Two weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, Six Flags Over Louisiana remained submerged. The park never reopened, and demolition began in 2024. File Photo by Bob McMillan/FEMA for UPI | License Photo
On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, closing many businesses including the Six Flags New Orleans amusement park, which ended up under 12 feet of floodwater for weeks.
The park never reopened.
In the 20 years since Katrina, the 200-acre site has become a ruin of twisted steel and overgrowth, as redevelopment efforts came and went.
A 75-year lease and $32.5 million loss
The park, which originally opened in 2000 as “Jazzland,” went bankrupt in 2002 and ceased operations. Six Flags bought the $135 million park for $22 million out of bankruptcy that same year, signing an ambitious 75-year lease with the city. The company then invested $20 million in upgrades to the amusement park and rides.
After Katrina’s high winds and flooding significantly damaged the park to the tune of $32.5 million (2005 USD), Six Flags declared it a total insurance loss and offered to pay the city $10 million if they would void the 75-year lease.
Although then-mayor Ray Nagin insisted he would force the company rebuild the park, the lease was terminated in 2009 during Six Flags’ bankruptcy proceedings.
Over the next 10 years, various proposals were floated to restore the area as a new amusement or water park, a hotel or an outlet mall. In 2016, a theme park company pledged to build a new $100 million amusement park, but they discovered that the original buildings and rides were no longer salvageable.
New company rents land for $1 a year
Finally, in 2023, after two years of red tape, Bayou Phoenix officially took control of the site with plans to demolish the former amusement park and install a new water park, hotels, movie studio and other retail space. The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority is leasing the land for only $1 per year for a 50-year lease but is requiring the lessee to include development milestones for continued use of the land.
Demolition of the park began in October 2024 but stalled due to a logistical issue in November. It resumed over the winter, with the biggest rollercoaster being demolished on Feb. 5, 2025.
