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Cedar Fair—the parent company of Schlitterbahn—and Six Flags are merging after entering talks last year, creating a combined entity valued at $8 billion.
The details
In a June 18 news release, Cedar Fair and Six Flags announced a merger of equals, which is when two companies of similar size and value combine to form a single company.
The combined company will operate under the Six Flags name but is expected to maintain park names—such as Schlitterbahn.
“We are fortunate to have a proven team of leaders who bring decades of park operating experience, and significant expertise in integrating businesses and achieving synergy targets for the combined company,” Cedar Fair President and CEO Richard Zimmerman said.
The merger is expected to close July 1, according to the news release, and once finalized, the new management team will begin executing its strategy for the combined company.
How we got here
Over the past five years, Cedar Fair has expanded and invested in the Schlitterbahn water parks in New Braunfels and Galveston, as previously reported by Community Impact, after purchasing them for $261 million.
After acquiring Schlitterbahn in 2019, Cedar Fair focused on enhancing the guest experience through various upgrades and maintaining the park's identity, as previously reported.
SeaWorld made an offer to acquire Cedar Fair for $3.58 billion in 2022; however, the takeover bid was rejected as it was “not in the best interests of the company and its unit holders," according to previous reporting.
Zooming out
The Six Flags locations in Texas are:
