New this summer at Six Flags Great America is a thrill ride sure to fling riders into the stratosphere.
Sky Striker is new for 2024 and opens later in the spring. Picture a 17-story-tall tower with a giant disc at the bottom, with riders strapped along the outside of the disc. Then picture that disc swinging on a pendulum back and forth, going higher and higher, eventually reaching a max speed of 175 miles per hour and flinging riders up to 172 feet in the air. And finally, picture that disc spinning around in a circle at the same time it’s launching people into the sky.
If that sounds like your idea of a good time, strap in for the new season at Six Flags, which opens April 20.
“We are so excited to kick off the 2024 season and welcome back our guests,” said Rachel Kendziora, communications specialist at Six Flags. “We’re extraordinarily excited because this year we’re debuting the all-new Sky Striker. It’s our first new ride at the park in five years. It’s a really big thing for us.”
Riders, she said, will get a feeling of weightlessness at 172 feet in the air and get a view of the park’s skyline – providing they can focus on said skyline while trying to keep down their cotton candy, churros, loaded nachos and frozen lemonade.
“It’s intense,” she said. “It really offers something different for our guests.”
Sky Striker joins a cast of 14 thrill rides as well as many other family and children’s rides.
“We’re really excited to add Sky Striker into our lineup of attractions because I think it offers something thrilling but different than any of our roller coasters at the park,” she said.
A lot of planning goes into picking and acquiring new attractions, she said. Officials have to evaluate the current collection of rides and consider not only what guests would like to have, but space constraints and costs as well.
In addition to the new Sky Striker, Six Flags is focused on providing guests with a lineup of festivals and events throughout the season, she said.
“Guests can expect to see some of their favorite events return this year, like a July Fourth celebration and of course, Fright Fest in the fall,” she said. “In addition to our new events, we will be bringing back some returning events guests really love.”
That includes a Pride celebration June 1-2 with entertainment, music, Pride merch and a parade in Hometown Square to kick off Pride Month with a celebration of individuality at Six Flags, she said.
“We’re also bringing back Flavors of the World which is going to be select days June 8 through 30, where guests can experience unique and delectable specialty food items from all around the world, but in one place,” she said.
Another returning event is Viva La Fiesta Aug. 17-18, complete with food, music and entertainment with a Latin flair.
“We have a brand-new festival this year … called Great Summer Nights and it really just embraces the vibe of summer,” she said. “It will feature live music, world-class entertainment and some iconic summer bites.”
That will run select nights July 11 to Aug. 4, Kendziora said. Also, the park will have fireworks every Saturday night from July 6 to Aug. 17.
Much like picking new rides, a lot of planning goes into planning new events.
“We’re always looking at ways to maximize and provide the best guest experience throughout the park,” she said. “There are a lot of events we’ve hosted in the past that are park guest favorites, like Fright Fest, for example. Fright Fest is an extraordinary fall event for us. We’ve been doing that for decades.
“It’s an event that’s really unique and celebrated here at Six Flags Great America. So when we’re looking at new events, it’s really like, what would complement our event lineup well? What would really embrace our peak summer season? There’s a lot that goes into it.”
Fright Fest will return Sept. 14, along with the Kids Boo Fest and the park’s Oktoberfest, she said.
“We have some really fun things in store for Fright Fest,” she said. “We have our scare zones, we have our haunted houses. And there are definitely plans to really elevate that this year.”
After getting your fill of rides, there’s plenty to nosh on, such as savory barbecue at the new Yukon BBQ Pit, Kendziora said.
“We’ll also be introducing a new sports bar concept in Southwest Territory later this spring,” she said.
Six Flags is a fun and creative place to visit in the summer, she said.
“We have thrill of the theme park and the roller coasters and the chill of the water park. But we also have events outside of that that make it a full-circle, well-rounded experience,” she said.
Speaking of entertainment, the free-with-paid-admission shows make a return this spring and summer, she said. The summer lineup features a new show in the music hall, she teased.
Hurricane Harbor Chicago will open May 25.
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
Six Flags Great America
When: Weekends and select weekdays April 20-May 19; summer hours begin May 21; last day of summer season Sept. 2
Where: 1 Great America Parkway, Gurnee
Tickets: $50-$70; parking $40
Information: 847-249-1776; sixflags.com/greatamerica
