Île Ste-Hélène’s iconic amusement park La Ronde opened for the season Saturday under new management, after Six Flags sold the property to a U.S. investment firm.
EPR Properties, a Kansas City-based real estate investment trust, bought La Ronde alongside six U.S. theme parks in a deal announced in March, paying Six Flags US$331 million (C$455 million) for the seven properties.
La Ronde Operations, a company owned by U.S. theme park mogul Kieran Burke, took over the park’s operations on May 14.
Burke’s companies also operate the Village Vacances Valcartier amusement park near Quebec City and the Calypso Waterpark in Limoges, Ont., near Ottawa, as well as other theme parks across North America.
In a statement, La Ronde’s new management promised more operating days and extended evening hours for the 2026 season.
La Ronde is open on weekends through June 7, including Victoria Day on Monday. The park will be open seven days a week from June 12 to the week of Aug. 24. The company said the schedule will mean an added week of daily operations.
The park will also extend its summer evening hours, staying open until 10 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and until 11:30 p.m. on the nights of the International des Feux Loto-Québec fireworks competition.
La Ronde opened as part of Expo 67 and has been a fixture of summer life in Montreal. But the park has also been marked by a period of decline, as some of its most iconic landmarks were dismantled.
Last November, while still operated by Six Flags, the theme park tore down La Spirale, a glass observation tower that stood more than 100 metres high and offered a panoramic view of Montreal.