New Six Flags loop roller coaster now has a name, festival

GURNEE, Ill. (AP) - A record-breaking roller coaster set to open this spring north of Chicago now has a name: Mardi Gras Hangover.

Six Flags Great America in Gurnee announced the name Tuesday. The park also said the loop coaster will open in the park’s Mardi Gras-themed area and that Six Flags also will be introducing a new Mardi Gras Festival in late summer. It will include nightly shows, floats, beads and fireworks.

The 100-foot-tall (30-meter-tall) coaster will take riders forward and backward on a giant loop. Six Flags has said it will be the world’s largest loop roller coaster.

Park President Hank Salemi says riders “will experience multiple moments of hang-time.” He says along with the festival, the name is “the perfect fit.”