Coaster Construction Moving Along As Six Flags Great Adventure Unveils Updates

JACKSON, NJ — Six Flags Great Adventure offered a behind-the-scenes look at progress on two big projects at the amusement park, part of what the company says is a multiyear investment in the park.

Work on the roller coaster scheduled to open in 2027 — simply called "Project Purple" for now, said Ryan Eldredge, a park spokesman — is easily visible from the parking lot.

Installation of the track for the new coaster is "about 47 percent completed," Eldredge said Saturday during a media event. Details on the coaster are still being tightly controlled, though he acknowledged coaster fans are actively sleuthing out information, including the potential type of coaster, its height and more.

The track constructed so far clearly shows an inversion — a turn in the track where riders are turned upside down — and the station portion of the track is in place, Eldredge said.

The coaster was initially announced in late 2024 as part of $1 billion in upgrades that Six Flags has underway at the park in Jackson, which opened for its 52nd season on March 28.

The coaster was described as a "multi-record-breaking launch coaster, a must-ride attraction sure to capture fans' imaginations," and a "landmark addition" when it was initially announced.

The new coaster is not being constructed in the footprint where Kingda Ka was located, however, park officials said.

The park's map shows the Shoreline Pier area as "Coming soon," marked in gray, and the "Project Purple" coaster, though not shown, is just above that area.

Shoreline Pier is being constructed in part on the site of the Green Lantern ride that was removed.

Behind "Project Purple," construction was visible for the new coaster that will be one of five rides on Shoreline Pier, which Eldredge said is slated to open later in the spring, possibly by Memorial Day weekend.

The new coaster that will be part of Shoreline Pier is called Barrels O' Fun, a spinning family coaster with wooden barrel-inspired cars "that dip and twist like bobbing buoys on the surf."

Sections of the supports for that coaster were lined up for installation, and crews could be seen moving a section to place it during the behind-the-scenes tour on Saturday.

Also planned for Shoreline Pier are the Flying Scooters, where riders soar on winged scooters, using the sails to swing, dip and glide; Wave Swinger, which lifts riders into the air, "spinning them above the midway with sweeping Boardwalk views and a weightless, soaring sensation;" and Hypno Twister, a spinning ride with four interlocking, rotating arms.

The fifth is the Super Roundup, which has been a classic at the park since it opened in 1974, and is being relocated to the pier.

Work on Shoreline Pier has been moving along quickly. Concrete patterned to look like a wooden boardwalk was in place and opened for use, with the construction on either side hidden behind fencing that lined the path to Superman Ultimate Flight.

Eldredge said that while there have been naysayers doubting the late spring opening, park officials believe the work is progressing rapidly enough to make it a reality.

Crews are working on the project Monday through Saturday to try to meet the timeline, he said.

Kristin Fitzgerald, Six Flags corporate director of public relations, said the company is responding to comments from patrons wanting more family-friendly options at the park, and is reviving live entertainment in the park, something that had been mostly shelved since 2010.

On Saturday, the park launched its Safari Spring Break Celebration, with live performers and interactive activities to draw in children and adults alike, such as a drumming performance.

The live entertainment also gives people a chance to pause for a few minutes while they eat or simply rest, Fitzgerald said.

The live entertainment is expected to expand as the season goes on. On Saturday, there were musical performance for the Safari Spring Break Celebration and stilt walkers making their way through the park.

The construction progress has reassured Great Adventure enthusiasts about the future of the park, which some feared would shut down after Six Flags and Cedar Fair merged in 2024.

The company has closed one park, Six Flags America in Maryland, which shut down in November 2025. On Monday, the company announced it was selling seven of its parks to EPR Properties. Those parks are Michigan’s Adventure in Muskegon, Michigan; Schlitterbahn Waterpark Galveston in Texas; Six Flags Great Escape in Queensbury, New York; Six Flags La Ronde in Montreal, Canada; Six Flags St. Louis in Missouri; Valleyfair in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri.