Abandoned Six Flags theme park to be demolished in New Orleans

The abandoned Six Flags New Orleans theme park, formerly Jazzland, will be torn down as a new development called Bayou Phoenix begins construction.

After two decades of sitting dormant and decaying, Six Flags New Orleans will be demolished, Axios New Orleans reported on Nov. 4, 2024.

Smoot Construction has commenced demolition on the abandoned Six Flags theme park, which closed in 2005 at the onset of Hurricane Katrina and never reopened. Prior to being owned by Six Flags, the park was called Jazzland, and had only just opened in 2000. The park has long been out of Six Flags’ care.

The future of the 227-acre abandoned Six Flags property is in the hands of development company Bayou Phoenix, which also seems to be the new name of the site itself. In 2023, the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority approved Bayou Phoenix’s plans for a proposed sports complex, water park, movie studio, hotels, and retail locations. According to Axios, Bayou Phoenix will announce more details on Nov. 12, 2024.

Back in 2009, Attractions Magazine reported the news of the abandoned Six Flags park becoming Nickelodeon Universe New Orleans. That project never came to fruition.

“Abandoned” theme parks are sometimes more akin to urban myths than the truth. Land of Oz in North Carolina, for example, opens each autumn for a fully operational special event (at which we experienced a backstage tour with Dorothy), despite its Internet reputation to the contrary.

In the case of Six Flags New Orleans, though, the park is truly abandoned and lost to time. Local news station WWL Louisiana recently toured the former park just before demo began. Take a look: