Six Flags Entertainment have announced plans to reopen Six Flags Over Texas on June 18th, just over two weeks after the reopening of its Great Adventure Safari in New Jersey. Six Flags’ Oklahoma City theme park, Frontier City, opened its doors once again on June 5th, with limited capacity access.
For the first four days of the attractions reopening, tickets to the park will only be available to unlimited season pass holders, as part of the company’s loyalty program. In order to control the number of visitors to the park, all bookings must be made online and in advance, with guests specifying both a date and time for their arrival.
The waterpark attached to Six Flags Over Texas, Hurricane Harbor, is also set to reopen this month, with a date set for June 19th. Waterslides within the park will only be open to one party at a time, helping to enforce social distancing measures. Similarly, rollercoasters at Six Flags Over Texas will see every other row left vacant to create a physical separation between riders.
Employees within the parks will be required to undertake regular cleaning and sanitising duties throughout the day, cleaning high contact surfaces such as handrails and doors. It is expected that additional parks will reopen within the month, with similar social distancing and sanitisation measures in place.
“Six Flags Over Texas and Hurricane Harbor are a much-beloved outdoor summer ritual for so many North Texans, and we look forward to welcoming families back to our parks,” Six Flags Over Texas and Hurricane Harbor Park President Steve Martindale said. “The safety of our guests and team members remains our number one priority, and the new safety guidelines we have put in place are designed to create a safe environment for everyone. We greatly appreciate the support of Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and Governor Abbott throughout this reopening process.”
The news of the parks reopening comes following an address from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, regarding the state’s reopening protocols, on June 3rd. Governor Abbott states that theme parks and amusements parks can reopen immediately, at 50% capacity, providing they are located in counties with less than 1,000 COVID-19 cases. Those in counties with over 1,000 cases must wait until June 19th.
Abbott also said the “people of Texas continue to prove that we can safely and responsibly open our state for business while containing COVID-19 and keeping our state safe.”
