Six Flags’ botched roller coaster closure is an insult to Kingda Ka lovers everywhere | Opinion

New Jersey’s most iconic roller coaster is gone, and we didn’t even get to say goodbye.
Kingda Ka, the towering, terrifying crown jewel of Six Flags Great Adventure, is officially closed, the Jackson theme park confirmed Thursday.
The news came after rumors raged for weeks among coaster enthusiasts, suggesting days were numbered for the 456-foot mountain of green steel. Six Flags said that Kingda Ka, open since 2005, is being removed to make room for “a multi-record-breaking launch coaster” that will open in 2026 as the park’s “signature attraction.”
That’s exciting. You know what would’ve been even more exciting, or at least decent and professional?
Making this announcement before Kingda Ka was already closed.
By waiting until after the fact to make the announcement, Six Flags robbed theme park fans across New Jersey and beyond of a chance to ride the beloved coaster one last time.
Admittedly, I am one of those Ka worshipers who wanted that final thrill. I also admit I chickened out when it first opened in ‘05 — a massive beast, named for a mythical 500-pound Bengal tiger, looming over the entire park. When I finally worked up the courage to ride Kingda Ka a few years later, I didn’t even care that my cell phone flew out of my pocket and ended up in the car behind me. I was hooked. The 128 MPH launch (at one time making it the fastest coaster in the world) was one of the most exhilarating feelings in the world.
I last rode Kingda Ka in 2023, waiting even longer to sit in the front row. I had no idea I’d never get that feeling again.
It’s one thing to get rid of an unpopular ride in clandestine fashion — no one is crying that Green Lantern is also closing. But it’s mind-blowing and frankly disrespectful to fans that Six Flags didn’t have the forethought to make some sort of announcement about the future of Kingda Ka earlier this year. This decision couldn’t have been made overnight, and they had to know trying to sneak this announcement past fans wouldn’t work.
When the also-iconic Great American Scream Machine closed in 2010, the park at least gave fans a couple weeks of notice and posted signs suggesting people take one last ride. For Kingda Ka, a ride that was even more beloved, we get nothing?
Beyond nostalgia, this is also foolish from a business perspective. If Six Flags announced at the beginning of the 2024 season that the famed ride would be coming down at the end of the year, theme park enthusiasts would flock from literally across the country to ride the coaster one last time.
That’s not hyperbole: Rumors swirled on social media throughout October and November that Kingda Ka was soon closing and countless coaster-lovers made last-minute trips to Jackson to pay their respects and endure that epic drop once more.
The season-long farewell tour would’ve been a massive boost for Six Flags, potentially unlike anything we have ever seen before at the park. A record-breaking ride’s swan song could mean record-breaking ticket sales. I’m no accountant, but it sure seems like Six Flags left money on the table with this move.
Six Flags hasn’t released any details about Kingda Ka’s successor, other than it will be a launch coaster (as was Kingda Ka) and it will also break records. Maybe it will be even taller and faster, perhaps even a better ride overall.
Whatever it is, it better be good. It’s going to take a lot to honor Kingda Ka’s memory. It’s going to take even more to erase the memory of this botched goodbye.
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Jeremy Schneider may be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @J_Schneider and on Instagram at @JeremyIsHungryAgain.