Could Worlds of Fun or Six Flags St. Louis Close For Good?

Update: This post has been updated to include a quote from a Six Flags spokesperson who told WGN TV that there are no park closures planned right now. 

Could the merger of Six Flags and Cedar Fair mean the end of one of Missouri's theme parks? The closure of Six Flags St Louis or Worlds of Fun in Kansas City?

It's not the first time the question has come up, either. Some theme park lovers posed it when the Cedar Fair Six Flags merger was first announced. In an article published last year, Theme Park Insider thought that both Worlds of Fun and Six Flags St. Louis are parks that could be targeted for closure by the merged company.

Six Flags St. Louis and Worlds of Fun's upside is their locations near major cities. On the downside, according to Theme Park Insider, high real estate values could make both parks a lucrative sales opportunity.

When I wrote "Could Missouri Lose One of Its Iconic Theme Parks?" about a year ago, I believed it'd be difficult for the merged Six Flags to close either park because people from Kansas City or St. Louis wouldn't drive to the other for a one-day theme park experience. 

So what's changed now? The Cedar Fair and Six Flags merger closed on July 1, 2024, and the company became Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. While announcing their third-quarter results, they also announced the core objectives of a new long-range plan called Project Accelerate.

Project Accelerate includes the new Six Flags reviewing its park portfolio to optimize assets and reduce debt, which could lead to the closure or divestiture of underperforming parks. By 2027, the new Six Flags wants to reach 55 million annual visitors to improve cash flow, leveraging efficiencies and targeted investments to drive profitability. All of these things will maximize shareholder value while streamlining opportunities.

None of this means that the new Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is closing any parks yet. A  Six Flags spokesperson told WGN TV, “We have no plans to close parks.” That doesn't mean parks won't close in the future; they won't close right now, probably not for the next operating season.

Because of their location, I find it hard to think they'd close either Worlds of Fun or Six Flags St. Louis. Yet that doesn't mean it won't happen down the road. I'd be surprised if Six Flags doesn't close or sell some of its properties to focus on their big moneymakers.