Lion, tiger and bear cubs will vie for attention with a new roller coaster, The Joker, during Six Flags Great Adventure's 2016 season. Watch video
JACKSON - It will be cute versus evil at Six Flags Great Adventure this year, as the theme park opens for its 2016 season on Wednesday.
From March 23 through April 3, Six Flags Great Adventure will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. After that, the theme park will be open on weekends and select weekdays until its starts its full summer schedule on Memorial Day weekend.
Last year, guests to the theme park were treated to a new looping coaster, El Diablo, and were given the opportunity to ride the popular Batman: The Ride in reverse.
Not to be outdone this year, however, Six Flags Great Adventure is expected to unveil its 14th coaster - a 4-D, free-fly coaster called The Joker - by Memorial Day weekend and Hurricane Harbor's new Caribbean Cove water playground in June.
The final track piece of The Joker was placed 120 feet in the sky on Friday by ironworkers from Shamrock Construction.
In addition to the thrill rides and water parks, the theme park's guests will also get to see a trio of cute female cubs - a lion, a tiger and a bear - that had to be cared for by the Safari's animal car team when their mothers did not adequately care for them after they were born.
The theme park announced in January that for the first time, its veterinary team is hand-raising a Siberian tiger cub - the first tiger birth at the safari in 13 years - and the African lion cub together as one litter.
On Jan. 12, a female European brown bear named Baily also needed medical assistance when her mother walked away from her after giving birth.
"We quickly realized that the mom wasn't taking care of her and we intervened," said Dr. Ken Keiffer, a veterinarian at Six Flags Great Adventure, adding the cub needed a lot of care, including being hand fed bottles of milk-replacer formula five times a day.
"The cub is adjusting to being hand raised very well. It takes to its keepers very well (and) it interacts with us," Keiffer said. "A lot of times a bear at this young of age just kind of sleeps, but it's starting to explore its world. We have it out walking around and learning how it lives."
All three cubs will spend most of the season at Camp Aventura, and will be introduced to their respective species at the Safari later this season.
On March 26, Six Flags will host an Easter Celebration giving guests the chance to search for eggs filled with PEEPS. The 9:45 a.m. event will also include onsite entertainment, games and giveaways. The first 100 guests - toddlers to age 12 - to arrive by 9 a.m. will receive a PEEPS Egg Hunt participant wristband and up to three spectator wristbands for friends and family members to join in the celebration.
All participants and spectators must have valid park admission to receive a wristband.
Six Flags Great Adventure will also debut two new shows this spring - a comedy and illusion show in Adventure Theater called This Magic Moment, as well as a friendly animal competition sea lions, pigs, otters, birds and goats in the SeaFari Theater called Wildlife Games.
The theme park will also introduce new dining venues this spring including the Go Fresh Cafe with healthy food options near Nitro, Sky Bar featuring wine, beer, soda and a variety of snacks adjacent to the 24-story SkyScreamer, and Villains Cafe featuring turkey legs, snacks and drinks in the Lakefront.
Rob Spahr may be reached at rspahr@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheRobSpahr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.