The aroma of fried food wafting from Île Sainte-Hélène, the distant clatter of Goliath ascending its first hill, and the shimmering St. Lawrence beneath the Jacques Cartier Bridge are all subtly peculiar aspects of summertime visits to La Ronde. It’s a specific kind of Montreal experience. flawed. loud. steadfastly adored. Additionally, I’ve been feeling a little worn out for the majority of the last ten years.
That might be changing at last. La Ronde Operations Inc., led by Premier Parks founder and CEO Kieran Burke, formally assumed management of the park from Six Flags on May 14, 2026. The sale was a component of a bigger transaction in which EPR Properties, a real estate investment trust with headquarters in Kansas City, paid US$331 million to Six Flags for seven park properties. Among them was La Ronde, the biggest theme park in Eastern Canada.
In the world of theme parks, Burke isn’t exactly unknown. Additionally, his businesses operate the highly regarded regional attractions Calypso Waterpark in Ontario and Village Vacances Valcartier near Quebec City. La Ronde’s early choices this season appear to be influenced by that operational experience, with a preference for value and access over large capital expenditures.
More time is the most obvious change for visitors. The park plans to add 120 hours of programming to its schedule for 2026. These hours will include extended evening hours on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays until 10 p.m., and on fireworks nights until 11:30 p.m. An additional week of late-summer programming has been added, daily operations begin on June 12, and Fright Fest will have an extra Halloween weekend. This isn’t revolutionary, but it’s the kind of operational change that implies someone is paying more attention to what visitors really want.
The new season pass structure is the more intriguing change. In order to create a tri-park pass network within 250 kilometers, holders of La Ronde’s Gold and Prestige passes will now have unlimited summer access to Valcartier and Calypso in addition to their La Ronde visits. Perhaps this is more important than any one new ride. A regional theme park that feels essential is often distinguished from one that feels obligatory by the loyalty of its patrons.
It’s important to recognize that all of this has a symbolic component. La Ronde originated from Expo 67. Constructed as the world’s fair’s entertainment complex, it was run by the City of Montreal for over thirty years until Six Flags took over in 2001. Despite spending about $90 million over the course of 25 years on new rides and upgrades, Six Flags has recently seemed to be coasting rather than expanding. La Spirale, a glass observation tower that once provided expansive city views, was demolished in November of last year due to years of neglect and growing maintenance problems. The demolition was publicly condemned by Transition Montreal. It hurt.
It remains to be seen if the new management will be able to restore some of that goodwill. Sophie Emond, the general manager from the previous operation, has discussed identity and continuity. For his part, Kieran Burke has stated that he has faith in her ability to lead. It seems to be an intentional attempt to convey that this isn’t a hostile takeover of a Montreal institution, that the local team will stay in place, and that the park’s unique character won’t be lost to a corporate template.
There’s a suspicious but sincere sense that La Ronde may be stabilizing. The 2026 season will commemorate both the 40th edition of L’International des Feux Loto-Québec and Goliath’s 20th anniversary. For a park that has existed since before the majority of its visitors were born, those aren’t insignificant achievements. Not everything will go smoothly. Seldom are operational transitions. However, La Ronde appears to be making progress rather than merely hanging on for the first time in a long time.
