The Final Ride?
Six Flags Over Mid America opened on June 5, 1971, and has been a staple in St. Louis summers since. Many South students spend their time over their summer break to hang out at the theme park, enjoy its thrilling rides, and makinge lifelong memories.
Senior Joccara Conner shared one of her memories of Six Flags.
¨On the last day of school my sophomore year, me and my friends were all going through a kind of a tough time, so we decided to relieve stress by going to Six Flags.¨ said Conner.
However, there´s more to Six Flags than fun. Founded by Augustus G Wayne, the theme park is intentionally split into six pieces, showing off parts of St. Louis history and DC Comics. Three of the six areas are based on St. Louis, for example,today, where park visitors can find ¨American Tthunder¨ and the Log Flume, is the area named 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, which features 1900´s themed buildings and foods introduced in the St. Louis 1904 World’s Fair.
The park also has areas named Gateway to the West, and Chouteau, as well as Illinois, and DC Comics Plaza. Now, the park’s biggest event is Fright Fest. Fright Fest started in 1988 with the name Fright Nights. Fright Nights was focused on Freddy Krueeuger’s Nightmare on Elm Sstreet, and featured haunted houses and Ttrick- or- Ttreat events for kids. Fright Nights changed into Fright Fest in 1993, along with the introduction of scare zones. “Scare Zones” are the areas designed for the actors to frighten guests. This year, Fright Ffest goes from Sept. 13 to Nov. 2, with a brand new ¨Dreadwood Pass¨ scare zone. However, this may be one of the last years to experience this event, as Six Flags is in trouble.
While individual parks don’t release their profits, Six Flags Entertainment reported a $100 million loss in the second quarter of 2025, and had a loss of $230 million in 2024. However, people have reported that attendance at the St. Louis park has remained steady. While the chances of Six Flags St. Louis staying around is higher than other parks, it we are still at risk. It was also rumored that the park may be sold off to another company. Currently, Six Flags Entertainment Corp is over $5 billion in debt, with some tied to Cedar Fair. On July 1st, 2024 Six Flags Entertainment Corp merged with its biggest competitor, Cedar Fair, as an attempt to reduce their debts. Shortly after, the company announced the closing of Six Flags America in Maryland at the end of 2025. While people have reported that attendance at the St. Louis park has remained steady, the park still has its problems.
¨The transportation needs to be improved , the parking lot is awful and the maps are confusing, and trying to get around the park,.¨ said Conner.
Senior Alex Franklin agrees with Conner that the park has numerous problems.
¨People tend to leave their trash around, the staff try to clean the best they can, but people leave cups and food around and it makes the place look nasty,¨ he said.
While the chances for Six Flags St. Louis staying open are higher than other parks, we are still at risk. Franklin shared his opinion on the possible park closure.
¨I´d be devastated, I do like it but I think it can be overpriced, like the food is mediocre but really expensive, but the next amusement park is probably Silver Dollar City and that’s like 4 hours away, so Six Flags being within an hour makes it really convenient,¨ Franklin said.
