For weeks, today, Sunday November 10, 2024 has been rumored to be the closing day for the Tallest Roller Coaster in the world. An outlet titled “Shore News Network” ran with the headline “Kingda Ka, World’s Fastest and Tallest Rollercoaster is Shutting Down Tomorrow” despite highlighting in their story that “ the company has not confirmed the finality of this season’s closures.”
Alongside Shore News Network are a number of click-baity radio station websites such as “95.9 The RAT” that have published articles in the last 2-3 months announcing the closure of Kingda Ka. Six Flags Great Adventure has not responded to the Philly Plain Dealer’s requests for comment on the closure of Kingda Ka.
Despite there being no official statement from Six Flags, online coaster enthusiasts are convinced that today is Kingda Ka’s last day. The most convincing piece of evidence pointing to a closure of Kingda Ka is a TikTok by user “haunthuntersapp” which shows an identified man in a Six Flags maintenance vehicle saying “it’s closing down Sunday.”
Online there are dozens of coaster lovers posting their fond memories of Kingda Ka, and others made plans to go to Jackson, New Jersey to ride the landmark attraction. However, the unconfirmed nature of this closure and the unceremonious nature of the closure has some people doubting whether or not the ride is going to shut down.
Kingda Ka has been a right of passage for people throughout the Tri-State area. Men, women, and children all have a valid reason to fear the tallest roller coaster on Earth, and from 2005-2010 the fastest roller coaster on Earth. If this is Kingda Ka’s last ride, I can honestly say I’m surprised it lasted this long.
If today is Kingda Ka’s last ride, it survived for 19 years despite being struck by lightning, damaged by hurricanes, rollbacks, wobbling in the wind, and lawsuits. Kingda Ka was one of the few sincerely scary rides or attractions at any amusement park, it is an architectural marvel that confuses the mind on sight.
The source of the rumored closure of Kingda Ka and a number of other rides at Six Flags Great Adventure comes from the recent merger between theme park giants Six Flags and Cedar Fair. If Kingda Ka closes, it could be a massive red flag for Six Flags Great Adventure as a whole. Closing Kingda Ka without any pomp and circumstance feels like a massive miss of a marketing opportunity for the park.
Jackson, New Jersey will look naked without Kingda Ka looming high above it. As for the future of Kingda Ka – the communications team at Six Flags Adventure has achieved their goal of confusing the Tri-State area. Either they’re letting this rumor play out to take advantage of Kingda Ka fans taking their “last rides” only to bring it back next season or they are dishonorably discharging the most iconic roller coaster in the Northeast without explaining why.
I hope this is not goodbye Kingda Ka, but if it is – thanks for the memories.
Philly Plain Dealer 
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