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Credit: Knott's Berry FarmSix Flags has eliminated 27 presidential positions at its United States theme parks, which include all Six Flags locations, Cedar Point, and Knott’s Berry Farm. The decision comes after a previously announced corporate restructuring and the permanent closure of Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor in Bowie, Maryland.
Earlier this year, Six Flags Entertainment announced that Six Flags America would close its doors after the 2025 season. Less than a year after merging with Cedar Fair (owner of Cedar Point, Knott’s Berry Farm, Kings Dominion, and more), the theme park giant also revealed plans to lay off 10 percent of corporate staff. Now, theme park fans are seeing those promises come to fruition.
On May 26, The Orange County Register reported that Six Flags Entertainment laid off Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain Presidents Jon Storbeck and Jeff Harris. Furthermore, the company has decided to eliminate the presidential positions at all 27 theme parks it owns across the United States. Some of the presidents will remain with the company in other roles, while others, like Storbeck and Harris, face layoffs. These eliminations are part of the previously announced plan to reduce corporate staff by 10 percent.
“Six Flags Entertainment recently moved to a new regional operating structure,” a statement from Six Flags Entertainment reads. “Under this new alignment, we have centralized certain functions and responsibilities at the corporate level. The company also made some changes to the roles and responsibilities of park leaders, sharpening the parks’ focus on execution, the guest experience and associates.”
Amid the layoffs, four California theme parks will “eliminate or re-classify” 135 existing full-time positions. Depending on availability, employees will be offered either a severance package or the opportunity to move to a different full-time role. This reduction is expected to conclude in late June 2025.
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