After more than a quarter century of roller coaster thrills, family fun, and steamy summer days at the water park, Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor Maryland will close for good at the end of the 2025 season. The parks, located in Bowie, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., will officially shut their gates on November 2. Parent company Six Flags Entertainment Corp. announced that the 500-acre property will be marketed for redevelopment, stating the site is “not a strategic fit” with the company’s long-term growth plan.
Despite the looming closure, Six Flags America is planning to go out with a celebration. The park has scheduled a long list of events for summer 2025, including fan-favorite seasonal celebrations like Viva La Fiesta, the patriotic Coca-Cola July 4th Fest, and the family-friendly Boo Fest leading into Fright Fest in the fall. Concerts, character meet-and-greets, and fireworks are also on the calendar, giving longtime guests a final chance to relive their favorite memories—and make new ones—before the park’s final curtain call.
Six Flags America has tried in recent years to reinvigorate interest with new additions. In 2024, it debuted SteamTown, a steampunk-themed land featuring rides like SteamWhirler, QuantumCanyon Rapids, and Professor Screamore’s SkyWinder. Hurricane Harbor expanded in 2023 with RipQurl Blaster, a towering water coaster billed as the DMV’s tallest. The park also preserved classic attractions, such as The Wild One, one of the oldest operating wooden coasters in the country.
Still, even with the updates, attendance has waned. Estimates suggest annual attendance dropped from about 1.3 million visitors in 2019 to under 1 million in recent years. Critics have pointed to higher ticket and concession prices, reduced discounts and fewer operating days.
The decision to close has been met with disappointment from community members and local officials. Acting Prince George’s County Executive Tara H. Jackson called the parks “a cherished part of our county’s identity” and pledged to work with stakeholders to ensure the redevelopment brings long-term benefits to the area.
Six Flags America originally opened as a wildlife preserve in the 1970s before becoming an amusement park, eventually joining the Six Flags brand in 1999. As the park prepares to say goodbye, guests have until November 2, 2025, to take one last spin, float, or splash—and to celebrate the final summer at a park that helped define family fun for a generation.
Summer Event Dates Include:
- April 12 ─ Opening Day: The park opens for the season on April 12.
- April 12 to 21 ─ Spring Break Days: Spring Break will be full of thrilling rides, diverse dining and exciting experiences that will create memories to last a lifetime at Six Flags America.
- May 24 to Sept. 7 ─ Hurricane Harbor Opens: When the heat of summer hits, the water park opens with rides and entertainment for all ages, including the latest addition RipQurl Blaster, the mid-Atlantic’s tallest Master Blaster water coaster.
- May 31 to June 29 ─ Viva La Fiesta: This vibrant festival returns with exciting live entertainment, authentic dishes and beverages, and special activities that the whole family will enjoy.
- June 19 ─ Juneteenth Celebration: Six Flags America commemorates this special holiday with local entertainment, community vendors and a fireworks spectacular.
- NEW! July 4 & 5 ─ Star-Spangled Nights: Experience two nights of breathtaking fireworks synchronized to patriotic music for an awe-inspiring celebration of America.
- 13 to Nov. 2 ─ Fright Fest presented by SNICKERS®: Thrills and chills return to Six Flags America during Fright Fest. Complete with a haunting landscape, scare zones and hair-raising attractions, this event will surely make for a spooktacular Halloween season. Available weekends and select days.
- 13 to Nov. 2 ─ Kids Boo Fest: The Halloween-themed event for little ghosts and ghouls returns with kid-friendly entertainment, special activities, trick-or-treat trail and more. Available weekends and select days.
