Six Flags to cut 135 jobs at Knott’s, Magic Mountain and other California parks

Six Flags Entertainment Corp. has laid off the presidents of Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain and will cut scores of other jobs in California as part of a major shake-up at the theme park giant.

The company, which operates 42 amusement parks across North America, plans to reduce its staff by 10% in the coming weeks — including the president positions at many of its parks, Six Flags spokesperson Sara Gorgon said Tuesday.

In all, the company will eliminate about 135 jobs across its California parks by the end of June. The California parks include Knott’s in Buena Park, Magic Mountain in Valencia, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo and California’s Great America in Santa Clara.

The cost-cutting follows last year’s $8-billion merger of Six Flags with Cedar Fair, making it the largest amusement park operator in North America.

The cuts come during a challenging period for Six Flags and others in the tourism business. The company posted a net loss of $220 million in the first quarter of this year, citing weather variability and economic uncertainty.

State and local tourism officials are projecting a slowdown in travel to California due to Trump’s trade war and deportation policies.

Additionally, smaller theme park operators such as Six Flags struggle to compete with bigger industry players Disney and Universal, which also boast more diverse portfolios with streaming and other media.

The Orange County Register first reported that Knott’s President Jon Storbeck and Magic Mountain President Jeff Harris were among those affected by the layoffs.

Storbeck served as vice president of Disneyland before he joined Knott’s in 2016. Harris had held multiple positions at Six Flags before taking over the president role at Magic Mountain in 2023.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based company said the changes reflect its move toward a regional operating structure, rather than individual parks having their own presidents. Some park presidents will be absorbed into other roles at the company, Gorgon said.

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In an earnings call earlier this month, Six Flags Chief Executive Richard Zimmerman had warned the company would significantly restructure and pare down its workforce this year. He said the company remained “firmly on track” to achieve its goal of $120 million in reduced expenses by the end of the year.

Former Cedar Fair CEO Matt Ouimet, who previously led Disneyland, lamented what he called a “parade of departures” from Six Flags in a post on LinkedIn last week. Ouimet said he had chosen to retire before having to vote on the merger because he feared the fallout.

“I recognized that I wasn’t up to watching talented colleagues being asked to exit in order to achieve the cost synergies that were promised to investors,” Ouimet wrote. “This die was cast when the merger agreement was signed.”

Also this month, Six Flags announced it would close its theme park and Hurricane Harbor water park in Bowie, Md., after the 2025 operating season.

Six Flag shares closed $35.06, up nearly 3% on Tuesday.