- "Britannia pays tribute to the British heritage and influence in the American Midwest through the fantasy and pageantry of a time long past in Merry Ole England."
- ―Entrance plaque[src]
Britannia is a medieval England-themed area at Six Flags St. Louis. It originally opened with the park on June 5, 1971 as England, one of the original "Six Flags over Mid-America" that were the namesake of the park. During the park's ownership by Time Warner, the area was renamed Great Britain in 1993 and finally Britannia in 1994. The area went in a new direction during this time, focusing on a mix of history and fantasy, with real-life British influences complementing characters and stories of Arthurian legend, such as Robin Hood and King Arthur.
Several medieval-themed attractions have historically been found here including Highland Fling, the Sherwood Forest Theatre, Dragon's Wing, and Xcalibur. These attractions no longer exist, with more recent additions like Pandemonium (originally Tony Hawk's Big Spin), Supergirl: Sky Flyer, and The Joker: Carnival of Chaos ignoring the area's theme for unknown reasons, leading to speculation that the area will receive an overhaul and a new theme.
History[]
England (1971–1993)[]
On June 5, 1971, England opened as one of the namesake "Six Flags over Mid-America". It didn't have a major opening attraction upon opening, but the area's Britannia Square section featured different games.
In 1977, Highland Fling, an "Enterprise" model ride manufactured by Schwarzkopf, opened in the England section as its first major attraction.
In 1983, Aero Flyer was introduced, a "Yo-Yo" model swing ride manufactured by Chance Rides.
After the 1993 season, Aero Flyer was relocated to Illinois, taking over the former spot of Mo-Mo.
Great Britain/Britannia (1994–present)[]
In 1993, the England section of the park was renamed "Great Britain" (renamed again to Britannia in 1994) and received a minor retheme to include a heavier focus on the more fantastical qualities of medieval England, mainly Arthurian legend. This was part of an effort by Time Warner, who had acquired the Six Flags Corporation in 1993, to bring more cohesiveness to the Six Flags Over Mid-America's overall theme. The area received a new entrance with two pillars, featuring a statue on the right with the Britannia logo in the style of a family crest hung up on the side, and a statue of Robin Hood readying his bow on top.
On May 27, 1995, the Robin Hood Stunt Spectacular opened in the Sherwood Forest Theatre as the park's first and only stunt show to date. The show was based on the "action and adventure of Robin Hood", similar to the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Stunt Show at Six Flags Great Adventure three years earlier. It ran for two seasons, and closed after the 1997 season.
In 1996, Dragon's Wing was added, a 150-foot "Skycoaster" attraction and the first of its kind in Missouri. It was one of several Skycoasters added to Six Flags Theme Parks that year.
In late 1999, Six Flags St. Louis announced that a new wooden roller coaster would be coming to the park for the 2000 season. Although its name wasn't revealed to be "The Boss" until early 2000, construction began in the fall of 1999. By January 2000, the ride still had a way to go, though the lift was topped off on January 24. The ride was designed by Dennis McNulty and Larry Bill of Custom Coasters International, the firm that manufactured the ride. The duo had previously collaborated on many coasters, including The Legend at Holiday World. McNulty has stated that he based The Boss's design on The Beast at Kings Island (at that time owned by Paramount Parks, and wanted it to be an "epic, long, and unforgettable adventure".[1] According to Denise Dinn-Larrick of CCI, the ride's manufacturer, The Boss's lift section had to be redesigned several times, because the City of Eureka did not want the lift to be near the road. Though they didn't say why, some coaster enthusiasts speculated that it was because they did not want the lift to potentially fall onto Allenton Road if the park or the ride was abandoned.[2] The Boss opened as the biggest wooden roller coaster in the park on April 29, 2000.
- "The past and future collide as guests encounter Xcalibur. With royal colors adorning the gondolas that sit atop the mighty iron-bound wooden legs of the ride, Xcalibur recreates the rustic, rebellious days of King Arthur and his Roundtable. Modern-day technology brings to life the legend of the mystic sword through the combination of intense power, speed and motion as XCALIBUR takes guests on a Xciting time-warped Xcursion!"
- ―Xcalibur press release[src]

Concept art for Xcalibur, included with the press release.
On January 29, 2003, Xcalibur was announced as the park's 2003 attraction.[3] Xcalibur is an "Evolution" model by Nauta Bussink Bailey. It replaced the former England Sky-Way station, which had been abandoned since its closure almost two decades earlier. The ride was relocated from Six Flags Great Adventure, where it had operated as "Evolution" from 1999 until 2002. The ride was added to Great Adventure as part of the "War on Lines" expansion in 1999, and was one of 25 new rides added that season to make the park into a "Superpark". Before the ride was purchased by Six Flags in 1998, it was built in 1992 and had debuted at the 1992 Munich Oktoberfest. It then traveled through the European Fair Circuit for over 6 years. For its new location, the ride was given an extensive makeover to make it resemble a medieval-era catapult. Each of the ride's 16 cars was given shields on each side so that it could resemble the different Knights of the Round Table. The cars were also enhanced with new on-ride audio, which gave it a unique and thrilling soundtrack. The ride opened to the public that summer.
In 2006, Tony Hawk's Big Spin was announced as the park's 2007 attraction, replacing the Sherwood Forest Theatre. The queue utilized much of the theater's structure, including the overhang over its seats. It was the first attraction to break the medieval theme of Britannia, though it was still marketed as being part of it.
In 2011, Six Flags began to terminate certain licenses as a result of the restructuring following the company's Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009. Because of this, Tony Hawk's Big Spin was re-themed to "Pandemonium". All mentions of skateboarding were removed, but the ride retained its skateboard-esque trains, and the "half-pipe" towards the end of the ride.
On August 30, 2018, Supergirl Sky Flyer was announced for Britannia as the park's 2019 attraction, though it was announced as simply "Supergirl". The ride received some backlash from fans for its "unfitting" theme, and it was the second attraction in the area to not have a direct link to the medieval England theme after Tony Hawk's Big Spin (now Pandemonium) 11 years earlier. It also caused some confusion, as its similarities to Highland Fling made it seem like the ride had just been repainted and given a new theme. Months after its announcement, the name was changed from "Supergirl" to "Supergirl Sky Flyer", and the design of the queue and facade was revised dramatically from concept art, with different colors and different architectural features giving it a light blue motif that departed from the more neutral blacks and grays. The ride opened on May 25, 2019 for Memorial Day weekend, after a media preview on May 23.
In 2019, the Speed O'Drome Go Karts were removed to make way for construction on Catwoman Whip, however it was later announced to instead be replacing Superman: Tower of Power in the Illinois section of the park. At the end of the 2022 season, Excalibur was removed, followed by Dragon's Wing early in the 2023 season. On August 29, 2023, The Joker: Carnival of Chaos was announced as the park's new attraction for the 2024 season. Later that same year, Rookie Racer opened on September 30 in the former location of the Speed O'Drome Go Karts.
Attractions[]
Current[]
- Britannia Square Games
- Grand Ole Carousel
- Pandemonium (opened 2007)
- Supergirl: Sky Flyer (opened 2019)
- Rookie Racer (opened 2023)
- The Joker: Carnival of Chaos (opening 2024)
Former[]
- Sky Chuter (1978–1982)
- Aero Flyer (1983–1993) (Relocated to Illinois and rethemed Riverview Racer)
- Great Escape Arcade (?–2002)
- Highland Fling (1977–2017)
- Speed O' Drome (1999–2019)
- Excalibur (2003-2022)
- Dragon's Wing (1996-2023)
Dining[]
Current[]
Former[]
Shopping[]
- Pandemonium Gifts
Entertainment[]
Sherwood Forest Theatre[]
- Main article: Sherwood Forest Theatre
- Robin Hood Stunt Spectacular (1995–1997)
Gallery[]
See also[]
- Nottingham Village, a similar medieval England-themed area at the now-defunct Six Flags AstroWorld.
References[]
- ↑ McNulty, Dennis (September 20, 2014). The Boss is the legend I had hoped for Six Flags, and The Legend is the boss of Holiday World. LinkedIn.
- ↑ Drabek, Paul (January 24, 2000). The Boss Construction Photos. Negative-G.
- ↑ Six Flags St. Louis (January 29, 2003). Six Flags St. Louis Announces a Royally Xtreme Xperience for 2003 (Press release). Yahoo! Finance. Archived from the original on February 8, 2003.