See now that is a different set of circumstances.
News Project 2027/Otter: "Record-Breaking Water Ride"
- Thread starter CrosshairsKD
- Start date
Family Kingdom getting an RMC before Carowinds. Just Wow.
Carowinds doesn't need a low-throughput coaster like that. A single rail coaster is a good fit for Family Kingdom.
I have a feeling that this is the “significant joint reveal with a partner”.
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
As of now, Six Flags is sitting at 3 out of 9 promised 2026 attractions officially announced, with 1 out of 9 already confirmed as delayed (Great Adventure).
The three attractions revealed so far are:
At this point, the only realistic hope is a second wave of announcements before the end of the year. But honestly, you’d expect at least one of the remaining parks to have made a move by now. The fact that we’re still sitting here with 5 out of 9 parks completely silent is… not exactly reassuring.
The three attractions revealed so far are:
- Six Flags Mexico – Family Boomerang
- Six Flags Over Texas – Dive Coaster
- Kings Island – Family thrill attraction (which appears to have been the Phantom Theater renovation all along)
At this point, the only realistic hope is a second wave of announcements before the end of the year. But honestly, you’d expect at least one of the remaining parks to have made a move by now. The fact that we’re still sitting here with 5 out of 9 parks completely silent is… not exactly reassuring.
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Meanwhile down in Texas it appears that still-unannounced projects at both Fiesta Texas AND Schlitterbahn New Braunfels—two parks IN THE SAME MARKET—two projects that weren't listed during the earnings call referenced above—are both proceeding on-track for 2026. Make it make sense.
I'm looking through the recent earnings call right now, and everything I'm reading leads me to think that they're still going through with most of those previously announced additions. They say several times that they're still planning on $400 million for 2026 CAPEX, which is the same number we had heard earlier in the year, so it seems to me like most of these projects should still be underway.
"Yes, for now, our projection still is CAPEX spend in calendar year 2026 of approximately $400 million. The mix of that spend has not significantly changed. A lot of the big dollar projects, as I said earlier, are longer lead projects. Those have been in the pipeline and will continue. As some of the smaller projects that have shorter lead times, we will always move those things around. At this point in time, I wouldn’t say that we’ve deviated dramatically from our plans coming into 2025 in preparation for next year"
"Yes, for now, our projection still is CAPEX spend in calendar year 2026 of approximately $400 million. The mix of that spend has not significantly changed. A lot of the big dollar projects, as I said earlier, are longer lead projects. Those have been in the pipeline and will continue. As some of the smaller projects that have shorter lead times, we will always move those things around. At this point in time, I wouldn’t say that we’ve deviated dramatically from our plans coming into 2025 in preparation for next year"
One thing I could absolutely see happening right now is that the parks are intentionally holding off on announcements to make sure their projects will actually be ready on time. From a PR standpoint, the worst thing you can do is hype everyone up and then have to come back later and say, “Sorry… it’s delayed until next year.”
This is even more bizarre when you consider that Schlitterbahn NB, by all accounts, should be on the chopping block given that it’s direct competition to Hurricane Harbor San Antonio less than 40 miles away.
There has been no noticeable movement on the construction site, see the image below from this past weekend.
Image: Carowinds Fans Only
The project can start construction as soon as Carowinds would like it to, the land disturbance permit has been granted.
Maybe we will see construction resume after the park closes in the new year.
Image: Carowinds Fans Only
The project can start construction as soon as Carowinds would like it to, the land disturbance permit has been granted.
Maybe we will see construction resume after the park closes in the new year.
The approval expires October 21st, 2028.
I think one of the issues that is delaying the announcement is the park has to deal with Oxidane contamination in the area. It’s kind of dangerous and found in the area.
Hint, use your favorite search engine to look up "Oxidane".