Six Flags Qiddiya (Saudi Arabia) Discussion Thread

[cfc]

^I was wondering that myself, but it's still a "thing."

[Christopher Eichorn]

I heard that New world record breaking 518 feet drop and 13,000 feet long track and 156 mph. I not know how tallest feet?

[Pedrinho]

On 1/8/2021 at 9:46 PM, Christopher Eichorn said:

I heard that New world record breaking 518 feet drop and 13,000 feet long track and 156 mph. I not know how tallest feet?

I reallly don't know if I understand your question, but I think you want to know which is the tallest coaster currently.

It's Kngda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure.

You can also use the Roller Coaster Data Base (rcdb) fur such statistics; https://rcdb.com/rhr.htm?m=1

[Oreos The Second]

The fact that they're announcing that they've only begun *designing* the ride while still committing to a highest, fastest and longest record leads me to believe that the people running the park might in a little over their heads. I'm kind of reminded of games that get announced on kickstarter promising a bunch of unprecedented features before they've even started developing the game. Since so many things can change during the design process, committing to something so ambitious so early on usually ends up biting these endeavors in the back.

I'm not saying that this definitely won't come to pass, and I'm cautiously optimistic because this is Six Flags we're talking about and not some park nobody's ever heard of, but I'm still skeptical.

[powpig]

May be old news, but this article is new:

 

https://www.microsoftnewskids.com/en-us/kids/for-fun/falcon-s-flight-record-breaking-roller-coaster-will-travel-more-than-155-miles-per-hour/ar-BB1dnqEn?ocid=AMZN

[jedimaster1227]

Today it was announced that the construction contract for Six Flags Qiddiya had been awarded, bringing the project one step closer to reality!

https://qiddiya.com/en/media/press-office/qic-announces-sar-375-billion-construction-contract-to-build-six-flags-qiddiya/

 

Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) announced the award of a SAR 3.75 billion contract, to build Six Flags Qiddiya, to Bouygues Bâtiment International (BBI) - a subsidiary of Bouygues Construction - and Saudi Almabani General Contractors, in a joint venture between the two construction companies.

The agreement was signed during a ceremony attended by officials from both companies at the Qiddiya Experience Centre and was followed by a ground-breaking inauguration to simultaneously mark the official start of construction. 

As the Kingdom’s future capital of Entertainment, Sports and the Arts, visitors to Qiddiya will enjoy a wide spectrum of offerings that include Sports & Wellness; Nature & Environment; Parks & Attractions; Motion & Mobility; and Arts & Culture. Situated on the outskirts of the Saudi capital, Qiddiya is a destination city that is currently under development and when open, will become a disruptive destination that offers innovative experiences in entertainment, sports and arts.

Six Flags Qiddiya will serve to be a key entertainment attraction for Qiddiya and the city of Riyadh. The theme park will cover an area of 320,000 square meters and will feature 28 rides and attractions of which 10 will be thrill rides, with 18 rides designed for families and young children.

Abdullah Aldawood, Board Member and Managing Director, Qiddiya Investment Company, commented: “With this signing, we are embarking on major steps towards building the Kingdom’s future destination for Entertainment, Sports and the Arts. We are pleased to collaborate with leading construction companies, like Bouygues Bâtiment International, and we look forward to build Six Flags Qiddiya together, delivering a world-class theme park with several exciting new ride concepts. Six Flags Qiddiya will be a key entertainment attraction for Riyadh, the Kingdom and the world at large.”

Selim Bassoul, President and CEO Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (NYSE: SIX), commented: “We are pleased that our first theme park outside North America will be part of what will become the iconic entertainment destination in the Kingdom. Six Flags’ brand of thrills and entertainment is perfect for the youthful population around Riyadh and in the Middle East, and our park will help the city’s quest to become one of the best places to live in the world.”

Pierre-Eric Saint-André, Bouygues Bâtiment International CEO, commented: “We are grateful to have been selected with our partner Almabani for the Six Flags theme park at the Qiddiya giga-project, which will become a major entertainment hub in the Middle East. Six Flags Qiddiya is an incredible opportunity for us to express our expertise both in terms of supporting our Client with export finance solutions and of construction of complex infrastructures. Our journey in Saudi Arabia started in 1975 in Jeddah, followed a few years later by the construction of the King Saud University of Riyadh. We are proud to be given the chance to continue this journey almost 50 years after it started. We are particularly delighted to take part in the country's transformation plan and we are determined to have a positive impact while making Six Flags Qiddiya a landmark in the world of entertainment.”  

Joseph Daher, CEO of Almabani General Contractors, commented on the partnership: “Over the years, we have worked with leading names in Saudi Arabia across various sectors be it housing, aviation, military, power or transportation. To be awarded the construction contract to build a first-of-its-kind theme park in the Kingdom is a great honor – and we are thrilled to be on board with Qiddiya. We are pleased that the development of this park will be aligned with the sustainability goals of Saudi Vision 2030, as that is very important to us. We look forward to working together to build this incredible project!”

All rides and attractions have been designed exclusively for Qiddiya and embody the rich cultural heritage of the location as well as Saudi Arabia. The theme park will be home to five signature rides that will break ten world records including: Falcons Flight, the world’s tallest, fastest and longest coaster; Sirocco Tower, the world’s tallest, free-standing shot tower ride; Gyrospin, the world’s tallest pendulum ride; Spitfire, the world’s tallest inverted top hat coaster; and Iron Rattler, the world’s tallest tilt coaster.

The rides and attractions at the theme park will be spread across six immersive lands: The City of Thrills, Discovery Springs, Steam Town, Twilight Gardens, Valley of Fortune and Grand Exposition.

The central hub of the park will be the Citadel which will be covered by a billowing canopy form inspired by traditional Bedouin tents. Home to a wide range of cafes and shops, the venue will transform into an interactive show space throughout the day. From here, visitors will find gateways to each of the themed lands.

The City of Thrills is the embodiment of Vision 2030: a forward-looking, boundary-pushing, future city anchored in Arabic design motifs. Here, visitors will find Six Flags Qiddiya’s most recognizable and anticipated thrill rides including the record-breaking Falcons Flight, inspired by the Kingdom’s iconic raptor and the Sirocco Tower.

Discovery Springs is an aquatic wonderland of waterfalls, aqueducts and geysers as well as exotic plants and trees. This oasis offers visitors relief from the summer heat by creating the feel of a dense rainforest in the middle of the desert. It will be home to an interactive ride called the Sea Stallion, where riders are propelled over rivers, behind waterfalls, and through trees along a custom-designed course, as they control the speed and acceleration of their vehicle. 

Steam Town is themed around mechanical marvels and a collection of dynamic contraptions. Its signature ride is the Iron Rattler Mine Train which features a hydraulic lift that releases passengers into a freefall plunge through a narrow, steam-filled mineshaft. Other key attractions include the Steam Town Falls Water Coaster which combines a roller coaster track with a splashing boat ride, a spinning mechanical ride called the Bull Rider and a custom-themed climbing structure called the Treehouse Trek.

Twilight Gardens is an oversized landscape of the imagination filled with colorful flowers and friendly creatures, all exclusively designed for younger visitors and their families. This enchanted land’s key features include the Twilight Express Coaster, which takes passengers through a majestic garden, the Critter Chase, an interactive dark ride set in a 3D environment, and the Kaleidoscope hot air balloon ride.

Valley of Fortune is an exciting land of adventure that takes place amidst time-worn architectural ruins of old Arabian masonry, enlivened by the activity and trade of fortune seekers from around the world. This land’s signature attraction is Spitfire, a triple-launch coaster, which will take guests into a sky roll before an acrobatic stall and a breathtaking dive back to the valley floor. Other attractions include Skywatch, a hydraulic boom ride where riders are lifted into the sky, the auto-themed Treasure Trail, and the Canyon Charters, a family plane ride that swings and rotates freely above the park.

Grand Exposition is a celebration of innovation combining the nostalgia of traditional World Expos with the greatest feats of science and technology such as the Gyrospin Pendulum, which swings riders to record heights. It is also home to Six Flags’ classic and most loved coaster Colossus, a gravity-driven wood-steel hybrid coaster that stretches over an 800-meter track. The land also features the Arabian Carousel, where Arabian horses march in a circular parade, the Expo Flyer swinging ride and the Roundabout featuring a bumper car attraction themed as London cabs.

Six Flags Qiddiya’s master plan has been carefully designed to ensure the guest experience is unparalleled and memorable.

[jarmor]

I swear this coaster will have to be like 80 million to be real. . .

[Garet]

^ Which would still be pocket change to the mega-rich of Saudi Arabia who are probably going to provide funding the park.

[FeelTheFORCE]

Yeah this is the same country that also pays WWE $100 million per year to hold two large-scale events over there every year.  I doubt they even blink an eye at $80 million.

[BRTeller]

I want to think that this project as a whole is too good to be true type of situation, but the more that falls into place the more feasible it's becoming. I do not think the money will be an issue at all for this project, I think if anything, politics would hold a project like this up before anything else. Even then, I don't see it being too much an issue. I'm interested to see how this progresses from here on out and I'm sure the ride will have a ridiculous price tag, but 100 million dollar rides are becoming less and less rare these days with giant investments from the big players.

[SharkTums]

Yeah, I don't think money is the issue here, but I still don't know how/why this would happen!?!?  I will wear my conservative clothes and tie down my head covering for a new intamin coaster like this though! 

[tndank]

Will this park follow recent SF guidelines that allow gay people inside and allow them to show affection?  They work that out with the government already?

 

[bert425]

^ if I am ever able to go to this park?   I will not show any PDA at all with anyone I go with.

their Country, their rules, and I'd be a guest in their Country.

 

[Garet]

^^

We went to the Maldives in the end for our honeymoon instead of Dubai (yes, I'm a bad enthusiast, but at this rate, the Dubai roller-coasters could outlive the beautiful coral and wildlife... snorkeling with reef sharks! so Dubai could wait) but if we had chosen Dubai, even as a straight married couple we knew showing too much affection in public would be seen as discourteous and could lead to trouble and Saudi Arabia is much stricter than that.

[disownedpear]

Stupid roller coasters that force me to make moral choices. Had this problem at Marineland(horrible to their animals) too, ended up not going b/c a single arrow looper wasn't worth it. But with the coasters Dubai is set to build? Might be tougher to resist. Their country their rules but I don't have to support them. 

 

[coasterbill]

12 hours ago, tndank said:

Will this park follow recent SF guidelines that allow gay people inside and allow them to show affection?  They work that out with the government already?

 

This is a licensing deal, right?

I feel like this park will be "Six Flags" in name only and nobody should expect anything to be a certain way based on any of the other parks in the chain. There will probably be some policies that need to be upheld, but yeah... I don't know about that one.

That said, part of point of this project and similar projects is to make the country more appealing to foreign tourism dollars so who knows. I'm sure they'll be walking a tightrope for awhile between their current world-views and their desire for foreign money and a more diversified and future-proof economy.

[Garet]

^ Which is why I think Dubai, or more Dubai a decade ago, is potentially the closest comparison there is on how this could all play out. Look at all the horror articles when all the big hotels/theme parks/water parks first appeared of all the tourists who would get arrested, especially drunk or single ones. It does still happen and there are a lot of things still culturally unacceptable that can land someone who didn't research in trouble but it does seem like the punishments leaned more towards fines/deportation as they tried to work out how to enforce the laws without scaring off tourists and business.

[SharkTums]

^Yeah, but Dubai was always known as the 'las vegas' for the arab countries/people.  Saudi Arabia is the real deal and unless they get a LOT more lenient many of us will have trouble visiting there. I agree though, it's their country and people should support or hurt them with their money as that's what this all boils down for.  And if you're a real credit person and you don't want to support them, try to go for as cheap as possible! Or make a donation to a womens or gay rights association to offset your trip.  There are good karma options out there! I'd be interested to visit Saudi Arabia as it's a very strange country but has some amazing sites (not including the theme parks) but as a woman, of course many of their policies hurt and offend me. 

[domirellativegal]

I can confirm that in order to survive Dubai you need to act as if you were childhood best friends otherwise, not good.