, from the Marriott hotel chain. That deal also included the rights to use
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
' ''
Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...
'' animated characters in Six Flags properties. In 1987, Bally surrendered control of the chain to
Wesray Capital Corporation Wesray Capital Corporation is a private equity firm focusing on leveraged buyout investments. The firm was founded by former US Secretary of the Treasury William E. Simon and former New Jersey Nets owner Ray Chambers. The firm is known for i ...
in a 1987 leveraged buyout.
Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City. It was established as Time Warne ...
quickly began to gain more company stock, gaining a 19.5% stake in Six Flags in 1990 and then 50% in 1991, with the remaining shares of the company being split by
Blackstone Group Blackstone Inc. is an American alternative investment management company based in New York City. It was founded in 1985 as a mergers and acquisitions firm by Peter Peterson and Stephen Schwarzman, who had previously worked together at Lehman ...
and Wertheim Schroder & Company. Time Warner purchased the remaining stake in Six Flags in 1993, changing the company's name from ''Six Flags Corp''. to ''Six Flags Theme Parks, Inc''. In 1995, to reduce its debt, Time Warner sold 51% of Six Flags for $200 million in cash to an investment group led by Boston Ventures, shifting $800 million in debt to Six Flags. In 1996, Six Flags began to manage
Fiesta Texas Six Flags Fiesta Texas, formerly known and colloquially referred to as simply Fiesta Texas, is an amusement park in San Antonio, Texas, United States. It opened on March 14, 1992, in the La Cantera master-planned development and district as the ...
theme park in
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
,
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, with a ten-year option to buy.


Premier Parks

Premier Parks, Inc. was an amusement park operator based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They were founded in 1971 as Tierco Group, Inc., and initially operated as a real estate company. They entered the amusement park market in 1982, acquiring Frontier City for $1.2 million although the company was not interested in entering that route. Company officials described Frontier City as "beat up" and "run down" and had plans to demolish the park and build a shopping center in its place, but the oil bust in Oklahoma scuttled those plans. Instead, Tierco decided to touch up the park grounds, and in 1984 they hired Gary Story as general manager of Frontier City and spent about $13 million to improve the park. As the new head of Frontier City, he quadrupled the park's attendance and revenues. Under his leadership, two rides, a ticket booth, a sales office, and a petting zoo were added to the park. Food service improved. By 1988, Tierco had fully shifted its strategic direction to the amusement parks market and eventually exited the real estate market, and in 1991 they had acquired the
White Water Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque ...
water park from Silver Dollar City, Inc. and renamed it as White Water Bay. Tierco realized the key to boosting a park's attendance was to add new and exciting rides and make it
family-friendly A family-friendly product or service is one that is considered to be suitable for all members of an average family. Family-friendly restaurants are ones that provide service to families that have young children. Frequently, family-friendly produc ...
. In 1992, Tierco added its second amusement park to its portfolio by acquiring the financially troubled Wild World in
Largo, Maryland Largo () is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 11,605 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Largo is located just ...
and spent $500,000 to remodel the park. Tierco treated the park's renovation similarly to Frontier City, where the park's buildings were remodeled and the park's children's ride selection was expanded. The park also saw a name change to Adventure World, having a
tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...
look and feel. Afterward, Gary Story was promoted to
executive vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
of the two parks, and by 1994 he had become president and
chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...
(COO). Within that year, Adventure World saw two additional roller coasters and more flat rides. Tierco then changed its name to Premier Parks, Inc. afterwards, under Kieran E. Burke, chairman and chief executive officer. During the second half of the 1990s, Premier Parks underwent a massive "Growth through Acquisition" phase. On August 16, 1995, they acquired
Geauga Lake Geauga Lake was an amusement park in Bainbridge Township, Geauga County, Ohio, Bainbridge Township and Aurora, Ohio, Aurora, Ohio. It was established in 1887, in what had been a local recreation area adjacent to Geauga Lake (lake), a lake of th ...
near
Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
, Ohio,
Wyandot Lake Zoombezi Bay () is a water park owned by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium near Powell, Ohio just north of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The park sits on the site of the former ''Wyandot Lake Adventure Park'', which was purchased by the Columbus Zoo and ...
in
Powell, Ohio Powell is a city in Delaware County, Ohio, United States, located 14 miles (21.5 km) north of the state capital of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. Powell had an estimated population of 14,163 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Founded i ...
and
Darien Lake Six Flags Darien Lake (also known as Six Flags Darien Lake Resort and formerly known as Darien Lake Fun Country, Darien Lake, and Darien Lake Theme Park Resort) is a 1,200-acre (4.86 km2) amusement park and resort located in Darien, New Yor ...
near
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...
from Funtime, Inc. for $60 million. While
Lake Compounce Lake Compounce is an amusement park located in Bristol and Southington, Connecticut that opened in 1846. It is the oldest continuously operating amusement park in the United States. It spans , which includes a beach and a water park called Croco ...
was also included in the purchase, Premier Parks eventually sold it to Kennywood Entertainment Company. Aside from theme park acquisitions, Premier also saw plans to expand their water park offerings by opening water parks for the parks that didn't have one. In June 1996, Premier Parks went public and raised nearly $70 million through an initial offering at $18 per share. The company planned to use the money to expand its parks and acquire others. They began their acquisitions for the year by announcing the purchase of The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom in
Queensbury, New York Queensbury is a town in Warren County, New York, United States. The population was 29,169 at the 2020 census.US Census 2020 Report, QUickFacts Queeensbury town https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/queensburytownwarrencountynewyork It contains the c ...
for an undisclosed amount on August 27, to close the deal by December. This was followed up with the acquisition of Elitch Gardens in
Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
,
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
on September 25, the Waterworld USA waterparks in
Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
and
Concord, California Concord ( ) is the most populous city in Contra Costa County, California, Contra Costa County, California, United States. According to an estimate completed by the United States Census Bureau, the city had a population of 124,016 in 2024, maki ...
, as well as Paradise Island Family Fun Park (next to Waterworld USA Sacramento) from FRE Inc. on October 25 and Riverside Park in
Agawam, Massachusetts Agawam is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 28,692 at the 2020 census. Agawam sits on the western side of the Connecticut River, directly across from Springfield. It is considered part of the Springfie ...
in December. Premier began operating the Marine World theme park near San Francisco during the Mid-1997 season. On September 26,
Kentucky Kingdom Kentucky Kingdom, formerly known as Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, is a theme park in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The park includes a collection of amusement rides and the Hurricane Bay water park. Kentucky Kingdom is at the intersection ...
(located in
Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...
) owner Paul Hart announced that he would sell the park's operation lease to Premier Parks for $64 million, of which the deal would close on November 7. On October 11, Premier became the managing partner for Texas Flags, Ltd., the owners of the
Six Flags Over Texas "Six flags over Texas" is the slogan used to describe the six sovereign countries that have had control over some or all of the current territory of the U.S. state of Texas: Spain (1519–1685; 1690–1821), France (1685–1690), Mexico (1821� ...
park, and took over its operations. In December, Premier announced that they would enter the European market by purchasing a controlling 94 percent interest in the Walibi Group in Wavre, Belgium. The company owned six park operations - Walibi Wavre/Aqualibi and Bellewaerde Park in Belgium, Walibi Flevo in Holland, and Walibi Aquitaine, Walibi Schtroumpf, and
Walibi Rhône-Alpes Walibi Rhône-Alpes is a French theme park located in the commune of Les Avenières, in the Isère department. It is the largest theme park in the Rhône-Alpes region, containing more than 33 rides and covering an area of 35 hectares. It is a s ...
in France. The purchase was made for Premier to compete with
Disneyland Paris Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Marne-la-Vallée, France, located about east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, seven Disney-owned hotels, two convention centers, a golf course, an arena, and a shopping, dining and entert ...
and would close in March 1998. Within the 1997 year alone, almost 11 million people visited parks owned by Premier.


Sale of Six Flags to Premier Parks

On February 10, 1998, Time Warner Entertainment and the investment group announced the sale of their stakes in Six Flags Theme Parks, Inc. to Premier Parks, Inc. for $1.86 billion, forming Premier's largest purchase. The deal closed on April 1. Shortly afterwards in June, Kentucky Kingdom became the first of Premier's owned parks to rebrand under the Six Flags moniker, effectively renamed as Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. In October, Premier announced that an additional four parks would rebrand under the Six Flags moniker; Elitch Gardens, Darien Lake, The New Marine World and Adventure World. The former three would keep their names alongside the Six Flags suffix, while Adventure World would be completely reinvented and refurbished as Six Flags America. These additions also saw the addition of the Warner Bros. IPs to the respective parks and brought the number of Six Flags branded parks to seventeen. On November 18, 1998, Premier announced that they had fully purchased Six Flags Fiesta Texas from
USAA The United Services Automobile Association (USAA) is an American financial services company providing insurance and banking products exclusively to members of the military, veterans and their families. It was founded in 1922 in San Antonio, Texas ...
, putting the park under their full control. Aside from that, Premier Parks added additional parks to their portfolio. They purchased Reino Aventura in Mexico City, Mexico for an estimated $59 million in March, White Water Atlanta and its sister park American Adventures in Marietta, Georgia from Silver Dollar City, Inc. on May 5 for an undisclosed amount and SplashTown USA in Spring, Texas on May 17. On October 6, Premier announced the expansion of its North American licensing agreement with
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
to include rights to the ''
Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...
'',
Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...
,
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
, and
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
characters and franchises in Europe, Latin and South America as well. The deal also allowed Premier to open more theme parks under the Warner Bros. Movie World brand theme parks in these territories. The deal also included the purchase of Warner Bros. Movie World Germany from the company and an agreement to hold a minority stake and manage the upcoming Warner Bros. Movie World Madrid theme park, which was scheduled to open in 2002. The deal did not include the original
Warner Bros. Movie World Warner Bros. Movie World is a theme park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Owned and operated by Village Roadshow Theme Parks, the park opened on 3 June 1991. It is part of a entertainment precinct, with the ...
on the
Gold Coast, Australia The Gold Coast, also known by its initials, GC, is a coastal city and region in the state of Queensland, Australia, located approximately south-southeast of the centre of the state capital, Brisbane. It is Queensland's second-largest city a ...
, as that was under completely different ownership.


Rebranding of Premier Parks under Six Flags name

In their 1999 annual report, Premier Parks announced that they would rebrand under the ''Six Flags, Inc.'' name. The company also announced an additional four parks (two in the United States, and two international parks) would rebrand under the Six Flags brand - Geauga Lake becoming Six Flags Ohio, Riverside Park becoming Six Flags New England, Walibi Flevo becoming Six Flags Holland and Reino Aventura becoming Six Flags Mexico. The rebrands of all four parks coincided with the addition of Warner Bros. properties. In December 2000, Wild Waves and Enchanted Village in Federal Way, Washington was added to the Six Flags family when its owner Jeff Stock sold his shares of the park for $19.3 million.''Six Flags buys Enchanted Parks''. Associated Press Newswires. December 8, 2000. On January 10, 2001, Six Flags announced that they had reached an agreement with
Anheuser-Busch Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC ( ) is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (AB InBev), now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple ...
to purchase
SeaWorld Ohio SeaWorld Ohio was a theme park and Ocean, marine zoological park located in Aurora, Ohio. It was owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts, Busch Entertainment Corporation. The Ohio location was the second SeaWorld park to be built in the c ...
for $110 million. The deal would allow Six Flags to merge the former park with Six Flags Ohio alongside its campground properties and nearby hotels to form a massive entertainment complex. After the purchase was completed, the entire complex was rebranded under the name of ''
Six Flags Worlds of Adventure 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics A six-sided polygon is a hexagon, one of the three regular polygons capable of tiling the plane. A hexagon a ...
'', and was positioned to compete against northern Ohio's
Cedar Point Cedar Point is a amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio, United States, owned and operated by Six Flags. It opened in 1870 and is considered the second-oldest operating amusement park in the US behind Lake Compounc ...
. On January 15, Six Flags European Parks announced that they would rebrand Walibi Wavre as Six Flags Belgium for the 2001 season with the addition of the Warner Bros. properties. The rebranding would not apply to water park Aqualibi, which would keep its name. In May 2001, Six Flags expanded to the Canadian market by negotiating a deal with the city of Montreal to operate La Ronde in
Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, Canada. Six Flags acquired the assets of the park and has a long-term contract to lease the land from the city. In April 2002, Warner Bros. Movie World Madrid opened to the public, adding another park to the Six Flags portfolio. The park was constructed as a joint venture between Six Flags, Warner Bros., and the City of Madrid, with Six Flags holding a minority stake and park operations. In August 2002, Six Flags purchased the lease operations to Jazzland in
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
for $22 million and rebranded it as Six Flags New Orleans for the 2003 season with the addition of the Warner Bros. properties. For 2003, Walibi Schtroumpf would see a name change to Walibi Lorraine after the contract to use ''
The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...
'' characters was not renewed.


Asset sales and shareholder revolt

In 2004, Six Flags began the process of closing and selling properties to reduce the company's growing debt. On March 10, Six Flags made two major theme park sales. They first announced the sale of
Six Flags Worlds of Adventure 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics A six-sided polygon is a hexagon, one of the three regular polygons capable of tiling the plane. A hexagon a ...
to
Cedar Fair Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, or simply Cedar Fair, was an American company headquartered at its flagship Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. The company was a publicly traded master limited partnership that origina ...
for $145 million, with the deal planned to close before the start of the 2004 operating season. The deal would include the theme park, wildlife, and water park sections, as well as the adjacent hotel and campground while the animals would be relocated to other Six Flags parks, while branding that Cedar Fair didn't own licensing rights to like ''
Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...
'' and
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
, would be removed. Cedar Fair confirmed that the park would revert to its original name of Geauga Lake and that they would remove the wildlife section of the park in to focus on other facilities. The other was the sale of the Six Flags European Parks division to an undisclosed partner which was later confirmed to be Palmon Capital Partners. This deal was closed on June 24 with Palmon rebranding the company as StarParks. The Six Flags branded parks in Belgium and Holland reverted to the "Walibi" brand for the 2005 season while Warner Bros. Movie World Germany was rebranded as Movie Park Germany as the Warner Bros. license was not included in the sale.both sales raised $345 million. On November 23, 2004, Six Flags completely left the European market altogether when Warner Bros. Park Madrid's management firms terminated their 99-year operation lease and stake. The park's management took over operations of the park in-house while Warner Bros. acquired Six Flags' minority stake. In 2005, Six Flags endured even more turmoil. Some of the company's largest investors, notably
Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American businessman and philanthropist. A pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, he co-founded the software company Microsoft in 1975 with his childhood friend ...
's Cascade Investments (which then owned about 11% of Six Flags) and
Daniel Snyder Daniel Marc Snyder (born November 23, 1964) is an American businessman and former owner of the Washington Commanders, an American football franchise belonging to the National Football League (NFL). He bought the team, then known as the Redskin ...
's Red Zone, LLC (which owned 12%), demanded change. On August 17, 2005, Red Zone began a
proxy battle A proxy fight, proxy contest or proxy battle is an unfriendly contest for control over an organization. The event usually occurs when a corporation's stockholders develop opposition to some aspect of the corporate governance, often focusing on dir ...
to gain control of Six Flags' board of directors. On August 29, 2005, Six Flags New Orleans was severely damaged by
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...
, and has since sat abandoned. On September 12, Six Flags Chief Executive Officer Kieran Burke announced that Six Flags AstroWorld would be closed and demolished at the end of the 2005 season. The company cited issues such as the park's performance, and parking issues involving the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
football team,
Reliant Stadium NRG Stadium (previously known as Reliant Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. Construction was completed in 2002, at a cost of $352 million and has a seating capacity of 72,220. It was the first NFL facility to h ...
, and the
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the largest livestock exhibition and rodeo in the world. It includes one of the richest regular-season professional rodeo events. It has been held at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, since 2003, with the ex ...
, leveraged with the estimated value of the property which included the park. Company executives were expecting to receive upwards of $150 million for the real estate but ended up receiving $77 million when the bare property (which cost $20 million to clear) was sold to a development corporation in 2006. On November 22, 2005, Red Zone announced it had gained control of the board. Kieran Burke was removed on December 14 and was replaced by former executive vice president of
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
programming and Red Zone CEO Mark Shapiro. Six Flags then named former Representative
Jack Kemp Jack French Kemp (July 13, 1935 – May 2, 2009) was an American politician, professional Gridiron football, football player, and U.S. Army veteran. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party from New York, he served a ...
,
Miramax Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global. Based in Los Angeles, California, it was founded on December 19, ...
co-founder
Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (, ; born March 19, 1952) is an American film producer and convicted sex offender. In 1979, Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent ...
and former president of the Interpublic Group of Companies Incorporated Michael Kassan, to their new board of directors. Even with the new management team, the sell-offs would continue into 2006. On January 27, the company announced its exit from Oklahoma City by relocating its offices to New York City and putting Frontier City and White Water Bay up for sale. On April 13, they announced that they would terminate their lease to operate Wyandot Lake after the 2006 season and sell the lease back to the neighboring
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a non-profit zoo located near Powell, Ohio, Powell in Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio, United States, north of the city of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The land lies along the eastern banks of the O'Shaughnes ...
. On April 18, Six Flags announced that they would also terminate their lease with the Cal Expo to operate Waterworld Sacramento after the 2006 season. On June 23, they announced to either sell, reduce or close seven additional parks - Six Flags Elitch Gardens, Six Flags Darien Lake, Six Flags Waterworld, Six Flags Splashtown, Wild Waves and Enchanted Village and most notably, Six Flags Magic Mountain. On January 11, 2007, Six Flags announced that
PARC Management PARC Management, LLC is an operations company based in Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the cou ...
would purchase the selection of parks previously put up for sale aside from Six Flags Magic Mountain for $312 million: $275 million cash and a note for $37 million. PARC subsequently sold the parks to CNL Lifestyle Properties in a deal that would allow PARC to manage the parks under a multi-year lease. Parks which had the Six Flags suffix in their name had it removed. In June 2008, Six Flags leased operations of American Adventures to an independent company - Zuma Holdings LLC.


Bankruptcy

The company's cash flow had decreased by over $120 million annually during the Shapiro years. In October 2008, Six Flags was warned its stock value had fallen below the required minimums to remain listed on the
New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...
. With the
2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
weighing both on consumer spending and the ability to access credit facilities, Six Flags was believed to be unable to make a payment to preferred stockholders due in August 2009. Management saw the business as a sound one, noting that attendance across the company's parks increased slightly in 2008 compared to 2007. Six Flags CEO Mark Shapiro said that the company's problem was the declining attendance and cash flow created by his new management initiatives. If not resolved, the company warned in its 2008 annual report that the situation might require a
Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...
bankruptcy filing, with Six Flags already retaining counsel should that occur. The company stated at the time that it expected business to continue as normal in the event of such a filing, although one analyst believed attendance at the company's parks would decrease by six percent, suggesting parents would be leery of letting their children ride a roller coaster operated by a bankrupt company. In April 2009, the New York Stock Exchange announced it would delist Six Flags' stock on April 20, a decision that the company did not intend to appeal. On June 1, 2009, Six Flags announced it would delay its $15 million debt payment further using a 30-day grace period. Less than two weeks later, on June 13, the firm filed for Chapter 11
bankruptcy protection Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
, but issued a statement that the parks would continue to operate normally while the company restructured. On August 21, 2009, Six Flags' Chapter 11 restructuring plan was announced in which lenders would control 92% of the company in exchange for canceling $1.13 billion in debt. One component of the restructuring was negotiating a new lease agreement with the Kentucky State Fair Board, which owned much of the land and attractions for Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. Six Flags had asked to forgo rent payments for the remaining nine years of its current lease agreement in exchange for profit-sharing from the park's operations. When it appeared that the offer had been rejected, Six Flags announced in February 2010 that it would not re-open the park. However, the Kentucky State Fair Board stated at the time that they were still open to negotiating a revised lease agreement. The park later reopened under different management. On April 28, 2010, the company's bondholders reached an agreement on a reorganization plan. Junior note holders, including
hedge fund A hedge fund is a Pooling (resource management), pooled investment fund that holds Market liquidity, liquid assets and that makes use of complex trader (finance), trading and risk management techniques to aim to improve investment performance and ...
s Stark Investments and Pentwater Capital Management, assumed control of the company, while senior note holders were paid in cash. Despite objections from some parties who stood to gain nothing, the bankruptcy judge approved the plan on April 30, 2010. As part of the settlement, chairman of the board Dan Snyder was removed, while chief executive officer Mark Shapiro briefly remained in his post.


Emergence from bankruptcy

Six Flags officially emerged from bankruptcy protection as Six Flags Entertainment Corp. on May 3, 2010, and announced plans to issue new stock on the New York Stock Exchange. Amid suspected disagreements regarding the future of the company with the board, Shapiro left the company and Al Weber Jr. was brought in as interim president and CEO. The company announced that several corporate positions as well as the corporate headquarters would be relocated from New York City to
Grand Prairie, Texas Grand Prairie is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Dallas County, Texas, Dallas, Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant, and Ellis County, Texas, Ellis counties with a small part extending into Johnson County, Texas , Johnson county. It ...
. The building that served as the new headquarters, was located in the Great Southwest Industrial District and was a converted warehouse that had been in use by Six Flags for office space as well as a corporate operations center. Six Flags kept a portion of the Midtown Manhattan office and currently maintains a presence in New York City at that same location.


Post-bankruptcy

Six Flags announced that
Jim Reid-Anderson James Reid-Anderson (born 12 April 1959) is a British businessman who was formerly the president, chairman, and chief executive officer (CEO) of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. Before working for Six Flags, Anderson was previously a healt ...
would replace Weber and become
chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
,
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
and
chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
(CEO) on August 13, 2010. John Duffey also joined the company in 2010, taking the role of
chief financial officer A chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization who is assigned the primary responsibility for making decisions for the company for projects and its finances; i.a.: financial planning, management of financial risks, ...
(CFO). As of October 1, 2012, Al Weber Jr. had retired as
chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...
(COO) with no immediate successor. In late 2010, Six Flags announced as part of their post-bankruptcy cost-cutting measures they would terminate non-
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
licenses from the parks, leading to attractions and areas based on
Thomas the Tank Engine Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional, anthropomorphised tank locomotive who originated from the British children's books ''The Railway Series'', created and written by Wilbert Awdry with his son Christopher Awdry, Christopher, first publish ...
,
The Wiggles The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. As of 2022, the group members are Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce, Tsehay Hawkins, Evie Ferris, John Pearce (entertainer), John Pearce, Caterina Mete ...
,
Tony Hawk Anthony Frank Hawk (born May 12, 1968), nicknamed Birdman, is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur, and the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk completed the first docume ...
,
Evel Knievel Robert Craig Knievel (October 17, 1938November 30, 2007), known professionally as Evel Knievel (), was an American stunt performer and entertainer. Throughout his career, he attempted List of Evel Knievel career jumps, more than 75 ramp-to-ra ...
, and '' Terminator'' being debranded. On April 10, 2014, Six Flags announced a strategic partnership with Meraas Leisure and Entertainment (now known as DXB Entertainments) to build a Six Flags-branded theme park in Dubai, reviving the project. On June 23, 2014, Six Flags also announced a strategic partnership with Riverside Investment Group to build multiple Six Flags-branded theme parks in China over the decade. On February 18, 2016, Six Flags announced that
Jim Reid-Anderson James Reid-Anderson (born 12 April 1959) is a British businessman who was formerly the president, chairman, and chief executive officer (CEO) of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. Before working for Six Flags, Anderson was previously a healt ...
had been promoted as executive chairman and John M. Duffey succeeded him as president and CEO. On January 11, 2016, Six Flags announced
Six Flags Zhejiang Hangzhou Bay Sunac Tourism City (Previously known as Six Flags Zhejiang) is a partially completed theme park and entertainment complex in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China, about 45 miles from downtown Shanghai. It was announced by the Six Flags Entertai ...
, then named Six Flags Haiyan, in China. On the same day, a website was created along with concept art for the property. A month later on February 2, 2016. Six Flags announced Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Oaxtepec. The water park, originally named Parque Acuatico Oaxtepec, is a 76-acre park located in
Morelos Morelos, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos, is a landlocked state located in south-central Mexico. It is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Mun ...
, Mexico that went bankrupt in 2011. On March 21, 2016, Six Flags announced a partnership with NaVi Entertainment to build a Six Flags-branded theme park and a Six Flags Hurricane Harbor-branded water park in Vietnam. On March 29, 2016, Six Flags announced the revival of its previously canceled
Six Flags Dubai Six Flags Dubai was a planned theme park under development for multiple years in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The park was being developed by DXB Entertainments, under license from Six Flags. The park was scheduled to open in November 2011, but Si ...
. As part of the second phase of the Dubai Parks and Resorts project in
Jebel Ali Jebel Ali () is a port town south-west of Dubai. The Jebel Ali Port is located there. Al Maktoum International Airport has been constructed just outside the port area. Jebel Ali is connected to Dubai via the UAE Exchange (formerly Jebel Al ...
, the park was expected to open in 2019. On July 20, 2016, Six Flags announced an agreement with Riverside Investment Group Co. Ltd. for the development of a second Six Flags-branded theme park in China together with a water park. The two parks will be located in
Bishan District Bishan () is one of the districts of Chongqing, China, with a history of over 2000 years. Bishan is west of Chenjiaping in downtown Chongqing. Formerly a county, it became a district on 6 June 2014. Administrative divisions Bishan administers ...
, a district of
Chongqing ChongqingPostal Romanization, Previously romanized as Chungking ();. is a direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China. Chongqing is one of the four direct-administered municipalities under the State Council of the People's Republi ...
. On April 27, 2017, the company announced it would take over operations of Waterworld California in
Concord, California Concord ( ) is the most populous city in Contra Costa County, California, Contra Costa County, California, United States. According to an estimate completed by the United States Census Bureau, the city had a population of 124,016 in 2024, maki ...
, making it Six Flags' 20th property. On July 18, 2017, Six Flags announced that president and CEO John M. Duffey had retired from the company and Jim Reid-Anderson had re-assumed the roles of chairman, president and CEO. On May 18, 2017, Six Flags and Riverside Group signed an agreement with Paws, Inc. to use
Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976 (later changed to ''Garfield'' in 1977), then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978, it chro ...
in children's areas in Six Flags-branded theme parks in China. On March 22, 2018, Six Flags and Riverside Group announced a partnership with Turner Asia Pacific to bring
Tuzki Tuzki (; ; ) is a popular illustrated bunny character created by animator Momo Wang when she was an undergraduate at the Communication University of China (CUC). Featured in a variety of emoticons, her character has become popular with QQ and ...
and other Turner-owned IPs to its theme parks in China. On May 22, 2018, Six Flags announced the purchase of operating leases for five parks owned by EPR Properties. The parks are
Darien Lake Six Flags Darien Lake (also known as Six Flags Darien Lake Resort and formerly known as Darien Lake Fun Country, Darien Lake, and Darien Lake Theme Park Resort) is a 1,200-acre (4.86 km2) amusement park and resort located in Darien, New Yor ...
, Frontier City, Wet'n'Wild Phoenix,
Wet'n'Wild SplashTown Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown is a water park located north of Houston in Spring, Texas, United States.White Water Bay, which were properties Six Flags formerly owned prior to 2007. On October 9, 2018, Six Flags and Rockford Park District announced a lease agreement allowing Six Flags to operate Magic Waters Waterpark beginning Spring 2019. On October 24, 2018, Six Flags announced that the future of its
Six Flags Dubai Six Flags Dubai was a planned theme park under development for multiple years in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The park was being developed by DXB Entertainments, under license from Six Flags. The park was scheduled to open in November 2011, but Si ...
theme park was "uncertain" following losses at the company and its partner DXB Entertainments. On April 24, 2019, DXB Entertainments canceled Six Flags Dubai, stating that the development and establishment of a Six Flags theme park was not in the best interest of the company or its shareholders. Plans were made to direct the available proceeds to enhance the existing theme parks of Motiongate and Bollywood Parks. On October 2, 2019,
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
reported that Six Flags Entertainment Corporation had approached competitor
Cedar Fair Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, or simply Cedar Fair, was an American company headquartered at its flagship Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. The company was a publicly traded master limited partnership that origina ...
with an acquisition offer. Sources said that Cedar Fair was considering Six Flags' cash-and-stock offer, but there was no certainty that a deal would be reached. On October 4, 2019, Cedar Fair rejected Six Flags' offer to purchase. On October 24, 2019, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation announced that Jim Reid-Anderson would retire and Mike Spanos would be president and CEO of the company on November 18, 2019. On January 10, 2020, Six Flags indicated that its projects in China have not progressed as expected and could be canceled due to debt problems with its partner Riverside Investment Group. In January 2020, Six Flags finalized plans to move its corporate headquarters to the Centerfield Office Building at
Globe Life Park in Arlington Choctaw Stadium, formerly Globe Life Park, is a multi-purpose stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. The venue opened in April 1994 as a baseball stadium with the name The Ballpark in Arlington, serving as the home for the Texas Rangers ...
, Texas. The offices were remodeled over the summer and Six Flags personnel moved in during the last few months of the year. On March 13, 2020, with only a few parks already opened for the 2020 season, Six Flags announced that all its properties would suspend operations due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. During the closure, parks donated supplies and food to their local communities. As of August 2020, some Six Flags operations were still suspended. On May 13, Six Flags announced that when the parks reopen guests will be required to reserve their place online to enter the park, including purchasing their tickets to the park and parking. Six Flags Great Adventure opened its drive-through safari to the public on May 30. Frontier City became the first park of the company to reopen on June 5, with new health and safety protocols. Soon after Frontier City's announcement, several other parks in the company announced their reopening dates. Starting on February 19, 2021, Six Flags had started gradually re-opening their amusement parks to the public for the upcoming season due to reduced COVID-19 restrictions, and by May of that year, all parks had successfully re-opened to the public. On March 22, 2021, Six Flags announced that
Six Flags Great America Six Flags Great America is a amusement park, theme park located in Gurnee, Illinois, within the northern Chicago metropolitan area. The theme park originally opened as Marriott's Great America on May 29, 1976, as one of two theme parks built ...
's Hurricane Harbor park would be converted into a separate park, becoming
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago is a 20-acre (8.1 ha) water park located in Gurnee, Illinois, United States. Six Flags owns and operates the park, which is located within the Chicago metropolitan area. The park opened on May 28, 2005, as pa ...
. Since its opening in 2005, the park was a part of Great America, but in recent years had started charging a one-day ticket upgrade to access the park. The change into a separate park meant that Hurricane Harbor Chicago would become the 27th Six Flags park in the chain. On November 15, 2021, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation announced that Mike Spanos had stepped down and Selim Bassoul, the former chairman of the board, would become president and CEO of the company effective immediately. Ben Baldanza, a former airlines industry executive, was elected to replace Bassoul as the chairman of the board.


Merger with Cedar Fair

On November 2, 2023,
Cedar Fair Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, or simply Cedar Fair, was an American company headquartered at its flagship Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. The company was a publicly traded master limited partnership that origina ...
and Six Flags Entertainment Corporation announced that they would merge; the combined company, worth an estimated $8 billion, will become the largest regional amusement park company in the world. Described as a "merger of equals", the combined company will have 27 amusement parks, 15 water parks, and 9 resort properties in its portfolio, and it will operate under the Six Flags name. Despite the name, Cedar Fair will be the majority owners, with unitholders owning a 51% stake in the new company. President and CEO of Cedar Fair, Richard Zimmerman, will serve as president and CEO of the new combined company, while Selim Bassoul, President and CEO of Six Flags, will become the executive chairman of the company's board of directors. The combined company's new headquarters will be located in
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
, with significant administrative and finance operations being located at Cedar Fair's former headquarters in
Sandusky, Ohio Sandusky ( ) is a city in Erie County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, Sandusky is located roughly midway between Toledo, Ohio, Toledo ( west) and Cleveland ( east). At the 2020 United Stat ...
. The merger was completed on July 1, 2024.


Marketing efforts


TV commercials

In June 2003,
Ackerman McQueen Ackerman McQueen, also called "Ack-Mac", is an advertising agency based in Oklahoma City. Founded in 1939, it has expanded to include offices in Alexandria, Virginia; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Dallas, Texas; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ackerman McQu ...
, who'd been handling advertising for Six Flags since 1994, lost the account to the
Doner Company Doner Company (formerly W. B. Doner & Co.) is an American advertising agency headquartered in Southfield, Michigan. It was founded in 1937 by Wilfred Doner, better known as Brod Doner. The Doner Company also has a United Kingdom-based agency cal ...
. In 2004, although
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
and ''
Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...
'' as well as ''
Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American media franchise owned by Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Entertainment and created in 1969 by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears through their animated series, ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'', for Hanna-Barbera (which wa ...
'' still had a major presence at the parks, Six Flags began a new series of
commercials A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...
for the parks. The commercials introduced a new mascot, conceived by the Doner Company, " Mr. Six", a seemingly feeble old man in a tuxedo and red bow tie. In many of the commercials, Mr. Six would slowly exit a multi-colored bus, only to start frenetically dancing to the
Vengaboys Vengaboys ( ) is a Dutch Eurodance music group based in Rotterdam consisting of lead and female vocalist Kim Sasabone, female vocalist Denise van Rijswijk and male vocalists Robin Pors and Donny Latupeirissa. Created by Dutch producers Wessel va ...
' " We Like to Party". The commercials were an immediate hit and Mr. Six almost instantly became the de facto mascot, and his presence was felt for years after the character was retired. These ads have become widely parodied on the Internet, with faces from other
Internet memes An Internet meme, or meme (, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through social media platforms. Internet memes manifest in a variety of formats, including images, v ...
being superimposed over Mr. Six's face. From 2008 to 2010, Six Flags' TV ads consisted of a "Fun-O-Meter" in which the beginning of the ad showed something boring or embarrassing, leading to a man's face popping up judging it to be "One Flag!" or "Oh! Two Flags!". Then roller coasters and attractions of Six Flags are shown and says "Six Flags! More Flags, More Fun!" for Six Flags parks. The thick accent of the Asian man in the original commercials drew criticism for being an offensive caricature. In 2009, the Mr. Six character came back from retirement and replaced the Asian man in Six Flags' ads, still using the Fun-O-Meter. In 2011, Six Flags' TV ads got a brand-new slogan "Go Big! Go Six Flags!" for its theme parks. As part of Six Flags' effort to reopen theme parks in 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic, Six Flags brought in a new slogan for both its social media and TV ads, "The Thrill is Calling".


Licensing with other brands and companies

Six Flags has licensed its name and its theme park creations to other companies, who have used these assets to create licensed products. One notable example is the theme park simulation game '' Roller Coaster Tycoon 2'', which featured recreations of Six Flags parks and rides that could be expanded and operated at the player's discretion. Six Flags has approximately 24 known current and past partners. These partners include Dole, Armitron,
TCBY TCBY (The Country's Best Yogurt) is an American chain of frozen yogurt stores. It is one of the largest U.S. retailers of soft-serve frozen yogurt. History In 1981, Frank D. Hickingbotham opened the first TCBY in Little Rock, Arkansas. TCBY ...
, Mrs. Fields, Famous Famiglia,
Mike and Ike Mike and Ike is an American brand of fruit-flavored candies that were first introduced in 1940 by American company Just Born. Despite conjecture, the origin of the candy's name remains unknown. History Mike and Ike is located in Bethlehem, ...
,
Barcel Takis are a Mexican brand of flavored rolled tortilla chips produced by Barcel, a subsidiary of Grupo Bimbo since 2019. The shape of Takis is fashioned after the taquito, it comes in numerous flavors, the best selling of which is the chili-lim ...
,
Ben & Jerry's Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings Inc., trading and commonly known as Ben & Jerry's, is an American company that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet. Founded in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont, the company went from a single ice cream p ...
,
Good Humor Good Humor is a Good Humor-Breyers brand of ice cream started by Harry Burt in Youngstown, Ohio, United States, in the early 1920s with the Good Humor bar, a chocolate-coated ice cream bar on a stick sold from ice cream trucks and retail outlet ...
,
Nathan's Famous Nathan's Famous, Inc. is an American company that operates a chain of fast-food restaurants specializing in hot dogs. The original Nathan's restaurant stands at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brook ...
,
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
, Icee, Ortega,
Cold Stone Creamery Cold Stone Creamery, Inc. is an American international ice cream parlor chain. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, the company is owned and operated by Kahala Brands. The company's main product is premium ice cream made with approximately 1 ...
, J&J Snack Foods, Red Gold,
Coppertone Coppertone is the brand name for an American sunscreen. Coppertone uses a variety of branding, including the Coppertone girl logo and a distinctive fragrance. Product line The original product dates to 1944, when pharmacist Benjamin Green inv ...
,
Papa John's Papa John's International, Inc., trading as Papa Johns, is an American pizza restaurant chain. , it is the fourth largest pizza delivery restaurant chain in the United States, with headquarters in the Louisville, Kentucky and Atlanta, Georgia ...
,
Panda Express Panda Express is an American fast food restaurant chain that specializes in American Chinese cuisine. With over 2,400 locations, it is the largest Asian-segment restaurant chain in the United States, and is mainly located in North America and Asi ...
, Johnny Rockets,
Samsung Samsung Group (; stylised as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in the Samsung Town office complex in Seoul. The group consists of numerous a ...
,
Dasani Dasani () is a brand of bottled water created by the Coca-Cola Company, launched in 1999. It is one of many List of Coca-Cola brands, brands of Coca-Cola bottled water sold around the world. The product is filtered and bottled. Marketing Un ...
,
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
and
Tyson Foods Tyson Foods, Inc. is an American multinational corporation based in Springdale, Arkansas that operates in the food industry. The company is the world's second-largest processor and marketer of broiler industry, chicken, beef, and pork after JBS ...
. These businesses help the park generate more income. Most importantly, it provides more jobs for prospective employees. For example, Barcel USA expanded its partnership in 2013. This helps to import food and beverages to increase sponsorships within the United States. In 2008, Six Flags partnered with Brash Entertainment to create a video game based on the Six Flags parks named ''Six Flags Fun Park''. The game was first released on the
Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
on October 28, 2008. The
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...
version was delayed while the PC and
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
versions were canceled after Brash Entertainment went out of business. On February 24, 2009, the rights to the Wii version were taken over by
Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...
, who released it on March 3, 2009. The game allows players to explore the themed areas and mini-games representative of a visit to a Six Flags park. In the game, players are tasked with quests that encourage them to explore the park's universe. After creating a unique custom character, Six Flags Fun Park patrons can win prizes and compete with other players in 40 mini-games. Although the video game is called ''Six Flags Fun Park'', it lacks any major reference of Six Flags outside of the names of the different areas. This caused some to speculate that the video game was created separately, then the rights to the name of the game were sold as a way to pay for the game's development. The game was released as simply ''Fun Park'' and ''Fun Park Party'' in Europe on the DS and Wii respectively. When the game was released, it eventually ended up getting abysmal ratings across the board.
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
gave the Wii version a 4.5 out of 10, saying "The quests are uninteresting and the game's '40 Thrilling Games' (as touted by the box) are far from entertaining."


Other assets

On June 19, 2007, Six Flags announced it had purchased 40% of
Dick Clark Productions Dick Clark Productions, LLC (DCP, stylized in lowercase as dick clark productions or dcp) is an American multinational television production company founded by radio and TV host Dick Clark. The studio primarily produces Awards ceremony, award sh ...
, which owns rights to ''
American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'' (AB) is an American Music television, music performance and dance television series that aired in various iterations from 1952 to 1989. It was hosted by Dick Clark who also served as the program's Television producer, pr ...
'' and other shows and productions. On September 28, 2012, Six Flags sold its stake in
Dick Clark Productions Dick Clark Productions, LLC (DCP, stylized in lowercase as dick clark productions or dcp) is an American multinational television production company founded by radio and TV host Dick Clark. The studio primarily produces Awards ceremony, award sh ...
. Additionally, Six Flags owns many other shares in various companies, like Nestle, Google, Mars Candy, and Coca-Cola.


Properties


Amusement parks


Water parks


Outdoor


Indoor


Former and abandoned properties

''These properties are listed in alphabetical order by the final name of the park while under Six Flags control.''


North America


Europe

These parks were all sold to Palamon Capital Partners in 2004, unless noted.


Cancelled parks


The Flash Pass

The Flash Pass is an optional, pay-per-person
virtual queue Virtual queue is a concept used in both inbound call centers and other businesses to improve wait times for users. Call centers use an Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) to distribute incoming calls to specific resources (agents) in the center. AC ...
system offered at Six Flags amusement parks. The system, named after
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
character
The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
, allows guests to reserve places in line at participating attractions, and access must be purchased for a nominal fee in addition to the general park admission price. The first iteration, called Q-bot, was designed by Lo-Q and was first implemented at
Six Flags Over Georgia Six Flags Over Georgia is a amusement park in Austell, Georgia, United States. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain following the original Six Flags Over Texas, which opened in 1961. Six Flags Over Georgia is one of t ...
in 2001. Guests are given handheld devices, which are then used to make reservations and receive notifications when it is their turn to ride. Another iteration is where guests can scan a QR code on in-park signs or through the mobile app, and guests can buy individual Flash Passes per ride or use their season pass or membership Flash Pass. This feature was adopted in 2021. A water park version of the virtual system called Q-band was first tested at Six Flags White Water in 2011. Guests wear waterproof
RFID Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder called a tag, a radio receiver, and a transmitter. When tri ...
wristbands that can be scanned at kiosks near participating water park attractions.


See also

*
Incidents at Six Flags parks This is a summary of notable incidents at the amusement parks and water parks that are operated by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. In some cases, these incidents occurred while the park was under different management or ownership, such as ...
*
Six Flags Fright Fest Fright Fest (also known as Festival Del Terror at Six Flags México) is a Halloween-oriented haunt event held annually at Six Flags theme parks in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It mainly features haunted attractions, themed areas nam ...
*
Holiday in the Park Holiday in the Park (known as Christmas in the Park at Six Flags México and as Winterfest at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom) is a Christmas event that takes place at several Six Flags parks. The event features Christmas lights along with live entert ...


Notes and references


External links

* {{Authority control Amusement park companies Amusement companies of the United States Entertainment companies established in 1961 American companies established in 1961 1961 establishments in Texas Entertainment companies disestablished in 2024 American companies disestablished in 2024 2024 disestablishments in Texas Former Time Warner subsidiaries Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009 Companies based in Arlington, Texas 1993 mergers and acquisitions 1998 mergers and acquisitions 1996 initial public offerings Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq 2024 mergers and acquisitions