The staple SoCal amusement parks, Six Flags and Knotts Berry Farm have announced they are merging companies this Thursday.
The combination of Cedar Fair, the owner company of Knotts, and Six Flags will increase their overall value by $200 million over a three-year span.
Both parks experienced a record drop in attendance during their two-month coronavirus closure, which Dornsife student Ciara Stephans explained.
Ciara Stephans: Their revenue probably has decreased since people are not going outside due to the virus and a new variant, especially in California.
To make up for their near $456 million in net revenue loss, this consolidation will raise the value of the two companies to about $8 billion.
This deal has raised concerns from thrill-seeking students and staff about the affordability of these parks.
Max Bross, a senior at the School of Public Policy, shared his worries about the impact of this merger.
Max Bross: It would probably raise the price of tickets as well. Um, I don’t know. I mean, I’m assuming that it would definitely bring in more consumers to the park, but if that were to be the case, then a lot of people who can’t afford to go to the more expensive parks that rely on Six Flags may have nowhere to go.
Gisselle Aquion works at USC and echoed these sentiments.
Gisselle Aquion: Not everyone can afford to go to these amusement parks. It’s not everyone has the money. I feel like aside from purchasing and admission tickets, there’s food inside, drinks that you need to purchase.
That said, the new funds from the merger will allow more resources for renovations that students like Bross say the parks desperately need.
Bross: I can tell because a lot of the food just isn’t great. They don’t have like a lot of updated technology.
Stephans remembers her experience in dealing with technical issues at the parks.
Stephans: I think they could spend more time with the rides like there’s been numerous times where I went to Six Flags and the Goliath was like a stopped.
Even with this swift change in the industry, students hope that the parks will stay true to what brings them back every year.
Bross: I usually go play like four or five times a year. Six Flags is that I think it has more of an identity to it. It has a really like old feeling, and it’s the theme throughout the entire park is very consistent and I really like it.
Despite the ups and downs, members of the USC community will continue to enjoy the new Thrill Capitals of the World. The announcement brings new anticipation, and we’re all just waiting for the drop.