Six Flags reverses course and brings back park presidents

“Six Flags is moving to a new operating structure designed to better support the unique needs of each park,” according to Six Flags officials. “This change reflects our commitment to being more strategic, flexible and responsive as our business evolves. It positions Six Flags to continue growing while staying true to what makes each of our parks special.”

[...]

Raffi Kaprelyan will return to Knott’s Berry Farm as vice president and park manager — a role he held for a decade from 2011 to 2021.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Now Showing: a first look at some of the merchandise celebrating Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare!

🎼 Now Showing: a first look at some of the merchandise celebrating Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare, available at select locations beginning opening weekend! pic.twitter.com/34Hh6JOObn

— Kings Island (@KingsIslandPR) April 14, 2026

Sally Dark Rides: Reviving A Classic…

The Collected Peanuts Book Bundle

I know I'm a little late posting this but charity organization Humble Bundle has posted a new book bundle; The Collected Peanuts by Fantagraphics. For just a $25 donation (a portion of which supports Canine Companions), you can own 50 years worth of Peanuts comics. The main portion, the 26 volume collected works spanning Charles Shultz entire career, are presented as 40-45mb pdfs. Have skimmed through them, they look great.

I highly recommend this to any Peanuts fan!

Check it at HumbleBundle

Knott’s Berry Farm to open reimagined Montezooma coaster this summer

Knott’s Berry Farm looks forward to opening the reimagined Montezooma: The Forbidden Fortress launched roller coaster by summer 2026 or sooner, according to Knott’s officials.

“The park is eagerly awaiting to see the ancient legend rise again,” according to Knott’s officials. “We are getting close to unveiling an opening date and welcoming all who are brave enough to embark on an unforgettable expedition in search of Montezuma’s elusive gold.”

The extensive renovation of Montezooma’s Revenge at Knott’s Berry Farm will introduce a backstory about doomed treasure hunters along with Aztec-themed trains, randomized launch sequences and new rider restraints.

All the parts needed for the Montezooma makeover are at Knott’s — including the track, motors and coaster trains.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

New facade details are bringing Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare to life!

A little construction, a lot of dramatic flair 🎭 🎶 New facade details are bringing Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare to life! #KingsIsland pic.twitter.com/julIJauzCF

— Kings Island (@KingsIslandPR) April 2, 2026

Knott's News: I loved the castle for Scooby Doo, it looked great. That said, it's disappointing that they're reusing the castle instead of creating a theater facade. The original facade was a dilapidated Palace Theater, with the PT logo working as a stand-in for Phantom Theater. A castle exterior just doesn't make any sense.

LSM Installation for MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress!!! | Knott's Berry Farm Vlog #59 | 3/20/26

Kings Island - Phantom Theater Curtain Call: Episode 5 - The Rick Bastrup Special

Knott’s Boysenberry Festival Guide 2026: Berry Best Bites & a Beautiful Bird Cage Revival

Returning this year to the Bird Cage Theater is the (now improved after a major restoration) old-fashioned melodrama, The Great Bank Robbery. The audience is encouraged to cheer on the hero, boo the villain, and sigh for the heroine. It’s fun for the whole family and cannot be missed during your visit.

Just in time for the festival, the Bird Cage Theater has undergone an extensive refurbishment. It’s quite the glow up. What they’ve done here is absolutely gorgeous and should be applauded. The stage has received extensive upgrades, especially to the lighting and sound. The former is even evident in photos— take a look at just how sharp and brilliant the photos turned out.

Read it all at MiceChat

Bird Cage Theatre

Kings Island Phantom Theater Opening Nightmare | NEW Ride Construction Preview

 

Knott's News: Looks good overall and I hope it's a hit. Tony says this is a litmus test and could lead to other similar projects based on the success of the tecnology and popularity. My biggest concern is the ride capacity remaining unchanged. When they converted from Phantom Theater to Scooby Doo they removed 28 doombuggies and majorly reduced capacity from 2160 p/h to about 650 p/h. They said at the time this was to allow for the interactive elements to reset but I'm not sure I buy that. The Buzz Lightyear attraction at Magic Kingdom is far older and is a continuous stream of ride vehicles without the need for any resets. It hasn't been a problem in years due to the lack of interest in Boo Blasters, but like with the new Bear-y Tales, I'm afraid this is going to lead to artificially inflated wait times come opening.

Kings Island Boo Blasters props up for auction

👻 The ghosts are clearing out their attic…

Props and pieces from Boo Blasters on Boo Hill have escaped the manor! From eerie set pieces to ride memorabilia, you can take home a haunting piece of the attraction with our online memorabilia auction.

🗓️ Bidding starts March 18… pic.twitter.com/idJViqLGFx

— Kings Island (@KingsIslandPR) March 9, 2026

Knott's News: Gives you a good idea of what - if any - props are being reused.

Boomerang now sits atop a Mall in Indonesia

Six Flags Entertainment shedding seven parks to EPR Properties

Six Flags Entertainment (FUN) has sold seven parks to EPR Properties for $331M as part of the company’s efforts to optimize its portfolio and bolster its balance sheet.

Included in the transaction are Valley Fair in Minnesota, Worlds of Fun inKansas City, Michigan’s Adventure, the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Galveston, Texas, Six Flags St. Louis, Six Flags Great Escape in Queensbury NY, and Six Flags La Ronde in Montreal. These parks all generate ~$260M in net revenue and ~$45M in adjusted EBITDA.

Read the rest at SeekingAlpha


Knott's News: It'll be nice if they can continue to trim their portfolio down and make significant investments in what remains. Right now the company is just too spread out with limited resources and with only a few parks carrying the whole company, wasting those resources on low performers with no growth potential just hurts the company as a whole. I'm hoping the scaling back allows the forgotten parks like Knott's to start receiving the attention it previously received.

Financially, this sale of 7 parks only nets them $331 million, which goes straight towards paying off that $5.18 billion debt. For prospective, when Paramount sold their 5 parks, Cedar Fair paid $1.24 billion and even now one of those parks (California's Great America) was sold off for $310 million.

New Supports & Footings for Montezooma's Revenge! | Knott's Berry Farm Vlog #58 | 3/3/26

Kings Island - Phantom Theater Curtain Call: Episode 4 - Setting the Stage

Kings Island - Phantom Theater Curtain Call: Episode 3 - Sculpting the Supernatural

Major Work at Montezooma's Revenge! | Knott's Berry Farm Vlog #57 | 1/21/26

Disneyland Handcrafted | Full Documentary

Knott's News: I can't believe this much high quality footage of Disneyland's construction exists. Check it out!

Kings Island - Phantom Theater Curtain Call: Episode 2 - Architects of the Afterlife