Six Flags St. Louis updated and reinstated its chaperone policy following fights in the parking lot on opening day. The planned teen takeover brought roughly 100 juveniles to opening day, prompting fights around the park's 8 PM closing time. Guests 16 and under must now be accompanied by a 21-plus chaperone, with a max of 6 guests per chaperone, daily, all operating hours. ICON Park introduced a similar policy the same week. Scott and I break down the takeover trend, Scott's case that this is the first step toward the end of the family theme park, and the upstream question nobody is solving — why these kids are bored enough to organize fights at parks in the first place.

Then: Walt Disney World set the earliest start date ever for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party — August 7, 2026 — with a 38-night run, MNSSHP tickets ranging $119 to $229, and almost no new content beyond a Stitch-hosted dance party in Tomorrowland. The calendar extension is the actual product, with Merlin's disclosure that October now accounts for roughly a fifth of its annual profit, serving as the supporting case for why everyone is leaning harder into the Halloween shoulder.

Listen to weekly BONUS episodes on our Patreon.