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This article is about the current company following a 2024 merger. For the historic company, see Six Flags (1961–2024). For the other merged predecessor, see Cedar Fair.

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American multinational amusement park company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, with administrative offices in Sandusky, Ohio. It was formed on July 1, 2024, through the merger of Cedar Fair and the former Six Flags company. The company has 34 properties in North America, including 20 amusement parks and 14 water parks with nine on-site resorts. The company also manages two parks in Saudi Arabia.

Six Flags is the largest regional amusement park operator in North America and the fifth-largest amusement park operator in the world by attendance, hosting 50.3 million guests in 2024.[3][4] The company holds exclusive theme park rights to use Warner Bros. intellectual properties such as Looney Tunes and DC Comics, while Peanuts characters are featured at select parks. Six Flags trades under the stock ticker “FUN” on the New York Stock Exchange.

Background

Cedar Fair

Main article: Cedar Fair

Cedar Fair, L.P was founded in 1983 after Cedar Point, an amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, acquired Valleyfair in Shakopee, Minnesota, in 1978. The company’s name was derived from both parks—”Cedar” from Cedar Point and “Fair” from Valleyfair. Cedar Fair became publicly traded on April 29, 1987.[5][6] The company would increase its portfolio through acquisitions of amusement parks throughout the United States. Through its 1997 acquisition of Knott’s Berry Farm, the company gained licensing rights to use Peanuts intellectual properties within its parks.[7] In 2006, Cedar Fair acquired five amusement parks in the purchase of Paramount Parks from CBS Corporation for US$1.24 billion.[8] Shortly after the acquisitions, the company would begin to do business as under the name Cedar Fair Entertainment Company.[9]

Cedar Fair faced multiple failed acquisition attempts prior to the merger. Private equity company Apollo Global Management announced plans to take over Cedar Fair in late-2009 and make it into a private company. However, Cedar Fair’s unitholders did not support the acquisition, which derailed the transaction in 2010.[10] In 2019, Six Flags approached Cedar Fair with a cash-and-stock acquisition offer, which was quickly rejected.[11][12] Almost three years later in 2022, SeaWorld Entertainment (now United Parks & Resorts) made an unsolicited all-cash bid to buy Cedar Fair for $3.4 billion; this offer was rejected two weeks later.[13][14] In order to lower overall corporate debts, the company sold California’s Great America in Santa Clara, California, on June 27, 2022, to real estate developer Prologis for $310 million.[15] By the end of 2022, Cedar Fair reported it had around $2.2 billion in net debt.[16]

Former Six Flags company

Main article: Six Flags (1961–2024)
Six Flags Over Texas was the first Six Flags theme park, opening in 1961.

Six Flags Theme Parks, Inc. 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 its properties;[17] 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.[18] Premier began to apply the Six Flags name to several of its 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.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted operations.

New management continued to sell off various American amusement park locations throughout 2006–2007, although the 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.[19]

Jim Reid-Anderson was instated as chairman, president and CEO on August 13, 2010. 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. Mike Spanos succeeded Reid-Anderson in late 2019. 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.[20] The initiative and various comments made by Bassoul proved controversial with shareholders, and was abandoned in November 2022 after park attendance plummeted by 33%.[21][22][23]

History

Merger

Announcement

The headquarters of Cedar Fair (top) and Six Flags (bottom) prior to the 2024 merger.

Following initial contact by Cedar Fair in July 2023 and subsequent negotiations,[24] longtime competitors Cedar Fair and Six Flags announced a merger on November 2, 2023. The announcement came at a time when amusement parks struggled to raise attendance after the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the need for financial stability, cost efficiency, and to compete with destination theme parks.[25][26][3] Both companies anticipated US$120 million in cost synergies within two years following the merger’s completion.[27] Including debt, it would form an enterprise value of US$8 billion, creating a portfolio of 27 amusement parks, 15 water parks, with 9 resort properties, making the newly formed company the largest amusement park operator in North America.[28][29][30]

Described as a “merger of equals“,[28] Cedar Fair shareholders would become majority owners, owning a 51.2% stake in the new company, while Six Flags shareholders would own a 48.8% stake. The merger was executed as an all-stock transaction: each Cedar Fair share was exchanged for one share in the new company, while each Six Flags share was exchanged for 0.58 shares.[31][32] It was structured through a newly formed holding company named CopperSteel HoldCo, Inc., which both companies would merge into.[33] Upon completion, Cedar Fair and Six Flags would dissolve, and CopperSteel HoldCo, Inc. was to be renamed to Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, trading under Cedar Fair’s ticker symbol, FUN, on the New York Stock Exchange.[33]

Approval

The board of directors of both companies had approved the merger at the time of initial announcement.[34] The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) launched an antitrust review process of the merger on January 22, 2024, and issued a second request for additional information from both companies.[35][36] On January 25, 2024, the Mexican Federal Competition Commission approved the merger.[33] Six Flags shareholders overwhelmingly voted to approve the merger on March 12, 2024, with approximately 80% of votes cast in favor.[37][38] The DOJ gave its approval on June 26, 2024, allowing the companies to finalize the merger,[39][40] which was completed on July 1, 2024.[41]

Opposition

Immediately after the merger’s announcement, activist investment firm Land & Buildings Investment Management, which held a 1% stake in Six Flags, opposed the merger, stating that the deal “does not maximize value for all shareholders.”[42]

Since the merger was structured so that Cedar Fair unitholders would hold a 51.2% majority, it did not require a vote by Cedar Fair unitholders.[43] In December 2023, investment firm Neuberger Berman, which held a 3% stake in Cedar Fair, accused the companies of purposefully structuring the deal so that Cedar Fair unitholders were disenfranchised, asserting that the merger would not be approved if Cedar Fair unitholders were allowed to vote.[44][45]

Post-merger operations

The company’s headquarters were relocated five miles northeast of its Carowinds park (pictured) in Charlotte, North Carolina.

After the merger’s completion on July 1, 2024, the president and CEO of Cedar Fair, Richard Zimmerman, became president and CEO of the new combined company. Selim Bassoul, the president and CEO of the former Six Flags company, became the executive chairman of the company’s board of directors.[28] The combined company’s headquarters was relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, five miles northeast of its Carowinds park, with significant administrative and financial operations based at Cedar Fair’s former headquarters in Sandusky, Ohio.[29][46] Six Flags clarified at the time of merger that the company did not anticipate making any major changes at the park-level and that all properties would retain their pre-merger names.[41] Stocks for both Cedar Fair and the former Six Flags company ceased trading on the New York Stock Exchange, and the newly formed entity commenced trading on July 2, 2024 under the ticker symbol FUN.[47]

In late-2024, Six Flags outlined plans for a portfolio optimization in the company, which may include closing or selling off some of its locations.[48] The company filed plans with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on December 17, 2024, that it would acquire the remaining limited partnership units of Six Flags Over Georgia, Hurricane Harbor Atlanta, and Six Flags White Water by January 12, 2027. The transaction would cost US$332.6 million, and would increase Six Flags’ ownership of the three parks from 31.5% to full ownership.[49]

On February 10, 2025, Six Flags and Qiddiya Investment Company announced that it had signed a management services agreement to provide operational support and brand licensing to two theme parks in the Qiddiya City megaproject in Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia. These parks would be the Six Flags Qiddiya City theme park and Aquarabia water park.[50][51][52]

Six Flags America in Woodmore, Maryland, permanently closed on November 2, 2025.

On May 1, 2025, the company announced it would permanently close the Six Flags America theme park and its accompanying water park, Hurricane Harbor Maryland, in Woodmore, Maryland. The company cited that the park were “not a strategic fit with the company’s long term plan,” and that the property would be redeveloped.[53] Hurricane Harbor Maryland closed on September 6, 2025, and Six Flags America closed on November 2, 2025.[54][55] In late-May 2025, Six Flags announced plans to reduce 10% of its full-time employees, equating to approximately 500 employees.[56] The layoffs included eliminating the park president role at all of its 27 amusement parks as the company moved to a regional operating structure, completing these layoffs by June.[57]

On August 6, 2025, Six Flags announced that President and CEO Richard Zimmerman would step down by the end of the year.[58][59][60] Later, on October 10, 2025, it was announced that Bassoul, executive chairman, would step down by the end of 2025, but would stay to consult for the upcoming Six Flags Qiddiya City.[61] John Reilly, a former executive at Palace Entertainment, Parques Reunidos, and SeaWorld Entertainment, assumed the president and CEO position effective December 8, 2025, replacing Zimmerman.[62] Marilyn Spiegel, who served as a board member since 2023 for both the former Six Flags company and current company, replaced Bassoul as a non-executive chair on January 1, 2026.[63]

Six Flags St. Louis (top) and Valleyfair (bottom) were sold to EPR Properties on April 6, 2026. These were original parks within their legacy chain.

The company announced on January 5, 2026, that it did not intend to acquire its remaining stake in Six Flags Over Texas, citing “the contractual terms do not currently align with [its] capital allocation priorities.”[64]

On March 5, 2026, Six Flags announced that it would divest seven of its theme parks, selling the parks to EPR Properties for US$331 million.[65] These parks include Valleyfair, Worlds of Fun, Michigan’s Adventure, Schlitterbahn Galveston, Six Flags St. Louis, Six Flags Great Escape, and La Ronde.[66] The sale of these parks follows the registration of the “Enchanted Parks” trademarks to the United States Patent and Trademark Office in early-January 2026;[67] Enchanted Parks will partner with EPR to operate six of the parks, while La Ronde Operations will operate La Ronde.[65][68] The sale of the United States parks was completed on April 6, 2026,[69] while the sale of La Ronde was completed on May 14, 2026.[70][71]

Richard Haddrill became the company’s executive chairman on March 25, 2026, with Spiegel becoming the lead independent director.[72] After laying off 27 park presidents in 2025, the company reversed its decision in mid-April 2026, choosing to reinstate the role at 10 parks in “key markets.”[73]

Properties

Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
1000km
621miles
Six Flags Qiddiya City / Aquarabia Qiddiya City
Six Flags Qiddiya City / Aquarabia Qiddiya City
Six Flags White Water
Six Flags White Water
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Rockford
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Rockford
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Oklahoma City
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Oklahoma City
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Concord
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Concord
Schlitterbahn New Braunfels
Schlitterbahn New Braunfels
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Oaxtepec
Six Flags Mexico
Six Flags Mexico
Six Flags Darien Lake
Six Flags Darien Lake
Canada's Wonderland
Canada's Wonderland
Six Flags Great America / Hurricane Harbor Chicago
Six Flags Great America / Hurricane Harbor Chicago
California's Great America
California's Great America
Kings Dominion
Kings Dominion
Six Flags Great Adventure Resort: Six Flags Great Adventure / Hurricane Harbor New Jersey / Wild Safari
Six Flags Great Adventure Resort: Six Flags Great Adventure / Hurricane Harbor New Jersey / Wild Safari
Carowinds
Carowinds
Kings Island
Kings Island
Six Flags Magic Mountain / Hurricane Harbor Los Angeles
Six Flags Magic Mountain / Hurricane Harbor Los Angeles
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Texas / Hurricane Harbor Arlington
Six Flags Over Texas / Hurricane Harbor Arlington
Frontier City
Frontier City
Knott's Berry Farm / Knott's Soak City
Knott's Berry Farm / Knott's Soak City
Dorney Park
Dorney Park
Six Flags New England
Six Flags New England
Cedar Point Resort: Cedar Point / Cedar Point Shores
Cedar Point Resort: Cedar Point / Cedar Point Shores
   
Interactive map of all Six Flags parks.
Amusement parks
Stand-alone water parks

As of 2026, Six Flags operates 34 properties: 20 amusement parks and 14 separately-gated water parks, with nine on-site resorts in North America.[74] Additionally, the company licenses and manages two parks within the Qiddiya City megaproject in Saudi Arabia.[50]

Amusement parks

The following table only includes main amusement parks counted towards Six Flags’ total property count.

  Ex-Cedar Fair properties
  Ex–Six Flags (1961–2024) properties

Name Location Year opened Notes
California’s Great America Santa Clara, California 1976 Land owned by Prologis; the park is planned to close no later than 2033.[75] Includes the South Bay Shores water park.
Canada’s Wonderland Vaughan, Ontario 1981 Includes the Splash Works water park.
Carowinds Charlotte, North Carolina 1973 Includes the Carolina Harbor water park.
Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio 1870 Includes five resort properties and the Cedar Point Sports Center sports complex facility.[2] Located adjacent to the separately-gated water park Cedar Point Shores, which is counted as a separate property.
Dorney Park Allentown, Pennsylvania 1884 Includes the WildWater Kingdom water park.
Frontier City Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1958 Land owned by EPR Properties; operated by Six Flags under lease.[2] Includes the Wild West Water Works water park.
Kings Dominion Doswell, Virginia 1975 Includes the Soak City water park.
Kings Island Mason, Ohio 1972 Includes the Soak City water park.
Knott’s Berry Farm Buena Park, California 1920 Includes the Knott’s Hotel resort. Adjacent to the separately-gated water park Knott’s Soak City, which is counted as a separate property.
Six Flags Darien Lake Darien, New York 1981 Owned by EPR Properties; operated by Six Flags under lease.[2] Includes the Hurricane Harbor water park and Six Flags Darien Lake lodging facilities.
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Vallejo, California 1968 —
Six Flags Fiesta Texas San Antonio, Texas 1992 Includes the Hurricane Harbor San Antonio water park.
Six Flags Great Adventure Jackson, New Jersey 1974 Includes the Savannah Sunset Resort. Located adjacent to the separately-gated water park Hurricane Harbor New Jersey and Six Flags Wild Safari safari park; Hurricane Harbor New Jersey and Wild Safari are counted as separate properties.[2]
Six Flags Great America Gurnee, Illinois 1976 Located adjacent to the separately-gated water park Hurricane Harbor Chicago, which is counted as a separate property.
Six Flags Magic Mountain Valencia, California 1971 Located adjacent to the separately-gated water park Hurricane Harbor Los Angeles, which is counted as a separate property.
Six Flags México Mexico City, Mexico 1982 Land owned by the Federal District of Mexico City; operated by Six Flags under lease.[2]
Six Flags New England Agawam, Massachusetts 1870 Includes the Hurricane Harbor water park.
Six Flags Over Georgia Austell, Georgia 1967 Owned by Six Flags Over Georgia Ltd., a limited partnership; managed and operated by Six Flags, of which they will take full ownership by January 2027.[2] Includes the Hurricane Harbor water park.
Six Flags Over Texas Arlington, Texas 1961 Owned by Texas Flags Ltd., a limited partnership; majority-owned, managed, and operated by Six Flags.[2] Located adjacent to the separately-gated Hurricane Harbor Arlington water park, which is counted as a separate property.

Water parks

The following table only includes separately-gated water parks counted towards Six Flags’ total property count.[76]

Name Location Year opened Notes
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 New Braunfels New Braunfels, Texas 1979 Located approximately 35 miles from Six Flags Fiesta Texas.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Arlington Arlington, Texas 1983 Located across Interstate 30 from Six Flags Over Texas.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Concord Concord, California 1995 Land owned by EPR Properties; operated by Six Flags under lease.[2] Located approximately 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 within the Six Flags Great Adventure Resort.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Oaxtepec Oaxtepec, Mexico 2017 Land owned by the Mexican Social Security Institute; operated by Six Flags under lease.[2]
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Oklahoma City Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1981 Land owned by EPR Properties; operated by Six Flags under lease.[2] Located approximately 15 miles from Frontier City.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix Phoenix, Arizona 2009 Land owned by EPR Properties; operated by Six Flags under lease.[2]
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Rockford Cherry Valley, Illinois 1984 Land owned by the Rockford Park District; operated by Six Flags under lease.[2]
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown Spring, Texas 1984 Land owned by EPR Properties; operated by Six Flags under lease.[2]
Six Flags White Water Marietta, Georgia 1983 Owned by Six Flags Over Georgia Ltd., a limited partnership; managed and operated by Six Flags, of which they will take full ownership by January 2027.[2] Located approximately 15 miles from Six Flags Over Georgia.

Resorts

Name Location Year opened Notes
Castaway Bay Sandusky, Ohio 2004 Located within Cedar Point Resorts, containing an indoor water park.
Cedar Point Express Hotel Sandusky, Ohio 2017 Located within Cedar Point Resorts.
Hotel Breakers Sandusky, Ohio 1905 Located within Cedar Point Resorts.
Knott’s Hotel Buena Park, California 1968 Located near Knott’s Berry Farm.
Lighthouse Point Sandusky, Ohio 2001 Located within Cedar Point Resorts.
Sawmill Creek Resort Huron, Ohio 1972 Located within Cedar Point Resorts, eight miles from the park.
Six Flags Savannah Sunset Resort & Spa Jackson, New Jersey 2024 Located within Six Flags Great Adventure Resorts
Six Flags Darien Lake Hotel & Campground Darien, New York 1954 Located across from Six Flags Darien Lake, containing a hotel named Lodge on the Lake, a campground with cabins, guest houses, and rentable RVs; Darien Square, and Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.
The Resorts at Schlitterbahn New Braunfels New Braunfels, Texas 1979 Located within Schlitterbahn New Braunfels.

Licensed and managed parks

Name Location Year Opened Note
Six Flags Qiddiya City Qiddiya City, Saudi Arabia 2025 Owned by the Qiddiya Investment Company; licensed and operated by Six Flags under a management services agreement.[50]
Aquarabia Qiddiya City 2026

Former properties

Name Location Year closed/sold Fate
Six Flags America Woodmore, Maryland 2025 Permanently closed on November 2, 2025, including the Hurricane Harbor Maryland water park.
Michigan’s Adventure Muskegon, Michigan 2026 Sold to EPR Properties on April 6, 2026, with Enchanted Parks as its operator. The WildWater Adventure water park was included in this sale.
Schlitterbahn Galveston Galveston, Texas 2026 Sold to EPR Properties on April 6, 2026, with Enchanted Parks as its operator.
Six Flags Great Escape Queensbury, New York 2026 Sold to EPR Properties on April 6, 2026, with Enchanted Parks as its operator. The Hurricane Harbor water park and Six Flags Great Escape Lodge hotel was included in this sale.
Six Flags St. Louis Eureka, Missouri 2026 Sold to EPR Properties on April 6, 2026, with Enchanted Parks as its operator. The Hurricane Harbor St. Louis water park was included in this sale.
Valleyfair Shakopee, Minnesota 2026 Sold to EPR Properties on April 6, 2026, with Enchanted Parks as its operator. The Soak City water park was included in this sale.
Worlds of Fun Kansas City, Missouri 2026 Sold to EPR Properties on April 6, 2026, with Enchanted Parks as its operator. The Oceans of Fun water park was included in this sale.
La Ronde Montréal, Quebec 2026 Sold to EPR Properties on May 14, 2026, with La Ronde Operations as its operator.

Corporate affairs

Six Flags is a public company, trading under the ticker symbol “FUN” on the New York Stock Exchange.[47] It is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and maintains significant administrative offices at the Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio.[46][77]

Leadership

Board of directors

As of May 26, 2026, the current Six Flags board of directors are:[78]

Executives

As of June 3, 2026, the current Six Flags executive team consists of:[79]

Ash Walia will become the company’s chief financial officer effective June 17, 2026.[80]

Ownership

As of March 31, 2026, the ten largest shareholders are:[81]

Shareholder Shares
BlackRock 15,161,824
UBS 9,114,678
Darlington Partners Capital Management 8,700,000
Morgan Stanley 5,924,427
Vanguard Portfolio Management 5,140,845
Sachem Head Capital Management 5,030,000
Dendur Capital 4,953,000
H Partners Management 4,650,000
Vanguard Capital Management 4,207,390
Jana Partners 4,116,009

Finances

Attendance

Company attendance

The following figures refer to the Themed Entertainment Association‘s amusement park operator rankings by attendance.

Year Rank Attendance Ref.
2024 5 50,300,000 [82]

Top ranked parks

The following figures refer to Six Flags parks that ranked among the top 20 most attended amusement parks in North America per year, as reported by the Themed Entertainment Association.

North America rank Park Attendance (in millions)
2024[82]
10 Knott’s Berry Farm 4.503
14 Cedar Point 3.780
15 Kings Island 3.465
16 Six Flags Magic Mountain 3.317
17 Canada’s Wonderland 3.264
19 Six Flags Great America 3.045

Business model

See also: Fast Lane (Six Flags)
Admission gates to Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California in 2025.

Six Flags generates revenue through three primary sources: park admissions (51.1%), in-park spending (33.5%), and other revenue (15.4%).[d] The company offers season passes, usually priced lower than competitors. These passes are priced based on a park’s market and operating season, as well as monthly memberships at legacy Six Flags parks.[83][84] While per-capita revenue from season passholders is lower per visit, their total annual spend is higher. Six Flags has emphasized increasing attendance volume and in-park spending frequency to increase revenue.[85]

Additional revenue sources come from special events such as the Halloween events Fright Fest and Haunt, as well as winter events Holiday in the Park and Winterfest. Six Flags’ Halloween events utilize popular intellectual properties to increase attendance.[86] A prevalent paid add-on is Fast Lane, an expedited queuing system, offered at the company’s parks. Guests pay an additional fee to access either a shorter queue or a virtual queue on select attractions.[87]

Marketing and licensing

Marketing efforts

Travis Kelce serves as Six Flags’ brand ambassador.

In April 2025, Six Flags launched its first post-merger national brand campaign “We’re Serious About Fun.” The new ad campaign introduces a new mascot character, the Funsultant, known for deadpan delivery. It was developed by the creative agency The Marketing Arm (TMA), and was launched for television, digital, out-of-home, social media and email.[88]

American football player Travis Kelce became Six Flags’ brand ambassador in March 2026, partnering with the company on marketing efforts.[89] Kelce had partnered with activist investor firm Jana Partners in October 2025, which acquired a 9% stake in Six Flags.[90]

Licensing and partnerships

The DC Universe themed area at Six Flags Great America.
The Planet Snoopy themed area at Dorney Park.

Six Flags currently holds theme park rights to two intellectual properties: Warner Bros. and Peanuts. The company’s agreement with Warner Bros. grants access to use Looney Tunes and DC Comics properties in its theme parks in North America, with the exception of the Las Vegas metropolitan area and Florida.[74] The Peanuts intellectual properties are licensed for use in the United States and Canada at select legacy Cedar Fair parks only;[e] Six Flags renewed its licensing agreement with Peanuts Worldwide through 2030.[92]

Six Flags maintains a partnership with online travel agency Tripster to provide its white-label booking system to provide park admission and lodging package bundles at its parks, branded as the Hotel Partner Program by Six Flags.[93][94]

The Six Flags brand is licensed to the Qiddiya Investment Company for Six Flags Qiddiya City, a park that Six Flags operates and manages.[2] Additionally, EPR Properties retains access to use the Six Flags brands at the parks it has acquired from Six Flags for the 2026 season.[69]

Other in-park partnerships include food vendors such as Blue Bunny Ice Cream, Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, The Icee Company, and Mars Inc.[95][96] Six Flags maintains multiple partnerships with on-ride photo vendors, with Pomvom operating at legacy Six Flags parks and Colorvision International at legacy Cedar Fair parks, with the exception of Dorney Park; Dorney Park’s photo vendor is Kaman’s Art Shoppes.[97][98][99] The company’s technology provider is Accesso, utilizing the Accesso Passport ticketing suite for e-commerce.[100]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Managed/licensed parks in Saudi Arabia.
  2. ^ Reflects total outstanding passholders as of May 3, 2026.[1]
  3. ^ Employee count includes 91,000 seasonal/part-time employees and 4,225 full-time employees.
  4. ^ Attributed to Six Flags’ Form 10-K for the 2025 fiscal year.[2]
  5. ^ The legacy Cedar Fair parks that use Peanuts characters are: California’s Great America, Canada’s Wonderland, Carowinds, Cedar Point, Dorney Park, Kings Dominion, Kings Island, and Knott’s Berry Farm.[91]

References

  1. ^ “Six Flags Entertainment Corporation Reports 2026 First Quarter Results”. Six Flags. May 7, 2026. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s “Six Flags Entertainment Corporation/NEW – Form 10-K FY 2025” (PDF). investors.sixflags.com. February 19, 2026. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  3. ^ a b Meyersohn, Nathaniel (July 6, 2024). “These two amusement park giants just merged. Rollercoaster fans are nervous”. CNN. Archived from the original on December 23, 2025. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  4. ^ Niles, Robert (October 23, 2025). “Disney continues to lead attendance in 2024, as Universal slips”. Theme Park Insider. Archived from the original on December 24, 2025. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  5. ^ “Cedar Fair, Form 10-K, Annual Report, Filing Date Mar 23, 1994”. Securities and Exchange Commission. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  6. ^ “Cedar Fair, Form 10-K, Annual Report, Filing Date Mar 23, 1994”. Securities and Exchange Commission. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  7. ^ Niles, Robert (September 12, 2017). “Snoopy stay home: Cedar Fair extends its ‘Peanuts’ license deal”. Theme Park Insider. Archived from the original on March 10, 2026. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  8. ^ “Cedar Fair to Acquire Paramount Parks”. The Point Online. May 22, 2006. Archived from the original on August 14, 2007. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
  9. ^ “Cedar Fair to call self entertainment company”. Toledo Blade. October 25, 2006. Archived from the original on August 15, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  10. ^ Davies, Megan (April 6, 2010). “Apollo’s deal for Cedar Fair collapses”. Reuters. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  11. ^ “Exclusive: Six Flags in bid to acquire Cedar Fair-source”. Reuters. October 2, 2019. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  12. ^ Roumeliotis, Greg (2019-10-04). “Exclusive: Cedar Fair rebuffs $4 billion offer from Six Flags – sources”. Reuters. Archived from the original on 2023-04-03. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  13. ^ Hammond, Ed (February 1, 2022). “SeaWorld Makes $3.4 Billion Takeover Bid for Cedar Fair”. Bloomberg. Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  14. ^ “SEAWORLD ENTERTAINMENT, INC. MAKES STATEMENT CONCERNING CEDAR FAIR”. Cision PR Newswire (Press release). PR Newswire Association LLC. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
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