Latest news with #SixFlagsGreatAmerica
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Six Flags Great America, Hurricane Harbor in Gurnee bringing back chaperone policy this week
Six Flags Great America and Hurricane Harbor in Gurnee, Illinois, said they will bring back their chaperone policy starting Thursday. The policy requires guests aged 15 and under to be escorted by a parent, guardian, or adult aged 21 or older. The policy will be in effect all day from July 17 to 20, and then from 5 p.m. until close after that through the end of the season. The park said it could also implement the policy starting earlier in the day as they need to. Chaperones must have a valid government-issued photo ID with their date of birth at ticket entry. One adult cannot accompany more than 10 guests 15 years old or under, and they must remain in the park and stick with their party. Guests 16 and older must also show a government photo ID. If not, they will be denied entry. Guests 15 and under without a chaperone will be removed from the park during chaperone hours. In a notice to parents and guardians, the park said, "Parents or guardians are responsible for the behavior of their minor children. Appropriate behavior and supervision are the responsibility of the parent/guardian and is always expected." The reinstatement of the policy comes a week after shots were fired in the parking lot of Six Flags Great America. Police said their preliminary investigation found there may have been a fight before someone opened fire. Police said they were not able to find anyone who had been struck by the gunfire. In August 2022, two people, a 17-year-old boy and a 19-year-old woman, were wounded in a shooting in the front entrance parking lot of the amusement park. The park said the chaperone requirement applies to all one-day ticket holders, season pass holders, and members.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
Six Flags plans to close this 49-year-old California park in 2027. Is the Illinois one next?
Six Flags is likely to close its California's Great America park in Santa Clara, California, at the end of the 2027 season. The park's lease is coming to an end, and the company's chief financial officer, Brian Witherow, told investors in May that there were no current plans to extend the lease. 'Unless we decide to extend, and exercise one of our options to extend that lease, that park's last year without that extension would be after the '27 season,' he said during a question and answer session at the company's investor day this spring. The remarks were first reported by People. California's Great America was originally opened in 1976 by the Marriott Corporation and traded hands multiple times before coming under ownership by Cedar Fair in 2006. Cedar Fair and Six Flags merged in 2024. Cedar Fair had previously announced plans to close the park by 2033 after the operator sold the land to a logistics company, CBS News reported in 2022, but Six Flags decided to move up the closure date with the lease expiring. What's the status of Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois? There are no plans to shutter the Six Flags Great America located in Gurnee, Illinois, about 40 miles north of Chicago. According to reports from NBC Chicago, even though the park has merged with Cedar Fair and plans to close another park in Maryland, the Illinois park is slated to stay open. The Six Flags in Gurnee originally opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America before Six Flags took it over. Six Flags also announced in May that it would close Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor in Maryland at the end of this season. The final day of operation for both of these parks will be Nov. 2, 2025. Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@
Chicago Tribune
09-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Gurnee's Six Flags likely safe despite company issues, experts say; ‘Untouchable'
Despite the closing of a Six Flags park in Maryland, Midwest amusement park fans shouldn't be worried about the future of Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, experts say. In fact, the closure of the other park is a good sign for the local facility, they said. Six Flags Entertainment Corp. recently announced that Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor in Bowie, Maryland, will close on Nov. 2, and the 500-acre property will be marketed for redevelopment. According to a statement from a Six Flags representative, while it is still to be determined what will happen to each ride or attraction after the park closes, relocation to other Six Flags parks or selling to other park operators are both possibilities. Six Flags operates 26 amusement parks across North America. An analysis of the future of Six Flags parks by Brady MacDonald — a theme park reporter for the Orange County Register and the Southern California News Group who has covered the theme park industry for more than 25 years — put Illinois' Six Flags Great America firmly in the 'untouchable' category, arguing it is one of the company's top-performing locations and a 'core' property in the company's portfolio. Harry Kramer, professor of leadership at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, and a former chairman and CEO of Baxter International, viewed the Maryland closure as a good sign for the company, despite the downsides for that area's parkgoers. Companies are constantly shifting, he said, selling or spinning off different parts while continuing to analyze where they should invest to grow, and where they should cut. 'You've only got a certain amount of resources, and so you've got to decide, 'Where am I going to invest, and where am I not going to invest?'' Kramer said. In Kramer's view, it was an 'old asset' that was dropped in favor of more valuable redevelopment opportunities. As parks move forward from the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic and shifting populations, the closure will free up resources to invest elsewhere. Dennis Speigel, the founder of International Theme Park Services, a consulting company for the leisure and attractions industry, had a similar assessment. The Maryland location sat at the 'bottom of the performing ladder in their portfolio,' and had been plagued with various issues. 'It's a great piece of land,' he said. 'It was not a great location for a theme park. It would have been number one on my list to move.' Speigel said he expects another two park closings in the future, but he feels the company is moving in the right direction after years of bad signs. He attributed that in part to the merger with the Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. last year. That was the 'wind beneath the wings' that saved Six Flags from going bankrupt. 'Today in May 2025, it's far better than it has been in the last 10 years,' he said. 'It was mismanaged for the last two regimes. They have made amazing strides in improving consumer satisfaction.' That ranges from improving pricing and season-pass programs, and moving towards building new attractions that, 'they're going to need over the next five years.' While amusement parks in general face challenges — including uncertainty about the economy and how tariffs might prompt potential parkgoers to tighten their purse strings — Speigel said Six Flags is 'back on the right track.' As far as Six Flags Great America is concerned, a representative said the park will debut a new ride this summer, the Wrath of Rakshasa. The new coaster boasts the steepest drop ever on a dive coaster at 96 degrees, as well as the most inversions on a dive coaster at five, Six Flags officials say.
CBS News
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Six Flags Great America in Gurnee opens Friday, new ride Wrath of Rakshasa debuts later this summer
Six Flags Great America in Gurnee opened for the season Friday and will debut a new thrill ride called Wrath of Rakshasa in early summer. The Wrath of Rakshasa is the steepest, most inverted dive coaster in in the world, with five inversions the park says will "test your limits and leave you breathless." The ride goes as high as 180 feet and reaches speeds of nearly 67 miles per hour along 3,239 feet of steel track. Families can still get in adrenaline-packed fun starting today. The 300-acre theme park opened at 10:30 a.m. For hours and to get tickets, click here .
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Six Flags Great America announces 2025 opening date
GURNEE, Ill. (WTVO) — The rides at Six Flags Great America are set to fire up for the 2025 season in just a few weeks. The park will open for its 49th year on Friday, April 18th. This summer, Great America will unveil a new dive coaster – the 180 foot tall Wrath of Rakshasa. The ride promises to hang its riders over the edge before making a 171-foot drop at a 96-degree angle, the steepest on a dive coaster. Great America is also planning several 'Summerbration' events, including 'Star-Spangled Nights' (July 3-5), 'Great American Nights' (July 12 – August 3), and 'Viva La Fiesta' (August 16, 17, 23, and 24). 'The entire season is filled with so many diverse offerings for our gues,ts and we can't wait to welcome them once again on April 18,' said John Krajnak, park president of Six Flags Great America. 'Whether you're a foodie, a non-rider who just loves unique entertainment, or a coaster lover looking to conquer the world-record-breaking Wrath of Rakshasa, there's literally something for everyone,e and we're excited to dive into the season.' Six Flags Great America will be open weekends and select days with daily operation beginning May 20th. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
