Six Flags Fiesta Texas

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Six Flags Fiesta Texas
250px
Location San Antonio, Texas
USA
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Owner Six Flags
Opened March 14, 1992
Previous names Fiesta Texas
Operating season March to January
Area 224 acres (0.91 km2)
Rides
Total 49
Roller coasters 9
Water rides 9
Website Six Flags Fiesta Texas

Six Flags Fiesta Texas is a theme park located on approximately 200 acres (0.81 km2) of land in San Antonio, Texas, USA. It is owned by Six Flags.

Six Flags Fiesta Texas is the major entertainment component of USAA's La Cantera, a 1,600 acre (6.5 km²) master-planned development in northwest San Antonio. "La Cantera" means "rock quarry" in Spanish[1] and refers to the former use of the property on which the development sits.

History

Beckman quarry (1934–1989)

In 1934 the McDonnell family started the Beckman quarry. Eventually it would encompass almost 1400 acres, and is still in active production behind the Rim Shopping center. The portion where Fiesta Texas is located was mined out in 1988 and the equipment relocated to another portion of the mine.[2]

Development and construction (1990–1991)

The original development team consisted of property owner USAA Real Estate Company, a subsidiary of the USAA insurance company, and Gaylord Entertainment Company, which owned the now closed Opryland USA theme park in Nashville, Tennessee. The original concept for Fiesta Texas was defined as "a destination market, musical show park" similar to that of Opryland. The primary focus on southwestern music and culture rather than rides would be the unique element that would set the park apart from its competition.[1]

When the initial ownership group began investigating a possible major theme park development in San Antonio, Texas, they faced significant competition in the Texas market. There were similar established Six Flags parks in Arlington and Houston as well as the nearby Sea World of Texas, which opened in 1988. Based on the competition, the development team believed the opportunity in San Antonio (an established regional leisure destination) was there and that the stable, slow growth direction of the theme park industry in the U.S. was in their favor.

Actual construction of the theme park took approximately 23 months, running from early 1990 to the park's opening in March 1992.[1] Construction of the theme park was overseen by a joint venture of two general contractors, Lyda Inc. of San Antonio and Manhattan Construction Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The park had four theme sections; Crackaxle Canyon, Los Festivales, Spassburg, and Rockville, with the water park Ol' Waterin' Hole.

Rattler first roller coaster at the park

Fiesta Texas Era (1992–1995)

In 1994 Fiesta Texas added a new section, Fiesta Bay Boardwalk, with rides and attractions, and a new event, "A Lone Star Christmas," during the winter months. In 1995, the park opened a Screamin’ Skycoaster in the Fiesta Bay Boardwalk.

Gaylord Entertainment managed and was a minority owner of Fiesta Texas, with USAA Real Estate Company as the majority owner. Although attendance at the park met initial projections, Fiesta Texas was a money loser. After losing $16 million on the theme park in 1995, Gaylord sold its 14-percent stake back to USAA.

Six Flags (1996 – present)

The park's main entrance sign used from 1996 to 2009.

In 1996, Time Warner took over management and operations of Fiesta Texas and added the Six Flags name to the park, while USAA remained as the sole owner. Premier Parks, which acquired the Six Flags theme park chain from Time Warner, purchased Fiesta Texas from USAA in 1998.[3]

Time Warner Era (1996–1998)

Time Warner, which saw the opportunity to advertise and promote the company's movies and characters through the Six Flags parks, added The Joker's Revenge, a Vekoma Hurricane that ran backwards, for the 1996 season. Then for the 1997 season, Fiesta Texas added its fourth roller coaster Road Runner Express — a family mine-themed coaster. 1997 was also the last season for the event "A Lone Star Christmas." Time Warner operated the park until the middle of the 1998 season and introduced the Hopkins Super Flume Bugs' White Water Rapids, themed to the Looney Tunes cartoon episode Knighty Knight Bugs.

Premier Era (1998–2005)

Boomerang

Premier Parks purchased Six Flags from Time Warner and Boston Ventures on April 1, 1998, giving Premier Parks the management contract to the park.[4] The new management company brought two new rides during the 1998 season Der Twister (now known as The Twister) and Frisbee. In October of that year, Premier Parks purchased Fiesta Texas from the La Cantera Development Company/USAA giving the company complete ownership of the park.[5] In 1999, Fiesta Texas saw the biggest expansion ever with around 13 new rides/water rides and two new coasters: Boomerang: Coast to Coaster and Poltergeist. 1999 was the first year that the park won the Amusement Today Golden Ticket Award for Best Shows. The water park, Ol' Waterin' Hole, was renamed Armadillo Beach. For the 2000 season, the park was supposed to open two new coasters Superman: Krypton Coaster a Bolliger & Mabillard Floorless roller coaster and Boardwalk Canyon Blaster a Zierer roller coaster, but only Superman: Krypton Coaster was constructed and opened. Boardwalk Canyon Blaster was delivered to the park, but never assembled. It was shipped to another Six Flags-managed park Warner Bros. Park Madrid in 2001. The park won another Golden Ticket Award for Best Shows for a second year in a row.

For the 2001 – 2005 seasons, the park added new shows each and continued to garner the Golden Ticket Award for Best Shows. New attractions included Tempest and Turbo Bungee in 2001, Scooby-Doo! Ghostblasters: The Mystery of the Haunted Mansion in 2002, a new night time show Lone Star Spectacular, and Tornado for the waterpark. The park also removed smaller rides throughout the seasons and the coaster The Joker's Revenge that was SBNO during the 2002 season was later removed and relocated at Six Flags New Orleans for the 2003 season where it operated as The Jester.

Shapiro Era (2006–2010)

Goliath new in 2008

On November 22, Red Zone, led by Daniel Snyder announced it had gained control of the Six Flags board. Kieran Burke was removed on December 14 and replaced by former ESPN employee Mark Shapiro as CEO of Six Flags. For the 2006 season, Fiesta Texas got the biggest expansion for the water park with three new water rides/slides, a kids area, new entrance and shop, along with a new name — White Water Bay. Before the start of the season, the Chance Wipeout and Tempest were removed.

In 2007 and 2008, Six Flags Fiesta Texas introduced two new coasters Tony Hawk's Big Spin (2007), a Gerstlauer spinning roller coaster, and Goliath (2008), a Bolliger & Mabillard Inverted roller coaster. Tony Hawk's Big Spin was installed in the same location as The Joker's Revenge and utilized a portion of the same walkways leading to the queue. Goliath was relocated from Six Flags New Orleans, where it was known as Batman The Ride It is located at the front of the park next to the entrance. Also for the 2007 season, the park reopened its holiday event for the winter months but with the standard Six Flags event name Holiday in the Park.

For the 2009 season, Fiesta Texas debuted the new kid's area, Wiggles World, the first children's theme area at Fiesta Texas, themed after the "kid sensation" group, The Wiggles. Wiggles World replaced the former Spassburg kids' area. 2009 was the first year since 1999 that the park did not receive the Golden Ticket Award for Best Shows.

Weber/Anderson Era (2010 – present)

Wiggles World transformed to Kidzopolis

Six Flags officially emerged from bankruptcy protection on May 3, 2010, and announced plans to issue new stock on the New York Stock Exchange.[6] Amid suspected disagreements regarding the future of the company with the board, Shapiro left the company and Al Weber, Jr. was brought in as interim President and CEO.[7] Six Flags announced that Jim Reid-Anderson would replace Weber and become Chairman, President and CEO on August 13, 2010.[8]

In late 2010, Six Flags began the process of removing licensed theming from attractions. They terminated several licenses including their licenses with Tony Hawk and The Wiggles. Tony Hawk's Big Spin was renamed and rethemed to Pandemonium and Wiggles World was rethemed to KIDZOPOLIS, all in time for the 2011 season.[9][10]

2011 Skyline of Fiesta Texas.

In 2011, Six Flags Fiesta Texas premiered "Lone Star Nights," a new fireworks and laser light show.[11] The revamped show opened in the summer of the 2011 season and featured brighter lasers and new projections to tell the story of the history of Texas. The park's Zaragoza Theatre was renovated and debuted a new show, Ovation — a compilation of hits from popular Broadway shows.[12][13]

For 2012, Fiesta Texas introduced SkyScreamer, a 200 feet (61 m) Funtime StarFlyer, that would soar riders in a 98-foot (30 m) circle at speeds of 43 miles per hour (69 km/h), which opened in the spring of 2012.[14] Also for 2012 is Country Chart Toppers a new show that would be located in the Sundance Theatre and the park would be celebrating the 20th anniversary in 2012.[15]

A January 2012, interview with Rocky Mountain Construction conducted by the Spokane Journal of Business revealed plans for Rattler to be completely refurbished in 2013 with new track and trains in a manner similar to The Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas.[16] On July 9, 2012, Six Flags Fiesta Texas announced the last chance to ride The Rattler is August 5, 2012, before it closes.[17] On August 30, 2012, Six Flags announced that Six Flags Fiesta Texas will be adding Iron Rattler for the 2013 season. It will be a revamp from the original Rattler, with steel track, new trains, a new layout, and featuring the first of its kind barrel roll on a hybrid coaster.[18] Also the park introduced Gunslinger, a 187 feet (57 m) Funtime Slingshot in 2013, which was built where Wagon Wheel was located.

On August 29, 2013, Six Flags officially announced the addition of Bahama Blaster and expansion to White Water Bay for the 2014 season. Bahama Blaster slide complex with feature four body slides with drop capsules where the floor drops below. Two of the slides are looping and the other two are free-fall. The six-story water slide complex will be located in a newly expanded area of White Water Bay along with several new rides and amenities.[19]

Rides and attractions

A view of Fiesta Bay Boardwalk from Frisbee
Roller coasters on cliffs

The six themed areas of the park are Los Festivales, Crackaxle Canyon, Spassburg, Rockville, Fiesta Bay Boardwalk, and KIDZOPOLIS.

Current roller coasters

Name Opened Type Location
Kiddee Koaster 1992 Vekoma Junior Coaster KIDZOPOLIS
Road Runner Express 1997 Arrow Dynamics Mine Train Coaster Crackaxle Canyon
Boomerang: Coast to Coaster 1999 Vekoma Boomerang roller coaster Los Festivales
Poltergeist 1999 Premier Rides LIM Catapult Coaster Rockville
Superman: Krypton Coaster 2000 B&M Floorless Coaster Spassburg
Pandemonium 2007 Gerstlauer Spinning Coaster Fiesta Bay Boardwalk
Goliath 2008 B&M Inverted Coaster Los Festivales
Iron Rattler 2013 Rocky Mountain Construction Steel Hybrid Crackaxle Canyon
Batman: The Ride 2015 S&S Worldwide 4D Free Spin Rockville

Current rides and attractions

Name Opened Type Location Notes
Fiesta Texas Railroad 1992 Train Crackaxle Canyon 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge;[20] Whistle Stop (Station).
Spassburg 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge;[20] Der Pilger Bahnhof (Station).
The Gully Washer 1992 Intamin Rapids Water Ride Crackaxle Canyon In 2010, the park added more water effects.
Whirligig 1992 Zierer Wave Swinger Spassburg Named Die Fledermaus from 1992 to 2008.
Fender Bender 1992 Morgan Bumper Cars Spassburg Named Steingasse from 1992 to 2008.
Amerigoround 1992 Morgan Carousel Rockville Located in Spassburg as Dornroschen from 1992 to 2008; moved to former Chaos location in 2009.
The Hustler 1992 Morgan Spinning Ride Rockville
Power Surge 1992 Intamin Shoot-the-Chute Water Ride Rockville
Krazy Kars 1992 Zamperla Convoy Ride KIDZOPOLIS Named Kinderbahn from 1992 to 2008; original "truck-style" cars re-themed for Wiggles World in 2009–2010 as The Big Red Cars; and now rethemed in late 2010.
Crow's Nest Ferris Wheel 1994 Chance Rides Century Wheel Fiesta Bay Boardwalk
Waverunner 1994 Eli Bridge Scrambler Fiesta Bay Boardwalk
Bugs' White Water Rapids 1998 Hopkins Super Flume Water Ride Spassburg
The Twister 1998 Huss Top Spin Spassburg Named Der Twister from 1998 to 2008.
Yosemite Sam's Wacky Wagons 1999 Zamperla Mini Kiddie Ferris Wheel Crackaxle Canyon
Foghorn Leghorn's Barnyard Railway 1999 Zamperla Rio Grande Kiddie Train Ride Crackaxle Canyon
Kinderstein 1999 Zamperla Mini Tea Cups Kiddie Ride Spassburg Named Mini Tea Cups from 1999 to 2002.
Scream 1999 S&S 3-tower Combo Complex Rockville
Daffy's School Bus Express 1999 Zamperla Crazy Bus Rockville
Taz's Tornado 1999 Zamperla Lolly Swing Rockville
Go-Karts 1999 (Extra Charge) Fiesta Bay Boardwalk Located where The Joker's Revenge and the park's former "kiddie beach" used to sit.
Buckarooz 1999 Kiddie Drop Ride KIDZOPOLIS Located in Crackaxle Canyon from 1999 to 2008 as Rodeo Rider (1999 to 2001) and Lil' Bronco Buster (2002 to 2008); moved to Wiggles World for 2009–2010 as Wiggly Trail Ride; and now rethemed in late 2010.
Scooby-Doo! Ghostblasters: The Mystery of the Haunted Mansion 2002 Sally Corp. Interactive Family Dark Ride Fiesta Bay Boardwalk
ZoomJets 2009 Zamperla Aero Top Jet KIDZOPOLIS It was known as Big Red Planes from 2009 to 2010 in Wiggles World; and now rethemed in late 2010.
Up, Up & Away 2009 Zamperla Samba Tower KIDZOPOLIS It was known as Yummy Yummy Fruit Salad from 2009 to 2010 in Wiggles World; and now rethemed in late 2010.
Splish Splash Zone 2009 Interactive Kiddie Playship KIDZOPOLIS It was known as S.S. Feathersword's Playship from 2009 to 2010 in Wiggles World; and now rethemed in late 2010.
3-Point Challenge 2009 Half Court (Extra Charge) Spassburg Moved in 2012 next to The Twister to make room for SkyScreamer at its former location.
SkyScreamer 2012 Funtime StarFlyer Spassburg A 200 feet (61 m) swing tower.[21] Located where the 3-Point Challenge attraction used to be in Spassburg.
Slingshot 2013 Funtime Slingshot (Extra Charge) Crackakle Canyon A 187 feet (57 m) tall slingshot tower. Located where Wagon Wheel used to be.
Soaring Eagle Zipline 2015 Zip-line (Extra Charge) Rockville A 155 feet (47 m) tall zip-line to the top of the quarry walls flying over Superman: Krypton Coaster two times.

Future attractions

Name Opening Type Location
Fireball 2016 Larson Giant Loop Fiesta Bay Boardwalk
Hurricane Force 5 2016 Zamperla Disk'O Fiesta Bay Boardwalk
Spinsanity 2016 Larson Tilt-A-Whirl Fiesta Bay Boardwalk

Former roller coasters and attractions

Name Opened Removed In Type Former Location Notes
Rennsporplatz 1992 1997 Mason Corporation kiddie roller racers/scooters Spassburg
Cap’n Willie’s Shrimpboat 1994 1998 kiddie soft play ship Fiesta Bay Boardwalk
Bayside Paddle Boats 1994 1998 Paddle Boat Ride Fiesta Bay Boardwalk (extra charge) Used to be where Frisbee is now.
Seaside Golf 1994 1998 Mini Golf Rockville Used to be where Poltergeist is now.
Boardwalk Canyon Blaster[22] N/A N/A Zierer, Tivoli – Large coaster. Fiesta Bay Boardwalk Boardwalk Canyon Blaster was on the 2000 park map, but never built. It was located behind Poltergeist for the 2000 season and never set up. It was supposed to be built behind Frisbee. In 2001 it was relocated to Parque Warner Madrid as Tom y Jerry, where it has been operating since March 2002.
Daffy’s Duckaneer 1999 2000 Sartori kiddie swinging ship Crackaxle Canyon Moved to Six Flags St. Louis in 2006.
Joker's Revenge[23] 1996 2001 Vekoma Hurricane Coaster, with backward-facing trains Fiesta Bay Boardwalk Joker Revenge was Standing but not operating (SBNO) during the 2002 season until the coaster was later relocated to Six Flags New Orleans in late 2002 and opened as The Jester in 2003. Used to be where Pandemonium is now.
Screamin’ Skycoaster 1995 2001 Skycoaster Fiesta Bay Boardwalk Extra charge; moved to the Texas State Fair; used to be where Tempest used to be.
Chaos 1999 2005 Chance Chaos Rockville Relocated to Kemah Boardwalk; Used to be where Amerigoround is now.
Turbo Bungy 2001 2005 Eurobungy bungee/trampoline Crackaxle Canyon (Extra charge) Used to be where Whirlpool and Big Bender is now.
The Wipeout 1994 2006 Chance Wipeout Fiesta Bay Boardwalk The ride was closed in 2003, and finally removed in 2006. Used to be in the area in front of Johnny Rockets.
Tempest 2002 2006 Gravity Works Skyscraper Fiesta Bay Boardwalk (extra charge) Used to be behind Frisbee and Go Karts. Removed to make room for Pandemonium.
Der Fliegenzirkus 1992 2008 kiddie biplane ride Spassburg Removed for Wiggles World.
Kinderwagen 1992 2008 kiddie bumper cars Spassburg Removed for Wiggles World; used to be where the Buckarooz is now.
Frosty's Snow Chutes 2008 2010 Snow Hill Fiesta Bay Boardwalk Opened only during Holiday In The Park. Located behind Frisbee.
Wagon Wheel 1996 2011 Schwarzkopf Enterprise Crackaxle Canyon Relocated from Six Flags Over Texas. Used to be where Gunslinger is now.
The Rattler[24] 1992 2012 Roller Coaster Corporation of America wooden roller coaster Crackaxle Canyon The Rattler was one of Six Flags Fiesta Texas' original attractions, opening in 1992. It closed in 2012 to make way for Iron Rattler, a Rocky Mountain Construction steel roller coaster which will utilise some of the same support structure.
S.S. Overboard 1994 2012 Chance Rides Pharaoh's Fury[25] Fiesta Bay Boardwalk Closed after the 2012 season and was standing but not operating (SBNO) until the 2015 season. Fireball will take its place in 2016.
Motorama 1992 2014 Morgan Sports Car Ride Rockville Named Motorama Turnpike from 1992 to 2004. Removed to make way for Batman: The Ride.
Little Castaways 1994 2015 Ride Works Tea Cups Fiesta Bay Boardwalk
Frisbee 1998 2015 Huss Frisbee Fiesta Bay Boardwalk Originally located on current Boomerang site in Los Festivales; relocated to where Bayside Paddle Boats was located. Frisbee closed on November 1, 2015 to make away for Hurricane Force 5.

Live entertainment

The Six Flags bus in front of Rockville High

Six Flags Fiesta Texas has featured numerous forms of in-park entertainment throughout its history. During its early years to this day, the park has kept to the theme of the shows to location of the theater, such as Roadhouse Country at Sundance Theatre in Crackaxle Canyon and the former Rockin' At Rockville High show at the Rockville High Theatre in Rockville.

Guests of the park are welcomes by a wide array of characters and performers all throughout the park such as, characters from the Looney Tunes universe to the superheroes of DC Comics. From 2009 to late 2010, another brand of characters from the Wiggles would also greet guest in the park in, before Six Flags had dropped the license to carry on the brand.

Fiesta Texas’ is known for best shows in America, and was awarded by Amusement Today for the Golden Ticket Award for “best theme park shows in the country” for the ten straight years (1999–2008) and continue to rank one of the best. Several of the shows have won individual awards like “Best Sports Show of 2005" (Xcelleration)[26] and "best show with a production value of $25,000–$50,000" (Mayor Slayer's Monster Mash Bash).

Annual events

Six Flags Fiesta Texas hosts a number of events for different holidays all throughout the operating season that often draw thousands of visitors to the park, the two most notable are;

  • Fright Fest (October) takes over the park with ghouls and monsters that wonders around the park for the Halloween season. From Thrills by Day to Fright by Night, the park host themed live shows, scare zones, and haunted houses.
  • Holiday in the Park (November–January) transforms the park during the Christmas season with millions of different lights scattered throughout the park. From Santa Claus to themed rides such as Frostee's Skating Rink. Started as Lone Star Christmas in the 1990s before the cancellation of the event after the 1997 season, but was reinstated for the 2007 season and years to come as Holiday in the Park.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Theme park development case study
  2. ↑ Beckman Quarry
  3. ↑ Fiesta Texas history
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lone Star Spectacular new name and logo to Lone Star Nights
  12. ↑ Fiesta Texas confirms 2011 addition
  13. ↑ Fiesta Texas New Show Ovation
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Surviving Steam Locomotives in Texas
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Six Flags 2004 Annual Report (PDF) does not include revised stats since Hurricane Katrina closed Six Flags New Orleans; or the closing of Six Flags Astroworld in 2005.

External links

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