Amusement Park News

Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, Texas, is undergoing major enhancements ahead of the 2026 season opening. The improvements include refreshed slides, noticeable upgrades, and efforts to polish the park and make it feel new again.

A major new slide is also on the way, marking the park's first significant expansion since Schatze's Storybrook Park opened in 2024. That addition introduced a large children's area featuring a 1,200-gallon tipping bucket.

Construction on the new slide began earlier this year with teasing sneak peeks that revealed new footings and tower construction. Park updates also showed that the slide structure itself had arrived on site. Many of these previews were shared by Six Flags executive Jeffrey Siebert, who hinted that a major new attraction was coming.

The new construction is taking place in the Blastenhoff area of Schlitterbahn. The attraction replaces the now removed Der Bahn speed racing slides.

Recent promotional posts from the park on Facebook featured teasing slogans such as “water you up to?” along with images of a stopwatch, a late 1950s model car, and the German word “Zugspitze.” The hints sparked speculation online that the park was preparing a racing slide with a timing element.



That speculation has now been confirmed. Schlitterbahn recently announced that the new attraction will be called Wasserbahn Racers, a three lane mat racing slide designed for headfirst competition.

The slide will stand about 37 feet tall and stretch roughly 278 feet down the hillside. Riders will launch on mats and race side by side toward the finish line, where a digital stopwatch display will record their times.

The new racing attraction is designed as a family friendly thrill ride and is expected to become a centerpiece of the Blastenhoff section when the park opens for the season.

Alongside the slide project, several other improvements are underway across the park. Restroom and resort areas have been upgraded, a new pump has been installed in The Falls section, and a new staircase has been added in the resort area.

Schlitterbahn will open for the 2026 season on May 2. In a recent press release, the park noted, “Each season, we look for new ways to elevate the guest experience while staying true to what makes Schlitterbahn special.” Social media messaging has also described the current improvements as “transformational.”

Cyle Perez, the park's PR manager, said, “This season and beyond, we're focused on strategic refurbishments across the park, including repainting, infrastructure updates, and long-term improvement plans that support a high-quality guest experience. While some updates may be more visible than others, we're continuously investing in enhancements throughout the park.”



For many visitors, the upgrades are a welcome development. The original section of the park opened in 1979 and, according to comments on social media, some areas have begun to show signs of wear. Even so, Schlitterbahn New Braunfels still offers more rides than any other waterpark within 200 miles.

Beyond the new slide and park improvements, guests will see another benefit during the 2026 season. To celebrate the now year-old merger between Six Flags and Cedar Fair, a 2026 season pass will allow unlimited access to Six Flags parks within a designated region.

According to Christian Dieckmann, chief commercial officer for Six Flags, the change is a “massive benefit, one that only Six Flags Entertainment can provide.” With a wide range of amusement, water, and animal parks included, he described the new pass as an “international passport to fun” featuring family entertainment, thrill rides, and some of the world's most exhilarating roller coasters.

Six Flags announced the new pass structure in early February. In addition to expanded park access, the company introduced a limited time offer allowing guests at select parks to purchase a gold pass for the price of a silver pass.

Season passholders who already have a gold pass will not need to take any action to receive the regional all parks benefit. Gold passholders will automatically receive 2026 admission to parks within the region of their original purchase location. Regions are divided into West, Midwest, Texas, and East.

For example, Schlitterbahn admission will be included with a season pass to Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. The Texas region includes Six Flags Over Texas, Fiesta Texas, Frontier City, and Schlitterbahn water parks.

The West region includes Six Flags Magic Mountain, Knott's Berry Farm, Discovery Kingdom, California's Great America, and Six Flags Mexico. The Midwest region includes Cedar Point, Kings Island, Six Flags Great America, Six Flags St. Louis, Valleyfair, and Worlds of Fun. The East region includes Six Flags New England, Great Adventure, Great Escape, Dorney Park, Kings Dominion, Carowinds, and Six Flags Over Georgia.



Gold passholders will also receive additional benefits such as expanded food and beverage discounts, BOBO 50 percent off deals on food, drinks, and merchandise, merchandise savings, and limited time Bring-A-Friend-Free offers within their regions.

Six Flags says the new Pass Perks program simplifies previous systems by removing complicated requirements such as visit thresholds and point-based rewards that many guests found confusing. The updated rewards program will apply to all Six Flags parks in North America.

For Schlitterbahn New Braunfels, however, the biggest draw for the 2026 season may be the newly announced Wasserbahn Racers, which adds a high speed competitive attraction to one of the most ride packed waterparks in Texas.