Viva La Fiesta is in full swing at Six Flags over Texas, and the park graciously invited us out to check out the event, taste some of the new food, see all the ongoing projects, and even interview the new executive chef Douwe Iedema where we learned even more exclusive details about what’s in store regarding in-park dining.
This update is so big we also made a video to document it all. Check it out below.
Viva la Fiesta and Theming Enhancements
Viva La Fiesta offers entertainment and fun for all. Running weekends April 5 through May 4, it’s billed as a celebration of Latin American and Caribbean culture. There are multiple entertainment offerings, including a high-energy Looney Tunes dance party, classic performances from Mariachi Bohemio, and enthralling dance routines from Las Estrellas de Tejas as they perform traditional ballet folklorico.
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Sylvester, Daffy, Bugs, and the crew get the crowd dancing during Viva la Fiesta
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Mariachi Bohemio prepare to serenade the crowd at Viva la Fiesta
Las Estrellas de Tejas perform traditional dances during Viva la Fiesta
Our visit coincided with two additional performances from world-renowned groups Rumbamena and Manteca Blue & The Latin Corner, some of which can be viewed in our video above.
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Rumbamena performs a dance number for Viva la Fiesta
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Manteca Blue & The Latin Corner jam out during Viva la Fiesta
New park management has also unleashed new talent for park decor and theming. Giant detailed guitars adorn the Star Mall entry plaza for the Viva la Fiesta event. In the Mexico & Spain entry plaza, a new colorful sign demarks the Mexico section. A pair of colorful wings offers a fantastic photo op that was popular with park guests. Even minor details are being unveiled, such as the lion fountain next to La Cantina being transformed into a new hand-sculpted Quetzalcōātl, a nice themed touch for the area.
New sign for Mexico
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Colorful wings perfect for posing
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Large guitars made in-house adorn the Star Mall
The PR team explained that Six Flags over Texas is one of only 3 Six Flags parks with the resources for crafting such detailed thematic elements in-house, and that this is just the beginning.
Check out our Viva la Fiesta event page for a showtime listing, food and drinks menus, and other information.
New Food and an Interview with Executive Chef Douwe Iedema
During the event the park provided us with samples of La Cantina’s brand new menu (which is permanent and not just for Viva la Fiesta), including shredded beef and fried chicken tortas, elotes topped with chicharrón, and some of the mocktails. The new food items feature delicious contrasts of taste and texture and are a significant departure from the more generic, standard fare. Most noteworthy, I could actually see myself enjoying these offerings outside of a theme park, something I couldn’t say for any other regular menu item I’ve had at the park for several years.
New tortas, elotes, and beverages available at the park
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Brand-new menu at La Cantina
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Caribbean Colada and Salted Watermelon cocktails
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Viva la Fiesta Cocktail Menu (mocktails also available)
We also had the opportunity to chat with the park’s new executive chef Douewe Iedema and immediately felt his passion for food and menu improvements come through. Check out the interview in the video above to see how he plans on ensuring his culinary vision is consistently maintained and how dining will be continue to evolve at the park through this year and next.
Other Park Updates
As expected, the park was still fairly tight-lipped about the New for 2026 ride. The notable change from our last update in late March was the completed demolition of Rancho de Pollo/Totally Kickin Chicken. A new dining location is expected to take its place per our interview above.
Rancho de Pollo is fully demolished in the New for 2026 area
We did get word, however, that we can expect a formal announcement for the new attraction by September at the latest, and that teasers could be coming in the meantime.
A majority of the front gate area has reopened compared to our visit just a few weeks ago, but now the exit side of the plaza is zoned off as the park temporarily re-routes the exit towards the side nearest the parking lot entrance. Gone is the fountain display that was most recently stating “Welcome to Your Park” and the building behind it. It’s unknown what the final plans are for the recently-leveled area.
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The newly-paved entry plaza
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The exit-side of the plaza is now closed for renovations
E.G. Sugarwaters is also closed and fenced off with unknown renovations/modifications being made there as well.
The iconic Pink Thing seems like it may be dead once and for all, despite its changes over the years. The last remnant mentioning the uniquely Six Flags over Texas frozen treat—the small stand in the entry that still mentioned Pink Things despite not serving them for several years—has been renamed to “Star Mall Dippin Dots.” Is this the final nail in the coffin for something that has been a staple at the park since the mid 1960s?
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The Pink Thing stand in 2024 serving no form of Pink Things
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Dippin Dots stand renamed to Star Mall in 2025
And finally, the park has decided to turn 2025’s closure of the Six Flags Railroad (due to the 2026 construction happening near the tracks) into a fun photo opportunity for guests. On Saturdays you can climb aboard, pretend to be an engineer, and learn all about the workings of the authentic steam engines.
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Guests get to board and learn about the steam engines
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Photo Op for the Railroad on Saturdays
Closing Remarks
We’d again like to thank the park for inviting us to the event and getting to experience and learn things about Viva la Fiesta amongst the park’s other improvements. Viva la Fiesta is a fun, albeit small event that helps round out the year with more reasons to check out the park.
While it had often been challenging in recent years to be optimistic about the park’s direction, it’s now challenging to be pessimistic. New corporate leadership clearly recognizes the potential and importance of the original Six Flags park as they invest tens of millions of dollars into the park between the new for 2026 coaster, dining enhancements, and a slew of other capital improvements. Each visit is met with sightings of updates and we look forward to covering the continued dining enhancements and of course, the huge year that will be the park’s 65th anniversary, 2026.
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