Exciting Changes for 2024 Season at Six Flags Great America in Illinois
The thrills at one of America's greatest theme parks begin on April 20. The off-season was filled with changes at Illinois' Six Flags Great America. Take a look at what's coming for 2024 and beyond.
New Thrills Coming to Six Flags Great America in Illinois
The "thrill capital of the Midwest" is about to get much taller. The tallest pendulum thrill ride in the Midwest will debut at Six Flags Great America in 2024.
The largest theme park in Illinois, Six Flags Great America, just announced some plans for the 2024 season.
Scroll down for the 2024 schedule, promotions, and ticket prices.
The home of one of the absolute best rollercoasters in the world will have a brand new thrill waiting for us when the 2024 season begins on April 20th, and it will be the tallest of its kind in the entire Midwest.
And it might make you vomit.
Midwest’s Tallest Pendulum Thrill Ride to Debut at Six Flags Great America
Take a look at Sky Striker at Six Flags Great America.
The Sky Striker will be 17 stories tall and that swinging disk where we sit will reach speeds up to 75 miles per hour as it swings back and forth.
We'll get a pretty spectacular view of the entire park being that many stories high, but I doubt I'll be able to focus on anything other than that queasy stomach feeling I get on rides like this. Weightlessness at 172 feet tends to force my eyes closed.
In the video below from WGN, the anchor says that the ride isn't as nauseating as you'd think it would be. Part of me is having a tough time believing that. The disc where you sit spins clockwise while you get swung up to 172 feet in the air. That sounds nauseating to me.
The video is from Six Flags Magic Mountain where they already have this type of ride,
Sky Striker is in the County Fair section of the park, in the same spot that was home to Dare Devil Dive, near the American Eagle.
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Big Changes Coming to Six Flags Great America
Not all the news is good news. There are interesting clues that point toward Great America saying goodbye to other rides in 2024. Those clues are shared In the video below from Park Pros on YouTube,
Clues to which rides might be going away are on some of the Six Saints Cemetery headstones during Fright Fest in 2023.
The headstone on the left is referring to Dare Devil Dive which is being replaced by Sky Striker.
The headstone on the right refers to the birth years for two other rides, could that mean there are two more 'ride deaths coming?
Park Pros checked on those birth years, 2004 and 2018, and found the two possible rides that might be gone.
Mardi Gras Hangover
The only ride that opened in 2018.
The 2004 birth year, Park Pros best guesses are:
Big Easy Balloons
Or,
Revolution
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The End of a Great Era at Six Flags Great America
The rollercoaster has been closed for a bit, but it still gives me goosebumps when I see the first looping rollercoaster I've ever ridden.
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Another YouTube channel, Keep Ridin' Coasters, shared photos of the Demon's rock formations near the loops and it appears they are being demolished. Or, is it the start of the Demon's rebirth?
I need answers.
Not all the new 2024 attractions are thrill rides.
Windy City Sports Bar & Grill is a newly reimagined dining concept in Southwest Territory.
Some new events have been added to the 2024 season in addition to some returning guest favorites.
- Pride Celebration – June 1 and 2
- Flavors of the World – Saturdays and Sundays, June 8 – 30
- July 4th Fireworks Celebration – July 4 – 6
New Six Flags Great America Events for 2024
- Great Summer Nights - an all-new event showcasing live music, an immersive nightly parade, and fireworks, Thursdays through Sundays, July 11 - August 4, according to the press release.
- Viva La Fiesta – August 17 and 18.
Six Flags Great America opens on April 20 on weekends and select days, with daily operation beginning May 21.
Visit sixflags.com/greatamerica for a complete list of operating hours and more information about tickets, rides, shows, and special events.
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