$1 billion theme park opens its doors, featuring a two-mile-long roller coaster with a 600-foot drop

In Saudi Arabia, Six Flags Qiddiya City opened its gates on Dec. 31, 2025. The theme park will be home to the fastest, tallest, and longest roller coaster on the planet, positioning itself as one of the most ambitious entertainment complexes ever built.

What are the attractions at Six Flags Qiddiya City?

The resort will feature 28 attractions, but the undeniable showstopper will be Falcons Flight, a 2.5-mile coaster boasting a drop of nearly 600 feet - engineered specifically for thrill‑seekers who crave the outer limits of adrenaline.

Visitors will also be able to take on several other record‑setting experiences, including Iron Rattler, the world’s steepest roller coaster; Gyrospin, the tallest pendulum ride on Earth; Spitfire, a triple‑launch coaster; and Sirocco Tower, the tallest standalone drop tower ever constructed.

Selim Bassoul, executive chairman of Six Flags Entertainment, described the complex to the Express as “the most extreme thrill park in the world“.

Qiddiya, a global destination

The project represents an investment of roughly $1 billion and is part of a broader effort to transform Qiddiya into a global destination envisioned as one of the world’s largest hubs for entertainment and high‑performance training.

Today, the city covers an area three times the size of Paris, and it is expected to attract 40 million visitors per year. The development sits at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the national plan aimed at diversifying the economy and building world‑class tourism and entertainment destinations.

Bassoul notes that theme parks typically generate between 12% and 18% of additional GDP growth in the cities that host them, driving expansion across sectors such as hospitality and transportation.

From his perspective, constructing these 79 acres has been an extraordinary achievement: “Many people told me; it would never get done - not in Riyadh, not in 120-degree heat. But now it’s reality. This project tested the limits of what is possible. It was about grit, resilience, and refusing to give up.”

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