Six Flags Entertainment Corporation

Is Six Flags Entertainment publicly traded?

Yes. The company trades on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker FUN, inherited from Cedar Fair when the merger closed July 1, 2024.

When was Six Flags Entertainment formed?

The current company formed July 1, 2024, through the merger of equals between the former Six Flags Entertainment Corporation and Cedar Fair, L.P. The Six Flags brand itself dates to 1961.

Who owns Six Flags Entertainment?

The company is widely held by public shareholders, with institutional investors holding the largest blocks. Former Cedar Fair unitholders received majority ownership at merger close.

What is Six Flags Entertainment's annual revenue?

Fiscal 2025 revenue was $3.10 billion, with adjusted EBITDA of $792 million and a net loss of $1.60 billion driven by a $1.5 billion non-cash impairment charge.

Where is Six Flags Entertainment headquartered?

The company is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, the location inherited from Cedar Fair's corporate base.

How many parks does Six Flags Entertainment operate?

The company operates more than 40 amusement parks, water parks, and resort properties across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, making it the largest regional operator in North America.

The corporate history runs through two parallel companies that merged in 2024.

The Six Flags line began in 1961 when Texas developer Angus G. Wynne Jr. opened Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, pioneering the regional theme park model. The chain grew through the 1960s and 1970s, passed through owners including Bally Manufacturing, a leveraged buyout group, and Time Warner, and then expanded aggressively under Premier Parks after 1998. Debt accumulated through the acquisition era, leading to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in 2009 and reorganization under hedge fund ownership in 2010.

Cedar Fair traced to a 1983 partnership formed around Cedar Point, the historic Sandusky, Ohio park dating to 1870. It grew through the acquisition of Knott's Berry Farm (1997), the Paramount Parks chain (2006), and the Schlitterbahn water parks (2023), becoming the other dominant regional operator.

In November 2023, the two companies announced a merger of equals designed to combine complementary geographies, share technology and licensing agreements, and create scale for competing against destination parks. The transaction closed July 1, 2024 under a new Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, headquartered in Charlotte and trading under Cedar Fair's FUN ticker. Former Cedar Fair unitholders received majority ownership.

Integration proved harder than projected. Fiscal 2025, the first full year as a combined company, produced $3.10 billion in revenue and 47.4 million guests but also a $1.60 billion net loss driven by a $1.5 billion non-cash goodwill and intangibles impairment, an admission that merger valuations had exceeded realized performance.

Management responded with a strategic portfolio review announced in 2025, evaluating divestiture of lower-performing parks to reduce debt and focus capital on flagship properties. Cost synergies and combined procurement delivered some benefit, but the impairment dominated financial headlines and reset expectations for the combined entity.

The company reports on environmental management covering energy use, water conservation at water parks, and waste diversion across the portfolio. Its seasonal workforce model employs tens of thousands of young workers annually, giving it a significant role in entry-level employment but also exposing it to wage and labor practice scrutiny.

Ride safety is the paramount ethical and operational concern, governed by state inspection regimes, ASTM standards, and internal programs. The company reports incident data through regulatory channels.

Cedar Point has accumulated multiple Golden Ticket Awards including best amusement park and best roller coaster categories. Knott's Berry Farm has won recognition for food, themed events, and its boysenberry heritage. Individual coasters across the portfolio routinely rank in global top-ten lists for height and speed.

The 2009 bankruptcy of the former Six Flags remains the defining financial event in its history, erasing prior shareholder value and restructuring billions in debt.

Ride safety incidents have drawn periodic scrutiny, most notably the 2013 Texas Giant fatality, which produced restraint redesigns across the industry.

The FY2025 impairment of $1.5 billion, recorded barely a year after the merger closed, generated significant investor criticism regarding merger pricing and integration execution, and contributed to the decision to conduct a portfolio review for potential park divestitures.