Six Flags Great Adventure Reveals Bakunawa, a Record-Breaking Attraction Set to Transform New Jersey Theme Park Tourism

Written By: Pritam Nath

Pritam Nath

Pritam Nath is a published writer, journalist, and media researcher with over seven years of experience in journalism, content creation, and strategic communication. He specializes in media studies, journalism and mass communication, content strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. A certified journalist, he has produced research-driven news, feature stories, and industry analysis across media, travel, tourism, hospitality, culture, and strategic communication. Combining academic expertise with practical experience in digital publishing, Pritam creates insightful, engaging, and credible content that informs diverse audiences. He continues to explore emerging trends in global media, journalism, tourism, and digital communication while developing impactful content strategies.

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August 1, 2026 2:57 AM |

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Six Flags Great Adventure is now providing insight into Bakunawa, the new roller coaster scheduled to open in spring 2027 at the Jackson, New Jersey amusement park. This new attraction is named after the Philippine mythical sea serpent that eats the moon and will most likely become a must-ride attraction for thrill-seeking visitors, combining state-of-the-art engineering and a never-before-seen ride experience.

This announcement indicates that the North American attractions market is evolving as other theme parks continue to upgrade their attractions in an effort to stimulate tourism. Centrally located in the Boardwalk area of the theme park, Bakunawa has many first-in-the-world features, and will help establish Six Flags Great Adventure as an amusement park for extreme roller coaster fans. The new attraction will likely help create an increase in visitors, overnight stays, and tourism in the entire New Jersey and tri-state area.

2027 Will Bring Bakunawa and New Attractions to Theme Park Visitors

Standing at 382 feet, Bakunawa will be one of the tallest roller coasters in the world. It will also have the ability to reach 100 miles per hour during the ride.

Per the information provided by the park officials, the design of the coaster is a floorless, completely spinning attraction. Riders will have a clear view of what is beneath them while the cars will spin throughout the course of the ride, providing a unique experience with every turn.

The attraction is taking the place of the former Kingda Ka roller coaster, an iconic ride amongst thrill seekers. Six Flags is introducing Bakunawa in hopes of providing a new generation of rides while keeping the amusement park a top competitor in the adrenaline tourism industry.

World Records to Be Achieved

Bakunawa is making waves in the amusement industry with the sheer amount of records the ride will break once operational.

The park officials have gone on record saying that Bakunawa will be the fastest and tallest spinning roller coaster, as well as the some of the fastest coaster inversions, reached at 80 miles per hour.

It will also feature the longest stall inversion and be the first floorless spinning coaster and research the first upside down launch. These will be the first successfully engineered feats and will garner a significant amount of attention for the amusement industry from enthusiasts around the world.

Bakunawa will rank amongst the most advanced roller coasters designed with these features alone.

Exciting New Experiences

The design of Bakunawa utilizes features that have not previously been achieved.

The ride will have two trains with a twenty passenger capacity each. Trains will spin independent of the track, adding variability and forcing riders to see the track from different angles.

Guests will spend approximately two minutes and seventeen seconds on the ride and will be launched three times. One of the launches will even occur while riders are upside down.

The combination of speed, height, and spin will likely keep the attraction crowded and generate returning customers, making the attraction successful.

Launching New Jersey’s Tourism Industry

Bakunawa’s arrival is expected to create positive effects beyond the borders of Six Flags Great Adventure.

Investments in larger theme parks are often combined with an increase in the local economy, due to visitors of the coaster spending money at hotels, restaurants, shops, and area attractions. Guests may come to NJ solely to ride the new coaster.

For New Jersey, the attraction will be a focus for international and domestic travelers, and new visitors. Adding a new world class roller coaster to an area with attractions and a world class roller coaster will improve New Jersey’s large and diversified tourist trade.

Large new attractions are a focus for the travel industry. When they are well executed they create a large amount of media coverage and draw customers to an area of the travel industry that is becoming increasingly competitive and difficult.

The Bakunawa is a large new attraction

Attractions across theme parks are pushing the limits for advanced technologies and record-breaking marvels to not be outdone by their competitors. Visitors inspire this trend by wanting memorable and social media worthy experiences. This has resulted in theme parks marketing attractions that are one of a kind and will not be seen elsewhere.

The most effective method to entice visitors that will travel far and wide to be among the first to experience recently opened attractions has been a new record-breaking roller coaster. Those traveling visitors contribute significant economic revenue by planning entire vacations that centers around a single major coaster opening.

New attractions like Bakunawa prove that the race to keep getting new experiences for adventure travelers and theme park visitors keeps on going.

What Will Visitors Experience in the Spring of 2027?

The opening of Bakunawa will give visitors a combination of engineering, modern day attractions, and mythological experiences with storytelling. Unlike most extreme attractions, the name which comes from story of the mythical beasts from the Philippines, adds a additional cultural layer.

The topping off of the park’s new giant coaster will ensure that it will be visible from different areas of the park.The coaster’s new technology will provide a completely different experience for the visitors.

Coaster lovers are already waiting in line to be among the first riders to experience its record-breaking speeds. Season pass holders will be the first ones to experience Bakunawa. For those planning a vacation to a theme park, Bakunawa has a likely chance of being one of the most coveted attractions to visit in 2027.

Conclusion

Bakunawa reflects a substantial commitment to the continual development of Six Flags Great Adventure and the New Jersey Tourism market. Bakunawa will combine incredible height, speed and a multitude of unique features. Bakunawa has the potential to reshape the design of modern roller coasters. Excitement is already building for Bakunawa, with park goers, tourists, and those that study the market eagerly awaiting the launch of a key attraction of the decade.

FAQs

What is Bakunawa?

Bakunawa is an under construction roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey set to open in Spring 2027.

Why is the coaster’s name Bakunawa?

Bakunawa is a mythical serpent in a Philippine legend that consumes the moon.

How tall will Bakunawa be?

Bakunawa is set to be 382 ft tall.

What will be Bakunawa’s top speed?

Bakunawa will reach speeds of 100 miles per hour.

Where will Bakunawa be located?

Bakunawa will be housed in the Boardwalk of Six Flags Great Adventure.

How long will the ride be?

The full ride experience will be approximately 2 minutes and 17 seconds.

How many riders will be on each train?

Each train will have a capacity of 20 riders.

Why is Bakunawa a special ride?

Bakunawa will be the first roller coasters to have an upside down launch, spinning cars and a host of other record breaking firsts.

Will Bakunawa be a replacement ride?

Bakunawa will be a replacement of Kingda Ka, which is the currently standing tallest roller coaster in the world.

When will guests experience riding Bakunawa?

The eagerly anticipated attraction will open its doors in Spring 2027.