Cedar Fair Merges With Six Flags!

Kings Island is located in Mason, Ohio near Cincinnati.

The Ohio based theme park company is merging with the Texas based theme park company and it will build a massive amusement park revenue.

Cedar Fair and Six Flags will now be headquartered in Charlotte. The Charlotte area has the Carowinds Amusement Park which operates under Cedar Fair.

The company Cedar Fair is located in Sandusky, Ohio near Cleveland. The company will relocated most of its facilities to Charlotte. Some of its corporate offices will remain in the Sandusky area for the time being. Cedar Point is one of the largest amusement parks in the country. It is located in Sandusky.

Six Flags Entertainment which is based in Arlington, Texas is officially leaving. The company will vacate the city and move to Charlotte.

The combined company, with a pro forma enterprise value of approximately $8 billion based on both companies’ debt and equity values as of October 31, 2023, will be a leading amusement park operator in the highly competitive leisure space with an expanded and diversified footprint, a more robust operating model and a strong revenue and cash flow generation profile.

The combined company will operate under the Six Flags name, with Richard Zimmerman, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Cedar Fair, serving as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the combined company, while Selim Bassoul, President and Chief Executive Officer of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, will serve as the Executive Director of the combined company's Board of Directors.

The combined company will boast 27 amusement parks, 15 waterparks, and nine resort properties in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, according to the Associated Press.

“Our merger with Six Flags will bring together two of North America’s iconic amusement park companies to establish a highly diversified footprint and a more robust operating model to enhance park offerings and performance,” said Richard Zimmerman, president and chief executive officer of Cedar Fair, in a news release. “Together, we will have an expanded and complementary portfolio of attractive assets and intellectual property to deliver engaging entertainment experiences for guests. The combination also creates an enhanced financial profile with strong cash flow generation to accelerate investments in our parks to delight our guests, driving increased levels of demand and in-park value and spending. I have great respect for the Six Flags team and look forward to joining forces as we embark on this next chapter together.”

It will be valued at roughly $8 billion, based on both companies’ debt and equity values as of October 31, according to Cedar Fair.

“The combination of Six Flags and Cedar Fair will redefine our guests’ amusement park experience as we combine the best of both companies,” added Selim Bassoul, president and chief executive officer of Six Flags. “Six Flags and Cedar Fair share a strong cultural alignment, operating philosophy, and steadfast commitment to providing consumers with thrilling experiences. By combining our operational models and technology platforms, we expect to accelerate our transformation activities and unlock new potential for our parks. We are excited to unite the Cedar Fair and Six Flags teams to capitalize on the tremendous growth opportunities and operational efficiencies of our combined platform for the benefit of our guests, shareholders, employees, and other stakeholders.”

The merger is expected to close in the first half of 2024, Cedar Fair says.