MOD EDIT: Eddie and Jobo will be broadcasting live from the park on 5/16 and offering the first 500 people the chance to ride X-Flight. Any previous offer has been removed.
We're looking at a potential disaster. SFOG does this from time to time and they usually hit capacity by well before the normal opening time and have to turn people away, and that's the time of year when you hear about people getting shot and stabbed just outside of SFOG. After all you got a lot of pissed off people that have a full day with nothing to do
Dug this up....
Free day causes chaos at Six Flags By S.A. REID
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/05/07
A free-admission promotion at Six Flags Over Georgia on Atlanta's west side snarled morning rush hour traffic and frustrated youngsters turned away when the park hit capacity by 6 a.m.
Cobb police say they were caught off guard by the traffic that eventually shut down I-20. Authorities asked motorists to stay off I-20 until at least 10 a.m.
Traffic has since returned to normal.
"It wasn't planned for us to be out there," said Cassie Reece, a Cobb police spokeswoman. "We were out there because we were called."
Police closed off exit ramps to Six Flags after the park took in all the visitors it legally could.
"Six Flags is at capacity and can't let anybody else in," Reece said. "I don't know when that will change."
For morning commuters I-20, driving in either direction was no thrill ride.
At its worst, travel time on eastbound I-20 from Lee Road to I-285 was about 25 minutes. It normally is under 10. Cobb County police closed the main exit for the park — Exit 43 off I-20 — about 6:15 a.m. The exits have since reopened.
The amusement park staged the free admission promotion as a season kickoff.
Some youngsters got out of cars and began walking down I-20 to get to the park, but Six Flags' officials turned them away, saying people had to arrive in cars to take advantage of the offer.
Cars began lining up as early as 3:30 a.m. for the offer, which had been scheduled to run from 6 to 9 a.m.
The free day includes free rides, breakfast and season pass specials. Normal one-day admission to the park is $50 for adults and $30 for children.
Dana Davis, 31, drove from nearby Douglasville with her two children and five nephews for a day of fun. The fun never started. She and the children got up at 3 a.m. and sat in traffic on I-20 from 3:30 to 4:50 a.m.
She got close to the park but was turned away.
"It seems like a hoax, instead of a free day at Six Flags," she said.
Shunte Jordan, 32 packed up her children, ages 13 and 5, and left her Riverdale home about 5 a.m.
She made it to Exit 47 and found it closed by police.
"I'm frustrated, very frustrated," she said. "It's the traffic. It's like you are stuck. If you are going home you're stuck. If you're going to Six Flags, you're stuck."
She was at a QuickTrip convenience store on Mableton Parkway, watching as many of the young people in the store and in the parking lot milled about without parental supervision.
"Now people are getting frustrated. It's best to try to get out of this. This is when I feel like problems occur," Jordan said.
Disappointed youngsters — most off school for spring break — hung around the area when they couldn't get into the park. About 200 people sat or stood at a police barricade about 100 feet from the Six Flags gate.
Many were youngsters who had been dropped off by parents who had to go to work.
Alyssa Davis, 15, came with friends from Conyers. A parent dropped them off, never thinking the teens would not get into the park.
By 7 a.m., Alyssa and her friends were trying to keep warm inside the QT convenience store, about a mile from the park. They had walked there after getting to the park and finding the gates closed.
"It's cold outside," Alyssa said. "They didn't tell people there was a maximum capacity."
Makebra Cuffie of northwest Atlanta left home just before 6 a.m. and was dropped off by her mother. She was more pragmatic about not getting into the park.
"We should have left home earlier," Cuffie said.
Zoo Atlanta, more than 20 miles away in southeast Atlanta, took in some of the overflow.
Zoo staff arrived at work to a line of families waiting to get in after being turned way from the amusement park, according to Susan Elliot, a zoo spokeswoman. Nestled in Atlanta's Grant Park, the zoo opens at 9:30 a.m. for general admission.
MOD EDIT: Eddie and Jobo will be broadcasting live from the park on 5/16 and offering the first 500 people the chance to ride X-Flight. Any previous offer has been removed.
Favorite Wood Coasters: The Voyage, Ravine Flyer II, Thunderhead, Balder Favorite Steel: Voltron Nevera, Steel Vengeance, Expedition GeForce, Olympia Looping Parks visited: 232, Coasters Ridden: Steel: 894, Wood: 179, Total: 1073
Those of you that want to witness history go and take pictures. I don't know if any of you have ever seen SFGAm with 50,000 people in it but it is quite a sight. A free admission and free parking promotion to a theme park that services a 4+ million people metropolis is just asking for disaster.
That is going to be one messed up day. I can only imagine what the line is going to be like for X-Flight. If I were a passholder, I wouldn't get anywhere near the park that day.
I finally retired the Sarah Palin signature because she is now 100% irrelevant.
Let's not forget that on a Wed in May, staffing is always at a premium with the bulk of their workforce still in school, so at least some if not most flat's will be closed and reduced capacity on rides like Bull isn't out of the question. I almost want to go just to see the Chaos that ensues. But at the same time i don't want to be stuck in crazy traffic or shot or stabbed or whatnot, so I will be enjoying the safety of Woodridge on May 16'th. If anyone is local to the point where you can walk to the park, grab your camera and report back!
Favorite Wood Coasters: The Voyage, Ravine Flyer II, Thunderhead, Balder Favorite Steel: Voltron Nevera, Steel Vengeance, Expedition GeForce, Olympia Looping Parks visited: 232, Coasters Ridden: Steel: 894, Wood: 179, Total: 1073
Seriously - prepare for the worst because you'll probably get it. LEGOLAND does a promotion each year with the Jack FM station for a $16 entry and nearly hits capacity each time, couldn't imagine it marketed as free.
Top 5 wood-5-Goliath 4-Ravine Flyer II 3-Phoenix 2-Voyage 1-El Toro Top 5 Steel- 5-Velocicoaster 4- Maverick 3- Fury 325 2-Steel Vengeance 1-X2 Coaster Count: 444
I think that Six Flags is really messing up with this promotion. I mean, I guess a lot of people will be buying drunks and food and everything at the park, but are they thinking of the consequences and the chaos? If I were them, I would've just done a small event for 500 people to get in free with a contest or something. Completely free admission for anyone that wants to get up early is ridiculous.
Are you effing kidding me? In the first place Eddie and Joblo are a couple of hacks that I wouldn't walk next door to see for free. What the F are they doing? The opening of X-flight is a sacred even and should be admission amd season pass only. There are going to be lines that are going to be so outlandish. Xrider, I would let whoever is organizing your trip know to schedule it another day. You wont find me there on that day and we WERE planning on being there. Free admission is nonsense. Hell, you won't even be able to get to McDonalds to get get breakfast let alone to Speedway to get gas. Screw K-hits.
Candy: What you lookin' at? Otis B. Driftwood: I'm lookin' at you, mama. Candy: Yeah, you see something you like? Otis B. Driftwood: Maybe. I set my standards pretty low, so I'm never disappointed.
I think I'll go just to see what that mess looks like. Might be kinda funny. Like Great America needs to piss more people off... Come for free? Cheap season passes and free admission? Can you say desperate? How about a new scheme where you actually treat people with dignity and respect, treat your employees correctly (and pay them better) and that might work in the long run... too late for that? What do I know...
This is going to be awesome! I'm sure the park will be getting some serious cash with food, drinks, and games. Who knows this isn't Georgia, not playing the race card here, but maybe it wont be as bad?
i im going to tweet them and actually see if this is true...cause i was planning on skipping school this day anyways but doing somthing this big for the park is going to kill them.....but if it is true...i will be there 5am sharp and i will take videos and pictures of the crowd ect if it is crowded and this is one day im glad i got my Xtreme pass skipping the long line for X-flight and getting on with the park(:
Stoogie wrote:Are you effing kidding me? In the first place Eddie and Joblo are a couple of hacks that I wouldn't walk next door to see for free. What the F are they doing? The opening of X-flight is a sacred even and should be admission amd season pass only. There are going to be lines that are going to be so outlandish. Xrider, I would let whoever is organizing your trip know to schedule it another day. You wont find me there on that day and we WERE planning on being there. Free admission is nonsense. Hell, you won't even be able to get to McDonalds to get get breakfast let alone to Speedway to get gas. Screw K-hits.
Did you really just say the opening of X-Flight is sacred?
Stoogie wrote:Are you effing kidding me? In the first place Eddie and Joblo are a couple of hacks that I wouldn't walk next door to see for free. What the F are they doing? The opening of X-flight is a sacred even and should be admission amd season pass only. There are going to be lines that are going to be so outlandish. Xrider, I would let whoever is organizing your trip know to schedule it another day. You wont find me there on that day and we WERE planning on being there. Free admission is nonsense. Hell, you won't even be able to get to McDonalds to get get breakfast let alone to Speedway to get gas. Screw K-hits.
Did you really just say the opening of X-Flight is sacred?
seriously?
Ok, maybe not Sacred..lol.
Candy: What you lookin' at? Otis B. Driftwood: I'm lookin' at you, mama. Candy: Yeah, you see something you like? Otis B. Driftwood: Maybe. I set my standards pretty low, so I'm never disappointed.
Im goin the 17th now.
