JACKSON, N.J. ─ July 20, 2020 ─ Six Flags Hurricane Harbor today announced that it will open for the 2020 season on July 23. In accordance with Gov. Phil Murphy’s opening guidelines for waterparks, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor will operate with reduced attendance levels and in preview mode; then gradually increase attendance levels throughout the month. The waterpark will operate Thursday through Monday, July 23 through August, plus select days in September. Like its sister park, Six Flags Great Adventure, the waterpark will implement extensive new safety measures and hygiene protocols, including several new advanced technology systems to protect guests and employees. These procedures will be adjusted on an as needed basis to ensure compliance with state recommendations.
“We are thrilled to welcome families back to one of the Northeast’s most popular waterparks, Hurricane Harbor,” said John Winkler, Six Flags Great Adventure and Hurricane Harbor Park president. “The safety of our guests and team members remains our number-one priority, and the new safety guidelines we have put in place are designed to create a safe environment for everyone.”
Like Six Flags Great Adventure, which opened July 3, the waterpark will employ an online reservation system to manage attendance, schedule guests for entry by day, and to stagger arrival times to minimize proximity exposure. Other new technologies include:
- State-of-the-art thermal imaging for temperature checks;
- Advanced security screening technology for touchless bag checks; and
- Mobile food ordering.
The park’s reopening plan, which the company developed in consultation with epidemiologists, meets or exceeds federal, state and local guidelines for sanitization, hygiene and social distancing protocols.
“We have developed a comprehensive reopening safety plan that includes protocols designed by theme park and waterpark industry experts, along with best practices from top destination parks from around the world, which will allow guests to experience our parks in the safest way possible,” said Mike Spanos, Six Flags president and CEO. This ’new normal’ will be different in some ways, but we believe these additional measures are appropriate in the current environment.”
Reopening procedures include: health screenings for guests and team members; strictly enforced social distancing; extensive sanitization and disinfecting protocols; sanitized food preparation and service; commercial-grade cleaning equipment and supplies; multi-layered guest and team member communication; and park reservation systems to manage attendance.
Credit: Six Flags
Six Flags will establish attendance caps that will be well below the park’s theoretical capacity in order to allow for proper social distancing. All Members, Season Pass Holders and all guests with a single-day or group ticket will need to make a reservation at www.sixflags.com/reserve. Guests who need single day tickets will be able to reserve during the purchase process. The process will take 5-7 minutes, and guests will complete the following steps:
- Enter their online order number, ticket number or Membership/Season Pass number;
- Select the day and the approximate time they want to visit;
- Acknowledge their understanding of the company’s health policy;
- Order pre-paid parking, if they do not already have a parking pass; and
- Watch a brief video describing new social distancing and sanitization procedures.
Reservations launch today. Guests will be contacted electronically (either by email, text or both) the day before their scheduled visit to confirm their intent to visit. All Members and Season Pass Holders will receive booking priority over single-day and group ticket buyers.
The Six Flags brand is synonymous with family fun and thrills for all ages. These significant new changes are designed to improve the overall park experience while keeping guests and employees safe. The park will also offer “mask break zones” in select locations to provide socially-distanced areas for guests who wish to temporarily remove their masks.
Some rides, retail and food locations may not be available during the initial opening period. Additional attractions will operate as they become available.
Six Flags Season Passes and Memberships are currently on sale. Members can enjoy priority park entry and tremendous discounts of up to 50% on nearly all food and merchandise all season long. Gold Plus, Platinum, Diamond and Diamond Elite levels are available featuring all the perks of a Season Pass plus other benefits including admission to all Six Flags branded theme and waterparks, preferred parking and points that can be redeemed for free food, merchandise and special experiences. Visit the Membership Sales Center or go online to sixflags.com for more information and to sign up.
