Six Flags Magic Mountain’s Holiday in the Park 2021

Although Christmas doesn’t get the same amount of theme park love and attention as Halloween, all the big players still give it a go. In the case of Six Flags, this means large-scale decorations and lights, new seasonal menu items, a bit of live entertainment, and of course, all of their rides that make them the “Thrill Capital of the World.” Two years ago, before COVID, I gave the event a 9 out of 10! But the pandemic changed everything, so let’s see how Holiday in the Park held up.

Decorations

Magic Mountain retains most of their themed holiday zones from two years ago. The DC district is closed for construction of a new Wonder Woman coaster, which cost them one of the more elaborate areas. They did add the HollyRock! area in the new section of the park that has West Coast Racers. This area had a musical theme, along with trees that had a kind of squiggly light decoration that looked very cool in motion.

I also didn’t remember Polar Point, which showcased polar bears and penguins bathed in icy blue light. Returning favorites included Peppermint Path with its red and white striped trees, and Gleampunk District, with its eye-catching blue and green color scheme. Two zones promised intermittent snowfall, although I only saw it once. The kids underneath seemed to enjoy it, although I only saw it from afar. Overall, the festive decor and lights were the best part about this year’s Holiday in the Park. My pick may be Merry Lane, with enormous ornaments that light up in sync with the music playing. Plus, you can go inside them!

Seasonal Menu

This aspect will be tough to review. Unlike 2019, we weren’t able to sample many of the new dishes. I bought a pear and brie grilled cheese sandwich. It was substantial, and tasty, but…it came with tomatoes on it. Which is fine for me, but it was definitely NOT fine for my friend who got the same thing. Weird they’d leave one ingredient off the menu, when the sandwich only has 3 ingredients. I also got hot chocolate on the way out, which was warm and sweet, but still regular hot chocolate. Oh, and I did have a giant (raw) S’mores. The chocolate coating the graham cracker kept it from crumbling to pieces, which was smart! I eschewed roasting the marshmallow at one of the multiple firepits though. The substantial safety buffer around the fire cast doubt on my ability to roast it without dropping it into the flames.

Many other items sounded good on the menu, like Pumpkin Spice Churros, Stuffed Sweet Cream Cheese Pretzels, and Champurrado, but since I didn’t try them, I’m afraid I can’t provide feedback. The menu definitely had fewer offerings than 2019, which isn’t surprising. The pandemic forced a lot of cutbacks, I’m sure, but this section of the review sadly feels incomplete.

Live Entertainment

At the front of the park was a stage with a high-energy band covering pop songs. They may have played holiday songs when I wasn’t there, but while I was there, it was a lot of big radio hits. (There was holiday music playing on speakers throughout the park). The band was surprisingly good! I stopped to listen as they sang a couple of my favorites in a row. Occasional characters roamed the park too, including an elf on a steampunk tricycle, and pairs of “Tinker Toy Stilt Walkers.” Of course, there was also the requisite spot to meet Santa for a photo. The HollyRock! zone included a juggler with glowing clubs, but I didn’t have time to watch. I’d say the live entertainment was fairly sparse but successful at enhancing a fun environment.

Rides

Shockingly, this is where Holiday in the Park dropped the ball. I don’t mind a bit that the DC section of the park is closed for construction of a new roller coaster. The more coasters the better! Unfortunately, multiple other rides were either Closed or Temporarily Closed. This was the first time I used the Six Flags app to get wait times, and it was disheartening to see so many rides offline. Some of them alternated between open and closed, but others were closed all day. Looking at the constant cycle of closures made it impossible to plan a route through the park, and I’d probably suggest going where you want and hoping for the best.

The result of so many closed rides meant the open rides had longer waits than usual. I went right to X2 upon arrival, knowing it had the longest line. Plus, it was only running one car. The sign at the entrance said 90 minutes, and the line wasn’t even to the sign…so it should be less than 90 minutes right? Nope, it took about 2 hours. I hoped the lines would diminish after dark, but it seemed a lot of locals and season passholders arrived to enjoy Holiday in the Park and wait times ballooned further. Full Throttle and West Coast Racers consistently posted wait times of 90 minutes or more, with Goliath and Twisted Colossus close to an hour. With Holiday in the Park only running from 5:00 until 9:00, this means you could easily spend the entire evening on 2 rides, counting the time to walk between them, leaving minimal time for food or enjoying the scenery. I missed out on numerous favorites, as I had to pick and choose which ones I’d have time for.

It was suggested this was a staffing issue more than a mechanical one…but I’m not sure. If they don’t have staff for all the rides, I doubt they opted to close Tatsu over the aging Riddler’s Revenge. Speaking of Riddler’s Revenge, both the entrance and exit lines were in near-total darkness. It was baffling how dark it was to walk in and out. It felt more like Fright Fest. Besides being hard to see where you’re going, this is borderline dangerous for tripping or even worse, assaults.

Should You Go?

This is a real conundrum. I’ve always been a proponent of Six Flags. To me, the rides are the best part of a theme park, and Six Flags is the undisputed king. As I’ve gotten more into immersive entertainment lately, I’ve started to appreciate other aspects. Rides still rule the roost for me, but other areas of a theme park are important too. With beautiful decorations, adequate entertainment, and what may be good food, everything was teed up for me to recommend Holiday in the Park unreservedly.

But the ride situation was such a bummer, I have to adjust my opinion. Anyone with a season pass should certainly visit. The glowing lights and music made for a great environment. Anyone looking to splurge on a single day out should be cautious. Download the app first, check the wait times, and find out which rides are closed for the day before you make your decision. I wouldn’t want line frustrations to be your first impression if you haven’t been to Magic Mountain before.

Holiday in the Park runs from November 20th to January 2nd, beginning at 5:00 pm until the park closes. However, although the park is open every day, Holiday in the Park is open select days. Make sure to check their calendar when planning your trip. Also note that certain busy days will require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test, including the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. Hours, tickets, and more information are available at their website here.