Six Flags planning to reopen all parks in 2021, hire thousands of seasonal workers
LOS ANGELES - Six Flags is back in business.
On Friday, the Texas-based theme park operator announced plans to reopen all 26 of its locations for the 2021 season, including five locations that stayed closed in 2020 due to continued coronavirus restrictions.
The company further confirmed its intention of hiring "thousands of team members" for the upcoming season exclusively via online hiring events.
"Our guests and team members are ready for the return of fun and signature Six Flags thrills in 2021," said Senior Vice President of Park Operations Bonnie Weber in a press release. "Last year, we set the standard for operating our parks safely, and entertained millions of guests in adherence to government, and CDC health guidelines at 21 of our 26 parks."
Weber added that the company is currently working to "set firm reopening dates" for its parks in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Mexico City and Canada.
Six Flags warned that its reopening dates, while planned for 2021, were also subject to change depending on local, state or federal guidelines.
Six Flags had initially shut down its theme park operations in mid-March of 2020, only reopening its first location — Frontier City in Oklahoma — on June 5. Twenty of its other parks followed by the end of the year, all with new cleaning, hygiene and social-distancing protocol in place.
Other policy changes included face coverings and temperature checks for guests and employees; a new online reservation system to be used by guests prior to booking a visit; limited capacity at all parks; and the switchover to credit card or mobile payments only, to minimize contact between guests and vendors.
On its website, Six Flags still warns guests to "evaluate their own risk" before deciding whether to attend its parks.
"People who show no symptoms can spread Coronavirus if they are infected, any interaction with the general public poses an elevated risk of being exposed to Coronavirus," reads the site. "By coming to the park, you acknowledge and agree that you assume these inherent risks associated with attendance."
Six Flags CEO Mike Spanos, however, had said the parks were ready to embrace a "new normal" after the reopening of its Frontier City location in June 2020.
"This ’new normal’ will be very different, but we believe these additional measures are appropriate in the current environment," Spanos said.
Information on all of Six Flags' upcoming additions and announcements, including its hiring initiatives, can be found here.