Six Flags has hung a For Sale signal out in entrance of two parks within the Washington, D.C. space and is trying to promote extra of the 42 areas within the North American amusement park chain following an $8 billion merger with rival Cedar Honest.
Six Flags introduced on Thursday, Could 1 that the Six Flags America amusement park and Hurricane Harbor water park in Maryland will shut after the 2025 season.
The 2 parks sitting on 500 acres in Bowie, Maryland, can be offered and marketed for redevelopment as a part of Six Flags’ ongoing portfolio assessment.
“We have determined that Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor are not a strategic fit with the company’s long-term growth plan,” Six Flags CEO Richard Zimmerman mentioned in an announcement. “We anticipate strong interest in the property and will continue to strategically pursue portfolio optimization opportunities as we work to unlock the full value of our portfolio.”
Six Flags America opened for the season on April 12 and can completely shut on Nov. 2 after the Halloween season.
Six Flags introduced that some smaller parks within the chain have been up on the market through the firm’s quarterly earnings name in February after finishing a complete portfolio assessment following the merger of Six Flags and Cedar Honest in July.
Six Flags plans to share extra particulars about its long-term technique at an upcoming investor day on Could 20 at Ohio’s Cedar Level theme park.
Six Flags America appeared like a possible contender to be offered after the Cedar Honest-Six Flags merger. The Maryland amusement park and Virginia’s Kings Dominion each compete for guests within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan space.
Six Flags has two different markets with competing parks — Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Space.
Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain are among the many chain’s two greatest attendance attracts and aren’t prone to be offered anytime quickly.
The San Francisco Bay Space rivalry will quickly kind itself out with California’s Nice America set to shut within the subsequent few years — leaving solely Six Flags Discovery Kingdom within the Bay Space.
Which parks could be up on the market or in play? And which of them are untouchable or secure for now?
Let’s check out all the chances.
Riders crest the highest hat component on the Xcelerator curler coaster at Knott’s Berry Farm in 2018. (Picture by Mindy Schauer / Orange County Register) Mindy Schauer / Orange County Register
Untouchable Parks
The chain’s eight largest parks primarily based on attendance embody Buena Park’s Knott’s Berry Farm (4.2 million annual guests), Ohio’s Cedar Level (4 million), Ohio’s Kings Island (3.5 million), Valencia’s Six Flags Magic Mountain (3.4 million), Canada’s Wonderland (3.2 million), Illinois’ Six Flags Nice America (3 million), New Jersey’s Six Flags Nice Journey (2.5 million) and Six Flags Mexico (2 million), in line with the TEA/AECOM report.
These areas look like core properties within the new Six Flags and seem like untouchable in the intervening time.
Protected For Now
4 extra of the chain’s parks are positioned near main metropolitan areas: Philadelphia (Dorney Park), Dallas/Fort Price (Six Flags Over Texas), Atlanta (Six Flags Over Georgia) and Boston (Six Flags New England).
With none main native competitors, these areas appear secure for now.
Fury 325 at Carowinds debuted because the tallest and quickest model of the wildly standard Giga coaster mannequin from Swiss designers Bolliger & Mabillard. (Courtesy of Carowinds) Carowinds
On the Bubble
4 parks within the chain sit on the bubble in mid-sized metropolitan areas: Carowinds (Charlotte, North Carolina), Six Flags Fiesta Texas (San Antonio, Texas), La Ronde (Montreal) and Six Flags St. Louis (Missouri).
Carowinds is probably going secure since Six Flags company headquarters is now positioned in Charlotte.
The opposite three parks could possibly be available on the market if Six Flags finds the precise bidder.
Probably For Sale
That leaves the six smallest parks within the chain — Frontier Metropolis (Oklahoma Metropolis), Six Flags Darien Lake (Buffalo, New York), Valleyfair (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Worlds of Enjoyable (Kansas Metropolis, Missouri), Six Flags Nice Escape (Albany, New York) and Michigan’s Journey (Grand Rapids).
Michigan’s Journey may argue that it’s close to Detroit and Chicago, however possible couldn’t compete with the larger Cedar Level or Six Flags Nice America.
The dueling Six Flags parks in upstate New York have coexisted for years — however are each among the many smallest within the chain. Six Flags doesn’t personal Darien Lake and solely serves because the lease operator, which possible means prices are decrease there.
The Black Snake water slide on the Hurricane Harbor water park at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia. (Particular to The Press-Enterprise)
Water Parks
The water parks within the newly mixed chain all draw fewer than 1 million guests a yr.
A lot of the water parks are related to amusement parks within the chain, however not all of them.
The 2 Sclitterlitterbahn water parks in Texas rank first and third in attendance amongst Six Flags water parks, in line with the TEA/AECOM report. Knott’s Soak Metropolis sits in between the Sclitterlitterbahn parks.
The opposite prime water parks by way of attendance are tied to Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags Nice Journey, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Over Georgia and Cedar Level.
The stand-alone Six Flags Phoenix water park additionally makes the TEA/AECOM Prime 20 North American water parks listing.
4 stand-alone water parks within the chain — in Northern California, Texas, Georgia and Mexico — aren’t immediately tied to amusement parks and could possibly be among the many smallest areas within the Six Flags chain.
