Six Flags Great Adventure just unveiled a coaster it says will break six world records at once, and it hasn’t even opened yet.
Quick Take
- Six Flags Great Adventure revealed Bakunawa, a new coaster set to open in 2027 at its Jackson, New Jersey park.
- The park says the ride will break six world records, including fastest and tallest spinning coaster.
- Bakunawa will stand 382 feet tall, hit 100 mph, and replace the site once home to record-holder Kingda Ka.
- No outside group has certified the records yet, since the coaster is still under construction.
A Sea Serpent Rises Where Kingda Ka Once Stood
Six Flags pulled the curtain back on Bakunawa on July 28, 2026, ending months of speculation over a project once code-named “Purple.” Named for a legendary sea serpent from Philippine mythology, the coaster will tower 382 feet over the park’s redesigned Boardwalk district.
That height and the ride’s location tie it directly to the past, since it rises near where Kingda Ka, the former world’s tallest coaster, once stood.
Six Flags officials didn’t hold back on the superlatives. Ryan Eldredge, the park’s director of sales and marketing, described the ride as a defining new landmark for Great Adventure.
The company says Bakunawa will hit 100 mph, making it the world’s fastest spinning coaster, while also claiming the title of tallest spinning coaster ever built.
Six Records, One Ride, Zero Certifications So Far
The full list of claimed records reads like a thrill-seeker’s wish list. Six Flags says Bakunawa will deliver the fastest spinning coaster, tallest spinning coaster, fastest inversion, longest stall inversion, first floorless spinning coaster, and first upside-down launch.
Every outlet covering the reveal, from entertainment magazines to local New Jersey news, repeated the same six claims almost word for word.
Here’s the catch nobody’s hiding: none of these records have been independently verified yet. The coaster is still under construction, with an opening date set for 2027, meaning the claims describe what the ride is expected to do, not what it has already done.
No records organization like Guinness World Records appears anywhere in the announcement materials reviewed so far. That’s not necessarily a red flag. It’s simply how the industry works.
Why Theme Parks Announce Records Before They’re Official
Six Flags isn’t inventing a new playbook here. Parks routinely tout “world’s first” or “world’s tallest” language years before a coaster’s first test run, because pre-selling the thrill drives ticket sales and season-pass renewals long before the ride opens.
Six Flags used similar language back in 2019 when it announced a different record-setting single-rail coaster. The pattern isn’t deceptive so much as standard marketing, and readers should treat it as a forecast, not a finished fact.
That doesn’t mean the specifications are fabricated. The 382-foot height and 100-mph top speed are specific, testable numbers that will either hold up or get corrected once engineers finalize construction and safety inspectors sign off.
Three launches, including a rare inverted launch sequence, are part of the design according to the park’s own release. If those numbers change before opening day, it will be Six Flags walking them back, not outside critics catching a lie.
What Skeptics Are Right to Watch For
Fair-minded skepticism here isn’t about doubting Six Flags acted in good faith. It’s about recognizing that “world record” claims made by the party selling tickets deserve a follow-up check once the ride actually opens.
Categories like “first floorless spinning coaster” or “first upside-down launch” depend on how narrowly you define the category, and the public hasn’t seen the technical criteria Six Flags used to reach those conclusions.
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 says wait for the ribbon-cutting before crowning Bakunawa the record-holder in every category. That said, there’s little reason to assume Six Flags is bluffing on the core engineering numbers, since permitting agencies and ride manufacturers will have to sign off before any train runs. When 2027 arrives, riders and reporters alike will finally get to see whether Bakunawa lives up to the hype it earned on announcement day.
Sources:
people.com, nj.com, usatoday.com, themeparktribune.com, parkrovers.com, sixflags.com
