| ||||||||||||||||||||
Six Flags New Orleans is an abandoned amusement park located in New Orleans, Louisiana, which opened under the title Jazzland in 2000. In 2002, Six Flags had purchased the property and renamed it Six Flags: New Orleans beginning with the 2003 season. The park had closed after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. After Hurricane Katrina, the Six Flags company made multiple efforts to save the park while it remained closed during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Shortly after, Six Flags had ended their lease and the park is now under ownership by the City of New Orleans. In March 2012, it was announced that the park would be transformed in a mall, entitled Jazzland Outlet Mall, possibly as a tribute to the original park name.
As of July 2019, the park remains closed to the public and is still in very poor condition. To prevent unauthorized entry, the New Orleans Police Department have been sent to patrol the park to arrest trespassers.
In 2023, plans were approved by the city for Bayou Phoenix to begin redeveloping the land. In the meantime, the city continued to generate revenue from the property by occasionally leasing the park to various production companies as a filming location. Smoot Construction began demolition of the site by November 2024, but demolition was halted due to permit issues.[1][2] Demolition later resumed a month later under a new contractor. [3]
History[]
The park was located in Eastern New Orleans, in the Ninth Ward of the city off Interstate 510. The park first opened under the name "Jazzland" in 2000, operated by Alfa Smartparks before Six Flags took over the park's lease in 2002.
The land, owned by the city of New Orleans, was leased to and operated by Six Flags.
Jazzland era[]
The park opened in 2000 as Jazzland. Opening day roller coasters included: Mega Zeph, Zydeco Scream, Muskrat Scrambler, and Rex's Rail Runner (the name was later changed to Road Runner Express).
It continued to operate with the name of Jazzland until 2002.
Six Flags era[]
The park changed its name in 2002 to Six Flags New Orleans after Six Flags took the lease over. Rex's Rail Runner's name was changed to Road Runner Express
In 2005, the park closed for Hurricane Katrina.
Post-Hurricane Katrina[]
After Hurricane Katrina, Six Flags sought to end its lease on the site. The owners claimed the park must remain shut down as long as outstanding claims with insurance companies remain unsettled.
On August 18, 2009, it was announced that the land would be redeveloped into a Nickelodeon-branded water/theme park.
The flooded park in 2005.
On September 18, 2009, the city of New Orleans fined Six Flags $3 million and ordered the park to vacate its lease.
As of early 2010, the site was overgrown with debris and weeds. Removal of the debris and underbrush had begun. As of April 11, 2010, the site was still shut down with no future clear, since New Orleans officially now owns the property and the plans for the Nickelodeon-branded theme park fell through three months after bonds failed to come through. As of October 2010, Southern Star Amusement Inc. was still working to recover the park.
On February 6, 2012 it was reported that the selection committee rejected the plan for the site of Six Flags New Orleans to become a theme park, leaving the upscale outlet mall as the only proposal being considered by the committee. Despite the commitee's actions, one of the original eight entrepreneurs is continuing to try to get public support for their proposal. Jazzland Park aims to return the park to its roots. They also plan to add a water park and movie studio back lot to the site.
In March 2012, it was announced that the park would be transformed in a mall, entitled Jazzland Outlet Mall, possibly as a tribute to the original park name. The mall will use rides from the theme park depending on condition.
Use as a film shoot location[]
In 2011, Killer Joe was filmed in the park featuring the wooden coaster Mega Zeph. Stolen was also filmed at the park that year. Stolen used the Main Street Square section to double as the Quarter. Additionally, a burning car was driven into the lagoon, and the Orpheum Theatre was used as the home of the film's villain.
The Industrial Development Board (IDB) agreed to let 20th Century Fox film the 2013 film Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters in the theme park during the summer of 2012 through August. Mega Zeph, Ozarka Splash and The Big Easy are three rides that have been shot for the film along with five other rides that the production crew had brought into the park, since all the original rides were rendered inoperable to shoot for the film. Before shooting at the park for five weeks, the production crew took two weeks to restore the derelict park to the needed condition by installing lighting and covering up graffiti on the buildings. The park portrays the fictional Circeland on the island of Polyphemus that was built by the goddess Circe, only to be destroyed by the cyclops Polyphemus.[4]
During the summer of 2013, portions of the park were filmed for the movie Dawn of the Planet of the Apes until mid-August. The park was also used to film portions of the movie Jurassic World in June 2014.
Jurassic World used the parking lot as the location for the Jurassic World park. Deepwater Horizon built its oil rig set in the parking lot.
In January 2015, the park was photographed as part of a photo essay/series by Cleveland-based photographer Johnny Joo. In this series, Joo documented the abandoned or historic structures of New Orleans, which remained ten years after Hurricane Katrina. He also documented portions of revitalization in the community of New Orleans to show how the area has been rebuilt after one of the most significant natural disasters in United States history.
In 2016, the video game Mafia III is set in a fictional version of New Orleans. The abandoned amusement park in that game features a partially flooded site, a similar entranceway, and a roller-coaster that strongly resembles the Mega Zeph.
In 2019, rapper NF used parts of the park for his music video for "Leave Me Alone." Also, in 2019, parts of the park were used in the movie Synchronic starring Anthony Mackie.
In 2019, the park was the subject of the Bright Sun Films documentary titled Closed for Storm. The documentary features visuals of the park in its current state and interviews with past employees, fans, and developers interested in rebuilding the property. It received a wide release in July 2021.
The park was used as a movie location for the 2021 movie Reminiscence.
Demolition[]
In October 2021, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced Bayou Phoenix as the partner chosen to redevelop the site. On November 10, 2022, the redevelopment plans were announced to be "on life support" and "could be dead soon", as no lease agreement has been reached. On March 7, 2023, an agreement was finally reached to redevelop the park. On August 15, 2023, the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority approved the Bayou Phoenix development proposal to move to the next phase. In an article by Axios, the park redevelopment will move forward. In October 2023, the lease was signed. In August 2024, it is announced that beginning in September, Six Flags New Orleans will be demolished after 19 years, and construction on the new development will begin shortly after. Demolition started in November 2024 by Smoot Construction but was later put on halt due to contractor license issues. Before construction was halted, The Jester, Muskrat Scrambler, Gator Bait, part of Zydeco Scream, part of Mega Zeph, and all of the remaining DC Comics rides were demolished. It was resumed with a new contractor in December of 2024. By January of 2025, Spillway Splashout, Dizzy Lizzy, the station for Voodoo Volcano, the remainder of Zydeco Scream, Krazy Krewe, more of Mega Zeph leading from the station to the bend around the lake, and the Beach Bang-Up were removed along with many of the buildings along the southern lake of the park in the Ponchartrain Beach section predominately. Additionally, cars from Beach Bang-Up were preserved for an alleged Jazzland Museum that is planned to open at Bayou Phoenix. By mid-January 2025 Ozarka Splash and all of Ponchartrain Beach except for the Big Easy and the Mega Zeph were demolished, with the demolition continuing to the Mardi Gras section , there the Mega Zeph related buildings were destroyed as were the buildings for Joccos Cafe and Joccos Gifts. Bayou Phoenix is expected to open in 2027, expecting to include a youth sports complex, wedding peninsula, shops, and much more.
Location[]
Past roller coasters (6)[]
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Closed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jester | Vekoma | Sit-Down | 2003 | 2005 | Demolished |
| Mega Zeph | Custom Coasters International | Hybrid | 2000 | 2005 | Demolished |
| Muskrat Scrambler | L&T Systems | Wild Mouse | 2000 | 2005 | Demolished |
| Zydeco Scream | Vekoma | Shuttle | 2000 | 2005 | Demolished |
| Batman: The Ride | Bolliger & Mabillard | Inverted | 2002 | 2005 | Relocated to Six Flags Fiesta Texas |
| Road Runner Express | Vekoma | Family | 2000 | 2005 | Relocated to Six Flags Magic Mountain |
Gallery[]
Videos[]
References[]
- ↑ Demolition begins at old Six Flags site in New Orleans by Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios. 2024-11-04.
- ↑ Six Flags in New Orleans stays put after licensing issues delay demolition by Andrea Guzmán, Texas Brands. 2024-11-15.
- ↑ https://www.nola.com/news/politics/demolition-to-resume-on-new-orleans-six-flags-site-after-scrap-metal-issue-what-to/article_bb0e1a8a-b658-11ef-8d57-7b3d5ac990fa.html
- ↑ Outlet mall project progressing at Six Flags site by Paul Murphy, WWL-TV. 2012-06-06. Archived 2012-06-10.
External links[]
- Six Flags New Orleans at Six Flags (archived 2005-08-13, 2003-04-01)
- Jazzland official website (archived 2001-06-06, 2000-10-17)
- Jazzland at Abandoned Southeast (2018-10-11)
- Illegal Tour of Abandoned Six Flags New Orleans at Love These Pics (2011-05-19)
- Six Flags New Orleans at Coaster-Count
- Six Flags New Orleans at Coasterpedia
- Six Flags New Orleans (closed) at Google Street View (2013-10)
- Six Flags New Orleans at the Jazzland Wiki
- Six Flags New Orleans at Logopedia
- Six Flags New Orleans at the Looney Tunes Wiki
- Six Flags New Orleans at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Six Flags New Orleans at the Six Flags Wiki
- Six Flags New Orleans at Wikipedia