Cedar Fair was an American amusement park company headquartered at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Cedar Point acquired the Minnesota park Valleyfair, which had opened in 1976, in 1978, and five years later, in 1983, Cedar Fair Limited Partnership was formed as the parent company for both properties, blending “Cedar” from Cedar Point and “Fair” from Valleyfair into its name. The company went public in 1987 on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FUN, and over the following decades grew from a two-park regional operator into one of the largest seasonal amusement park companies in North America.
Cedar Fair’s growth accelerated with major acquisitions, most notably the 2006 purchase of Paramount Parks for $1.24 billion, which brought Kings Island, Kings Dominion, Canada’s Wonderland, and Carowinds into the portfolio, and the 2019 addition of the Schlitterbahn water parks in Texas. By the time of its dissolution, Cedar Fair operated 11 amusement parks and 4 separately-gated water parks across the United States and Canada, hosting about 26.7 million guests in 2023 before merging with Six Flags on July 1, 2024.
Stats at a Glance
- Founded: 1983 (parent company for Cedar Point and Valleyfair)
- Headquarters: Sandusky, Ohio
- Went public: 1987 (NYSE: FUN)
- Parks at dissolution: 11 amusement parks, 4 water parks
- 2023 attendance: about 26.7 million guests
- 2023 revenue: about $1.80 billion
- Dissolved: July 1, 2024 (merged into Six Flags Entertainment Corporation)
From a Two-Park Partnership to an Industry Leader
Cedar Fair’s roots trace to 1978, when Cedar Point, already a lakefront amusement park more than a century old, acquired the young Valleyfair park near Minneapolis, which had opened just two years earlier in 1976. In 1983, the two properties were brought under a single parent company, Cedar Fair Limited Partnership, an unusual structure as a publicly traded limited partnership that allowed the company to pay out distributions to unitholders while steadily reinvesting in new rides and acquisitions.
The company’s defining expansion came in 2006, when it acquired five Paramount-branded parks from CBS Corporation for $1.24 billion, instantly doubling its footprint to include Kings Island in Ohio, Kings Dominion in Virginia, Canada’s Wonderland near Toronto, and Carowinds on the North Carolina–South Carolina border. Later additions, including California’s Great America and the Schlitterbahn water parks in 2019, rounded out a portfolio that stretched from coast to coast.
The Six Flags Merger and the End of an Era
In November 2023, Cedar Fair announced it would merge with rival Six Flags Entertainment Corporation in an all-stock deal structured as a merger of equals. The transaction closed on July 1, 2024, and both original companies were legally dissolved, with the combined business taking the Six Flags name while keeping Cedar Fair’s FUN ticker symbol on the NYSE. Cedar Fair unitholders ended up holding a 51.2% majority stake in the new company.
The merged entity became the largest regional amusement park operator in North America, with 42 properties across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. While the Cedar Fair corporate name disappeared, its flagship parks, including Cedar Point and Knott’s Berry Farm, continue operating under the Six Flags umbrella, preserving the legacy of the brands Cedar Fair built over four decades.
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Cedar Fair FAQs
Does Cedar Fair still exist as a company?
No. Cedar Fair merged with Six Flags Entertainment Corporation on July 1, 2024, and both original corporate entities were dissolved into the newly combined Six Flags Entertainment Corporation.
What parks did Cedar Fair own?
At the time of the merger, Cedar Fair operated 11 amusement parks and 4 water parks, including Cedar Point, Knott’s Berry Farm, Kings Island, Kings Dominion, Carowinds, Canada’s Wonderland, Dorney Park, Michigan’s Adventure, Valleyfair, Worlds of Fun, and California’s Great America.
When was Cedar Fair founded and when did it go public?
Cedar Point acquired Valleyfair in 1978, and in 1983 Cedar Fair Limited Partnership was formed as the parent company for both parks. Cedar Fair began trading publicly on the New York Stock Exchange in 1987 under the ticker symbol FUN.
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Photo: Gregory Varnum / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.