SFA Fright Fest Brawl

[The Interpreter]

15 year old in medically induced coma. Two others injured:

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/One-Person-Hurt-at-Six-Flags-America-during-Fright-Fest-277359381.html

Now, they are increasing security.

[TTD-120-420]

"The unnacceptable behavior and events that occurred yesterday, acted out by some unsupervised youth, are in no way typical behavior for our park or the surrounding area."

Haha, ok.

[The Interpreter]

And they normally close well before dusk why exactly?

[LoraX]

Boo fest operates daily during the summer and into the evening during the fall. I can't imagine the frights that are offered at this park.

[The Interpreter]

I love Wild One.

I live 17 miles away.

Total 2014 visits: 0.

Total 2013 visits: 1 (left by 4 PM).

Draw your own conclusions.

[upstop]

Wow....SFA website says Frightfest - "Family friendly fun turns sinister after nightfall." Guess they are living up to the hype for sure.

[LoraX]

Wild One is a great coaster. I also like Roar.

[TombRaiderFTW]

SFA tweeted yesterday that any rumors of fighting and injuries at the park were "absolutely" untrue. That tweet seems to have mysteriously disappeared. Based on the number of people that responded with "there are pictures," it sounds like someone in the PR department jumped on social media before knowing all the facts.

Attending a Fright Fest at SFA would be truly frightening. I know I would NOT want to be behind Joker's Jinx or near Superman: Ride of Steel or Batwing at night.

[bkroz]

What a shame.

How many of us have seen a local mall closed due to a lack of safety, or even a perception of it?

Are amusement parks immune?

How can Six Flags combat this? As much as we might hate it, higher admission pricing might stifle this pretty quickly. You can artificially create a top tier experience (over time) if you price it that way. As it is, kids getting into Fright Fest Presented By SNICKERS for $30 a pop.

Even worse... season passes. Currently as low as $49.99 for admission to Six Flags America, Six Flags Great Adventure, and ALL Six Flags Parks. Read: cheap babysitting. We all know it.

Walt Disney built Disneyland very strategically: too far for Los Angeles youth to visit, far enough from the beach that folks wouldn't try to enter wet and without shoes (keeping in mind, both of those obliterated precedent of building parks on the water and in the city). You've probably heard of the rules: no visible tattoos, no long hair past the shoulders, etc. The idea of an obscene t-shirt would've been unheard of since folks wore suits, but Disneyland today doesn't stand for it. Not for a second. Obviously Anaheim became its own low income, not-so-safe area. Up went the admission prices and voila.

Separately, Disney Fans valiantly argue that Disneyland should eliminate annual passes altogether, or at LEAST offer the highest-tier (most expensive) pass exclusively. That's not for the same reasons, but it would have the same results: thinning the crowds down. As it is, the park is practically overrun with Southern California locals who get ultra-cheap annual passes and flood into the park on Sundays. You create a more exclusive experience through pricing. A lot seems to fall into place that way.

[Tanna]

I'm not going to lie, after an altercation in KI's parking lot at closing time one night, I get out before it gets too dark. I don't want a repeat of that; and these were adults that tried to confront us. It's not much price-wise, but my second nosh gets skipped from my park experience.

Looking over past posts, there's been rowdiness at KI, too, so it's not just isolated to one park.

Many of the comments on the story remarked on the babysitting service that their park has become, and people wanting an 18 and over rule applied to the Six Flags Halloween.

Just because someone's eighteen doesn't mean they are going to have any sense. It's a security issue.

[The Interpreter]

The people I'd be most concerned with at SFA are NOT under 18. An 18 and over rule would accomplish little or nothing. It might even make things worse.

I...avoid that park after dark. It may be over-reacting, but I don't intentionally needlessly go places that make me fear for my personal safety. I seldom go there during daylight. There's not enough money to get me to that park's Fright "Fest." Too little fest, too much fright for me.

[The Interpreter]

Part of boy's skull removed.

Purge again?

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=893&sid=3713516

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2014/09/30/Six-Flags-fight-leaves-boy-critically-injured-may-have-been-organized-on-Twitter/7451412083440/

[Magenta Lizard]

From that first article:

"These kids are acting upon each other with no apathy, no sympathy, no sensitivity. They've become desensitized."

Well at least we've figured out how to make teens less apathetic...

[Tanna]

The whole "purge" thing is based on the ideas of authorities allowing the carnage without repercussions. These teens don't understand that this is not a government snctioned event, as it was in the films-

People will retaliate. Hopefully, the law will retaliate, though lately, I'm not trusting anything that represents our government.

[The Interpreter]

The primary "victim" in this incident had been banned from ALL Six Flags parks and, some have speculated, wanted to start a fight. He apparently did.

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=893&sid=3713851

[silver2005]

The statements put out by Six Flags America are a bit eyebrow raising as well.

[Tanna]

The primary "victim" in this incident had been banned from ALL Six Flags parks and, some have speculated, wanted to start a fight. He apparently did.

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=893&sid=3713851

Oh, dear- my little hypothesis became possible earlier than I thought.

[The Interpreter]

See also:

http://www.hngn.com/articles/44184/20140930/six-flags-fright-fest-massive-fight-involving-200-kids-planned.htm

[BoddaH1994]

I wonder how this is affecting boofest attendance at SFA and around the chain.

[Tanna]

There was a lot of security last night at KI, but then again, I think it was the regular amount of security, but without the massive crowds I'm used to at the end of the season. At first I wonder if it was due to this incident, but then my common sense took hold.

This occurrence will have long lasting implications to many of the patrons that affected by this, and thus, the park.

I'm one of those people that won't favor a restaurant anymore if the Hot and Sour Soup has changed to bad, and I'm one of a million.

It takes very little for some people to chalk up a bad experience and move onto to somewhere else.

[jcgoble3]

I noticed it too, but didn't think anything of it. KI always has a larger and more visible security presence during Haunt, and tonight's security looked normal to me. I can see how it may have appeared larger than normal, but that's likely because of the small crowd.

[The Interpreter]

The industry watches. Copycats abound.

I can virtually guarantee ALL US parks having BooFests increased security last night.

Camden Park did. Kennywood did. Universal did.

And you think Kings Island didn't?

Really?

Why would you think such a thing?

Just imagine if something unbelievably horrible HAD happened last night and the park had NOT increased security. Not only would the lawyers have a field day, the Chairman, CEO, GM and Security head would always sleep badly and ask themselves "What if I had only.."

OR

Just imagine that last weekend's BooFest Brawl wasn't at Six Flags America, but rather at The New Kentucky Kingdom.

Perhaps Mr. Hart is indeed wiser than I gave him credit for. Perhaps that's not a risk worth taking (and YET they installed a drop ride, of ALL things...)

[jcgoble3]

Or, considering that I hadn't been to Haunt in a year (exactly, now), maybe it was my bad memory only thinking it was normal.

[The Interpreter]

Victim Out of Coma

Vigil held

Twitter Used To Call Event "Fight Fest"

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/10/vigil-held-for-six-flags-america-assault-victim-now-out-of-a-coma-107778.html

Separately, the park has moved the drop off area. Rumord abound parking fee will increase to cover "increased" parking lot security. Many claim there was virtually none before. And Fright Fest advertising in the DC Metro has largely, quietly disappeared.

[The Interpreter]

A Canadian perspective:

http://www.ecanadanow.com/curiosity/2014/09/30/six-flags-fights-leaves-one-teen-hospitalized/

Innocent victim? I take it they didn't get the news he had been banned from all Six Flags parks.

Wouldn't need surgery? Had it as this article was published.

[bkroz]

I do wonder how this is being felt across the chain. One of the major downfalls of Six Flags branding.

Whether it's Over Georgia, New England, Worlds of Adventure, or St. Louis, your local park probably just goes by "Six Flags."

MOST of the headlines in the linked articles above say what? "Six Flags Fight..." "Massive Brawl at Six Flags Fright Fest," etc. If I were a member of the general public who visited Six Flags, seeing that kind of headline trending on Twitter or Facebook, I'd probably assume it was my Six Flags, plant that in the back of my mind, and move on without reading further.

[Oldiesmann]

That's what happens when you want to market all your parks as one brand rather than giving them each their own identity. The fact that there's another Six Flags park in Illinois with a very similar name certainly won't help things either.

[Tanna]

In every article, I'm reading about paniced parents rushing to the park to pick up their kids...and yet they don't see that they are part of the problem. Why weren't they AT the park with their kids?

[The Interpreter]

The better question is what parent in their right mind would leave an unattended minor at SFA, much less during Fright Fest? I know many adults who will not go there alone.

[The Interpreter]

About which:

http://m.gazette.net/article/20140930/NEWS/140939967/prince-george-x2019-s-parents-question-largo-amusement-park-safety&template=frontpageMobile

"...when it gets dark, let's get out of the park..."

Clueless Six Flags PR type: ...did not disrupt the park's Halloween celebration?

Are you kidding me?