Six Flags to sell 7 parks

Editor's note: Justin Dietz is a Register correspondent representing CPFoodBlog.com and @FUNFoodBlog on X. Six Flags, parent company to Cedar Point, announced on Wednesday that it will sell seven of its parks to EPR Properties for total cash consideration of $331 million. The parks included in the transaction are: • Valleyfair in Minneapolis, Minnesota • Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri • Michigan's Adventure in Muskegon, Michigan • Schlitterbahn Waterpark Galveston in Galveston, Texas • Six Flags St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri • Six Flags Great Escape in Queensbury, New York • Six Flags La Ronde in Montreal, Quebec, Canada It's believed those parks will remain open for the coming season. The Valleyfair park and Cedar Point had a long-standing history, going back to 1983, when the parks were combined under the Cedar Fair company. Prior to the Six Flags merger in 2024, Cedar Fair owned and operated 15 amusement and water parks across North America, including Valleyfair, Worlds of Fun, Michigan's Adventure and Schlitterbahn Galveston. Once the sale of the parks is complete, which should occur in the coming months, Six Flags will retain and operate 34 parks across North America. Local impact So what does this mean for Cedar Point? Well, for the majority of guests, everything will remain status quo, and nothing will change. For guests who visit with daily tickets, Cedar Point guests will see no change from this sell-off. If you own a season pass, dining plans, Fast Lane and more will all remain unimpacted when you enter under GateKeeper into roller coaster nirvana. Where things will be impacted is if guests wish to use their pass at any of the other parks. And in typical Six Flags fashion, it all gets more complicated by which season pass you purchased and when you bought it. Guests with a prestige pass get admission and parking to all of the Six Flags parks in 2026. This will include those in the sale. For those with a gold pass, you now have regional access to other parks that include: • Canada's Wonderland & Splash Works in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada • Cedar Point in Sandusky • Cedar Point Shores in Sandusky • Kings Island in Mason, Ohio • La Ronde in Montreal, Quebec, Canada • Michigan's Adventure & WildWater Adventure in Muskegon, Michigan • Six Flags Darien Lake & Hurricane Harbor in Corfu, New York • Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois • Six Flags St. Louis & Hurricane Harbor in Eureka, Missouri • Hurricane Harbor Chicago in Gurnee, Illinois • Hurricane Harbor Rockford in Cherry Valley, Illinois • Valleyfair & Soak City in Shakopee, Minnesota • Worlds of Fun & Oceans of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri This means that for guests who want to visit several of the parks in your pass's region, take note. Your pass will get you admission and parking for 2026 only. That is great news. What is unsettling, though, is that the Dining Pass / Fast Lane / Photo Pass / Drink Plan when used at any of these parks is subject to the new owner's acceptance at the seven parks being sold. The potential change, while still unknown until the sale is finalized and the new owner publishes the rules, is being disguised behind "per the terms and conditions of your dining plan, participating locations and menus are subject to change." Six Flags is offering a $10 food and beverage credit for those with a dining plan at one of the selected parks for use at the park where guests purchased the pass. So for the majority of Cedar Point season passholders, this will not be an issue. However, note that once the acquisition is finalized, all your add-ons may not be accepted if you do elect to visit one of the parks later this year. The amusement industry is always subject to change. Walt Disney once said his parks will "never be completed." It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world. With that, we will miss you Cedar Fair, as the once bright guiding star in the amusement park industry.