Our Thoughts on the Closed For Storm Six Flags New Orleans Documentary

The Closed For Storm documentary from 22-year-old Canadian filmmaker Jake Williams and Bright Sun Films takes viewers through the turnstiles and inside the dilapidated remnants of Six Flags New Orleans — formerly known as Jazzland — nearly 15 years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the park and left it shuttered.

The film documents the entire lifespan of the park, from the early concept plans to the ongoing debate over the future of the park.

Closed For Storm Trailer


The park has become a symbol for the (still healing) scar on New Orleans left by the unprecedented Hurricane Katrina. The film interviews a variety of people, including those who visited the park, worked at the park and are trying to reopen the park.

A couple of us recently watched the film — below are our thoughts.

What were your overall thoughts about the documentary?

Andrew: It’s a great time to be a theme park nerd who enjoys watching documentaries. Between This Is How We Roll and now Closed for Storm, there’s been some incredible storytelling. Six Flags New Orleans for me was always one of those places that’s been more interesting to me as a place that’s closed and abandoned rather than as an operating park. I thought Closed for Storm did a fantastic job telling the history of Jazzland. Come for my “coaster nerd cred,” but I had no idea that Jazzland was less than two years old when Six Flags took over, and only lasted as a park for five years.

I really enjoyed the interviews across the spectrum, from park representatives to developers, to fans, to former employees. In just about 80 minutes, I think I got an ample education on park history, New Orleans culture, and some really interesting urban exploration moments. I watched it with my girlfriend, who isn’t a huge theme park fan, and she was as glued to the screen as I was.

John: New Orleans is like a “home away from home” for me, so I’m always interested to watch anything related to the Big Easy. I thought the film did a great job of capturing the spirit of the city while not shying away from the very difficult challenge this park has posed its leaders and the surrounding community. Of course, the shots from inside the park — while not completely new to those who have followed the park post-Katrina — are still chilling and heartbreaking. The shots from inside some of the park offices were particularly unsettling. I liked that the film interviewed a variety of people who were in some way connected to the park.

I do wish the film had touched on the park’s “second life” as a film set. But given the number of films that have been shot inside or just outside of the park’s borders, that might warrant an entire separate production.

What were some things you found interesting or surprising?

Andrew: I never really think about things like surrounding home property values when it comes to amusement parks and living near them. I thought the conversation about how area property values around the park are some of the only property values in New Orleans that haven’t gone up since Hurricane Katrina. I also have no idea when the office urban exploration footage was taken, but it was such an interesting bit of footage to see how the park was essentially frozen in time when the park closed. The calendars, the schedules, and even the early 2000s electronics that were left behind. It was borderline eerie, but that’s something that comes with footage in abandoned locations.

John: Despite following the story of this park so closely over the last 16+ years, I still learned a lot. I was unaware that Six Flags continued to pay park staff through April 2006. Over the years, I’ve framed Six Flags as one of the villains of this story (following the storm itself), but I thought this was a great move for the company.

I was surprised to see how ambitious the initial plans for Jazzland were. Some of the renderings showed a park that rivaled Disney or Universal parks. Conceptual designs can be exaggerated, but I found these to be very well done. While the finished product wasn’t quite as lavish, I do think the park retained the spirit of the original artwork.

I also didn’t know that Six Flags was planning for the park to have its own Fright Fest later in 2005. Considering New Orleans’ creepy (at times) history, I can only imagine the influence that would have had on a Fright Fest event.

Do you think Six Flags New Orleans would still be open had it not been for Hurricane Katrina?

Andrew: I think there’s obviously a chance that Six Flags New Orleans would still be open, but if it was (a big if, given Six Flags’ economic situation during the mid-2000s), there’s no chance it would have been a Six Flags park for its entire existence. I think it would have either been sold to another park operator as part of the massive sell-off around 2006 (Elitch Gardens, Darien Lake, Wyandot Lake, etc.), or closed, seemingly for good, before reopening as an independent park (similar to Kentucky Kingdom.) Even after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Six Flags New Orleans would have still had to make it through the Great Recession of 2008-2009, which was not kind to many “smaller market” parks — Hard Rock Park comes to mind.

John: Like Andrew, I think the recession would have been a huge hurdle for the park — and that’s assuming it had survived the turbulence that was Six Flags in the mid- to late-2010s. I think the park would have stood a chance had the water park been constructed. I could see one of the smaller park operators picking up the park (as was the case for other Six Flags parks that were sold off). I could also see it go the Geauga Lake route and operate solely as a water park, as tragic as that would have been.

What are your thoughts on the future of the Six Flags New Orleans site?

Andrew: Obviously, for theme park fans, the chance to bring it back as an amusement park of some kind would be a great goal. Unfortunately, in terms of real estate development, it’s going to be subject to the whims of the person or group whose money talks the loudest. That said, Six Flags New Orleans has sat abandoned for 17 years at this point. Like was mentioned in the documentary, each government change over has its own agenda, and I don’t see anything happening to the site anytime soon. The developers made it seem like it would be an easy renovation, but I can’t imagine that everything remaining is as structurally sound as was presented on film, after sitting dormant for 17 years.

John: From an entertainment perspective, I think a water park is the most viable use for the park moving forward. Considering how brutal New Orleans summers can be, I could see a water park attracting a large number of New Orleans residents as well as visitors. Of course, I would love for the dry park to return as well, but a water park-only operation makes the most sense, at least initially.

The optimist in me hopes that theme park entertainment consultant Tonya Pope’s proposal for a revived Jazzland would come to fruition.

However, I think it’s important to continue pursuing other uses for the site — even those that don’t include a theme park or water park component. Because I think the community deserves anything better than the site in its current state.


Below, watch an extended behind-the-scenes video for insight into the making of Closed For Storm.

Behind the Scenes of Closed For Storm


For more information and to find out where to stream Closed For Storm, visit the documentary’s website.

Have you seen the Closed For Storm documentary yet? Share your reactions in the comments section below.

Want to learn more about Six Flags New Orleans and Jazzland? Check out these past articles:

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