Six Flags Over Texas’ 65th season reshapes the guest experience — new theater, shows and a record-smashing coaster

The 65th-anniversary season at six flags Over Texas is being positioned as more than nostalgia: families and regular visitors will encounter rebuilt public spaces, upgraded live-entertainment options and a coaster project already changing the skyline. For guests arriving this spring, the most immediate impacts will be smoother performances in a larger indoor theater and new weekend shows; the coaster’s arrival is a later-season headline that will extend the park’s momentum.

Six Flags Over Texas: what visitors will notice first and why it matters

Visitors will feel the season’s changes through tangible guest-experience upgrades rather than only new marketing. The Southern Palace Theatre is now a premier indoor venue with added seating, better audio and lighting, and improved guest flow — a direct improvement to how shows operate and how crowds move through that section of the park. That enhancement means more reliable showtimes, larger-capacity performances, and fewer guests watching from concrete slab benches.

Here’s the part that matters for families planning a day out: refreshed queues, refurbished classic rides and a fuller slate of scheduled shows create more predictable entertainment windows for parents and groups, reducing idle wait time between headline attractions.

Event details and the season’s major items

The park’s gates open for the season on Saturday, February 28, at 11 a. m. The year-long 65th-anniversary program combines facility upgrades with a mix of new and returning entertainment and an ambitious coaster project expected to debut later in the 2026 season.

• Southern Palace Theatre: renovated with new seating, upgraded audio and lighting, improved guest flow and increased capacity.
• Scheduled shows at the Southern Palace Theatre and around the park include: Gazillion Bubbles Show (March 14–22), The Perondi’s Stunt Dog Experience (weekends April 3–May 3), and Celebrate! (June, select days).
• Other seasonal entertainment: Western Daze at Texas Arcade (summer, select days), Miss Cameo Kate’s Western Burle Q Revue at Crazy Horse Saloon (summer, select days), and The Swelltones near Johnny Rockets (summer, select days).
• Coaster project: Tormenta Rampaging Run, a new giga dive coaster, has already altered the Arlington skyline with a lift hill topping 300 feet and is slated to open later in the 2026 season; the project is described as breaking six world records when it opens.
• Refurbishments include rethemed queue lines for Mr. Freeze and Batman: The Ride and attention to long-running attractions such as El Aserradero, Runaway Mine Train, Silver Star Carousel, Runaway Mountain, and Six Flags Railroad.

What’s easy to miss is that the theatre’s conversion from bench seating to formal seats changes audience capacity and comfort in a way that supports higher-caliber shows over the whole season.

• Gates open: Saturday, February 28 at 11 a. m. (season opening)
• Original park opening: August 5, 1961 (park milestone referenced as part of the 65th anniversary)
• Coaster opening window: later in the 2026 season (exact date to be announced)

• Enhanced theatre infrastructure — better seating and production tech — should allow longer runs of headline acts and reduce cancellations tied to capacity limits.
• Families and day visitors will see immediate operational benefits through improved guest flow and expanded show schedules.
• Tormenta Rampaging Run’s late-season debut is the primary momentum driver for attendance spikes later in the year; confirmation of its opening date will be the key signal for expanded weekend demand.
• Ongoing refurbishments across classic rides suggest the park is balancing investment between new marquee attractions and preserving legacy guest experiences.

If you’re wondering why this keeps coming up in season previews: the mix of facility upgrades, scheduled entertainment, and a high-profile coaster project creates a multi-stage release of new reasons to visit — immediate theatre and show improvements first, then a major attraction later.

The real test will be how the park schedules and spaces shows around peak attendance days to keep lines moving and maximize the renovated theatre’s capacity. Recent announcements tie the anniversary celebration to a yearlong program of events and enhancements; details on the coaster’s opening date remain forthcoming and will shape late-season crowds and promotions.

Image and schedule details are subject to change as the season progresses.