Super Bowl LIX has brought New Orleans into the spotlight for the weekend, but another major thing is happening these next few months as well. Six Flags New Orleans, after 20 years of being laid abandoned, is finally coming down.
Six Flags New Orleans/Jazzland Background
Six Flags New Orleans opened as Jazzland on May 20th, 2000. Originally operated by Alfa SmartParks, the park drew over 1.1 million visitors in its first season. The park featured six themed areas: Mardi Gras, Pontchartrain Beach, Cajun Country, Jazz Plaza, Kids’ Carnival, and the Goodtime Gardens.
The park featured many rides over the years it operated, including Mega Zeph (wooden coaster), The Jester (Vekoma looping coaster), Batman The Ride (B&M Inverted Coaster), and Zydeco Scream (Vekoma Boomerang Coaster).
The second season of operation, the park did not do nearly as well (attracting only 560,000-580,000 people). Alfa SmartParks filed for bankruptcy, and Six Flags bought the park. They planned to invest over $ 20 million over the coming years of operations, which was about the same price they bought the park for.
Six Flags kept their promise and opened many new coasters in the park (some named above), added a DC Comics area, and replaced Kids’ Carnival with a Looney Tunes Adventures area. All in all, they invested over $ 44 million on park upgrades, and they renamed the park to Six Flags New Orleans in 2003.
The last day of park operations was Sunday, August 21st, 2005 (on weekends only; operations closed closer to the end of the season). Hurricane Katrina hit the area the next weekend and devastated the area.
The park is located in Eastern New Orleans and was located on a floodplain. Their drainage pumps failed during the storm, resulting in 4-7 feet of surge into the park, which didn’t drain for another month. The park also suffered extensive wind damage because the storm made landfall with winds over 140 miles per hour. This all led to the park being closed indefinitely without plans to reopen.
Six Flags New Orleans sadly was a casualty of a major natural disaster. It was one of the least profitable parks in the Six Flags chain, and as a result, Six Flags essentially collected the insurance money and left. Many of the rides (that were salvageable) were moved to other parks. I’ve personally only ridden Goliath (formerly Batman: The Ride) at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, but there are others. Bayou Blaster (Six Flags Great Escape), Sonic Slam (Six Flags Great Escape), and The Road Runner Express (Six Flags Magic Mountain) are some others.
Ever since the park closed, it has become an urban exploration area. Many people on YouTube have covered the park extensively during its closure, such as Bright Sun Films. And it has garnered a much larger popularity now than it has ever had. Six Flags New Orleans has been used as a filming location since its closure in many movies, such as: Jurassic World, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, and most recently, Reminiscence, to name a few.
What’s Happening To Six Flags New Orleans in 2025?
Since the park’s closure, there have been many redevelopment plans and proposals, but none have gotten further than the current plan. Bayou Phoenix has been picked to redevelop the site into a $ 500 million development with a sports complex, waterpark, hotels, restaurants, and shops.
Demolition began in November of 2024, and the park will be reduced to “just slabs” by March of 2025.
Across social media, photos have come out showing the demolition of the park, including parts of the wooden coaster: Mega Zeph coming down.
A fire broke out on Mega Zeph on January 18th, 2025, while demolition was taking place. The fire was isolated and didn’t pose a danger to anyone since it was being torn down anyway.
Just like that, by March of 2025, the 20-year history of the park is coming to an end, but the legacy of the park will continue on. Park goers of the past continue to rave about their experiences in the park. It is sure to live on for generations from the stories of people who “got their fill of thrills at Jazzland.”
Stay tuned to RideRover for more park and ride updates!