User blog:RCTFan2002/What If? Episode 5: What if Six Flags stayed in charge of Walibi Belgium?

(original intro on Theme Park Fanon Wiki, 9/1/21: Hi, and welcome back to my “What If?” series! I apologize for being late as I just started college and was focusing on back to school stuff for the last few days. Also, unrelated, today is my birthday! Happy birthday to me, I guess XDDD)

New intro, 12/25/21: FINALLY. I'M F***ING DONE WITH THIS EPISODE. And just in time for Christmas, too. Apologies for the long delay in episodes, I just...forgot about this series for a while due to college work and only recently got back to work on it, albeit VERY slowly.

Anyways, the new episode is finally here, and it can be considered somewhat a “sequel”, if you prefer, to the last episode, cuz this week we focus on Walibi Holland’s sister park, Walibi Belgium - more importantly, the idea of “What if Six Flags stayed in charge of Walibi Belgium?” Just like last week, I will discuss the probability of what would happen if a Walibi park was still owned and operated by Six Flags to this day. With that out of the way, let’s get going!

Introduction
The park opened in 1975 as “Walibi Wavre”, a small theme park independently owned by Belgian Eddy Meeus. In 1987, an indoor waterpark called “Aqualibi” opened next door to the park, right near the park entrance itself. In 1998, the park was bought by Six Flags and renamed “Six Flags Belgium” in 2001, adding multiple new flat rides as well as two coasters to the park. In 2004, due to Six Flags’ bankruptcy at the time, the company sold all of its European parks, including “Six Flags Belgium”, to Palamon Capital Partners, who renamed and rebranded the park as “Walibi Belgium” the following year and has been operating it that way ever since. But what if, in a parallel universe, things worked out just fine for Six Flags, and they didn’t have to sell their European parks? If Six Flags still ran “Six Flags Belgium” to this day, what would the park look like now? Would we see some different rides being added to the park today, or would it be exactly the same? Find out right here, right now!

Year-by-year predictions
NOTE: Since Six Flags never sold Walibi Belgium in this scenario, all areas and attractions will still retain the same names and themes that they had during the Six Flags era of the park; the kids area stays as “Bugs Bunny Land”, etc.)

2004 - Park Improvements: Just like in my last post concerning Walibi Holland, if Six Flags was going to add anything new to these parks for the 2004 season, we would’ve seen it being built off-season or at least announced near the end of the 2003 season. Since we never did, I’m just going to assume that this year Six Flags would just focus on overall park improvements, such as cleaning up pathways, repainting rides and buildings, etc. Nothing really eventful here.

2005 - Waterpark Capital/Rebranding: Since Six Flags does technically own the “Aqualibi” waterpark alongside Six Flags Belgium, I think that it’s obvious that it would eventually receive the “Hurricane Harbor” treatment, being rebranded as a true Six Flags waterpark. Along with the name change, it would also feature a slight retheming to better fit the typical Hurricane Harbor theme, and most importantly, a new water ride of some sort. My prediction would be a ProSlide Tornado or ProSlide CannonBowl with a custom layout, going outside the building and into it’s “funnel/bowl” element (I’m sorry, that’s the best way I can put it) before going back into the building for its splash pad landing. There is some empty space in the park right next to the building that houses “Aqualibi” and is right across from the “Le Grand Carrousel” that I think a water slide like this could be jammed into. This new ride would truly give the waterpark a more Six Flags feeling to it, and attract more guests there, especially in the summers.

2006 - B&M hypercoaster: At this point, most Six Flags parks already have a hypercoaster in them, even smaller parks like La Ronde and Six Flags Holland. Since this year Six Flags was on a roll of adding B&M hypercoasters to some of their parks that didn’t have any yet, I predict that this would be the perfect chance for Six Flags Belgium to build one of their own to go alongside Six Flags Holland as the “rollercoaster capital of Europe”, as Six Flags would put it. The coaster’s station and transfer track would be located right over where “Tornado” used to be, and do a 90-degree dipping turn to the left before going up a 220-ft lift hill and into a 215-ft drop. The layout would go all the way along the very edge of the park, next to the road, behind “Calamity Mine” before doing a turn around and coming all the way back. For the finale, it’d turn slightly diagonally and do a bunny hill under the lift hill before entering the brake run and doing an almost 180-degree back into the station. This coaster would no doubt give Six Flags Belgium the true, epic coaster that it deserves (I know we have “Kondaa” now but this was still back in the mid-2000s when SF owned the park) and attract a lot more guests into the park, mainly coaster enthusiasts and thrill seekers. We would see a great boost in park attendance for this year, and the park would inevitably be cemented on the map as one of Europe’s most thrilling parks/tourist attractions.

2007 - Kids Area Rebranding (Thomas Town?) added: Since the park just received a big attraction last year, combined with the fact that Six Flags usually puts their priority for international parks below their American parks, I don’t think there would be another big addition like a coaster or anything this year. In my opinion, the most realistic prediction would be a semi-rebranding of the park’s kids area “Bugs Bunny Land”. Since Six Flags started using different licenses this year for their park’s kiddie areas like the Wiggles and “Thomas & Friends”, I predict that Six Flags would start using some of these licenses in the park’s “Bugs Bunny Land” area by retheming/renaming some of the rides. Since this is a European park, and “Thomas & Friends” is a British brand, I predict that Six Flags would most likely use the Thomas brand in their Six Flags Belgium park and retheme the “Bugs Bunny Land” area to “Thomas Town”. This would definitely revitalize the park’s kids area and give it a brand new enticing and kid friendly atmosphere that would appeal to more families and children coming to the park.

2008 - Zamperla Disk’O: Yes, this isn’t much of a new attraction, but it definitely is a thrilling flat ride, AND it definitely appeals to both families and thrillseekers alike. Given yet again the neglect that Six Flags usually gives their international parks, I think that a flat ride like this would definitely be seen as a thrilling and appealing addition for one of the more lesser known Six Flags parks. As for location, I could definitely consider Six Flags adding some more rides to the area where “Vampire” is, since that area pretty much leads to a dead end and could definitely feature some more appealing attractions around it to bring guests into the area more. This new ride would definitely be the sort of ride that’d help bring both more families and thrill seekers into the park.

2009 - Park Improvements, New Park Entertainment: Not the most thrilling new addition, but given Six Flags' financial state at this point, along with the extra money they're investing into new additions at "Six Flags Belgium" as well, I think that this year, Six Flags would take mostly an off-year and focus solely on making several improvements around the park, as well as maybe some new possible park entertainment as to keep the guests happy. One possible entertainment idea for the park at this time period is the "Glow in the Park" parade, the same nighttime show event that Six Flags Great America had around this time. This wouldn't be as impressive as, say, a coaster, but it would still keep guests, well, entertained and definitely be an appeal to families and kids. Speaking of coasters though...

2010 - Gerstlauer Eurofighter Coaster: Yes, Six Flags Belgium finally receives a new coaster this year, after a 4 year coaster drought. This type of coaster, a Eurofighter, would be the perfect type of coaster for a park like "Six Flags Belgium", as it is cheaper and has a smaller, more compact footprint, yet it is very thrilling and intense and it would definitely appeal to the thrillseeker guests coming to the park. This coaster, with its small footprint, could very easily fit into the available plot of land between "Calamity Mine", the park's mine train, and the new B&M hypercoaster (as well as the kiddie area in that area as well). It would definitely be a great new asset to the park and, with the new hypercoaster right next door as well, it'd help bring in a lot more thrillseekers, not just in Europe but around the world, to the Belgian park.

2011 - SkyScreamer added, Thomas Town(?) area rebranded/renamed: This is the year the "SkyScreamer trend" started hitting the SF parks, and since Six Flags Belgium, once again a rather small Six Flags park, has only a little amount of major recognizable thrill rides in it, I believe that adding one of their new SkyScreamer flat rides to the park this year would be a great move to make. For location it could possibly be built on the vacant plot of land right near the carousel, behind the turn-around sections on "Loup Garou". This would not only fill in one of the painfully empty vacant spots in the park, but also provide guests entering the park with views of the massive, towering 220-ft high new ride. It would be a great potential new thrill ride to add to the park given the time period, and give the park another major new recognizable thrill that it deserves. However, this year would be also be the year that SF got rid of some of their licenses, including "Thomas & Friends", so it would also mean the end of the possible "Thomas Town" kids area. It wouldn't be torn down or anything though, the area would just simply face a renaming and rebranding to something else - for some reason even though other "Thomas Town" areas got renamed to "Whistlestop Park", I can totally see the one at "Six Flags Belgium" getting a "Kidzopolis" makeover instead. I don't know why but I feel like it would fit the park more.

2012 - Waterpark Capital, Octopus and Dragon Boat removed: At this point, you may notice that the waterpark hasn't received any new changes since it's rebranding as "Hurricane Harbor" 7 years ago. Well, that changes this year, as for this year I predict Six Flags would finally decide to add a new water slide of some sort to the waterpark, to make it still...."relevant". The only problem is, since the waterpark is indoors, adding a new water attraction here would be very tricky due to the area and height limitations (it IS in a building). However, I do have one idea as to what possible new water ride could be built - a Proslide Rocket, similar to that of "Typhoon" at Six Flags New England's own "Hurricane Harbor" park. It's basically the love child of a classic raft slide and a water coaster, and it's thrilling ride experience no doubt makes this type of ride so popular at the parks they're installed at. Height and area-wise, if SF is creative enough, they could easily and intricately have this type of slide built at Six Flags Belgium's own indoor waterpark, making it so that it goes around the whole building, without interfering with the nearby theme park at all. Also, this year I predict that Six Flags would remove both the "Octopus" and "Dragon Boat" flat rides, because "Octopus" is more likely to be seen as "expendable", and "Dragon Boat" simply doesn't fit in with the area it's in (it's not even in any of the park's kiddie areas, it's near the shuttle loop for some reason). But regarding the latter, it won't be gone for good - you'll see...

2013 - Flat Ride Package, Dragon Boat relocated, Loup Garou removed: Continuing to update the park's array of flat rides, I predict that this year, SF would add a couple new flat rides to "Six Flags Belgium" in order to appeal to families more. As for what type of rides would be added, I can definitely see a Larson Flying Skooters being added, most likely in the old spot of "Octopus" because it's right by the water and would provide riders with much greater views, and a Mack Twist n' Splash being built in the old spot of "Dragon Boat". This would act as a much better type of water ride in that kind of spot instead of "Dragon Boat" because 1) it's not awkwardly out of place with the area it's in, and 2) it's not just limited to little kids, families and even thrillseekers can join in on the ride too, allowing more riders to be attracted to it. "Dragon Boat" will also be reinstalled at the park this year, albeit in one of the park's kiddie areas, where it'll fit in much more with the area it's in. Also, at the end of the year, Six Flags would decide to close "Loup Garou", the park's iconic woodie, and you all know what that means...

2014 - RMC Loup Garou conversion, The Screamer removed: Yep, you guessed it XD. Just like all the other wooden coasters in the SF chain (except St. Louis cuz they're far behind and Great Adventure CUZ THEY'RE IDIOTS), "Loup Garou" was bound to become an RMC conversion at some point or another - it was only a matter of time. So I predict that this year Six Flags Belgium would finally get their own RMC hybrid coaster, in the form of "Loup de Fer" - this name would definitely fit the new coaster type and also tie in to SF's name recycling theme. The coaster would be the very first RMC wood/steel hybrid coaster in Europe (and before you mention the RMC Robin Hood in my old "Walibi Holland" episode, keep in mind that each episode in this series takes place in a separate universe and is not intended to be canon to each other), and would no doubt breathe new life into the old coaster. It would instantly become a massive appeal to thrillseekers and make Six Flags Belgium a hotspot for coaster enthusiasts not only in Europe, but all over the world. This, combined with the hypothetical B&M hypercoaster and Gerstlauer Eurofighter, would doubtlessly make the park look much more appealing to potential guests. Also, I predict that for this year, "The Screamer", the park's Huss Top Spin, would be removed from the park at the end of the season due to Six Flags being Six Flags, and it'd be replaced with...

2015 - Larson Super Loop, Challenge of Tutankhamon removed: Yep. Pulling a SFNE here, I predict that for this year, the park's Top Spin would be replaced with a Larson Super Loop. While some people may not see this type of ride as a big or appealing new addition to the park, it would definitely still provide park guests with a potential exciting and thrilling ride experience, without investing too much money into it. Given that SF started adding Super Loops into nearly all of their parks around this time period, it should come as no surprise that one would eventually make it's way around to "Six Flags Belgium" at some point. Also, I predict that around this point, the "Challenge of Tutankhamon" dark ride would be removed from the park to make way for a much more appropriate SF-style dark ride...

2016 - Justice League: Battle for Metropolis dark ride, Holiday in the Park, Batman Thrill Spectacular removed: As I said before in my previous episode concerning "Six Flags Holland", the "Justice League: Battle for Metropolis" dark ride could certainly find it's way into some of SF's international parks if they wanted to. Since "Six Flags Mexico" just added their own version of the ride this year, I don't see why one couldn't end up in a Six Flags park in Europe as well. The new dark ride would replace the old "Challenge of Tutankhamon" dark ride and even take up the old building the ride resided in. This type of dark ride would be perfect for a European Six Flags park, not only because it fits more in with the park's SF theme than "Tutankhamon" ever did, but also because it provides a much more fun, thrilling and updated dark ride experience for families and kids in the park alike. It would feature upgraded, more thrilling and interactive elements superior to Tutankhamon's old ones (I've never been to Europe in my life and I haven't gone on "Tutankhamon" so correct me if I'm wrong) and would no doubt become a great family ride for park guests. I also think Six Flags could start doing an annual park event like "Holiday in the Park" starting this year, as other SF parks started doing the exact same thing around this period and it would no doubt help bring in more guests to the park. Also, I predict that this year would be the last year for the "Batman Thrill Spectacular" show, as at this point it would be at least 15 years old and as a result, somewhat redundant and expendable.

2017 - Batman: The Ride 4D Free Spin Coaster, Spinning Vibe and Kids Airlines removed: One thing I noticed about all the SF parks in Europe is that despite becoming as much of a SF park as the company's other parks did in the late 90s/early 2000s, none of them ever received a single Batman coaster. Sure, "Walibi Holland" received a Superman launched coaster, but none of them ever got Batman. Well, since Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom both received "Batman: The RIde" 4D Free Spin coasters during this time period, I believe that this would be the perfect time and way for Six Flags Belgium to finally receive their own "Batman" coaster as well - an S&S 4D Free Spin coaster built over the former spot of the "Batman Thrill Spectacular" arena. This type of coaster would become the very first 4D Free Spin coaster in Europe upon opening, and, also given it's thrilling, flipping ride experience, it would no doubt bring many more coaster fanatics and thrillseekers into the park, making "Six Flags Belgium" once again look very exciting appealing to people all across Europe, if not the world. I also predict that this year, two MORE old flat rides would be removed from the park - the park's Huss Breakdance "Spinning Vibe" and the Junior Jets ride "Kids Airlines" in the nearby kiddie area. When you think about it, removing these two rides at this point actually makes sense because both rides are now really old ("Kids Airlines" opened in 1975 and "Spinning Vibe" opened in 2001) and expendable. Plus, the open plot of land that the removal of these 2 rides now makes allows us to build...

2018 - Zamperla Giant Discovery: Again, this is a type of thrill ride that SF was adding to a lot of their parks during this time period - even "La Ronde" got one. That's why I predict that around this time, SF would eventually add one of these massive frisbee rides to Six Flags Belgium as well. It would take up the huge empty plot of land that was created with the removal of both "Spinning Vibe" and "Kids Airlines" - and in case you're wondering if this spot may seem too small, remember how SFNE was able to fit "Harley Quinn Spinsanity" into the former spot of their teacups ride? If they can do that, then they can surely build a Giant Discovery over the spot where two small flat rides once were. This pendulum ride would definitely become one of the most exciting and thrilling flat rides in the park, with it's towering height and exhiliarting spinning sensations. It would keep up the park's image of being very appealing and enticing to thrillseekers.

2019 - New Waterpark Capital, Turbine/Psyke Underground removed: Pulling a sorta "Great Escape" move here, I predict that for this season Six Flags would focus once again on the park's rather neglected waterpark, adding some sort of new investment into it. I don't wanna say a new waterslide, due to the park being indoors and having a size limit, but maybe something minor, like new restaurants or even some general park improvements - just do SOMEthing to spice up the waterpark a bit and make it a bit more appealing to guests that are at the amusement park LITERALLY RIGHT NEXT TO IT. If SF DID try to build a new water ride in the park, it would have to be something very small and minor - perhaps a Proslide kiddie slide complex? Not exactly the most thrilling new waterpark addition, but given the limits that'd have to do, perhaps even give it a "Buccaneer Beach" theme to give it more of a SF theme. Also, you may notice that "Turbine", aka "Psyke Underground", the park's enclosed shuttle loop, is still around at the park, both in this AU and today. However, in THIS universe, things will go slightly different - at the end of this season, Six Flags will CLOSE "Turbine/Psyke Underground" for good due to the ride's old age. However, while this seems upsetting for nostalgic park fans, it's also actually a good thing because it would help pave the way for a potential, more modern and exciting launch coaster in the near future (wink wink)...

2020/21 - S&S Air Launch coaster, Inferno and Le Tapis Volant removed: Yep, this is basically 2020's new addition that was ultimately dragged over to 2021 due to the whole COVID-19 pandemic. As you can tell, Turbine/Psyke Underground's removal means that SF can now add a much more modern and more thrilling launched coaster to the park, akin to "West Coast Racers" or "Maxx Force" which opened around the same time at other SF parks. Since "Maxx Force" seems to be greatly underrated, I'm going to go with a new S&S air launched coaster as Turbine/Psyke Underground's replacement for the 2020-21 seasons. This coaster wouldn't have the same layout as "Maxx Force" though - it would be customized, taking up Turbine/Psyke Underground's old station for it's own station/launch section, and then weaving over the park paths, around and over the "Flash Back" log flume and just briefly by the nearby "Kidzopolis/Bugs Bunny Land" kiddie area. This new modernized launch coaster would definitely help improve the park's coaster legacy, replacing a classic launched coaster with a much more exciting and upscale version, and providing a very thrilling and exhilirating ride experience for guests. This coaster would no doubt help bring in a lot more coaster-lovers and thrillseekers, and make the park look even more exciting than ever before. Also, this year, I predict that SF would once again remove two old and/or redundant flat rides to make room for future park expansion - this time, I predict that they would remove "Inferno", the park's old Huss Enterprise, and "Le Tapis Volant", the Flying Carpet ride that at this point is 20 years old and would, as a result, probably be seen along with "Inferno" as redundant compared to all the other new thrill rides being added.

2022 - Chance Freestyle: Although it may not seem that big or exciting for a new ride, but given how the chain is currently struggling to add anything new to their parks during the pandemic (though SFMM seems to be immune to this for some reason XD), I think that it makes a lot of sense for Six Flags to add a smaller, cheaper thrill ride to the park rather than something bigger that'd cost the company a lot more and potentially bankrupt them - plus, with the majority of SF's other parks basically still receiving their 2020 additions for the 2022 season, or worse, nothing at all, I think it should be considered a miracle that "Six Flags Belgium" even gets anything new at all. This ride, which'd be exactly like "Pandemonium" at "Great Escape", would be located in the former spot of "Le Tapis Volant" and would be considered a great combination of a family ride and thrill ride, given it's moderate spinning ride cycle which makes it not too intense for children. As a result, this ride would appeal greatly to both thrillseekers and families in the park, boosting it's amount of riders as a result and making it more popular overall in the park. As for what's replacing "Inferno" though...well, let's just save that for 2023.

Conclusion
In conclusion, this is what I believe Walibi Belgium would look like today if it was still owned by the Six Flags chain. Do you agree with my predictions? If not, then why? What are your possible predictions for this park scenario? Please leave your feedback as well as own possible predictions for this scenario below in the comments!