Six Flags Magic Mountain will become the first theme park in Los Angeles County to partially reopen, starting next week. And it is doing it in a way that no other theme park in area has done for a very long time.
Six Flags Magic Mountain will reopen one week from today, on November 20, for its Holiday in the Park Drive-Thru Experience. That's right. A drive through experience. Fans will get to drive their cars through the 125-acre theme park for a holiday light display.
"We are delighted to be reopening our park to safely celebrate the holidays with this unprecedented and magical event," New Six Flags Magic Mountain President Don McCoy said. "We have successfully transformed the traditional operation of our beloved Holiday in the Park into a new drive-through experience that is sure to delight guests and team members alike. We are proud and honored to help our guests create special holiday memories, and to provide a feeling of hope and a small reprieve during this very difficult year."
Check out the promo video for some looks.
The last drive-through "theme park" experience I remember in Southern California was the old Lion Country Safari down in Orange County back in the 1970s. But drive-through and drive-in experiences this year have become a popular way for local themed entertainment providers to welcome guests under California's lockdown rules. (Check out our Natalie Niles' coverage Los Angeles Haunted Hayride's drive-in experience from Halloween.)
The Holiday in the Park Drive-Thru Experience will start at 6pm each day and run November 20-29, December 4-6, 11-13, and then December 18 through January 3, 2021. Tickets will be available today on the Six Flags Magic Mountain website and must be purchased in advance. Only a limited number of cars will be allowed each night. [Update: Looks like tickets are $20-25 per person, depending upon date. Individual tickets are required for each person in the car over age 3, but only one reservation is needed per car. There's a two person minimum per car, too.]
While there's no stopping inside the park, Six Flags will be selling holiday snack packs and holiday swag bundles for pick-up at the park. The drive-through route starts near DC Universe and winds around to exit through the Screampunk District.
The eight themed zones through the park will be...
...with the finale including a physically distanced greeting from Santa Claus himself.
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Sadly, this is what desperation looks like...
While the masses are told to alter their holiday plans...
https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article247181176.html
In the North East At Gillette Station (New England Patriots) they are starting a drive through Christmas lights this weekend also..
Between $35 and $50 per car based on the date you pick to go....
Thanks for the article I64Trekker.
It appears Newsom doesn't actually care about the people of California after all. Thecolonel will be so disappointed to hear about his hero!
Charging per person instead of per car is kind of ridiculous as there's zero different in cost-to-serve here. For a family of four or five, that is quite a steep price. I'd skip it.
Ironic timing: The opening of the second half of the season premiere of CBS' SWAT show has them chasing a van of stolen medical supplies into the empty Magic Mountain park for a brief but fun chase.
The producers said it was "something we always wanted to do but could never pull it off before because when are you going to find that place deserted in the day?"
Driving through a theme park, I love it! This might be the only time it will happen so I will take a chance on doing this!
20 to 25 per person too much.
I’m surprised by the number of you attacking this event. I think this is an amazing idea and I wish I lived in So Cal so I could go. Kudos to Magic Mountain for getting creative. I attended a drive thru haunted corn maze here in Washington State and the experience was far beyond beyond my expectations. We need to embrace these alternatives, and like AgustinMacias, the opportunity to drive through an amusement park!? Count me in!
The one thing I would agree with everyone on is the unfair pricing model. Charge $50 per car with no more than 5 people in each car, and call it good.
This is not desperation. This a corporation finding ways to entertain us safely during a pandemic. And that should be commended.
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Now I knew that Magic Mountain was gonna do a Holiday in the Park festival type event but... driving through it? I'm sorry but watching that video and seeing those cars go through the park was hilarious. It'll do really good though and I'll probably go once just to check it out. It's nice though that we can use our pass/membership for the experience.
And the updated site looks so much better. The old way it was organized had such an early 2000s feel.