Six Flags is tearing down one legend and betting big that a 382-foot spinning monster named Bakunawa can scare up six world records and a whole new era of thrill rides.
Story Snapshot
- Bakunawa is a new spinning launch coaster coming to Six Flags Great Adventure in 2027.
- Six Flags says the ride will break six world records for speed, height, and never-before-seen tricks.
- The coaster replaces Kingda Ka, once one of the tallest and most feared rides on the planet.
- All the record talk comes from Six Flags’ own marketing, not a formal record judge, at least for now.
Six Flags tears down Kingda Ka and raises a spinning giant
Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, did not just add another coaster; it cleared out Kingda Ka and announced a new giant that aims to beat it on almost every front.
Kingda Ka used to be one of the tallest coasters in the world and a badge of honor for the park. Now Bakunawa is set to tower 382 feet over the Boardwalk area and join the rare “giga coaster” club that only a few parks worldwide can claim.
Park leaders say Bakunawa is not only tall; it spins, launches, and inverts in ways riders have never seen. The ride uses a triple launch system with magnetic motors that fire trains three times during the course.
The first launch blasts riders from zero to 60 miles per hour, the second launch hits 80 miles per hour while riders are upside down, and the final launch pushes to 100 miles per hour near the top of the tower. That kind of power is meant to make Kingda Ka feel like yesterday’s news.
Six promised world records, all packed into one ride
Six Flags is loudly claiming that Bakunawa will hold six world records when it opens for the 2027 season.
The park’s own announcement site lists them clearly: world’s fastest spinning coaster, world’s tallest spinning coaster, world’s fastest inversion, world’s longest stall inversion, world’s first floorless spinning coaster, and world’s first upside-down launch. That six-pack of records is repeated across news stories, theme park blogs, and fan posts, all tracing back to Six Flags’ language.
Those claims rest on very specific numbers and tricks that will matter to any thrill ride fan who likes comparing stats. The ride is designed as a free-spinning, floorless coaster, meaning the seats sit above the track with no floor under riders’ feet and each seat can spin on its own.
The park says the coaster will reach a top speed of 100 miles per hour and throw riders through an inversion at 80 miles per hour, which it calls the fastest inversion in the world. The track also holds a stall inversion, where the train hangs in an upside-down position longer than on any other ride, according to Six Flags.
Myth, marketing, and American thrill culture
Bakunawa is named after a sea serpent from Philippine mythology that rises to devour the moon, and Six Flags leans hard on that story in its pitch. The park’s copy calls riders to “ascend the spire and split the sky” as if they are climbing with the serpent toward an eclipse.
That kind of theme is not just decoration; it taps into something deeper in American thrill culture, where people expect big rides to feel like modern myths wrapped in steel and speed.
This classic American business: build bigger, promise bolder, and let customers decide if it was worth it. Six Flags is upfront that these are its records and its definitions, not claims blessed by a formal record book yet.
Parks have used “world’s tallest” and “world’s fastest” hooks for decades, and fans know some of that is hype. The key question is whether Bakunawa actually delivers the experience close to what was sold, and whether the physical numbers can stand up to serious scrutiny over time.
Records by press release, not yet by referee
Every major outlet echoing the six-record line points back to Six Flags as the source, often using phrases like “according to Six Flags.”
The park’s own “New in 2027” page puts the world record list under a bold heading, but there is no sign there of Guinness World Records or any other outside group confirming those titles. That does not mean the numbers are false; it means they are, for now, company claims that have not been tested by a neutral referee.
Its official! Bakunawa is coming to Six Flags Great Adventure in 2027
Claimed World Records:
-World's tallest spinning coaster(382ft)
-World's fastest spinning coaster(100mph)
-World's first upside-down launch (accelerating from 60 to 80 mph while inverted)
– World's fastest… pic.twitter.com/rTye0ExuRY— Coasters and Brews 🍻 (@coastersnbrews) July 28, 2026
This gap between announcement and certification is very common in the coaster world. Parks need to sell passes long before a ride opens, so they push out stats and “first of its kind” labels early, and fan channels rush to repeat them.
From a practical standpoint, no independent engineer or record keeper can fully measure a ride that is still under construction. For now, we can say this: Six Flags has built a bold promise around Bakunawa.
The numbers may well check out, but they will only move from marketing copy to proven record once the coaster is built, tested, and judged against rivals.
Sources:
people.com, nj.com, usatoday.com, parkrovers.com
