Are Six Flags locations theme parks or amusement parks? Which should they be? | Opinion
Six Flags seems to be refining the focus of its 42 parks through ride demolition, rebranding, and the introduction of more theming. But is adjusting its niche the right move for America’s largest amusement park chain?
Photo by Gretchen Whittington
What makes a theme park?
The imminent opening of Epic Universe at Universal Orlando marks an exciting time for the amusement and theme park industry. A park of its scale hasn’t opened in the U.S. in 25 years, and it’s drawing the eyes of tourists around the world to the sheer caliber of Floridian entertainment design.
Image courtesy of Universal
This phenomenon draws some of the attention and distinction away from the Six Flags parks, which — although they market to a different audience — share enough overlap that some guests might view a trip to Cedar Point in Ohio, for example, as a substitute to a (far more expensive) trip to Central Florida.
The difference between the two types of parks is significant, though. At the Disney and Universal parks, guests can step into the world of their favorite characters or into a brand new one altogether. Everything in every part of the park is designed to immerse the audience into a planned theme.
At Six Flags parks, on the other hand, the emphasis is more on individual thrills and a variety of rides that don’t necessarily fit into one theme. A section of a Six Flags-owned park might be themed to DC super heroes or the Peanuts comics, but overall Six Flags locations don’t go to nearly the lengths of storytelling that full-fledged theme parks do. They’re amusement parks, not theme parks.
Photo courtesy of Six Flags
Six Flags and a history of thrills over themes
Six Flags parks in particular are notorious for their copy-paste theming scheme across franchise locations. For example, there are multiple Batman-themed roller coasters at various Six Flags parks across the country, as well as other rides of the same design and the same name.
Several of the parks also inherited rides from their previous owners, as Six Flags parks like Carowinds (on the border of the Carolinas) and Kings Dominion (in Virginia) were formerly owned by Paramount, then changed hands to Cedar Fair before that company merged with Six Flags in 2024. Despite the change of ownership, much of the Paramount theming has been left intact and somewhat unattended, and so rides like Kings Dominion’s Flight of Fear (originally themed to the TV show “The Outer Limits”) retain their aging set pieces.
Photo courtesy of Kings Dominion
The company instead focuses on providing diverse and high-quality thrill rides across North America, which retain their popularity despite the sparse theming. To Six Flags, a guest doesn’t need a video introduction and costumed staff directing them to the ride entrance gates — they just need a general queue line and an excellent ride to look forward to.
A case study: Kings Dominion and Jungle X-Pedition
This isn’t to say, though, that the parks can never change. Just this past year, Kings Dominion started implementing new area décor themed for a fictional Professor Whey and his research crew as they head into an ancient jungle.
The rides in this section were all renamed and repainted, and the area — dubbed “Jungle X-Pedition” or Jungle-X for short — opened the new Rapterra roller coaster for 2025.
The Jungle-X area at Kings Dominion. Use the left and right arrows to flip through the photos.
Photos by Gretchen Whittington
Even the old Intimidator 305 roller coaster became part of Jungle-X, under the new name Pantherian, removing its former Dale Earnhardt theming.
The Jungle-X theming stands in stark contrast to most of the rest of Kings Dominion, which hasn’t seen a theme update since the introduction of the Peanuts land. It also hides the quiet removal of Anaconda, another victim of the park efficiency policies Six Flags has enacted since its company merger.
However, Jungle-X marks a turn in Six Flags’ focus on theming, and opens the doors for future theming possibilities at the company’s other parks, depending on visitor satisfaction rates.
So, to amusement park or to theme park?
Although Six Flags will never go so far as Disney or Universal in theming their parks, the company is experimenting with theming (and re-theming) older rides and park areas across the country. Kings Dominion is only one case of this.
A park’s number-one priority is to please its guests. In the case of a theme park, the goal is achieved by committing to an immersive setting visitors can escape into. In an amusement park, success if found in providing fun and thrills for the whole family apart from a specific theme.
It isn’t bad if an amusement park has a little theming — it brightens up the space, if anything. But Six Flags should be cautious, and beware removing familiar ride branding and identity to match the latest theme park trends.
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