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Knott’s Festival Helps Boost Six Flags Attendance

Cites “favorable operating conditions” on the West Coast, including Knott’s Boysenberry Festival and “encouraging early response” to upgraded season passes

Knott’s Berry Farm owner, Six Flags Entertainment Corp., jumped 17% to $23.04 per share on Thursday following its first quarter report.  

The Charlotte-based theme park operator reported Q1 net revenues of $226 million, up 12% from a year ago. It currently has a market cap of $2.3 billion (NYSE: FUN).   

“We delivered meaningful year-over-year improvement in the first quarter driven by higher attendance, increased guest spending, and disciplined execution,” Chief Executive John Reilly said in a May 7 statement. 

Attendance rose 4% to 2.9 million visits across its portfolio of amusement parks despite fewer operating days compared to a year ago. Six Flags said the year-over-year increase “benefited from favorable operating conditions, particularly on the West Coast” such as “the earlier timing of the Knott’s Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival.” 

Six Flags also saw improvements in per capita spending, which the operator said was an “encouraging early response” to the updated season pass program for 2026 as well as its investments in upgrading retail and food and beverage. Its active pass base is made up of approximately 5 million “units” as of May, up 6% from a year ago.  

Disneyland Resort’s parent company The Walt Disney Co. reported fiscal second quarter results on May 6 with revenue up 7% to $25 billion, stating that “current demand at our domestic parks and resorts is healthy.” Shares were up 7.5% to $108.06 at the end of Wednesday’s trading session (NYSE: DIS).  

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