Six Flags

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation

Company type	Public
Industry	Amusement parks
Predecessor	Cedar Fair, Six Flags (previous)
Founded	July 2, 2024 (2024-07-02)
Founder	Angus G. Wynne (original Six Flags origin)
Fate	Merger of Cedar Fair and previous Six Flags company
Headquarters	Charlotte, North Carolina , United States
Area served	North America
Key people	Richard Zimmerman (CEO, 2024–2025), Selim Bassoul (Executive Chairman), John Reilly (CEO from December 2025)
Products	Amusement parks, water parks, resort facilities
Owner	Cedar Fair shareholders (majority 51%)

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is a U.S.-based amusement park enterprise headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Established on July 2, 2024, through the consolidation of long-standing competitors Cedar Fair and the previous Six Flags company, it manages 41 venues throughout North America, encompassing theme parks, water parks, and resort facilities.

Before the Merger

The origins of Six Flags Theme Parks trace back to The Great Southwest Corporation, founded by Angus G. Wynne and partners, which inaugurated Six Flags Over Texas in 1961. Following acquisition by the Pennsylvania Railroad, expansion continued with new park developments and purchases of independent parks. In 1984, Six Flags took ownership of Marriott's Great America park along with licensing rights to Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes characters; subsequently, Time Warner held control from 1993 until 1995. Premier Parks acquired Six Flags in 1998 for $1.86 billion and fully embraced the Six Flags brand by the year 2000.

Throughout the 2000s, Six Flags grappled with mounting debt, leading to divestitures such as its European properties and Worlds of Adventure in 2004. Investor unrest culminated in a proxy contest in 2005 that resulted in Daniel Snyder’s Red Zone acquiring board control. Despite further asset sales between 2006 and 2007, annual cash flow declined by $120 million. The financial downturn of 2008 forced Six Flags into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2009; it restructured and emerged in 2010 with creditors owning 92% after eliminating $1.13 billion in debt, relocating its headquarters to Grand Prairie, Texas.

Jim Reid-Anderson assumed the roles of chairman and CEO in 2010, succeeded by Mike Spanos in 2019. Efforts to expand globally included restarting then abandoning Six Flags Dubai and initiating projects in China that were later sold due to challenges in those markets. Operations were heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Selim Bassoul became CEO in 2021, implementing a strategy focused on enhancing guest experience by increasing ticket prices to manage attendance—this approach faced shareholder opposition and was reversed by late 2022 following a 33% drop in visitor numbers.

Merger

Earlier acquisition attempts of Cedar Fair included an unsuccessful bid involving Apollo Global Management in 2010. On October 2, 2019, Reuters revealed that Six Flags had presented an initial cash-and-stock offer which Cedar Fair promptly declined. In February 2022, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment made an unsolicited all-cash proposal valued at $3.4 billion, also rejected.

In 2024, Six Flags and Cedar Fair completed a merger announced the previous year. This "merger of equals" formed an $8 billion entity operating 27 amusement parks, 15 water parks, and nine resorts. Cedar Fair shareholders obtained majority ownership with a 51% stake. Cedar Fair’s CEO Richard Zimmerman was appointed CEO of the merged company, while former Six Flags CEO Selim Bassoul took on the role of executive chairman. Headquarters were relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, with substantial operations retained at Cedar Fair’s former center in Sandusky, Ohio. The merger was finalized on July 1, 2024.

On May 1, 2025, Six Flags announced plans to close the Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor Maryland complex after the conclusion of the 2025 season as part of post-merger portfolio optimization. On August 6, 2025, Richard Zimmerman declared his intention to resign as CEO and president once a successor was appointed but confirmed he would remain on the board.

On November 24, 2025, John Reilly—formerly affiliated with Palace Entertainment, Parques Reunidos, and SeaWorld Entertainment—was appointed CEO effective December 8, 2025.

Properties

Year acquired refers to the date the property was purchased by one of the two predecessor companies that now form the current entity.

Amusement parks

Former Cedar Fair locations    Former Six Flags (1961–2024) locations

Park Name	Location	Opening Year	Acquisition Year	Remarks	Number of Roller Coasters
California's Great America	Santa Clara, California	1976	2006	Obtained by Cedar Fair through Paramount Parks acquisition. Scheduled for closure by 2033 following land sale in 2022.	9
Canada's Wonderland	Vaughan, Ontario	1981	2006	Acquired as part of Cedar Fair’s purchase of Paramount Parks.	18
Carowinds	Charlotte, North Carolina	1973	2006	Included in Cedar Fair’s acquisition of Paramount Parks.	13
Cedar Point	Sandusky, Ohio	1870	–	The flagship and oldest amusement park in the portfolio.	18
Dorney Park	Allentown, Pennsylvania	1884	1992	Purchased by Cedar Fair in 1992.	8
Frontier City	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	1958	1981 2018	Initially acquired by Tierco Group (later Premier Parks) in 1981, sold in 2007. Six Flags resumed operational lease in 2018. Owned by EPR Properties since 2016.	5
Kings Dominion	Doswell, Virginia	1975	2006	Included in Cedar Fair’s acquisition of Paramount Parks.	13
Kings Island	Mason, Ohio	1972	2006	Acquired alongside other Paramount Parks by Cedar Fair.	15
'Knott's Berry Farm'	'Buena Park, California'	'1920'	'199۷'	'Purchased from the Knott family by Cedar Fair.'	'10'
'La Ronde (amusement park)'	'Montréal, Quebec'	'196۷'	'200۱'	'Constructed for Expo ’67, Six Flags secured a long-term lease in 200۱.'	'8'
'Michigan's Adventure'	'Muskegon, Michigan'	'195۶'	'200۱'	'Acquired by Cedar Fair.'	'۷'
'Six Flags Darien Lake'	'Darien, New York'	'198۱'	'199۵ 201۸'	'Premier Parks acquired it in 199۵. Sold in ۲۰۰۷, Six Flags resumed operational lease in ۲۰۱۸. Owned by EPR Properties since ۲۰۱۶.'	'8'
'Six Flags Discovery Kingdom'	'Vallejo, California'	'196۸'	'199۷ (lease) ۲۰۰۷ (full ownership)'	'Operational lease transferred to Premier Parks in ۱۹۹۷. Complete ownership obtained from city in ۲۰۰۷.'	'10'
'Six Flags Fiesta Texas'	'San Antonio, Texas'	'199۲'	'199۶ (lease) ۱۹۹۸ (full ownership)'	'Operations lease secured from Gaylord Entertainment in ۱۹۹۶. Full ownership transferred to Premier Parks in ۱۹۹۸.'	'11'
'Six Flags Great Adventure'	'Jackson, New Jersey'	'197۴'	'197۷'	"Purchased by Six Flags Theme Parks Inc. in ۱۹۷۷. Includes Six Flags Wild Safari Adventure since ۲۰۱۲."	"13"
"Six Flags Great America"	"Gurnee, Illinois"	"197٦"	"198٤"	"Acquired from Marriott Corporation in 198٤ with Warner Bros. licensing rights."	"16"
"Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor"	"Queensbury, New York"	"195٤"	"199٦"	"Obtained by Premier Parks in 199٦. Renamed Six Flags Great Escape in ۲۰۲۲."	"٦"
"Six Flags Magic Mountain"	"Valencia, California"	"١٩٧١"	"١٩٧٩"	"Purchased from Newhall Land and Farming Company in ١٩٧٩."	"١٩"
"Six Flags México"	"Mexico City, Mexico"	"١٩٨٢"	"١٩٩٩"	"Acquired from Premier Parks in ١٩٩٩. Previously known as Reino Aventura."	"٩"
"Six Flags New England"	"Agawam, Massachusetts"	"١٨٧٠"	"١٩٩٧"	"Among the oldest parks within the chain. Purchased by Premier Parks and renamed from Riverside Park."	"١١"
"Six Flags Over Georgia"	"Austell, Georgia"	"١٩٦٧"	"–"	"Majority stake held by a limited partnership managed by Six Flags Entertainment Corp., with full ownership expected by January ٢٠٢٧."	"١٢"
"Six Flags Over Texas"	"Arlington, Texas"	"١٩٦١"	"–"	"The original Six Flags-built park. Majority-owned and operated by Six Flags Entertainment Corp., with partner buyout option available in ٢٠٢٨."	"١٣"
"Six Flags St. Louis"	"Eureka, Missouri"	"١٩٧١"	"–"	"Previously known as Six Flags Over Mid-America."	"١٠"
"Valleyfair"	"Shakopee, Minnesota"	"197٦"	"197٨"	"Acquired through Cedar Point acquisition that led to formation of Cedar Fair."	"٨"
"Worlds of Fun"	"Kansas City, Missouri"	"197٣"	"199٥"	"Became part of Cedar Fair's portfolio following acquisition."	"٨"

Outdoor

Name	Location	Year Opened	Year Acquired	Remarks
Situated within amusement parks
Carolina Harbor	Charlotte, North Carolina	1982	2006	Part of Carowinds. Obtained following the acquisition of Paramount Parks. Previously named Ocean Island, Riptide Reef, WaterWorks, Boomerang Bay.
Oceans of Fun	Kansas City, Missouri	1982	1995	Located next to Worlds of Fun. Admission has included access since 2013.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor	Queensbury, New York	1995	1996	Situated within Six Flags Great Escape, originally opened as Splashwater Kingdom. Acquired through Premier Parks in 1996.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Darien Lake	Darien, New York	1990	2018	Part of the Six Flags Darien Lake complex. Sold to PARC Management in 2007; Six Flags resumed operational control via lease in 2018. Owned by EPR Properties since 2016.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor New England	Agawam, Massachusetts	1997	1998	Located inside Six Flags New England. Opened under Premier Parks as Island Kingdom.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor	Austell, Georgia	2014	–	Situated within Six Flags Over Georgia, serving as a smaller alternative to Six Flags White Water.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor	Eureka, Missouri	1999	–	Adjacent to the grounds of Six Flags St. Louis.
Soak City	Doswell, Virginia	1992	2006	Located within Kings Dominion. Acquired after Paramount Parks purchase. Formerly known as Hurricane Reef and WaterWorks.
Soak City	Mason, Ohio	1989	2006	Positioned next to Kings Island. Acquired following Paramount Parks acquisition. Previously called WaterWorks and Crocodile Dundee's Boomerang Bay.
Soak City	Shakopee, Minnesota	1983	–	Located on Valleyfair property. Formerly named Liquid Lightning and Whitewater Country.
South Bay Shores	Santa Clara, California	2004	2006	Within California's Great America. Obtained post-Paramount Parks acquisition. Previously Crocodile Dundee's Boomerang Bay.
Splash Works	Vaughan, Ontario	1992	2006	Located beside Canada's Wonderland. Acquired after Paramount Parks purchase.
WildWater Adventure	Muskegon, Michigan	1991	2001	Adjacent to Michigan's Adventure. Included in park acquisition.
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom#Wildwater Kingdom Wildwater Kingdom	Allentown, Pennsylvania	1985	1992	Part of Dorney Park facilities. Purchased by Cedar Fair in 1992.
Frontier City#Wild West Water Works Wild West Water Works	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	2017	2018	Located inside Frontier City. Expanded from a water play area to a full water park with three slides in 2017. Six Flags acquired operational lease in 2018. Owned by EPR Properties.
Separate admission or standalone properties
Cedar Point Shores	Sandusky, Ohio	1988
Knott's Soak City	Buena Park, California	2000
Schlitterbahn#Galveston, Texas Schlitterbahn Galveston	Galveston, Texas	2006	2019
Schlitterbahn#New Braunfels, Texas Schlitterbahn New Braunfels	New Braunfels, Texas	1979	2019
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor#Six Flags Magic Mountain Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Los Angeles	Valencia, California	1995
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor#Six Flags Over Texas Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Arlington	Arlington, Texas	1983	1995
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor#Six Flags Great Adventure Six Flags Hurricane Harbor New Jersey	Jackson, New Jersey	2000
style=“background: #FDD017”	Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Concord	Concord, California	1995	2017	Opened as WaterWorld USA Concord and acquired by Premier Parks in 1996. Sold in 2007 to PARC Management/CNL Lifestyle Properties and operations lease reacquired by Six Flags in 2017. Owned by EPR Properties and located near Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.
style=“background: #FDD017”	Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix	Phoenix, Arizona	2009	2018	Owned by EPR Properties and operated by Six Flags.
style=“background: #FDD017”	Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown	Spring, Texas	1984	2018	Originally opened as SplashTown USA in 1999 via Premier Parks acquisition. Sold in 2007 to PARC Management/CNL Lifestyle Properties with operations lease reacquired by Six Flags in 2017. Owned by EPR Properties near the former Six Flags AstroWorld site.
style=“background: #FDD017”	Six Flags White Water	Marietta, Georgia	1983	1999	Located approximately fifteen miles from Six Flags Over Georgia. Owned under the same limited partnership but operated by Six Flags. Full ownership transfer scheduled for 2027.
style=“background: #FDD017”	Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Oklahoma City	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	1981	2018	Owned by EPR Properties and operated by Six Flags. Situated roughly fifteen miles from Frontier City.
style=“background: #FDD017”	Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Rockford	Cherry Valley, Illinois	1984	2019	Owned by Rockford Park District and operated under a ten-year lease agreement with Six Flags starting April 1, 2019.
style=“background: #FDD017”	Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago	Gurnee, Illinois	2005	–	Located next to Six Flags Great America. Became a separate admission gate in 2021.
style=“background: #FDD017”	Six Flags Hurricane Harbor San Antonio	San Antonio, Texas	1992	1998	Adjacent to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Previously known as Ol' Waterin' Hole (1992–98) and Armadillo Beach (1999–05). Converted into a separate admission gate in 2023.

Indoor

Name	Location	Year opened	Year acquired	Notes
Castaway Bay	Sandusky, Ohio	2004	–	Part of the resort sharing its name.
White Water Bay	Queensbury, New York	2006	–	Housed within the Six Flags Great Escape Lodge.

Safari Parks

Name	Location	Year opened	Year acquired	Notes
Six Flags Wild Safari Adventure	Jackson, New Jersey	1974	–	Located next to Six Flags Great Adventure. The drive-through safari was integrated into park operations in 2012 as Safari Off-Road Adventure.

Resorts

Name	Location	Year opened	Year acquired	Notes
Castaway Bay	Sandusky, Ohio	2004	–	Situated approximately one mile from Cedar Point. Features an indoor water park.
Six Flags Darien Lake Hotel & Campground	Darien, New York	1954	1995 2018	Located opposite Six Flags Darien Lake, predating the theme park. Includes a hotel (opened in 1998), campground with cabins, guest houses, rentable RVs, Darien Square, and a Performing Arts Center.
Six Flags Great Escape Lodge	Queensbury, New York	2006	–	Positioned near Six Flags Great Escape and includes White Water Bay Waterpark.
Six Flags Savannah Sunset Resort & Spa	Jackson, New Jersey	2024	–	Located within the grounds of Six Flags Wild Safari Adventure at Six Flags Great Adventure.

Theme Parks

Name	Location	Opening Year	Remarks
Six Flags Qiddiya City	Qiddiya City, Saudi Arabia	Expected 2025	Marks the debut of Six Flags branding in Saudi Arabia and the first park outside North America since 2004.

Previously Owned Properties

Name	Location	Year Opened	Year Closed or Sold	Comments
Six Flags America	Woodmore, Maryland	1974	2025	Purchased by Tierco Group (later Premier Parks, LLC) in 1992. Previously known as Adventure World and Wild World. Ceased operations on November 2, 2025.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Maryland	Woodmore, Maryland	1982	2025	Located next to Six Flags America. Acquired simultaneously in 1992. Originally Paradise Island; rebranded Hurricane Harbor in 2005 and appended "Maryland" in 2023. Closed on September 6, 2025.

Fast Lane

Fast Lane is a premium queue management system first introduced at Kings Island on July 18, 2011, serving as an initial trial location. Guests can purchase a wristband that grants expedited access to most rides, reducing wait times. Initially available only from noon to 7 PM, the offering was soon extended to full-day use and implemented across all Cedar Fair parks by 2012. The system also features Fright Lane, a seasonal variation designed for haunted attractions during Halloween festivities. By 2016, Cedar Fair experimented with all-season Fast Lane passes at Valleyfair and Dorney Park, and by 2019, this option became standard at every Cedar Fair property.

Beginning January 2026, all traditional Six Flags parks will transition from The Flash Pass to the Fast Lane system, fully discontinuing Flash Pass.

The Flash Pass

The Flash Pass was a virtual queue system available on a per-person purchase basis at Six Flags parks before the merger. Named after the DC Comics superhero The Flash, it enabled visitors to book ride times for an additional fee beyond standard admission. The original iteration, Q-bot by Lo-Q (now Accesso), launched at Six Flags Over Georgia in 2001 utilizing handheld devices for reservations and notifications. Since 2021, guests have been able to scan QR codes displayed on signs within parks or via the mobile app to buy individual Flash Passes or access them through season pass memberships.

A water park version known as Q-band debuted at Six Flags White Water in 2011, employing waterproof RFID wristbands scanned at kiosks near attractions. This technology expanded across multiple Six Flags water parks under agreements lasting until 2017.

The Flash Pass will be fully retired by the conclusion of 2025 as Six Flags moves all legacy parks over to Fast Lane starting in 2026.

See also

• Incidents at Six Flags parks