Theme Park Insider

Universal announces new indoor coaster for Epic Universe

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 15:41:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: The expansion at Universal Orlando's Epic Universe is now official.

Universal Orlando Resort today announced that construction is underway for a new indoor thrill coaster in the Dark Universe land at Universal Epic Universe. The new coaster will "immerse guests in an all-new story inspired by the iconic Universal Monsters franchise" and be located next to the Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment ride.

Beyond that, we did not get any additional details from Universal today. While construction is underway, Universal did not provide an opening date for the new coaster, other than to say that it will open "in the years ahead."

The new coaster will be the fifth at Universal's new theme park, which opened last year. Epic's Stardust Racers and Hiccup's Wing Gliders already claimed spots in Theme Park Insider readers' list of the world's top 40 coasters. The new coaster should continue to boost the appeal top coaster fans for the Universal Orlando Resort, which is home to our top-rated coaster, Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Islands of Adventure.

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The world's largest indoor wooden coaster is coming to Kentucky Kingdom

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 15:27:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Kentucky Kingdom will open the world's largest indoor wooden roller coaster next year, owner Herschend announced today.

Midnight Showdown will anchor the new Bluegrass Downs land at the Louisville theme park, which stands just a couple of miles away from Churchill Downs, the home of the world-famous Kentucky Derby. The Gravity Group will create the new horse race-themed coaster, which will feature 1,130 feet of wood track and stand more than three stories tall. The coaster will run two trains with 10 riders each.

Bluegrass Downs. Concept art courtesy Herschend

In addition to Bluegrass Downs, Kentucky Kingdom will retheme the area around this year's new Flying Fox coaster as Happy Valley Farm. That new land will include the Vekoma Suspended Family coaster as well as eight other "reimagined" rides, including Friendly Frogs, Loopy Lambs, and Country Cruiser.

Happy Valley Farm. Concept art courtesy Herschend

Herschend said that the new coaster and rethemed lands will complete the transformation of the park that the company began when it acquired Kentucky Kingdom in 2021. The company said that it has spent nearly $50 million to reshape the park in the past five years.

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SeaWorld delays new ride as attendance drops across United Parks

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 15:04:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Attendance, revenue and earnings continue to drop at United Parks & Resorts.

The owner of the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens theme parks reported its latest financial results this morning. For those of you who have been following United Parks with us for a long time, the company hit the trifecta for its earnings calls right off the bat.

"We are pleased with the underlying performance of our business, despite significantly unfavorable weather, calendar impacts and international headwinds during the quarter," CEO Marc Swanson said. "Excluding the impact of these unusual headwinds, which amounted to approximately 325,000 visits, our attendance would have been up. Our attendance during the quarter was also impacted by a planned reduction in promotional admissions products which amounted to more than 100,000 visits."

The actual numbers were 6.47 million people visits United Parks during the three months ending September 30, down 4.7% from the same period in 2025. Total revenue dropped 1.1%, to $506.5 million while net income dropped 10.5%, to $80 million. Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) fell 5.1%, to $205.1 million.

For the first nine months of 2026, attendance also was down - 4.1%, to 15.74 million. Net income was down 28.8%, on a 1.6% drop in total revenue. But total revenue per capita was up 2.8%, driven by 4.8% higher in-park spending, which was $38.86 per guest in the first nine months of 2026.

"Underscoring the progress we are making, our total pass sales during the third quarter were up almost 8% and our total paid pass base was positive as of October 31st," Swanson said. "What's even more encouraging, our 2027 specific pass product base is up over 15% as of October 31st. Despite continued brutal weather in October, our projected total revenue was up for the month and our separately ticketed Howl-O-Scream events saw meaningful year over year growth on non-impacted weather days."

Today's first earnings report was the first time that I have seen SeaWorld officially acknowledge that the new SEAQuest: Legends of the Deep dark ride at SeaWorld Orlando has been pushed to 2027. The company also said that Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will announce a new attraction at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando later this month.

Six Flags reports flat attendance and smaller losses

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 14:49:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Attendance dipped slightly at Six Flags theme parks in the third quarter of 2026, as the company limited its losses following the sale of several of its parks.

Six Flags this morning reported its financial reports for the three months ending September 27 as well as for the first nine months of 2026. The company reported both overall results as well as results on a same-park basis. Since the overall results in 2025 include attendance and revenue from the parks that Six Flags no longer owns nor operates, I am going to ignore those and focus instead on the same-park results.

Attendance dropped 0.2%, to 18.195 million guests, for the quarter, but it was up 1.2%, to 34.246 for the first nine months of the year. Net revenue increased 1.4% for the quarter and twice that for the year - up 2.8%, to $2.258 billion. The company's net loss shrank considerably, down to $366 million for the quarter from $1.225 billion in the same period in 2025.

For the year, net loss in 2026 has been $801 million, down from $1.492 billion in the same period in 2025. The company reported that its Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) was up 11% for the first nine months of the year, to $639.5 million.

In a statement provided to me in advance of this morning's release, a Six Flags spokesperson said that the company's passholder base is growing and that active passes increased approximately 7% to 7.1 million in 2026, and that pass holders and members accounted for 61% of Q3 attendance.

"We are particularly encouraged by the momentum in our regional pass offerings, which are helping unlock the unique advantages of our multi-park network," Six Flags President and CEO John Reilly said. "Guests are increasingly visiting parks beyond their home market, providing early evidence that our strategy is driving incremental visitation, deeper guest engagement and stronger loyalty across the portfolio,"

Six Flags also noted that ride uptime improved to 90.3% in the quarter.

Of course, the quarter ended before the company closed all of its B & M hyper coasters following the death of a guest on Six Flags Over Georgia's Goliath in October.

"October was softer than planned, with weather disruptions and safety-related ride closures affecting important weekends. Safety remains our company's most fundamental commitment, and a comprehensive review of our ride portfolio is underway with independent specialists," Six Flags said.

Six Flags total debt was $4.91 billion on September 27, 2026, a decrease of $275 million from December 31, 2025.

Podcast: Designing a better Magic Mountain

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 14:25:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: This week on the Theme Park Insider Podcast, Jake and I offer our suggestions for the perfect Six Flags Magic Mountain, in advance of the park�s plans to announce a big transformation starting next year.

My first suggestion is giving up on the whole "most coasters in the world" obsession and focusing instead on quality. That means closing bad coasters and investing in world-class new coasters. The park also could use more indoor queues and dining areas, as well as a refreshed entrance and a focus on the mountain that gives the park its name.

Happy Birthday to Ferrari World

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 00:52:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Happy 16th birthday today to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. The first theme park at the Yas Island resort in the UAE's capital city opened November 4 in 2010.

Since then, Yas Island has expanded to become one of the world's most intriguing theme park developments, with Warner Bros. World opening in 2018, followed by SeaWorld in 2023. Last year, Yas Island developer Miral announced plans for a new Disney theme park resort on the island.

For years, Ferrari World was home to the world's fastest roller coaster, the F1-themed Formula Rossa. That title has moved across the Arabian peninsula to Falcons Flight, but Ferrari World remains a speed lover's paradise, with coasters, attractions and exhibits inspired by the most famous manufacturer in the world's leading auto racing series, Formula 1.

To celebrate the park's birthday, join me for a walking tour of Ferrari World or check out our front row POV video of Formula Rossa.

And for more of what's happening right now on Yas Island, our friends over at Desert Thrills have posted their October construction update for Warner Bros. World, which is opening a Superman flying coaster in 2028, as well as an all-new Wizarding World of Harry Potter land at some point after that. Construction has gone vertical on the Potter land, which will include Hogwarts, Diagon Alley and the Forbidden Forest.

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Knott's to offer new Snoopy ice skating show

Tue, 03 Nov 2026 16:11:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Knott's will present a new ice skating show for Knott's Merry Farm this season.

Snoopy's Merry Christmas Follies will take over the Walter Knott Theater during this year's holiday event, which starts November 20 and continues through January 3, 2027. And that's just one of several new holiday-themed shows coming to Six Flags theme parks in Southern California this year.

Knott's new production will feature ice skaters, a vocal quartet, and high-kicking Follies dancers joining Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang. The show joins Knott's returning Merry Farm entertainment, including Home for the Holidays at the Calico Mine Stage, A Calico Christmas Carol and The Gift of the Magi 1885 in the Bird Cage Theatre, and the Calico Carolers in Ghost Town, along with other live music throughout the park.

Santa's Christmas Cabin also returns to the Wilderness Dance Hall, as does Knott's Christmas Crafts Village.

Six Flags Holiday in the Park

Up the 5 at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Holiday in the Park starts November 26 and runs through January 3, 2027. This year's event will feature several new shows, including the Cool Yule Christmas dance show at the Full Throttle Stage and No Biz Like Snow Biz starring the Looney Tunes characters in The Bunny Bowl Amphitheater.

GearWorks Theater will stage Tinker's Toy Factory, a new show starring Santa's elves as they prepare for Christmas Eve, while Rapids Camp Crossing will host Storytime with Mrs. Claus. In Metropolis Park, TWAS: A Merry Mishap will invite park guests to step into a holiday story alongside Six Flags' Tinsel Town Players.

Magic Mountain also will present live musicians at Metro Pub and the Carousel Gazebo, while the Tree Lot in The Underground will offer photo ops and The Wishing Ridge in Baja Ridge will offer synchronized lights and holiday music.

Six Flags Magic Mountain also announced that starting tomorrow, guests age 65 and older can register online for free unlimited admission to Six Flags Magic Mountain through the end of the 2026 operating season.

For everyone else, you can shop one-day tickets to the parks via our partner's Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott's Berry Farm tickets pages.

Cedar Point sets opening day for 2027 season

Tue, 03 Nov 2026 15:36:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Ohio's Cedar Point has set its opening date for the 2027 season.

Once again, "America's Roller Coast" will open to fans on the first weekend in May. Cedar Point's 2027 opening date will be Saturday, May 1.

You can keep track of everything that's happening in the year ahead on Theme Park Insider's Calendar page, which lists opening dates and events at major theme parks for the rest of the 2026 season, plus what has been announced for 2027.

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