Six Flags is Looking to Trim the Fat

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (FUN) has announced that they will be reducing their park portfolio. FUN is planning to do this by:

  • selling off parks to other operators,
  • not renewing the leases on parks they manage,
  • or selling off the land beneath the parks resulting in those parks closing permanently.

With that said, I believe there are clues being given to the public about which parks they may be looking to close or sell off.  My theory is that parks that received a new coaster in 2025/26 or were surveyed for the 2026/27 seasons are likely safe from being sold.

Ride Surveys

Every year, Six Flags tends to send out ride surveys to gauge guest interest in potential new attractions for a few or some of their parks. These surveys are an intriguing glance behind the scenes, revealing both the wild dreams of park fans and the practical realities of park management. Some ride concepts within these surveys, like a hybrid coaster at Canada’s Wonderland or a Giga coaster at Great America, are enough to make any thrill-seeker’s heart race. These are the kinds of additions that can redefine a park’s reputation and draw crowds from across the country, and perhaps even the world. On the other hand, proposals for refreshed kids’ areas or another stunt show might leave coaster enthusiasts and thrill seekers scratching their heads.

Sure, not every ride can be a record-breaker, but sometimes it feels like the parks are just checking boxes rather than aiming for excellence.

That said, even the less glamorous additions serve an important purpose in the parks. A new family raft slide or a pendulum ride might not dominate headlines, but these attractions help create balance in the overall guest experience. Let’s be honest keeping the lines shorter for the marquee coasters is a win for everyone. What some die-hard thrill seekers dismiss as a “waste of money” is often a calculated move to spread crowds and keep families entertained. After all, not every visitor comes for the biggest, fastest coaster; many simply want a fun, stress-free day with manageable wait times. So, while I’ll always cheer for bold, record-breaking rides, I can respect the logic behind adding crowd-pleasers that might not top my personal wish list. In the end, every new survey is more than a list of options, it’s an invitation to dream big and debate which ideas truly deserve the Six Flags name.

Canada’s Wonderland Vaughan, Ontario

  1. Hybrid Coaster (Steel Vengeance, Twisted Timbers, Wicked Cyclone)
  2. Xtreme Spinning Coaster (Time Traveler)
  3. Log Flume (Charlie Brown’s Rushing River Log Ride)
  4. Waterpark Expansion

Carowinds Charlotte, North Carolina

  1. Launch Coaster (similar to AlpenFury)
  2. Wing Coaster (similar to Rapterra)
  3. Dive Coaster (similar to Iron Menace)
  4. Family Thrill Launch Coaster (just like Snoopy’s Racing Railway)
  5. Swinging Ride (Relocated? S&S Scream & Swing)
  6. Giga Discovery (Relocated? pendulum ride w/ peak height of 172ft)

Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio

  1. Suspended Thrill Glider (Maybe the one from SFMM? suspended motorbike coaster)
  2. Multi-Launch Family Coaster (Big Bear Mountain)
  3. Family-Friendly Coaster (Snoopy’s Racing Railway)
  4. Nighttime Spectacular (like Kings Island’s Nighttime Spectacular)
  5. Stunt Show Spectacular (Steam Heist @ Six Flags America)

Discovery Kingdom Vallejo, California

  1. Suspended Thrill Glider
  2. Refreshed Kids Area
  3. Refreshed Shark Experience
  4. New Animal Exhibit

Dorney Park Allentown, Pennsylvania

  1. Spinning Coaster (Disk-O)
  2. Story-Driven Kid’s Coaster (Big Bear Mountain)
  3. Family Raft Slide (Zoom Flume?)
  4. Star Flyer (Maybe Wonder Woman from Six Flags America, will be moved here)
  5. Antique Autos

Fiesta Texas San Antonio, Texas

  1. DC Themed Family Inverted Launch Coaster
  2. Hyper Coaster (Very strange since they already have a terrible Hyper.  Maybe they know floater airtime is needed for the park)
  3. Multilane Mat Racer
  4. Adult Lagoon/Pool
  5. Flying Theater

Great Adventure Jackson, New Jersey

  1. Zamperla rides package (absolutely needed for the park, it lacks in flat rides but no where near as badly as SFMM does)
  2. 300ft-400ft Drop Tower (they need something that is tall like Kingda Ka and maybe this will be attached to the new Extreme Spinner?)
  3. Planet Snoopy retheme

Great America Gurnee, Illinois

  1. Giga Coaster (Fury 325, Leviathan, Orion)
  2. Family Thrill Launch Coaster (Big Bear Mountain)
  3. Flying Theater

Kings Dominion Doswell, Virginia

  1. Family Thrill Launch Coaster (Big Bear Mountain)
  2. Adult Pool/Lagoon Area (Paul Metto’s Swim-Up Bar)
  3. Dark Ride (Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare)
  4. Action River Experience
  5. Multi-Lane Mat Racer (Rendezvous Run)

Kings Island Mason, Ohio

  1. Multi-Launch Coaster (Vekoma Ghostrider)
  2. Indoor-Outdoor Coaster (inverted with launches)
  3. Story Driven Experience (Dino Off-Road Rally)
  4. Stunt Show Spectacular (Steam Heist @ Six Flags America)

Magic Mountain Santa Clarita, California

  1. Launch Coaster (Vekoma Ghostrider)
  2. Collection of Rides (Zamperla flats, as this park severely lacks these throughout)
  3. Dueling Water Coaster
  4. Story Driven Dark Ride (like Phantom Theatre, which sounds terrible because I want extreme coasters)

Six Flags New England Agawam, Massachusetts

  1. Entrance Gate Coaster
  2. Log Flume
  3. New Children’s Area
  4. Waterpark Expansion

Six Flags Over Georgia Atlanta, Georgia

  1. Launch Coaster (AlpenFury, as an option which sounds fantastic)
  2. Mine Train Coaster Refurbishment (truly needed)
  3. Rethemed Kids Areas
  4. Waterpark expansion

Six Flags Over Texas Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas

  1. Multi-generational Rides (flats and play areas)
  2. Western Dark Ride (not a fan, but it will have air conditioning)
  3. Family Water Coaster
  4. Nighttime Spectacular (um, no)

Clues

Capture from a post on Reddit by u/mjohnson1971 (thank you)

On November 6, 2025, FUN announced a significant change to its membership structure: the Gold Membership Pass would no longer grant automatic access to every park in the chain. Instead, the company introduced an “All Parks” option as an add-on benefit, available only at select locations. The parks currently offering this expanded access include.

  • Great Escape
  • HH Splashtown
  • Michigan Adventure
  • Schlitterbahn Galveston
  • Schlitterbahn New Braunfels
  • Valleyfair
  • Worlds of Fun

My Theory

If Six Flags is preparing to close or sell off certain parks, it makes sense that they would want to maintain strong ticket and pass sales at those locations for as long as possible. Guests who have already invested in memberships or season passes expect value, and the company needs to keep them engaged and satisfied. That is even if their local park is on borrowed time. One way to accomplish this is by offering broader access to other parks in the chain.

By including an “All Parks” option or similar benefit, Six Flags can soften the blow for loyal customers whose home park may soon disappear from the portfolio. This strategy not only preserves goodwill but also encourages guests to explore other properties, potentially increasing attendance at higher-priority parks. In short, expanding access is a smart way to maintain revenue streams, protect brand reputation, and ease the transition for guests who might otherwise feel alienated by closures.

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation Park Priority List:

In this list, I mention some of the parks they own or manage. I am creating this list from highest to lowest priority.  Since this is a sliding scale and subject to change, I did not want to make absolute statements—just to show where attention is focused, needed, or purposely lacking.

PriorityPark NameReasoning
1Cedar PointThey own their own island and everything on it, along with hotels and beaches
2Knott’s Berry FarmThey have the most attended park and even though it is extremely difficult to add rides, people continue to visit, even with SFMM just an hour up the road.
3Six Flags Great AmericaThis park receives attention and additions to its ride portfolio. It is beautiful and is destined to get a Giga coaster.
4Canada’s WonderlandThis is an amazing park that is both cared about by the community and the company. There is no way they would sacrifice this amazing place.
5Six Flags Fiesta TexasThis park is a fan favorite, well managed, and very clean with additions on the way.
6CarowindsIt is the corporate park and is destined to be a proving ground for new ride options and trials.
7Six Flags Magic MountainSFMM has a chance to move up this list with some care, marketing, and a Giga coaster. It would overtake #5 and #6 with those changes.
8Six Flags Great AdventureThis park has survived so much loss over the last three years, and we are hoping that the new Mack Extreme Spinning Tower Coaster comes with the addition of at least two more coasters.
9Six Flags Over TexasTormenta and the purchase of the land back from a real estate company prove they can make this place a standout as a year-round park.
10Six Flags MexicoThey would not risk losing the profits generated by this location.
11Six Flags Over GeorgiaThis location has a lot of promise and not much competition. Recent ride additions and the Goliath repaint have made the park look great.
12Kings IslandThis park is in a similar situation to SFMM, as it is close to Cedar Point and extremely valuable.
13Six Flags Discovery KingdomThey are closing the other park near San Francisco and Oakland, which makes this place valuable.  Unless they relocate everything from here and CGA to a brand-new park in Sacramento, they need to keep this park open.  Also replace the Boomerang with Rail Blazer and the SLC with Flight Deck, both from CGA.
14Six Flags New EnglandThey get attendance, the park is nice, and the new Quantum Accelerator coaster looks promising.
15Kings DominionLet it survive as is, or perhaps sell it off to another operator, but it is unlikely to get significant new ride additions, in my opinion.
16Six Flags St. LouisSimilar to Kings Dominion, it could survive with minimal additions and a cleanup of the property.
17Six Flags Darien LakeThey owned it once before. Predator just got retracked, it has plenty of land, a hotel, and a concert venue on the property.
18Frontier CitySince they lease this park, it would be easiest not to renew the lease and to apply advertising, management, and insurance costs elsewhere.
19Great EscapeThis park is for families and children; perhaps it would be better owned by Herschend or Premier Parks?
20La RondeThe same reasons as Frontier City apply here, along with the fact that nothing new has been built in years. The best thing they tried to do was cancel the relocated Zac Spin from SFMM, which was a poor decision.
21HH SchlitterbahnSchlitterbahn Galveston and Schlitterbahn New Braunfels present attractive opportunities for sale, especially since the chain already operates two other water parks at its Texas dry park locations. This overlap makes divesting these properties a strategic move.
22Michigan AdventuresIt is in an area best suited for an amusement park, as the land isn’t worth much.
23Worlds of FunThis marks the beginning of parks that may be better off outside the FUN chain.
24ValleyfairIt may have been the reason the company was originally named Cedar Fair, but it is now considered expendable and does not receive new additions.
25California’s Great AmericaThe land has already been sold and will be redeveloped for mixed use, and the park shares a parking lot with Levi Stadium.

Conclusion

In the end, Six Flags’ annual ride surveys are a fantastic opportunity—if the company truly listens to its guests. When parks actually build the #1 or #2 most-deserved attractions from these surveys, it not only validates the process but also generates genuine excitement and loyalty among fans and coaster enthusiasts. These headline-grabbing additions can transform a park’s reputation and keep the chain competitive in a please the anticipated crowds.

However, it’s important to pay attention to which parks receive these surveys, and which do not. Parks that are left out of the survey process may be the ones most at risk of being sold off or removed from the chain altogether. The absence of a survey can be a subtle but telling sign that a park’s future with Six Flags is uncertain.

Perhaps the biggest clue of all lies in the Gold Pass “All Parks” option. The select group of parks still included in this benefit speaks volumes. If Six Flags ultimately decides to eliminate these parks, it’s only fair that passholders are given the chance to visit other locations across the chain. After all, those who invested in a pass deserve access to the full Six Flags experience, even if their home park is no longer part of the family.

Ultimately, these surveys, pass options, and strategic decisions are all pieces of a larger puzzle. For fans and industry watchers alike, reading between the lines can reveal a lot about which parks are safe, which are vulnerable, and where the next big thrill might appear.

2025 Six Flags Future Addition Surveys

Community discussion summarizing surveys sent to guests about potential new rides (coasters, water rides, family attractions).

View Details [https://kicentral.com/forums/topic/50433-2025-six-flags-future-addition-surveys/]

Six Flags 2026 New Attractions (Wiki)

Comprehensive list of planned attractions for 2026, including coasters and water rides.

Read More [https://sixflags.fandom.com/wiki/Six_Flags_2026_New_Attractions]

Six Flags 2026 Attractions Revealed

Official announcement of new rides for 2026 across multiple parks.

Full Breakdown [https://attractionsmagazine.com/six-flags-2026-new-attractions/]

Theme Park Tribune – Four New Coasters Coming in 2026

Details on record-breaking coasters and other major investments.

Read Article [https://www.themeparktribune.com/six-flags-reveals-four-new-coasters-coming-in-2026/]

Leave a Reply