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Park Queue TimesPQT

Hersheypark
vs
Six Flags New England

On a typical day Six Flags New England queues less: about 11 minutes a ride against 14 at Hersheypark, a difference of roughly 3 minutes on every queue you join.

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01 · On a typical day

What you would normally queue.

Averages across recent weeks, so one broken ride or one wet Tuesday cannot decide it. This is the comparison to plan a trip on; the live figures below are the one to act on today.

Hersheypark and Six Flags New England compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyHersheyparkUnited StatesSix Flags New EnglandUnited States
Average wait per ride 14 min11 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 50 (best of the two)37
Longest typical queue Laff Trakk - Dark Coaster48 minQuantum Accelerator34 min
Shortest typical queue Jolly Rancher Remix - Featuring Halloween Overlay5 minShips Ahoy!5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running60%73% (best of the two)

Averaged across every ride at each park with recorded waits. A ride that never opened is left out, so a park is not flattered by counting a shut ride as a queue of zero.

02 · Right now

Both parks, this minute.

Live queue times at both parks. These fill in as soon as the page loads, and keep updating while you are here.

Hersheypark and Six Flags New England compared on live queue times
Right nowHersheyparkUnited StatesSix Flags New EnglandUnited States
Average wait right now --
Rides open --
Opening hours today --
Longest queue --
Shortest queue --

These keep refreshing while this page is open. A closed park posts no waits, so its rows read as dashes rather than zeroes.

Verdict, on a typical day On a typical day Six Flags New England queues less: about 11 minutes a ride against 14 at Hersheypark, a difference of roughly 3 minutes on every queue you join.

03 · Choosing

Which one is your day out.

Every line here is earned by one of the figures above - nothing is a generic sentence with a park name dropped into it.

Pick Hersheypark if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 14 minutes a ride here against 11 at Six Flags New England - for what Hersheypark has that Six Flags New England does not
  • You want more to do: 50 rides here have recorded wait data against 37 at Six Flags New England
  • Laff Trakk - Dark Coaster is on your list - it is Hersheypark's longest typical queue at about 48 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Hersheypark's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Six Flags New England if…

  • You want shorter queues: Six Flags New England averages 11 minutes a ride against 14 at Hersheypark
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Six Flags New England's rides run 73% of opening hours against 60% at Hersheypark
  • Quantum Accelerator is on your list - it is Six Flags New England's longest typical queue at about 34 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Six Flags New England's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Hersheypark

Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania was founded in 1906 as a leisure park for Milton Hershey's chocolate factory workers and has grown into one of the best coaster parks in the United States. It runs more than a dozen roller coasters: Skyrush and the racing wooden Lightning Racer, the launched Storm Runner and Fahrenheit, the classic Comet, the newer Candymonium and Wildcat's Revenge, and the Great Bear inverted coaster. The Boardwalk water park is included with admission.

The park is busiest on summer weekends and during Hersheypark in the Dark in October, and because it closes several rides early on some days, the schedule matters as much as the crowds. Check the live wait times before you go and use the crowd calendar to find a weekday when the big coasters run with short queues.

Hersheypark live queue times

Six Flags New England

Six Flags New England sits in Agawam, Massachusetts, near the Connecticut state line. The coaster line-up includes Superman: The Ride (consistently rated one of the world's best steel coasters), Wicked Cyclone (a Rocky Mountain Construction hybrid), Goliath inverted coaster, Flashback, Joker 4D Free Fly Coaster, and the classic Thunderbolt. A Hurricane Harbor water park is included with admission.

Massachusetts and Connecticut school holidays, Fright Fest and US summer weekends drive Six Flags New England's peak crowds. Weekdays in May, September and October stay dramatically calmer. Check live wait times for Superman and Wicked Cyclone on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek date - queue times on most rides drop into single digits on quieter days.

Six Flags New England live queue times

05 · Questions

Hersheypark or Six Flags New England?

Which is better, Hersheypark or Six Flags New England?

If you are judging on queues, Six Flags New England: it averages about 11 minutes a ride on a typical day against 14 at Hersheypark, roughly 3 minutes back on every queue you join. Hersheypark has 50 rides with recorded waits against 37 at Six Flags New England. Six Flags New England also runs its rides more reliably - 73% of opening hours against 60%.

Which has shorter queues, Hersheypark or Six Flags New England?

Six Flags New England, by about 3 minutes a ride. On a typical day Six Flags New England averages 11 minutes against 14 at Hersheypark. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Hersheypark best time to visit and Six Flags New England best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Hersheypark and Six Flags New England in the same trip?

Yes - both parks are in United States, so a two-park trip is realistic over a long weekend. Split the days so you start at whichever opens earliest and drive to the other in the evening.

How many rides does each park have?

See the tables above for ride counts - or jump to Hersheypark and Six Flags New England for the full ride lists.

Is Hersheypark bigger than Six Flags New England?

By rides we track waits for, Hersheypark is the bigger day out: 50 rides against 37. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Six Flags New England is the quicker park.

Then pick
the quiet day.

Both parks have a crowd calendar with six weeks of forecast and the best day left to go.

Hersheypark calendarSix Flags New England calendarCompare other parks