Six Flags St. Louis

Six Flags St. Louis (originally Six Flags Over Mid-America) is an amusement park in Eureka, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Founded by Six Flags, the park was purchased in 2026 by EPR Properties, which hired Enchanted Parks to operate it. After the 2026 season, the park is to be renamed Mid-America by Enchanted Parks. The park was conceived in the 1960s by Six Flags founder Angus G. Wynne. Unlike his company's first two parks, it was not designed by architect Randall Duell, who was busy designing AstroWorld, but by the company itself. The park opened on June 5, 1971. It has undergone many changes, including a 1990s revamp that added two new areas and replaced or renamed all six of the park's original ones. Six Flags St. Louis operates from April to November. In the fall, the park hosts the Halloween-themed event Fright Fest. History Plans for a Six Flags park in the St. Louis area—dubbed Six Flags Over Mid-America—were announced on July 16, 1969. The park opened on June 5, 1971, the third and last of the three "true" Six Flags parks envisioned by Angus G. Wynne. The park was divided into six themed sections, each under one of the "Six Flags": Missouri (now 1904 World's Fair), the main entry of the park, themed after the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904. U.S.A. (replaced by Time Warner Studios in 1995), in the southeast of the park, has a patriotic theme, after the United States. France (now Chouteau's Market), to the east, next to U.S.A., is themed after a colonial French trading post. Spain (replaced by DC Comics Plaza in 1997), in the southwest of the park, has Spanish-themed architecture and restaurants. England (now Britannia), in the northwest of the park, is themed after a village in medieval England. Old Chicago (now Illinois), in the northeast section of the park, themed after the city of Chicago in the early 1900s. The park's name was changed to Six Flags St. Louis for the 1997 season. On June 5, 1999, the 12-acre Six Flags Hurricane Harbor water park opened next to the main park, a $17 million expansion that was the largest in the park's history. In 2014, Six Flags sold 180 acres of unused land to the east of the park to developer McBride & Sons, reducing its property area to 323 acres: including 40 acres of undeveloped land. In January 2020, a renovation to the entry plaza removed the original ticket booths. That March, Six Flags St. Louis announced that the opening of their 2020 season would be delayed by to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yearly attendance figures have not been released. 2026 sale On March 5, 2026, the park's owner, Six Flags (which had merged with Cedar Fair in 2024), announced that it would sell Six Flags St. Louis and six other park properties to EPR Properties. The sale was completed on April 6, 2026. EPR hired Enchanted Parks to operate the park. It will retain its Six Flags branding for the rest of the 2026 season, then be renamed Mid-America by Enchanted Parks. Areas and attractions Six Flags St. Louis is divided into eight themed sections, all of which were added after the park's opening or renamed. The park is laid out in a "Duell loop", a design concept that was often used by park designer Randall Duell. 1904 World's Fair 1904 World's Fair is the main area of the park, named after the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, which ran from April 30 to December 1, 1904. The area features the "Mall of the Mid-Americas", a shopping mall that features foods introduced or served at the fair, as well as early-1900s-themed buildings. The area was named "Missouri" until 1994. Gateway to the West Gateway to the West is themed after the old colonial times of the state of Missouri, and alludes to locales and people that have lived in the state. The area opened in 1993, taking over a part of what was formerly the Missouri section of the park. Chouteau's Market Chouteau's Market is themed after a French market along the Mississippi River. It is named after Auguste Chouteau, the founder of the city of St. Louis. The area opened in 1993, replacing France. In 2014, the area was expanded to take over a piece of what had formerly been the back of Studio Backlot. Studio Backlot Studio Backlot is themed to the backlot of a movie studio in Hollywood. The area originally opened in 1995 as "Time Warner Studios", but was renamed "Warner Bros. Backlot" the following year. In the first couple years, the area featured five interactive movie set experiences based on various Warner Bros. films, including Bonnie and Clyde, Little Shop of Horrors and Maverick, all of which were retired after the 1997 season. The area's name was changed again to its current name in 2002, though it mostly retains its previous theme. DC Comics Plaza DC Comics Plaza celebrates the worlds of DC Entertainment, with several attractions based on various DC characters and properties. The area opened in 1997, replacing the former Spain section of the park. One of DC Comics Plaza's most iconic features is DC Circle, a section of the ground that is designed after DC's longtime "DC Bullet" logo. The visual centerpiece of the Plaza is the Hall of Justice, which serves as the facade and entrance for Justice League: Battle for Metropolis. Directly to the opposite side is the large, snowman-themed facade of the "Snowy's Ice Cream Factory Tours", which is the entrance to Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast. Britannia Britannia is based on the country of Great Britain as it was in its medieval period, including elements from Arthurian legend. The area was named "England" from 1971 to 1992, then "Great Britain" in 1993, and it was given its current name in 1994. Illinois Illinois is loosely themed to the city of Chicago. The area was formerly known as "Old Chicago" from 1971 to 1993. Bugs Bunny National Park Bugs Bunny National Park is a kiddie area based on the Looney Tunes franchise. It opened in 2006 as the successor to Looney Tunes Town. It replaced some former land that Britannia used to occupy. Roller Coasters Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Hurricane Harbor is a water park that is connected to the southeast portion of Six Flags St. Louis and is adjacent to Studio Backlot, but is not part of the main park. Entertainment Venues Six Flags St. Louis has several theaters that host daily shows during its operating season. With the exception of the summer concert series, all shows are free to attend. Annual events A number of annual seasonal events are held at the park: July 4th Fest July 4th Fest was introduced in the 2000s and features multiple nights of fireworks for the Fourth of July. It is typically sponsored by Coca-Cola. This event was last held in 2024 and was replaced by "Star Spangled Night", presented by M&M'S. Fright Fest Fright Fest was introduced in 1988 as "Fright Nights", which ran until Fright Nights V in 1992. In 1993, the event became Fright Fest under the ownership of Time Warner, who wanted each Six Flags park's Halloween event to use the same name for branding purposes. The event runs from mid to late September through Halloween and typically features several haunted attractions and scare zones, as well as live entertainment. Fright Fest celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2018. Fright Fest was replaced with HALLOWFEST in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Park capacity was reduced to 25% of its normal capacity and all haunted houses, scare zones, and shows were replaced with outdoor, socially distanced alternatives. Holiday in the Park A holiday event was introduced in 2016 which features several themed areas as well as live entertainment. The event extended the park's operating season by two months for the first time in its history. It did not return in 2022. Holiday Square and Cosmic Sleigh Ride For the 2022 season, Holiday in the Park was replaced by Cosmic Sleigh Ride & Holiday Square. After 2021 season, Holiday in the Park was reimagined and rebranded as "Holiday Square" heavily toning down the operation, but still including the core elements of lights, entertainment, characters and treats. It was paired alongside a drive through lights show, run by World of Illumination. Kids Weekend Throughout weekends in June, Kids Weekends, happens. Kids Weekend features decorations, entertainment, and food offerings. According to Six Flags, "This event is all about the kids. Foam cannons, dance parties, and snow cones will be at Six Flags every weekend in June." Kids Weekend inaugural season is 2023. Summer Vibes Presented by M&Ms, Summers Vibes features food offerings, entertainment, and decorations. Summer Vibes is throughout July, after July 4 Fest. According to Six Flags, "This spectacular event features mouth-watering treats, beat-the-heat beverages, and photo moments in both the theme park and the water park." Summer Vibes' inaugural season is 2023. Former attractions Gallery Incidents References Notes References External links Official website Six Flags St. Louis at the Roller Coaster DataBase