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Six Flags New Orleans
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Six Flags New Orleans
Six Flags New Orleans was a theme park located near the interchange of Interstate 10 and Interstate 510 in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It first opened as Jazzland in 2000, and a 75-year lease agreement was established with Six Flags in 2002 following the previous operator's bankruptcy proceedings. Six Flags invested $20 million in upgrades, and the park reopened as Six Flags New Orleans in 2003. Following substantial damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the park was closed to the public to make efforts to repair and reopen it. However, in 2006, Six Flags declared the property a total loss, and the park was permanently closed. The lease was terminated in 2009 during Six Flags' bankruptcy proceedings.
Six Flags salvaged several rides and relocated them to other parks. The Industrial Development Board (IDB) of New Orleans owns the property and oversees redevelopment plans. Following several failed proposals to redevelop the site, it remained abandoned and in poor condition. Videos and photos of the park emerged over the years online from urban explorers and YouTubers. As a result, city officials became more diligent in securing the park and banning tourists, tasking the New Orleans Police Department with patrolling the abandoned site and arresting trespassers. An option to demolish and clear the land was explored in 2019 following complaints from residents, which was estimated to cost the city $1.3 million.
In 2023, plans were approved by the city for Bayou Phoenix to begin redeveloping the land. In the meantime, the city continued to generate revenue from the property by occasionally leasing the park to various production companies as a filming location.
Demolition of the theme park began in early November 2024 and is to be completed in 2026.
Tom and Dian Winingder spent almost ten years arranging the partnership that would open Jazzland. In 1995, the developers solicited a loan from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), initially for $15 million, to complete the park. The partners included Burroughs & Chapin located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which withdrew in 1997, and Ogden Corporation, which sold its theme park division to Alfa Alfa for $148 million in March 2000. The New Orleans City Council approved of its final master plan in April 1998, with the state of Louisiana providing funding in July 1998. The park is built on a concrete deck 4 ft (1.2 m) thick.
The park opened under the name Jazzland on May 20, 2000; the crowd was estimated at 20–25,000 people, and 75–80,000 season passes had been sold. It was operated by Alfa SmartParks, a Greek holding company that purchased the Ogden Entertainment theme park division; the company has since changed hands and now is known as Palace Entertainment, owned by the Spanish company Parques Reunidos. The original themed areas were Mardi Gras, Pontchartrain Beach, Cajun Country, Jazz Plaza, Kids' Carnival, and The Goodtime Gardens; the first season ran until October 29, with season passes available for $89.99 (individual) or $219.96 (family of four). Rides included Mega Zeph, a wooden roller coaster track built on a steel frame to prevent termite infestation and withstand hurricane-force winds. Mega Zeph was inspired by the old Zephyr roller coaster at the closed Pontchartrain Beach Amusement Park that was next to Lake Pontchartrain by the University of New Orleans. The intent was to rebuild the Zephyr, but it was a smaller roller coaster, so that idea was scrapped in favor of the current larger Mega Zeph. Other rides included a junior steel coaster called Rex's Rail Runner, a wild mouse steel coaster, and a common steel shuttle looping Vekoma boomerang roller-coaster called Zydeco Scream. The park had a log flume called Cypress Plunge and a splashwater falls ride called Spillway Splashout. In addition, the park had common amusement park spinning rides and a carousel merry-go-round.
The park was not profitable, as Alfa SmartParks specialized in running water parks and smaller amusement arcade centers. It attracted 1.1 million visitors for its first season, but that decreased to 560 to 580 thousand the next season; Alfa filed for bankruptcy reorganization in February 2002. Citing its benefit to the local economy, HUD loaned $25.3 million to build the park, and after Alfa went bankrupt, the city of New Orleans became liable for the remainder of the loan. In 2001, the lease was put up for sale, and in March 2002 Six Flags purchased it for $22M, although the park's name did not change that year. The New Orleans city council approved the 75-year lease in August 2002; under the negotiated agreement, repayment of the remaining $24.4 million loan from HUD was to be split between the park ($1.4M/year) and the city ($1M/yr).
Six Flags spent $20 million to upgrade the park and reopened it in April 2003 under the name Six Flags New Orleans. Six Flags added more shaded areas and many new flat spinning rides. The park was renamed Six Flags, and the "it's playtime!" theme was adopted, which included a dancing old man, Mr. Six. They added a Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster named Batman: The Ride (a mirrored version of the B&M Batman: The Ride coaster model) relocated from the defunct Thrill Valley in Japan, and a Vekoma multiple looping coaster called The Jester relocated from Six Flags Fiesta Texas. A water park that would be included in the admission (like Six Flags Parks such as Six Flags St. Louis and Six Flags America, for example) was in the planning stages in early 2005 and was going to be announced at the end of August. However, Hurricane Katrina was about to strike New Orleans, which put those plans and the continued operations of the park in question.
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Six Flags New Orleans
Six Flags New Orleans was a theme park located near the interchange of Interstate 10 and Interstate 510 in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It first opened as Jazzland in 2000, and a 75-year lease agreement was established with Six Flags in 2002 following the previous operator's bankruptcy proceedings. Six Flags invested $20 million in upgrades, and the park reopened as Six Flags New Orleans in 2003. Following substantial damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the park was closed to the public to make efforts to repair and reopen it. However, in 2006, Six Flags declared the property a total loss, and the park was permanently closed. The lease was terminated in 2009 during Six Flags' bankruptcy proceedings.
Six Flags salvaged several rides and relocated them to other parks. The Industrial Development Board (IDB) of New Orleans owns the property and oversees redevelopment plans. Following several failed proposals to redevelop the site, it remained abandoned and in poor condition. Videos and photos of the park emerged over the years online from urban explorers and YouTubers. As a result, city officials became more diligent in securing the park and banning tourists, tasking the New Orleans Police Department with patrolling the abandoned site and arresting trespassers. An option to demolish and clear the land was explored in 2019 following complaints from residents, which was estimated to cost the city $1.3 million.
In 2023, plans were approved by the city for Bayou Phoenix to begin redeveloping the land. In the meantime, the city continued to generate revenue from the property by occasionally leasing the park to various production companies as a filming location.
Demolition of the theme park began in early November 2024 and is to be completed in 2026.
Tom and Dian Winingder spent almost ten years arranging the partnership that would open Jazzland. In 1995, the developers solicited a loan from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), initially for $15 million, to complete the park. The partners included Burroughs & Chapin located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which withdrew in 1997, and Ogden Corporation, which sold its theme park division to Alfa Alfa for $148 million in March 2000. The New Orleans City Council approved of its final master plan in April 1998, with the state of Louisiana providing funding in July 1998. The park is built on a concrete deck 4 ft (1.2 m) thick.
The park opened under the name Jazzland on May 20, 2000; the crowd was estimated at 20–25,000 people, and 75–80,000 season passes had been sold. It was operated by Alfa SmartParks, a Greek holding company that purchased the Ogden Entertainment theme park division; the company has since changed hands and now is known as Palace Entertainment, owned by the Spanish company Parques Reunidos. The original themed areas were Mardi Gras, Pontchartrain Beach, Cajun Country, Jazz Plaza, Kids' Carnival, and The Goodtime Gardens; the first season ran until October 29, with season passes available for $89.99 (individual) or $219.96 (family of four). Rides included Mega Zeph, a wooden roller coaster track built on a steel frame to prevent termite infestation and withstand hurricane-force winds. Mega Zeph was inspired by the old Zephyr roller coaster at the closed Pontchartrain Beach Amusement Park that was next to Lake Pontchartrain by the University of New Orleans. The intent was to rebuild the Zephyr, but it was a smaller roller coaster, so that idea was scrapped in favor of the current larger Mega Zeph. Other rides included a junior steel coaster called Rex's Rail Runner, a wild mouse steel coaster, and a common steel shuttle looping Vekoma boomerang roller-coaster called Zydeco Scream. The park had a log flume called Cypress Plunge and a splashwater falls ride called Spillway Splashout. In addition, the park had common amusement park spinning rides and a carousel merry-go-round.
The park was not profitable, as Alfa SmartParks specialized in running water parks and smaller amusement arcade centers. It attracted 1.1 million visitors for its first season, but that decreased to 560 to 580 thousand the next season; Alfa filed for bankruptcy reorganization in February 2002. Citing its benefit to the local economy, HUD loaned $25.3 million to build the park, and after Alfa went bankrupt, the city of New Orleans became liable for the remainder of the loan. In 2001, the lease was put up for sale, and in March 2002 Six Flags purchased it for $22M, although the park's name did not change that year. The New Orleans city council approved the 75-year lease in August 2002; under the negotiated agreement, repayment of the remaining $24.4 million loan from HUD was to be split between the park ($1.4M/year) and the city ($1M/yr).
Six Flags spent $20 million to upgrade the park and reopened it in April 2003 under the name Six Flags New Orleans. Six Flags added more shaded areas and many new flat spinning rides. The park was renamed Six Flags, and the "it's playtime!" theme was adopted, which included a dancing old man, Mr. Six. They added a Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster named Batman: The Ride (a mirrored version of the B&M Batman: The Ride coaster model) relocated from the defunct Thrill Valley in Japan, and a Vekoma multiple looping coaster called The Jester relocated from Six Flags Fiesta Texas. A water park that would be included in the admission (like Six Flags Parks such as Six Flags St. Louis and Six Flags America, for example) was in the planning stages in early 2005 and was going to be announced at the end of August. However, Hurricane Katrina was about to strike New Orleans, which put those plans and the continued operations of the park in question.
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