Merger complete between Cedar Fair, Six Flags

Editor's note: Justin Dietz is a Register correspondent representing Fun Food Blog at cpfoodblog.com and @funfoodblog on X. SANDUSKY — Cedar Fair, as locals and shareholders know it, is no more and will now be known as the Six Flags Entertainment Corp. On Monday, Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. and Six Flags Entertainment Corp. completed their merger, creating the largest and most diverse amusement park operator in North America. For locals, this now means Cedar Point and its accompanying water park, Cedar Point Shores, are now, technically, under Six Flags. "Today marks a significant milestone for our company, shareholders, guests and associates, unlocking higher value and greater opportunities to deliver engaging entertainment experiences," said Richard Zimmerman, president and chief executive officer of Six Flags Entertainment Corp., formerly of Cedar Fair. Experts predict the joint company, when combining the value of Cedar Fair and Six Flags, to be worth an estimated $8 billion. Cedar Fair's net worth before the merger totaled about $2.6 billion. This also ends a significant chapter in Sandusky's history. Back in 1983, Cedar Fair, Cedar Point's now-prior parent company, established its headquarters in Sandusky. Six Flags is headquartered in Texas. Here are some initial takeaways from this deal: What's known • While the corporation is now branded as Six Flags, the leadership of the company is mostly comprised of Cedar Fair's top management: — Zimmerman, previously the sole president and CEO of Cedar Fair, now serves as the president and CEO of the combined company. — Selim Bassoul, president and CEO of Six Flags, serves as executive chairman of the board of directors. All other top management positions are seated by former Cedar Fair executives. • The company will now operate under the ticker symbol FUN on the New York Stock Exchange. • Cedar Fair unitholders will own about 51.2% of the combined company while Six Flags shareholders will own about 48.8%. • When the stock market closed on Monday, FUN was trading at $52.11 per share, up from $43.24 per share one month ago. • The combined company has an impressive portfolio of 42 parks, including some of the most beloved amusement parks and water parks in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. • While the corporate office is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, there will still be significant finance and administrative operations maintained in Sandusky. • With Cedar Fair executives at the helm, it is been said there is no plan to slap the Six Flags name onto all the former Cedar Fair parks. This image shows where all of the parks now operating under Six Flags Entertainment Corp. which officially merged with Cedar Point on Monday. This would include Cedar Point and Cedar Point Shores in Sandusky. What's unknown • Plenty: The public will not fully know what this means for Cedar Point or any of the parks until the coming months. Going forward • Over the coming months, the synergies of the companies will start to be put together, and the big changes are going to come from behind the scenes. Expect a lot of jobs on the management side of things to be cut. This will reduce a lot of redundancies in the company. • This year, people should not expect to see too many changes put into place, as the budgets and plans for the year have already been put into place. • People can expect to see the first noticeable changes when season passes go on sale in mid-August during the 2025 announcement season. • While there is not really much in the way of market overlap, the next year or two may be interesting to see if some parks are sold and combined into other parks. • Those who visit a park within the company's portfolio, such as Cedar Point, may also start to see some of the Six Flags parks technology incorporated into the former Cedar Fair parks. this is where people might expect to possibly see cuts to combine the two IT departments into one. Parting thoughts The next year promises to be a roller coaster of its own under the new leadership. With so many parks to manage, it will be really interesting to see how the mindset of Cedar Fair executives is rolled out into the other parks.