Six Flags Opens Saturday, Will Debut New Attractions This Year

GURNEE, IL – Six Flags Great America in Gurnee will be opening this weekend. The roller coasters will be up and running as will be the kids rides in Hometown Park and Kidzopolis. Tickets and season passes are available for purchase online.

Opening day Saturday with rides running from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Great America, 1 Great America Parkway, will again be open on Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Saturday and Sunday schedule will continue on the last weekend of April. The park will begin to be open during more weekday dates in April and Hurricane Harbor, the amusement park's water park, will open over Memorial Day weekend.

The 2018 season will bring with it some fun new attractions.

Six Flags recently announced that it will debut its Six Flags Holiday in the Park this winter. The festivities will get underway on Nov. 23 and run on weekends through Dec. 23. The holiday activities will then be held daily Dec. 26 through Dec. 31.

The Holiday in the Park will feature more than one million LED lights, beautifully decorated Christmas trees, thrilling rides, enchanting shows, delicious seasonal food and dazzling park décor, according to a Six Flags news release.

“Six Flags is creating a new season of thrills as the park is transformed into a winter wonderland with a million dazzling lights and all the magical sights, sounds and tastes of the holidays,” said Park President, Hank Salemi. “We are excited to extend our operating calendar and make Gurnee the premier place to spend the holiday season.”

Additional highlights of Holiday in the Park will include:

• State-of-the-art light shows;
• Spectacular nightly tree-lighting ceremony;
• Outstanding coasters and attractions;
• Magical holiday shows;
• Fire pits for roasting marshmallows and making s’mores;
• Millions of dazzling lights; and
• Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Holiday in the Park is included with a 2018 Six Flags Great America Season Pass and Membership.

Also new this year, Six Flags is planning to open the world's largest loop roller coaster this summer. The Mardi Gras Hangover will stand at 100 feet tall and will include 360-degree revolutions with multiple inversions, according to a news release from Six Flags Great America.

Mardis Gras Hangover will open in a Mardi Gras-themed area at the park this summer. The world's largest loop coaster will take riders forward and backward on a gigantic loop before suspending them completely upside down, according to the news release.

Late in the summer, Six Flags will also introduce its all-new Mardi Gras Festival. There will be nightly shows, Mardi Gras style floats, beads, stilt walkers, unique food offerings, and fireworks.

"Naming such a unique and record-breaking coaster required out-of-the-box thinking," said Park President Hank Salemi. "Riders will experience multiple moments of hang-time on Mardi Gras Hangover, with the addition of our Mardi Gras Festival debuting this summer, it was the perfect fit."

The 32-seat roller coaster will have a unique "face-off" design, with guests seated back-to-back and face-to-face.

Photo caption: Batman the Ride/Photo credit: Six Flags Great America