u/dbruington

My partner and I recently ventured down to Mexico City for the first time to celebrate a friend’s 30th birthday. First of all… WOW. Mexico City is INCREDIBLE. We were there for just 3 days, but after less than 24 hours, I was completely in love. From the beautiful, expansive public parks to the affordable, delectable food around every corner—and even the hilariously fun (and kinda gay) extravaganza that is Lucha Libre—this place has a charm and a soul that are unlike anywhere else I’ve ever been (and I’ve been a lot of places). But despite the endless things to do in MC, we had one major bucket list item to cross off: Six Flags Mexico! The park is about 30 minutes outside of the city center and, spoiler alert: it’s amazing. Below are a few of my thoughts:

ATMOSPHERE:

This cannot be overstated: Six Flags Mexico is ALIVE! What do I mean by that? Well, every inch of the park is popping with color, every ride is operating, every food stand is open, every stage is running a show, every speaker is blasting appropriately themed music, and every guest seems to be having a great time. When’s the last time you felt that way walking around a US Six Flags park? 🤔

Walking into the entry plaza, we immediately realized we were in for a treat. In fact, we spent 30 minutes exploring just the entry plaza… because IT. IS. BEAUTIFUL. I know you’re not supposed to drink the water in Mexico, but it must be incredible for the flowers, because the landscaping in this park is absolutely insane. I mean it—every Six Flags park should take a one-year break from new capital expenditures and put it into the landscaping budget, because just the way Six Flags Mexico *looks* makes you want to BE there.

Now, granted, the back of the park—themed to DC and, ironically, Hollywood (where we live)—is a *bit* less gorgeous. BUT, those areas are still freshly painted and they are absolutely bustling with kinetic energy. So it still works.

RIDES:

Superman el Último Escape:

Raise your hand if you love Morgan hypers. 🙋🏻‍♂️

This coaster has SO much presence, towering over the entire northern boundary of the park. The entrance sits right at the end of the entry plaza, making this a great first and last stop of the day. Things get off to a great start with a well-themed queue, quickly moving line, and then—once the ride begins—a super fun (and wilder than expected) pre-drop section. The view from the top of the lift is jaw-dropping—Mexico City is GIGANTIC and it surrounds you on all sides, with Superman likely giving one of the best vantage points of anywhere in the city. I absolutely love a massive straight drop into a tunnel—such a great sense of speed. The coaster then enters a “spaghetti bowl” section filled with giant hills, curved drops, and a wicked intense inclined helix. Throwing in some unexpected laterals and jolts of ejector airtime makes for a great first half. Then you TEAR through the midcourse into a series of large drops and camelbacks with fantastic flojector air. I would’ve enjoyed one last solid drop after the final turn, but regardless, I still loved it. It’s an upper mid-tier hyper for me. 8/10

Joker:

Joker is a relocated Gerstlauer spinning coaster with a layout that’s been cloned a couple times from one of their Bobsleds, but it’s got a few things going for it. For one, the queue is AWESOME. We’re talking “never-in-America funhouse” awesome (take a look at my vlog and you’ll see what I mean). It’s a very fun—and slightly dangerous—way to hype you up for the ride. The crew keeps the line moving with a continuous-loading platform, and the ride itself has a couple standout moments: a nice midcourse curving drop that suddenly whips you the other direction halfway through, and then a themed tunnel at the end with a fun surprise inside. Despite being a clone, it’s definitely worth doing. 6.5/10

Batman: The Ride:

This is also a clone… but unfortunately, not the one you’re thinking about. Despite Six Flags successfully installing 6 butter-smooth and forceful Batman clones prior to this, for some reason, they gifted this park a shiny yellow Vekoma SLC. This was actually Vekoma’s 30th installation of the Suspended Looping Coaster, so they had plenty of time to learn from previous mistakes. They did not. And this is not worth riding. Ow. 🤕 😊 3/10

Medusa Steel Coaster:

RMC’s 3rd steel hybrid conversion has been on my bucket list for a long time. I’m a sucker for terrain coasters, and diving in and out of the ravine on smooth, twisted I-Box track absolutely delivers. While I typically enjoy a traditional straight drop to start a ride, the way Medusa picks up speed off the road lift and barrels into the…barrel-roll drop surrounded by head choppers is quite a cool sensation, and the 3 large steep drops that yank you over their tight crests throughout the course offer plentiful strong airtime in the back rows. The 3rd drop in particular is a standout moment—you plummet probably 50-60ft to the ground, through the structure, and then get thrust into the ‘backwoods’ section—flipping upside down, getting ejected on a wave turn, and flying through dense foliage. This section really differentiates the ride for me and is the reason why this coaster truly TRANSFORMS at night. The pacing tapers off a bit near the end, and it’s not the MOST forceful ride, which is why Medusa lands in the top-mid-tier of my RMC rankings, but it’s undeniably a world-class coaster with infinite rerideability. 9/10

Unfortunately, the rest of the park’s coaster lineup is clones. To be fair, each of them is presented VERY nicely, but there’s only so much that can be said about another S&S free spin or a Vekoma boomerang (even with the new trains/restraints.) The flat ride collection is decent, but Six Flags Mexico REALLY could use another standout coaster and a couple more unique supporting rides. Darn you, Cedar Point…

ENTERTAINMENT:

Once again, the vibe at Six Flags Mexico is electric, and a big contributor to that is the live entertainment all over the park. We did visit during the Spring Celebration, so things were likely even more energetic than usual, but the level of production quality and sheer amount of happenings all around the park truly made me… confused. As in, “This is freaking amazing. WHY IS ENTERTAINMENT NOT VALUED IN US AMUSEMENT PARKS?” Throughout the day, we saw live stage shows, a colorful parade, and perhaps the most incredible nighttime spectacular (outside of SFQ’s New Years Eve show) I’ve ever seen—we’re talking live singing, amazing choreography, aerobatic acts, drones, fireworks… the definition of *spectacular.* Again, Six Flags USA, take note.

FOOD:

As part of the Spring Celebration, we had tasting cards that allowed us to try 4 items each from various kiosks around the park. Unfortunately(?), we were running around all day exploring the park for our first time, so we didn’t have enough time to fully take advantage, but I did manage a satisfying latte and spring donut, a grilled cheese with honey and salsa macha, and a delicious order of chicken wings in a slightly spicy, tangy mezcal sauce. All were great, so we will definitely be prioritizing more bites on our next visit. I’ve since been told the al pastor tacos across from Superman are a must-have… honestly, can’t wait. 🤤

FINAL THOUGHTS:

With its incredible setting, beautiful landscaping and upkeep, vivacious atmosphere, and two world-class coasters, Six Flags Mexico pretty much blew us away. Is this THE most underrated Six Flags park, and maybe one of the most underrated parks in North America, in general? Hopefully in the next 5-10 years, a couple of the aging clones can be replaced by quality custom additions and this park will start to receive the attention it truly deserves.

I have A LOT more thoughts. For an even more in-depth review, please give my Six Flags Mexico vlog a watch and a like over on YouTube at Daniel Rides Coasters. Thanks for reading and watching—more fun to come very soon! 🇲🇽🎢🎡🤗

SIX FLAGS MEXICO FULL VLOG | YouTube

-Daniel Rides Coasters

My partner and I have been attending the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival together for 4 seasons now. Some years have been quite good (2024), some have been downright pathetic (2023). Regardless, I love all things purple, and despite not believing boysenberries are actually real (have YOU ever seen one? 🤔), a couple weeks ago we decided to make our annual spring trek down to Buena Park to check out the happenings. Below are a few of my thoughts:

*ATMOSPHERE:*

Make no mistake—weekends during March and April, Knott’s is BOOKED AND BUSY BBY. With that said, seeing so many people out enjoying our hobby (in a world increasingly overrun with AI and dwindling human interaction) was quite refreshing—the park truly felt *alive*. The boysenberry decor was thicc this year; probably the most gorgeous I can ever remember the park looking. The deep violet florals and themed set pieces especially pop against the dusty neutral aesthetic of Ghost Town, and with live entertainers abound in addition to every guest walking around with a boysenberry treat, the atmosphere really does feel special.

*RIDES:*

*GhostRider:*

Remember when I said the park was busy? Well, that doesn’t really matter here. Because whether there are 5,000 or 50,000 people at Knott’s on any given day, GhostRider will ALWAYS have a 2 hour queue. With that said… it’s a must-ride, every time. Whether GCI used Ipe wood or Vibranium for their refurb of this CCI modern classic back in 2016 is up for debate, because to this day it runs smooth as glass and yet still offers that out of control experience only a true woodie can provide. Beauty, length, sense of speed, surprising jolts of sustained airtime… this gal has it all, and 28 years later, she’s still the star of the show at KBF. (But please, please, please… can we reprogram that final block brake to speed up operations? We are desperate.) 10/10

*Timber Mountain Log Ride:*

I’m just going to say it. This is the best log ride in America. It feels weird to describe a log flume as speedy and smooth, but I’m genuinely taken aback every time I ride this attraction at how swiftly it makes its way through the course. Spoiler alert: the inside of the mountain is packed full of super cute hillbilly-themed show scenes and a great (and decent-sized) plunge in the dark. Add in the fact that the final splashdown only refreshes you with a light spritz and it truly doesn’t get much better than this. 10/10

*Silver Bullet:*

Ugh. I’m such a hater. Now, I LOVE me some B&M invert goodness, but Silver Bullet just doesn’t quite do it for me. As someone whose favorite part of most coasters is the first drop, Silver Bullet really starts off with a whimper. I mean it—I’ve ridden down accessibility-compliant ramps that were steeper. Now, it does have a few fun elements, like its unique overbank, the two corkscrews in succession, and an overwater helix finale, but in general, I think this says it all: it has such a prominent spot in the park (and in my photos), and yet I often forget it exists. 6/10

*Xcelerator:*

Honestly, where would we be without Intamin? After our recent, devastating losses in the genre, it’s really great to see the original hydraulic launch coaster standing strong—AND running two trains! That 0-82 moment really kicks you in the gut in the best way, and flying over that 205ft top hat is pure bliss. Overbanked turns do nothing for me, and after riding Beyond the Cloud at Suzhou, I can’t help but to think how amazing Xcelerator could be with an extended layout; alas, this coaster hits hard every time and I hope she sticks around for a while. 8/10

*FOOD:*

*-Favorite Item:* Boysenberry Bulgogi — this delicacy from the tasting card was supposed to be served over steamed rice, which I’m sure would’ve been great; however, at 5pm the park had run out of rice, and therefore, we were served the bulgogi over white cheddar mac n’ cheese… HOLY COW (no pun intended). This combo was incredible. The sweet but lightly-spicy thinly-sliced beef was fantastic on its own, but paired with the rich, savory macaroni… shew. Talk about a happy accident. Please, sir, I want some more.

*-Least Favorite Item:* Reuben Ball with Spicy Boysenberry Thousand Island Dressing — honestly, this thing wasn’t even bad. I enjoyed the dressing, but the dominating ingredient in the ball was sauerkraut, which I’m not a huge fan of. Now, I know you’re thinking, “…Daniel, why would you get a Reuben Ball if you don’t like sauerkraut?” And that’s simply because I had ordered the boysenberry orange chicken lettuce wraps (apparently the chef’s favorite), but they had just run out, and I crumbled under pressure. Still, it was fine—just couldn’t live up to the other items we tried.

*FINAL THOUGHTS:*

Overall, we tried 6 items on the tasting card for a total of $55 + tax. Portion sizes of both food and drinks were substantial this year, which is a great change from seasons past.

With the park feeling as lively as ever, the festival items fresh and scrumptious, and the rides running well, it was a truly memorable day at the 2026 Knott’s Boysenberry Festival.

For an even more in-depth review, please give my new vlog a watch and a like over on YouTube at DANIEL RIDES COASTERS (link below). Thanks for reading and watching—more fun to come VERY soon!

😊🎢🎡🤗🍇

FULL BOYSENBERRY FESTIVAL VLOG REVIEW - link

-Daniel Rides Coasters