Maryland’s Six Flags America Set to Close and Be Sold for Redevelopment
News of the amusement parks’ closure comes less than a week after the Washington Commanders announced a deal to relocate from Landover, Md., to Washington, D.C.
By Nick Trombola May 2, 2025 12:55 pm
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Maryland’s Six Flags America will close at the end of its 2025 operating season as the owners look to unload the massive property to be redeveloped.
The amusement park’s parent company, Six Flags Entertainment, will close both the Six Flags America location and adjacent Hurricane Harbor water park in Bowie, Md., on Nov. 2, according to the Business Journals. The company said it intends to market the 523 acres for redevelopment, tapping CBRE to lead the sales effort.
“As part of our comprehensive review of our park portfolio, we have determined that Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor are not a strategic fit with the company’s long-term growth plan,” Richard A. Zimmerman, Six Flags President and CEO, said in a statement. “After reviewing a number of options, we believe that marketing the property for redevelopment will generate the highest value and return on investment.”
Six Flags posted a net income loss of about $264 million in the final quarter of 2024, according to its latest earnings report. Yet a recent merger with Cedar Fair Entertainment last year may have also put Six Flags America in the company’s crosshairs. Kings Dominion and Soak City — a 400-acre amusement and water park in Doswell, Va., which now fall under the Six Flags umbrella — are about 100 miles south of Six Flags America.
Still, the closure of the Maryland Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor location is not expected to have a “material impact” on their parent company’s 2025 financial results, the company said in its announcement on Thursday. The park currently employs 70 full-time workers, who will receive severance and other benefits if eligible, per the company.
News of the Six Flags closure comes less than a week after the Washington Commanders announced a deal to return to Washington, D.C., after nearly 30 years at FedEx Field, now known as Northwest Stadium, in Landover, Md. The Maryland football stadium is less than seven miles west of Six Flags America. (The stadium deal still needs approval from the D.C. Council, which has indicated a split on the issue due to a nearly $1 billion commitment from the cash-strapped District.)
The loss of both the Commanders and Six Flags America would leave two gaping holes in Prince George’s County — but also present an opportunity in the coming years as both plots are primed for major overhauls.
Nick Trombola can be reached at ntrombola@commercialobserver.com.
