Six Flags Great Adventure Wild Safari to reopen Saturday

Six Flags Great Adventure’s Wild Safari will reopen as a drive-thru experience on Saturday, the amusement park announced. 

The Jackson, Ocean County-based Safari will operate daily from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

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To prevent overcrowding, guests will be required to make reservations and register in advance using Six Flags’ new online system. Tickets must be purchased online and in advance as gate sales will be unavailable. Guests without reservations will not be allowed to enter. 

Six Flags members, Season Pass holders, and single-day ticket holders could begin making reservations at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Members, Season Pass holders, and employees can watch a sneak preview of the drive-thru experience on Friday.

With the safety of its guests, employees, and animals as its top priority, Six Flags has implemented a number of new safety procedures that must be followed. Guests must stay in their vehicles and keep windows, doors, and convertible tops closed. They also must maintain a safe distance between other cars and animals.

Cars can only travel 5 MPH and are prohibited from stopping, while SUVs and consumer pickup trucks must keep beds empty. Buses, campers, RVs, commercial vehicles, and trucks larger than a consumer pickup truck are banned. All vehicles will be inspected before entering the park.

Given that it is a contact-free experience, animals cannot be fed or touched. Littering and smoking are also banned. Park staff will enforce the rules, and any violators will be asked to leave the Safari without a refund and possibly prosecuted.

All Six Flags employees will be temperature and health screened on a daily basis, and must wear face masks and gloves. No additional services will be available at the amusement park, and Six Flags is encouraging guests to plan accordingly for restroom breaks, gasoline, and food. Only portable toilets will be available upon entering and exiting the theme park.

The Safari previously operated as a self-drive-thru from 1974 to 2012, but has since offered guided truck tours. The self-guided journey will feature 1,200 exotic animals from six continents across 350 acres of 11 simulated natural habitats. 

Most of the animals roam freely, but predators are kept safely behind fences. All animals are visible from car windows.

The theme park and water park will remain closed until further notice due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Once the amusement park reopens, guests will be required to make reservations online.

Six Flags has been closed since mid-March. 

Season Pass holders will have their 2020 passes extended for the number of operating days that the theme park remains closed. Six Flags members will receive an additional month to their memberships for every month the park is closed. Their memberships also will be upgraded one level for the remainder of the season. 

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy ordered all amusement parks to close indefinitely on March 17. Four days later, he banned gatherings and instituted a stay-at-home order. 

Murphy has since given drive-thru events, including graduation celebrations, movies and religious services, the green light.