| | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Theme parks |
| Predecessors | |
| Founded | July 2, 2024 |
| Headquarters | Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
Number of locations | 50 |
Area served |
|
Key people | Selim Bassoul (executive chairman) John Reilly (president and CEO) |
| Revenue | |
| Total assets | |
Number of employees | 5,000 full-time, 93,000 seasonal and part-time (2024) [3] |
| Website | sixflags |
Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The company owns and operates 50 properties throughout North America, including 26 amusement parks, 15 water parks, and nine resorts, making it the largest regional theme park operator in North America. In 2024, Six Flags properties hosted 50.3 million guests, ranking it as the fifth-highest in attendance among theme park companies in the world. [4]
The company was formed on July 2, 2024, following a merger of equals between longtime rivals Cedar Fair and the former Six Flags company that was valued at US$8 billion. As a result of the merger, the newly formed entity retained the Six Flags name and Cedar Fair's ticker symbol "FUN" on the New York Stock Exchange, while former Cedar Fair stakeholders held a 51% majority stake.
Six Flags Theme Parks originated with the creation of The Great Southwest Corporation by Angus G. Wynne and other investors, who would go on to open the chain's original park, Six Flags Over Texas, in August 1961. After the Pennsylvania Railroad gained a controlling stake in the company's shares, a handful of new parks were constructed, and multiple independently-owned parks were purchased over the following two decades. Following the acquisition of Marriott Corporation's Great America theme park in Gurnee, Illinois, in 1984, Six Flags acquired the rights to feature Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes animated characters at their properties; Time Warner (now Warner Bros. Discovery) subsequently purchased much of the company and was its sole owner from 1993 to 1995. Six Flags Theme Parks, Inc. was later bought out by Premier Parks – an Oklahoma-based real estate firm and theme park chain – on April 1, 1998, for $1.86 billion. [5] Premier began to apply the Six Flags name to several of their existing properties in North America and Europe, eventually fully assuming the brand name in 2000.
Throughout the 2000s, Six Flags began to suffer from growing debt and organizational bloat, eventually resorting to selling off assets like its European parks and Worlds of Adventure in 2004. Some of the company's largest investors grew frustrated with Six Flags and demanded change; Daniel Snyder's Red Zone, LLC successfully gained control of Six Flags' board of directors in 2005 by means of a proxy battle. New management continued to sell off various American amusement park locations throughout 2006–2007, although their cash flow continued to decrease, falling $120 million annually under Red Zone's board. Affected by the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession, Six Flags filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2009 but continued to operate the parks as normal. Six Flags re-emerged as Six Flags Entertainment Corp. on May 3, 2010, moving head offices from New York City to Grand Prairie, Texas and allowing lenders to control 92% of the company in exchange for canceling $1.13 billion in debt. [6]
Jim Reid-Anderson was instated as chairman, president and chief executive officer (CEO) on August 13, 2010 and succeeded by Mike Spanos in late 2019. New initiatives were launched to build Six Flags theme parks in global markets; the previously cancelled Six Flags Dubai was revived in 2014 before being called off again in 2018. Six Flags Zhejiang and Six Flags Chongqing both began construction in China before a declining real estate and the collapse of its local investment firm in 2020 forced both projects to be sold on to other developers. The COVID-19 pandemic also hindered Six Flags' operations during 2020, forcing many parks to remain closed for the year. Mike Spanos stepped down in 2021, allowing chairman Selim Bassoul to assume the role of CEO. Seeking reinvention, Bassoul announced a new strategy favoring guest experience over capital investments; this meant raising prices in order to lower daily park crowds, thus improving the park experience for higher-paying guests. [7] The initiative and various comments made by Bassoul proved controversial with shareholders, and was abandoned in November 2022 after park attendance plummeted by 33%. [8] [9] [10]
The Cedar Point amusement park began as a bathing beach resort in the 1870s, and its growing popularity as a recreational destination led to the formation of Cedar Point Pleasure Resort Company in 1887. The company was founded with the purpose of expanding the resort commercially. An economic depression in the 1890s threatened the resort's future, however. A newly formed business, Cedar Point Pleasure Resort Company of Indiana led by George Arthur Boeckling, purchased Cedar Point for $256,000 in 1897. It was later reorganized as the G.A. Boeckling Company. [11]
The resort thrived under Boeckling's leadership, which lasted through 1931. [11] G.A. Boeckling Company continued to control operations at the amusement park for much of the 20th century. [11] A proposal in 1974 to build an amusement park in Cambridge Township, Michigan, was contemplated and later abandoned the following year. [12] Then in 1978, Cedar Point acquired Valleyfair amusement park. Parent company Cedar Fair Limited Partnership, commonly known as Cedar Fair, was formed in 1983. [13] Its name was derived from both parks – "Cedar" representing Cedar Point and "Fair" representing Valleyfair. [14] The company went public on April 29, 1987. [13] Under Cedar Fair's leadership, Cedar Point grew to become one of the largest amusement parks in the world, and the company increased its portfolio by acquiring other amusement properties throughout the United States. [11]Previous unsuccessful attempts had been made to assimilate Cedar Fair in the decade leading up to the merger. One such deal with Apollo Global Management fell apart in April 2010. [15] On October 2, 2019, Reuters reported that Six Flags had first approached Cedar Fair with a cash-and-stock acquisition offer, although the proposal was quickly rebuffed. [16] [17] In February 2022, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment (now United Parks & Resorts) made an unsolicited all-cash bid to buy Cedar Fair for $3.4 billion; the offer was rejected two weeks later. [18] [19]
Six Flags and Cedar Fair announced their merger on November 2, 2023. [20] Described as a "merger of equals", [20] the combined company would retain the Six Flags name, form a net worth of $8 billion, and create a portfolio of 27 amusement parks, 15 water parks, and 9 resort properties, making it the largest amusement park operator in North America. [20] [21] The merger would also make Cedar Fair stakeholders majority owners, with "unitholders" owning an approximate 51% stake in the new company, and stakeholders of the former Six Flags company owning an approximate 49% stake. [20]
The United States Department of Justice requested more information from the two companies in January 2024; they approved the merger on July 26, 2024. [22] Because stakeholders of the former Six Flags company would hold a minority stake in the new company, these stakeholders overwhelmingly voted to approve the merger on March 12, 2024. [23] The merger was completed on July 1, 2024. [24]
After merger completion on July 1, 2024, the president and CEO of Cedar Fair, Richard Zimmerman, became president and CEO of the new combined company, while Selim Bassoul, the former president and CEO of the former Six Flags company, became the executive chairman of the company's board of directors. [20] The combined company's new headquarters was relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, with significant administrative and financial operations being located at Cedar Fair's former headquarters in Sandusky, Ohio. [21] The newly formed entity commenced trading on the New York Stock Exchange on July 2, 2024, retaining the Six Flags name and Cedar Fair's stock ticker "FUN." [25]
At the time of the merger, Six Flags also clarified that the company did not anticipate making any major changes at the park-level and that all parks would retain their pre-merger names. [24]
In Six Flags' first quarterly earnings meeting in late 2024, they outlined plans for a portfolio optimization in the company, which may include closing or selling off some of its locations. [26] On May 1, 2025, Six Flags announced that the Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor Maryland park complex in Woodmore, Maryland, would close at the end of the 2025 season on November 2, 2025. [27]
On August 6, 2025, Six Flags announced that Richard Zimmerman would step down from his position as CEO and president of the company. [28] [29] His successor, John Reilly, was announced on November 24, 2025. A former executive at Palace Entertainment, Parques Reunidos, and SeaWorld Entertainment, Reilly assumed the CEO position effective December 8, 2025. [30] It was also announced that Zimmerman would additionally step down from the company's board. [31]
Ex-Cedar Fair properties Ex–Six Flags (1961–2024) properties
| Name | Location | Year opened | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| California's Great America | Santa Clara, California | 1976 | Acquired by Cedar Fair following the 2006 purchase of Paramount Parks. The park is planned to close no later than 2033 after the sale of its land in 2022. [32] |
| Canada's Wonderland | Vaughan, Ontario | 1981 | Acquired by Cedar Fair following the 2006 purchase of Paramount Parks. |
| Carowinds | Charlotte, North Carolina | 1973 | Acquired by Cedar Fair following the 2006 purchase of Paramount Parks. |
| Cedar Point | Sandusky, Ohio | 1870 | The oldest park in the company. |
| Dorney Park | Allentown, Pennsylvania | 1884 | Acquired by Cedar Fair in 1992. [33] |
| Frontier City | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 1958 | Owned by EPR Properties; operations lease acquired by former Six Flags in 2018. |
| Kings Dominion | Doswell, Virginia | 1975 | Acquired by Cedar Fair following the 2006 purchase of Paramount Parks. |
| Kings Island | Mason, Ohio | 1972 | Acquired by Cedar Fair following the 2006 purchase of Paramount Parks. |
| Knott's Berry Farm | Buena Park, California | 1920 | Acquired by Cedar Fair from the Knott Family in 1997. [34] |
| La Ronde | Montréal, Quebec | 1967 | Owned by the City of Montreal; emphyteutic lease purchased by former Six Flags in 2001. |
| Michigan's Adventure | Muskegon, Michigan | 1956 | Acquired by Cedar Fair in 2001. |
| Six Flags Darien Lake | Darien, New York | 1981 | Owned by EPR Properties; operations lease acquired by former Six Flags in 2018. |
| Six Flags Discovery Kingdom | Vallejo, California | 1968 | Acquired by former Six Flags in 2007 from the city of Vallejo, California. |
| Six Flags Fiesta Texas | San Antonio, Texas | 1992 | Acquired by Premier Parks in 1998 from USAA. |
| Six Flags Great Adventure | Jackson, New Jersey | 1974 | Part of Six Flags Great Adventure Resort. Acquired by former Six Flags in 1977. |
| Six Flags Great America | Gurnee, Illinois | 1976 | Acquired by former Six Flags from the Marriott Corporation in 1984. |
| Six Flags Great Escape | Queensbury, New York | 1954 | Acquired by former Six Flags in 1996. |
| Six Flags Magic Mountain | Valencia, California | 1971 | Acquired by former Six Flags from the Newhall Land and Farming Company in 1979. [35] |
| Six Flags México | Mexico City, Mexico | 1982 | Acquired by former Six Flags in 1999. [36] |
| Six Flags New England | Agawam, Massachusetts | 1870 | One of the two oldest parks in the chain. Acquired by Premier Parks in 1996. |
| Six Flags Over Georgia | Austell, Georgia | 1967 | The park is majority owned by a limited partnership, managed and operated by Six Flags, of which they will take full ownership by January 2027. |
| Six Flags Over Texas | Arlington, Texas | 1961 | The first theme park built by former Six Flags. The park is partly owned by a limited partnership and is majority-owned, managed, and operated by Six Flags. |
| Six Flags St. Louis | Eureka, Missouri | 1971 | Formerly known as Six Flags Over Mid-America. |
| Valleyfair | Shakopee, Minnesota | 1976 | Acquired by Cedar Point in 1978, which led to the formation of Cedar Fair in 1983. [37] |
| Worlds of Fun | Kansas City, Missouri | 1973 | Acquired by Cedar Fair in 1995. [38] |

| Name | Location | Year opened | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Located in amusement parks | |||
| Carolina Harbor | Charlotte, North Carolina | 1982 | Located within the grounds of Carowinds. It was acquired by Cedar Fair following the 2006 purchase of Paramount Parks. |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor | Queensbury, New York | 1995 | Located within the grounds of Six Flags Great Escape. It was acquired with the park by Premier Parks in 1996. |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor | Austell, Georgia | 2014 | Located within the grounds of Six Flags Over Georgia. |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor | Eureka, Missouri | 1999 | Located adjacent to Six Flags St. Louis. |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Darien Lake | Darien, New York | 1990 | Located within the grounds of Six Flags Darien Lake. Owned by EPR Properties; operations leased purchased by former Six Flags in 2018. |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor New England | Agawam, Massachusetts | 1997 | Located within the grounds of Six Flags New England. |
| Oceans of Fun | Kansas City, Missouri | 1982 | Located adjacent to Worlds of Fun. It was acquired by Cedar Fair in 1995. [39] |
| Soak City | Doswell, Virginia | 1992 | Located within the grounds of Kings Dominion. It was acquired by Cedar Fair following the 2006 purchase of Paramount Parks. |
| Soak City | Mason, Ohio | 1989 | Located adjacent to Kings Island. It was acquired by Cedar Fair following the 2006 purchase of Paramount Parks. |
| Soak City | Shakopee, Minnesota | 1983 | Located within the grounds of Valleyfair. |
| South Bay Shores | Santa Clara, California | 2004 | Located within the grounds of California's Great America. It was acquired by Cedar Fair following the 2006 purchase of Paramount Parks. |
| Splash Works | Vaughan, Ontario | 1992 | Located adjacent to Canada's Wonderland. It was acquired by Cedar Fair following the 2006 purchase of Paramount Parks. |
| WildWater Adventure | Muskegon, Michigan | 1991 | Located adjacent to Michigan's Adventure. It was acquired by Cedar Fair alongside the park in 2001. |
| Wildwater Kingdom | Allentown, Pennsylvania | 1985 | Acquired by Cedar Fair in 1992. [33] Located on the property of Dorney Park. |
| Wild West Water Works | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 2017 | Located within the grounds of Frontier City and was acquired by former Six Flags alongside Frontier City. Owned by EPR Properties; operated by Six Flags. |
| Separate admission or property | |||
| Cedar Point Shores | Sandusky, Ohio | 1988 | Located adjacent to Cedar Point. |
| Knott's Soak City | Buena Park, California | 2000 | Located adjacent to Knott's Berry Farm. |
| Schlitterbahn Galveston | Galveston, Texas | 2006 | Purchased by Cedar Fair in 2019 from the Henry family. |
| Schlitterbahn New Braunfels | New Braunfels, Texas | 1979 | Purchased by Cedar Fair in 2019 from the Henry family. |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Arlington | Arlington, Texas | 1983 | Acquired from Wet 'n Wild. Located across Interstate 30 from Six Flags Over Texas. |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Concord | Concord, California | 1995 | Owned by EPR Properties; operations lease purchased by former Six Flags in 2017. [40] It is located about 15 miles from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago | Gurnee, Illinois | 2005 | Located adjacent to Six Flags Great America. |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Los Angeles | Valencia, California | 1995 | Located adjacent to Six Flags Magic Mountain. |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor New Jersey | Jackson, New Jersey | 2000 | Located in the Six Flags Great Adventure Resort. |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Oaxtepec | Oaxtepec, Mexico | 2017 | Purchased by former Six Flags in 2017. |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 1981 | Located about 15 miles from Frontier City. Owned by EPR Properties; operated by Six Flags. |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix | Phoenix, Arizona | 2009 | Owned by EPR Properties; operated by Six Flags. |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Rockford | Cherry Valley, Illinois | 1984 | Owned by the Rockford Park District; operated by Six Flags under a ten-year lease agreement beginning April 1, 2019. |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor San Antonio | San Antonio, Texas | 1992 | Located adjacent to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. [41] |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown | Spring, Texas | 1984 | Owned by EPR Properties; operations lease purchased by former Six Flags in 2017. |
| Six Flags White Water | Marietta, Georgia | 1983 | Located about 15 miles from Six Flags Over Georgia. Owned under the same limited partnership as its sister park but operated by Six Flags. Six Flags will take on full ownership of the park beginning in 2027. [42] |
| Name | Location | Year opened | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castaway Bay | Sandusky, Ohio | 2004 | Located inside the resort of the same name. |
| White Water Bay | Queensbury, New York | 2006 | Located inside Six Flags Great Escape Lodge. |
| Name | Location | Year opened | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Six Flags Wild Safari Adventure | Jackson, New Jersey | 1974 | Located in the Six Flags Great Adventure Resort. |
| Name | Location | Year opened | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castaway Bay | Sandusky, Ohio | 2004 | Located about a mile from Cedar Point. Contains an indoor water park of the same name. |
| Six Flags Darien Lake Hotel & Campground | Darien, New York | 1954 | Located across from Six Flags Darien Lake, existing prior to the park's construction. The complex contains a hotel that opened in 1998, a campground with cabins, guest houses and rentable RVs; Darien Square and Darien Lake Performing Arts Center. |
| Six Flags Great Escape Lodge | Queensbury, New York | 2006 | Located across from Six Flags Great Escape. Contains the White Water Bay Waterpark inside the grounds. |
| Six Flags Savannah Sunset Resort & Spa | Jackson, New Jersey | 2024 | Located within the Six Flags Great Adventure Resort. |
| Name | Location | Year opening | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Six Flags Qiddiya City | Qiddiya City, Saudi Arabia | 2025 (expected) [43] | This will be the first Six Flags-branded theme park in Saudi Arabia, and the first Six Flags park outside of North America since 2004. | [44] |
| Name | Location | Year opened | Year closed/sold | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Six Flags America | Woodmore, Maryland | 1974 | 2025 | Acquired by the Tierco Group in 1992. The park closed on November 2, 2025. [45] |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Maryland | Woodmore, Maryland | 1982 | 2025 | Located within the grounds of Six Flags America; acquired by the Tierco Group in 1992. [46] The park closed on September 6, 2025. [47] [48] [49] |
Fast Lane is an expedited queue system in use at Six Flags parks. It was originally in use at legacy Cedar Fair parks, and was first announced for Kings Island on July 18, 2011. [50] The park served as the testing park for the system. For an increased cost, visitors get a wrist band which gives them the ability to wait in a shorter queue for most attractions. Originally, it could only be used from noon to 7:00 PM, but it was soon expanded to be available all day. Fast Lane would be rolled out to all Cedar Fair parks for the 2012 season. [51] There is also Fright Lane, which is Fast Lane for the haunted attractions during the Halloween events. [52] For the 2016 season, Cedar Fair began testing all season Fast Lane at Valleyfair and Dorney Park. By the 2019 season, all Cedar Fair parks offered all season Fast Lane.
All legacy Six Flags parks will transition to Fast Lane from The Flash Pass beginning in January 2026, ultimately retiring the Flash Pass system. [53]
The Flash Pass is an optional, pay-per-person virtual queue system offered at amusement parks operated by Six Flags before the merger. The system, named after DC Comics character The Flash, 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 in 2001. Guests are given handheld devices, which are then used to make reservations and receive notifications when it is their turn to ride. [54] 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. [55]
A water park version of the virtual system called Q-band was first tested at Six Flags White Water in 2011. [56] [57] Guests wear waterproof RFID wristbands that can be scanned at kiosks near participating water park attractions. [58]
The Flash Pass is expected to be removed by the end of the 2025 season, with all legacy Six Flags parks transitioning to the Fast Lane system in 2026. [53]
At Legacy Six Flags parks, THE FLASH Pass program, and associated all season products, will be retired at the end of 2025 and transitioned to Fast Lane.