29yrswithaGApass

Six Flags Great Adventure Announces Summer Events Join Us for Interactive Events, Delicious Bites, Festivals, Fireworks and World-Class Thrill Rides This Summer Season JACKSON, N.J. ─June 15, 2022 ─ Six Flags Great Adventure, The World’s Ultimate Thrill Park, announces its summer line-up of events, including Ride with Pride Night, Flavors of the World Food Festival, Gaming Fest powered by Coca-ColaTM, July 4th Fest, Summer Nights Spectacular and National Coaster Day. These events run on select days June 16 through September 4. Ride with Pride Night ─ June 16 This event features guest DJ’s, live performances, a collection of Six Flags pride merchandise and fireworks. Guests will be able to try delicious food offerings, enjoy the colorful décor, and hop on world-class attractions as we celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. Flavors of the World Food Festival ─ June 23 – August 13 Flavors of the World Food Festival will become a new culinary favorite. Allow your senses to take a trip around the globe as they savor tasty sips, eats, and entertainment highlighting 7 countries across the world. Sample traditional treats while enjoying family friendly events without the need for a passport. This event takes place Fridays-Sundays. Gaming Fest powered by Coca-ColaTM ─ July 1 – September 4 Gaming Fest powered by Coca-ColaTM is ready to help you get your game on. Guests can register online to participate in the ultimate gaming experience at Six Flags Great Adventure. July 4th Fest ─ July 1 – July 4 Celebrate the holiday weekend will thrills and fireworks at Six Flags Great Adventure. Play all day and stay into the night as we light up the sky with amazing fireworks display at 9:30pm nightly. Summer Nights Spectacular ─ July 7 – August 26 After you fill your day with family fun, food and thrills, be sure to stick around for our Summer Nights Spectacular. This fireworks display will light up the sky above the world’s top thrill coasters. Enjoy this event Friday and Saturday nights through the summer. National Coaster Day ─ August 16 What better place to enjoy National Coaster Day than the World’s Ultimate Thrill Park. Whether you are a junior thrill seeker or looking to experience intense thrills, we have coasters the whole family can enjoy. About Six Flags Entertainment Corporation Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is the world’s largest regional theme park company with 27 parks across the United States, Mexico and Canada. For nearly 62 years, Six Flags has entertained hundreds of millions of guests with world-class coasters, themed rides, thrilling water parks and unique attractions. Six Flags is committed to creating an inclusive environment that fully embraces the diversity of our team members and guests. For more information, visit www.sixflags.com. About Six Flags Great Adventure, Wild Safari and Hurricane Harbor Six Flags Great Adventure is the World’s Largest Thrill Park with world-class, award-winning rides like Kingda Ka, Nitro, and Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom. The park offers two areas just for the littlest guests and great family rides for the whole family, plus entertainment, shopping, and a wide variety of dining options. Its Wild Safari Drive-Thru Adventure is one of the largest self-guided drive-through safaris outside of Africa and gets guests up-close to more than 1,200 animals from around the globe in the privacy of their own vehicles. Six Flags Hurricane Harbor is one of the Northeast’s largest water parks with more than 25 refreshing attractions for the whole family. www.sixflags.com/greatadventure

This photo was taken later in the 1974 season. Even this first installation of exit bars did not provide much protection.

Brian Bacica Appointed Park President of Six Flags Great Adventure JACKSON, N.J. — June 14, 2023 — Six Flags Entertainment Corporation has named Brian Bacica Park President for Six Flags Great Adventure properties which includes Six Flags Great Adventure, Hurricane Harbor New Jersey, and Six Flag’s Wild Safari Drive-Thru Adventure. In joining the Six Flags Great Adventure team, Bacica brings with him a diverse knowledge of the attractions industry and a strong history of leadership. Brian Bacica - Six Flags Great Adventure Six Flags VP of Operations, Public Safety, Maintenance, and Engineering Jason Freeman was at the park to share the announcement with the Six Flags Great Adventure team. “Brian's years of experience in leadership roles and his diverse background in food and beverage, events, and theme parks, make him the perfect choice to lead these three extraordinary properties,” said Freeman. Bacica most recently served as a Regional Vice President at TriMark USA and has held executive positions with Au Bon Pain and PEAK Event Services. He spent much of his career in theme parks including roles with the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA., and Universal Parks & Resorts. Bacica’s theme park experience started as Operations Manager, Food & Beverage at the Disneyland Resort, and was followed by a number of progressively responsible leadership positions with Universal. Bacica created several revenue-generating initiatives as the SVP of Revenue Operations at Universal Studios Hollywood & General Manager of Universal CityWalk. As the SVP of Revenue Operations at Universal Orlando, he played an integral part in the successful opening of Volcano Bay Waterpark. “I am extremely excited about the opportunity to work for the world’s largest regional theme park company at one of its most unique properties,” said Bacica. Six Flags Great Adventure is a one-of-a-kind destination including one of the largest drive-through safaris outside of Africa, the region’s best water park, and world-class coasters. I look forward to working with the team to continue driving park initiatives while enhancing the guest experience for years to come,” said Bacica. New in 2023, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor New Jersey will debut the park’s largest investment in more than two decades. The water park’s expansion features new slides and an all-new interactive splash play structure plus a wide range of park enhancements including new shade structures and new dining options. Six Flags Great Adventure recently launched their Summer Fun Sale with season passes starting as low as $7.99/month after the initial payment. For a limited time, when guests purchase a Gold Pass they will receive a FREE upgrade to Platinum, which includes unlimited visits to Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor New Jersey, Wild Safari Drive-Thru Adventure, free parking and a variety of other perks and discounts. If you are looking to Plus Up your summer, purchase Six Flags Plus. For just 11.99/month you can get unlimited visits to every Six Flags theme park and water park plus free parking, discounts, and more. About Six Flags Entertainment Corporation Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is the world’s largest regional theme park company with 27 parks across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. For nearly 62 years, Six Flags has entertained hundreds of millions of guests with world-class coasters, themed rides, thrilling water parks, and unique attractions. Six Flags is committed to creating an inclusive environment that fully embraces the diversity of our team members and guests. For more information, visit www.sixflags.com. About Six Flags Great Adventure, Wild Safari and Hurricane Harbor Six Flags Great Adventure is the World’s Largest Thrill Park with world-class, award-winning rides like Kingda Ka, Nitro, and Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom. The park offers two areas just for the littlest guests and great family rides for the whole family, plus entertainment, shopping, and a wide variety of dining options. Its Wild Safari Drive-Thru Adventure is one of the largest self-guided drive-through safaris outside of Africa and gets guests up-close to more than 1,200 animals from around the globe in the privacy of their own vehicles. Six Flags Hurricane Harbor is one of the Northeast’s largest water parks with more than 25 refreshing attractions for the whole family. www.sixflags.com/greatadventure

Before the land the 4x4s occupied was put in place, this had to be so dangerous.

Click here to see the whole Spotlight! Samples below. Comments and discussions are welcomed!

Cruise ships have been doing cashless for decades and is a standard for that industry.

The covered Houdini queue house has been converted to a VIP garden. The queue for the ride has been rerouted and cuts directly to the set of queue bars outside the pre show entrance via a new direct route from the pathway in front of the house paralleling the side of the building. The new figuration makes the queue house used for the VIP lounge more secluded with less foot traffic around it.

I don't think I ever noticed this before. Why is this Skyride worker having a hard time stopping this car? Maybe because there are six adult riders! (Photo from 1977)

No longer needed!

I just updated this spotlight with a newly confirmed interesting tidbit. The oversized superstructure at the center of the Calypso ride lasted at Great Adventure for only one season. In the 1974/75 off-season it was removed and replaced with a simple cap by the start of the park's second season.

I have known for a long time that Great Adventure's original parking lot trams came from the 1964/65 NY World's Fair. I never realized that Wildwood's famous trams (as in "watch the tram car") came from the 1939 NY World's Fair. Here is a photo from the fair and an interesting article about the trams today. ---------------------------------------------- Watch the tram car turn 75. Icon of this Jersey Shore boardwalk marks milestone. nj.com Link: https://www.nj.com/cape-may-county/2023/05/watch-the-tram-car-turn-75-icon-of-this-jersey-shore-boardwalk-marks-milestone.html Published: May. 20, 2023, 8:00 a.m. The Wildwoods Boardwalk Sightseer Tram Cars travel the boardwalk in Wildwood on May 6, 2023. The Wildwoods Boardwalk Sightseer Tram Cars are in service for the 75th consecutive summer in 2023.Jim Lowney | For NJ Advance Media By Vashti Harris | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com For less than one dollar, Wildwood boardwalk visitors can ride the notable Sightseer Tram Cars as part of its 75th anniversary celebration this June. “It is really an amazing story of ingenuity, entrepreneurship and community support that the tram cars are still running after 75 years,” said Patrick Rosenello, executive director of the Wildwoods Boardwalk Special Improvement District Management Corp. Originally built in 1939 for World’s Fair in Flushing, New York, the tram car engines and trains were purchased by Wildwood businessman Gilbert Ramagosa and put into service on the boardwalk on June 11, 1949. The fare was 10-cents each way, according to the district. Since that time, the tram cars have transported over 20 million people. Today, eight tram car engines, pulling 37 individual cars, carry over 600,000 passengers each summer on the boardwalk, and each engine can run for up to 12 hours on a single charge of its 2,000-pound electric battery, according to the district. Bustling through the sea of visitors walking up and down the boardwalk, tram cars drivers make their presence by announcing over loudspeaker “watch the tram car please” for all to hear. John 'Gigi' Gigliotti drives the Wildwoods Boardwalk Sightseer Tram Cars in Wildwood.Jim Lowney | For NJ Advance Media Tram car driver John Gigliotti, of North Wildwood City, who is known by his nickname Gigi, said he has been driving the tram cars for 32 years. “I enjoy it because when I go down the boardwalk in the golfcart people say ‘Gigi.’ They give me a hug and their glad to see me back again,” Gigliotti said. “At nighttime, seeing the lights on the boardwalk and the people walking around, it’s like you’re in another world.” Gigliotti said he worked for Conrail as a conductor for 40 years, retiring in 1992. “I was home fiddling around in the yard and my wife said ‘Retirement (isn’t) for you.’ So, she said to me ‘How about those yellow cars that go up and down the boardwalk, that’s a miniature scale of what you did.’” Usually sporting a bright yellow jacket matching the tram cars’ yellow and blue exterior, Gigliotti said he really loves interacting with the visitors who hop aboard his tram car. “I enjoy all these people and I know a bunch of people,” Gigliotti said. “Every year, if they don’t see me, they say ‘Where’s Gigi?’ They look for me … and they always want to see me.” Rosenello said on June 11 riders will only be charged 75-cents per tram car ride, honoring the day the tram cars were first brought to the boardwalk. “We will be commemorating the anniversary all summer,” Rosenello said. The Wildwoods Boardwalk Sightseer Tram Cars travel the boardwalk in Wildwood.Jim Lowney | For NJ Advance Media Frank Battito, of Mays Landing, who was traveling on the tram car with his wife, Pat Battito, said they like to ride the tram cars when they visit the boardwalk. “It’s a force of habit. We have been doing it since the mid to late 90s,” he said. “We usually ride all the way to the north end of the boardwalk and then start wondering back and if we get tired, we hop back on,” Pat Battito said. “They’ve lasted this long and I’m glad there redoing the boardwalk because it makes for a smoother ride,” Frank Battito said. “No matter how smooth the ride, it’s still enjoyable (and) you’re looking at everything you want to see. It’s a wonderful service and all the years they’ve been doing it they have made a lot of people happy.” A one-way tram car ticket is $5 and an unlimited ‘Hop On/Hop Off’ wristband is available for rides up to 5 p.m. for $13.

For your viewing pleasure, the 1979 Host and Hostess Manual has been added to the Part of the Cast page.

Here is a photo of the blue Lightnin' Loop during its first season in 1978. Notice there aren't any air-gates yet, only chains.

I have been seeing a lot of Hersheypark commercials recently on television but nothing for Great Adventure. And no pamphlets or advertising for GA at rest stops or visitor centers. Not exactly the way to drive high paying attendance.

Six Flags Launches World’s Largest Lifeguard Recruitment Campaign May 31, 2023 The World’s Largest Regional Theme Park Operator and Largest Operator of Water Parks in North America is Offering Free Lifeguard Training for up to 4,500 Lifeguards ARLINGTON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Six Flags EntertainmentCorporation, the world’s largest regional theme park company and the largest operator of water parks in North America, is looking for dedicated team members that want to save lives. Six Flags is so passionate about safety that the company is offering to train up to 4,500 lifeguards for free. The robust lifeguard training includes much more than water skills. All Six Flags lifeguards are trained and credentialed using the world-renowned Ellis & Associates International Lifeguard Training Program. Training includes healthcare provider CPR, emergency oxygen support, automated external defibrillator (AED), standard first aid, incident prevention and water rescue techniques. “The training our lifeguards receive is something they carry with them every day of their lives,” said Six Flags Vice President of Operations, Public Safety, Maintenance and Engineering, Jason Freeman. “Every year I hear from at least one former lifeguard that has gone on to follow their career dreams only to find that at the dog park, at the office or at home, the life-saving skills they learned as a lifeguard helped them save someone in distress.” Six Flags lifeguards also have the opportunity to participate in leadership training, quickly gain promotions and build friendships that last a lifetime. And, of course, there are perks like free tickets, dining and retail discounts and employee celebrations. “My first job was as a summer camp lifeguard,” said Six Flags VP of Water Park Operations, Jim Kunau. “More than 40 years later, I’ve held volunteer and leadership roles, served on industry committees, worked in amazing jobs all over the world, learned a lot, and now I have my dream job at Six Flags. The friendships and professional connections I made during those early years working at water parks really helped form my future.” The following parks are offering free lifeguard training from June 1 through June 30; training dates vary by location. Hurricane Harbor Phoenix, Hurricane Harbor Concord, Six Flags Over Georgia, Six Flags White Water, Hurricane Harbor Chicago, Hurricane Harbor Rockford, Six Flags America, Six Flags New England, Six Flags St. Louis, Hurricane Harbor New Jersey, Six Flags Great Escape, Six Flags Great Escape Lodge and Indoor Water Park, Six Flags Darien Lake, Hurricane Harbor OKC, Hurricane Harbor Arlington, Hurricane Harbor Splashtown, Hurricane Harbor Oaxtepec. Six Flags is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where team members and guests are celebrated. To apply for a lifeguard or any other position, visit SixFlagsJobs.com for immediate openings. About Six Flags Entertainment Corporation Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is the world’s largest regional theme park company with 27 parks across the United States, Mexico and Canada. For nearly 62 years, Six Flags has entertained hundreds of millions of guests with world-class coasters, themed rides, thrilling waterparks and unique attractions. Six Flags is committed to creating an inclusive environment that fully embraces the diversity of our team members and guests. For more information, visit www.sixflags.com.

Unless there is an issue with a component of both sides (like a tower) I would think they could cannibalize one side to keep the other operating for a few additional years.

The Skyride has been removed from the park’s app and website. It sucked when Shapiro removed so many rides but at least those were mostly kiddie ones and not historical and unique attractions.

^ Actually, the attendance was much higher than I expected due in large part to school trips. When I left the park I was surprised to see how many buses were in the parking and a fair amount of cars. It was the most I've seen on a weekday since COVID.

I question why they boarded this up. Surely it now draws more attention than the stand simply sitting unopened. It’s sad especially since it dates back to 1974.

It’s definitely not gonna happen without cars! They haven’t updated the sign by Frontier Adventures yet.

Click the logo below to view the full trip report: Samples Below:

I have never been on a Zamperla Volare flying coaster (or Playland). The ride always seems to look jerky and the cars seem to be very rigid. Doesn't really look like fun.

Does anyone remember when Memorial Day was just as exciting as opening day because of all the shows that debuted that weekend? Here’s an example of 1983’s shows! Springtime: Memorial Day: