Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Update - December 17th, 2021
Crazy Ride Deconstruction & Holiday in the Park
It's been a while, hasn't it? For a handful of reasons, I haven't been to SFDK in about 4 months but I finally made it back and I was blown away with how much it changed. Without further ado, let's start this very big update from SFDK!
Table of Contents
Ride Removals
The biggest surprises in my visit to SFDK was undoubtedly the many ride removals happening all around the park. I've covered the many SBNO rides at the park in past updates and it seems like the park finally decided to do something about them.
Harley Quinn
Walking up to the park, there was one very big thing missing
Crazy to see the ride completely gone
Cranes have made quick work of the ride and the queue area
Lots of scrap still sitting around
Leaving a nice little plot of land
The entrance is completely gone. I saw one of the chemical container themeing elements behind Joker
Voodoo
Moving over to the back of the park where Voodoo, the old Huss Top Spin used to sit SBNO for years
Key work being used to. The ride is no longer there
The hole where the ride used to sit is full of water for now
But with the removal of the Sky Coaster, it could open up a nice little plot of land, especially if the Safari Grill is also removed
Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian Devil, a Huss Frisbee ride, also got removed
In addition to the ride the entrance sign has been removed
With a sign up saying that the area will be redeveloped
The ride has been completely removed and the result is an empty field
It's really good to see the park removing the old SBNO rides. Some of these removals also offer the park some extra room for future expansion. I don't have any idea for what is in the cards for SFDK in the future or how COVID has affected future investment but I look forward to seeing what the park does!
Sidewinder Safari
First, Sidewinder Safari signage is back up around the park!
Both big and little signage
Lots of movement around the site too! Lots of construction equipment
Interestingly, the banner that used to be at the site still is down
The site has been cleared and flags are up. Glad to see that this ride is back on track and I'll keep following along as the ride starts to go vertical next year!
Holiday in the Park
Glad to see a full fledged Holiday in the Park back this year! Let's walk through some of the features of this year's HitP
Victorian Christmas Village
The first new HitP feature this year is the Victorian Christmas Village
Like in events past, the front plaza features some shops
They continued towards the bumper cars
and Hammerhead
And even past the food area. So many more this year!
They were also set up in the plaza under Toyota Stadium
General HitP
Smores stations are back this year
In addition to the usual animal shows for the holidays, SFDK had a sword swallower and juggler perform on the stage at the entry plaza
Pictures with the penguins are back!
The penguin was in a little plastic cage this time around
A little live music gets played in the plaza near the penguin
Santa's Workshop again allows kids to meet Santa
The walk from the food area to the back of the park is decorated with signs with information about holidays around the world
"Snow" falls in the park near the entrance to White Water Safari
This year brings back several of the walkaround characters, like this character near White Water Safari
This reindeer at the front of the park
Or this character near the candy cane walkway
Christmas Tree Forest returns as well
I love the way the area looks at night
The toy area near Medusa returns
Plenty of picture opportunities around the park
The food court was well decorated with lights as always
The event runs until January 2nd so if you're interested, make sure you make it out!
General Updates
I love to see the park entrance sign decorated for the Holidays
Walls are up in the tent near the food court area
In 3 years coming to the park, this is the first time I've seen Macho Nacho open
They're pouring a new concrete exit path at the butterfly exhibit
After seeing all of the ride removals, it was surprising to see the Pacific Rim theater still up, or at least the sign still is
I've never seen ads covering the water rides station over the winter
The tables by Joker are back thankfully!
Flash remains closed. Hopefully it'll be open more consistently next year
Animals and Rides
We'll wrap this update up like we usually do, with some animal and ride pictures!
Giraffes were out and feeding again
Their tongues always make me laugh
The lions were out and pacing a lot more than normal today! They really are some majestic animals
Apart from Joker, most rides were a walk on. Wonder Woman had plenty of empty seats per cycle
Batman always is a good looking ride
It's really rare to see Superman as a walkon but it was today!
And that'll wrap up our update for today! It was such a crazy visit with all of the rides being removed and with construction resuming on Sidewinder Safari. But a good visit of course! I'm planning on being back to SFDK much sooner than my previous visit. I'll keep you up to date on how everything goes!