Montreal's La Ronde has a new owner. Six Flags Entertainment announced Thursday that it is selling seven parks from its portfolio, which includes the Île Sainte-Hélène amusement park, to EPR Properties, a Kansas City-based real estate investment trust, in a deal valued at $331 million USD (roughly $451 million CAD). The sale is expected to close by the end of March.

For La Ronde specifically, day-to-day operations will be handled by La Ronde Operations Inc., a newly formed company owned by former Six Flags CEO Kieran Burke who now runs Premier Parks and already manages both Village Vacances Valcartier and the Calypso waterpark in Limoges, Ontario, on behalf of EPR.

Burke, for his part, is leaning into the sentimentality of the moment. "I have a special affection for La Ronde, having attended Expo 67 as a child," he said in a statement, adding that he is committed to "respecting the traditions and rich history that are so dear to Montrealers and visitors from around the world."

Whether that translates into anything meaningful remains to be seen, but the Burke-EPR pairing is at least familiar territory. EPR acquired Valcartier and Calypso in 2022 for $179 million from the Drouin family, and the parks have continued operating without notable disruption. La Ronde is a bigger stage, and a more symbolically loaded one.

Montreal's La Ronde has a new owner. Six Flags Entertainment announced Thursday that it is selling seven parks from its portfolio, which includes the Île Sainte-Hélène amusement park, to EPR Properties, a Kansas City-based real estate investment trust, in a deal valued at $331 million USD (roughly $451 million CAD). The sale is expected to close by the end of March.

For La Ronde specifically, day-to-day operations will be handled by La Ronde Operations Inc., a newly formed company owned by former Six Flags CEO Kieran Burke who now runs Premier Parks and already manages both Village Vacances Valcartier and the Calypso waterpark in Limoges, Ontario, on behalf of EPR.

Burke, for his part, is leaning into the sentimentality of the moment. "I have a special affection for La Ronde, having attended Expo 67 as a child," he said in a statement, adding that he is committed to "respecting the traditions and rich history that are so dear to Montrealers and visitors from around the world."

Whether that translates into anything meaningful remains to be seen, but the Burke-EPR pairing is at least familiar territory. EPR acquired Valcartier and Calypso in 2022 for $179 million from the Drouin family, and the parks have continued operating without notable disruption. La Ronde is a bigger stage, and a more symbolically loaded one.