Six Flags Acquires Lease Rights to Operate 5 New Parks

[ChristopherSE]

Six Flags Adds Five More Parks to US Portfolio – Six Flags

All 5 parks were operated by Premier Parks, LLC. The parks joining the Six Flags family are:

• Wet n’ Wild Splashtown, Houston’s largest waterpark, with more than 48 lush acres and a wide selection of thrilling waterslides and attractions, along with two children’s areas;
• Wet n’ Wild Phoenix, the largest waterpark in Arizona (located in the Adobe Dam Recreation Area), featuring 35 acres of high-speed slides and two pools, and also offering a Wet n’ Wild Jr. section with kid-friendly versions of some of the park’s most thrilling attractions;
• Darien Lake near Buffalo, NY, a beautiful resort property located on approximately 1,000 acres that includes a theme park, waterpark, campground, hotel, and a 21,000-seat amphitheater;
• Frontier City, an iconic part of the Oklahoma City landscape, is steeped in tradition. The park features a western theme and offers an extensive lineup of exciting rides, attractions, and shows geared to every member of the family; and
• White Water Bay, near Frontier City, a tropical oasis with more than 25 acres of waterslides, interactive water play areas, and pools.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

Interesting to see them re-acquire Darien, considering how long it's been since they had that park.

That said, Frontier City/White Water Bay is the shock-move here. I am really, really, REALLY interested to see what happens to that park.

 

[Galaxy Defender]

Six Flags that recently stated they were looking to acquire additional parks near their existing parks. It's amazing how this chain continues to grow without actually building any new parks.

 

[ChristopherSE]

Interesting to see them re-acquire Darien, considering how long it's been since they had that park.

I never realized Darien Lake has changed hands so many times, and it's only been a theme park since ~1982.

 

[GAcoaster]

Interesting they only acquired some of the parks from Premier:

 

[Galaxy Defender]

Interesting they only acquired some of the parks from Premier:

That is peculiar.

 

[jtsalien]

Interesting to see them re-acquire Darien, considering how long it's been since they had that park.

That said, Frontier City/White Water Bay is the shock-move here. I am really, really, REALLY interested to see what happens to that park.

I had never heard of Frontier City before. But was shocked with a little research to see it not only has 5/8 operating coasters in the state, but it's the only amusement park in the whole state. Pretty interesting.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Updated to add the "lease rights to operate" note. They're not buying but they're getting close.

 

[Doug A.]

Some more information on the Darien Lake part of the sale, being my flagship park (I live in Buffalo) it’s exciting to see six flags take over again. They did invest a lot in the park until they sold it and it seems like it’s stagnated. Not sure if just taking over the leasing to operate will allow them to make upgrades and changes if they wish.
Six Flags to repurchase Darien Lake Theme Park - WKBW.com Buffalo, NY

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) - Six Flags will once again fly high in Genesee County.

A spokesperson for Tipping Point Communications tells 7 Eyewitness News Six Flags Entertainment Corporation has entered into a purchase agreement with affiliates of Premiere Parks, LLC to take over the leasing rights of Darien Lake and four other parks owned by EPR Properties. The transaction was first reported by Business Wire.

The deal is expected to close in June.

Darien Lake previously operated under the Six Flags ownership name from 2000 through October 2006.

Employees were notified of the pending sale today, a spokesperson said.

In addition to Darien Lake in Western New York, Six Flags will also take over Wet n' Wild Splashtown in Houston, Wet n' Wild Phoenix, Frontier City in Oklahoma City and White Water Bay near Frontier City.

The Darien Lake deal includes the theme park, waterpark, camping resort, hotel and ampitheatre. It also comes just as the park debuts Tantrum, a steel roller coaster that takes riders up 98-foot vertical lift at a 90-degree angle before dropping into a 97-degree descent and pretzel inversion reaching speeds of 52 miles an hour.

A spokesperson for Six Flags issued this statement:

"We are excited to welcome Darien Lake back to the Six Flags family of parks. It is a great park with a fantastic team."

The spokesperson also told 7 Eyewitness News that any tickets purchased or season passes to the park will still be honored.

 

[Ryan]

If Six Flags touches Moose on the Loose I'm going to be super salty.

 

[ChristopherSE]

If Six Flags touches Moose on the Loose I'm going to be super salty.

That YouTube search did not disappoint.

 

[Freak]

If Six Flags buys Wet N Wild in Arizona, I would like to see a proper theme park next to it. Arizona needs some good coasters.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

If Six Flags buys Wet N Wild in Arizona, I would like to see a proper theme park next to it. Arizona needs some good coasters.

That was my other thought to this, as this may be SF wanting to test how many people would come to their own park if it was in a climate like Arizona, especially if it was near a high metropolitan area like Phoenix.

 

[Freak]

That was my other thought to this, as this may be SF wanting to test how many people would come to their own park if it was in a climate like Arizona, especially if it was near a high metropolitan area like Phoenix.

I think a coaster park would do great in Phoenix, something on par with Fiesta Texas or Discovery Kingdom. They only have one park out there with one coaster. It’s not like there’s competition.

 

[Ryan]

Six Flags has no interest in building theme parks, so I wouldn't put my hopes up. The climate is just too hot to support a large dry park.

 

[paintervision]

Six Flags has no interest in building theme parks, so I wouldn't put my hopes up. The climate is just too hot to support a large dry park.

Right. Six Flags has only built three parks in its existence (Over Texas, Over Georgia, and Over Mid-America/St. Louis). And that was decades ago, through many, many management changes. They are looking to build parks overseas, but that’s all through licensing deals.

 

[Galaxy Defender]

If Six Flags buys Wet N Wild in Arizona, I would like to see a proper theme park next to it. Arizona needs some good coasters.

Six Flags has been buying parks rather than building parks so I'm not sure you're going to get your wish.