SIX FLAGS DARIEN LAKE
Buffalo, New York (Abbreviation: DL)
Known as Six Flags Darien Lake (1999 to 2006)
and as just Darien Lake (2007 to 2018)
Owned by EPR Properties
Managed by Six Flags Theme Parks
 Park News - (5/27/2025) According to local news reports, some guests at Six Flags Darien Lake got a little out of hand on Memorial Day. The Sheriff’s Office was called in to handle large crowds gathering and causing issues just outside the park’s main gate and break up some “altercations”. When those efforts failed, “pepperball guns” were deployed.
Once the situation was under control, it was determined that those causing issues were minors, so no charges were filed. From what I can see on the official website, unlike most of the other Six Flags (and former Cedar Fair) parks, I don’t see that an official Chaperone Policy has been put into effect yet. Though given the events that just took place, I wouldn’t be surprised if the policy is put in place before the next weekend arrives.
(5/17/2025) Six Flags Darien Lake joins the latest Six Flags trend of banning all smoking of any kind (vaping & e-cigs too) from taking place within the park itself. All smoking must be done outside of the park, likely in a designated area outside the entrance if this follows the trend of the other parks.
Meanwhile an update posted by the local business journal (sorry if it’s behind a paywall) about the park’s upcoming season also confirms that in addition to the refurbished Mind Eraser with all the trains and the additional batch of Titan Track improvements to Predator, that the park also confirmed that they will be getting a second train for their Ride of Steel coaster. This is likely the second train that was supposed to be going to Six Flags America for their Superman: Ride of Steel clone, but SFA won’t be needing that second train as the park is closing for good at the end of this season. So keep an eye out for a new train on Ride of Steel if you visit this SFDL season.
Add in all the other improvements and ride updates over the past couple of seasons we’ve seen done here at Darien Lake, and there does seem to me to be some kind of difference in the care being taken to preserve the Darien Lake coasters for the long-term, compared for example to the rather limited treatment we’ve seen to other Six Flags “management” properties, like Frontier City for example. It does make me wonder if Six Flags corporate may be looking into the possibility of taking full ownership of Darien Lake at some point in the future if they can turn it around to their liking.
(4/30/2025) Six Flags Darien Lake has confirmed that another 230 feet of track on Predator has been replaced with new CGI Titan Track.
Meanwhile the park has also posted a couple of pictures of Mind Eraser, showing off the new bright paint job, and our first look at the brand new trains featuring Vekoma’s modern restraint system that should provide a smoother ride, free from head-banging.
(4/25/2025) Six Flags Darien Lake is set to open for the 2025 season on May 16th. I believe that the park’s newly refreshed Mind Eraser inverted roller coaster might be ready about this time. The park says that in addition to the “newly profiled track” and paint-job, the coaster will feature two brand new roller coaster trains featuring wider seats with a new restraint system to make for an improved ride experience.
If anyone can confirm if it looks like Mind Eraser will (or won’t) be ready for opening day, please let me know.
(5/27/2024) There has been some fuss over the fact that starting in late June, Six Flags over Texas will close the entire park each week on Tuesdays for the entire Summer. This is a bit of a surprise to the local market, as this is also the original Six Flags theme park that started the chain. Naturally guests in other markers have been concerned about their own parks making similar changed to their operational schedules.
Going through the posted calendars for all the parks on the Six Flags website, I’ve only been able to find the following items of interest.
Six Flags Darien Lake also has a limited schedule, opening only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays now through to the week of June 23rd, when the park will be closed Monday and Tuesday. The park will be open daily for the first week of July only and then be closed every Tuesday in July and August, except for July 30th for some reason.
2025 - Mind Eraser to Return and Maybe More - (5/17/2024) The Mine Eraser at Six Flags Darien Lake has been confirmed by the park to be closed for the 2024 season. According to a sign they put u p, the coaster is closed for “extensive renovations” and will reopen in 2025 with two new trains, “a track profile make-over”, and refreshed paint to offer a “smoother and more comfortable” experience.
Mind Eraser has been closed the last couple of seasons and it is with great interest that people have also noted that it happens to be located next to the park’s closed Thunder Rapids ride in a far off corner of the park that they’ve been essentially able to close off in recent years. And yet… this is starting to sound slightly familiar too…
If you’ve followed the history of Six Flags America at all, you will recall how that park closed off a whole section of their park, that also included their Rapids ride and Mind Eraser for a few years, only to announce plans to reopen it all in 2024, refurbished as SteamTown. The upgrade at Six Flags America will see their former Mind Eraser also completely refurbished as Professor Screamore’s SkyWinder and the rapids upgraded with animatronic dinosaurs to become the QuantumCanyon Rapids.
Mix in some other refurbished rides, along with a new ride or two, and it isn’t a far stretch of the imagination to think that just maybe SF Darien Lake could possibly be preparing to create their own version of SteamTown in 2025. Stay tuned!
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