As the end of summer approaches, Atlantans will have the opportunity to enjoy a day at Six Flags specifically for the LGBT community.

Rainbow Days at Six Flags, which first began in 2010, is back in its third year with a bigger series of events, highlighted by the central day at the Austell-based theme park on August 25.

For Rainbow Days co-founders Carmen Smith and Corinna Jones, it was important to create a special fun day for the LGBT community akin to events at major theme parks across the country, specifically the annual Gay Days event at Walt Disney World.

“I just wanted to bring something different, an entirely different event that didn’t only utilize, say, the Aquarium or Piedmont Park, but that included Six Flags,” says Smith.

Rainbow Days is, at this point, not a closed-off Six Flags event. General admission attendees will be in the park alongside Rainbow Days attendees, something Smith hopes will change by next year’s event.

For those who purchase Rainbow Days tickets, though, their purchase will include a greater value. Rainbow Days tickets include park admission plus parking, a buffet and entertainment, all for $49.95 – roughly a third of the typical cost of the various components separately.

In its first year, Rainbow Days drew roughly 200 people, while last year’s event drew in approximately 2,000 people. This year, Jones and Smith are anticipating a much bigger turnout.

“Our ticket sales have tripled from last year at this time, so we’re thinking that it’s going to be a lot bigger than last year,” says Jones. “Last year we had around 2,000 attendees, and we didn’t have all the sponsorship support that we have this year, especially our media sponsors.”

Smith adds, “I’m expecting at minimum 5,000 people.”

“I think 5,000 is a reasonable number,” says Jones. She’s quick to add that she’d love to see more than that high number turn out.

Headlining the event’s entertainment lineup is former teen pop star Tiffany, best known for her 80s hit “I Think We’re Alone Now.” Tiffany, who has moved into different genres of music in recent years, is no stranger to Atlanta’s LGBT community. She was a featured performer during Atlanta Pride in 2008, and she’s vocal about her support for gay rights.

Also appearing at Rainbow Days is gay rapper Cazwell, making his Atlanta debut. Cazwell is known for his novelty rap songs “Ice Cream Truck” and “I Seen Beyoncé at Burger King.”

According to Smith, there will also be additional entertainment from local drag performers, primarily from Blake’s. She is also working on fitting in local entertainers in the performance lineup, citing a large number of entertainers wanting to perform in some capacity at the event.

The fun of Rainbow Days goes beyond the central event at Six Flags. The Friday night before the main event, Blake’s will be hosting the official Rainbow Days Launch Party. Simultaneously, Burkhart’s will be hosting the Rainbow Days Pre-Splash Party with Gayborhood and Montage Old Fourth Ward.

The following evening, a series of after-parties will be held across Atlanta. My Sister’s Room will be hosting a party primarily for women, while Jungle will be hosting a party for the boys. LeBuzz will also be providing a party, with their party being more open gender-wise.

The weekend concludes with a picnic luncheon Sunday afternoon, which is free for those who have purchased tickets to Saturday’s event. While this event has occurred in Piedmont Park in previous years, this year’s event location has yet to be officially confirmed at press time. Organizers will announce which Atlanta park will serve as the event location at Rainbow Days.

For the first time in the event’s history, a portion of the proceeds from Rainbow Days will be reinvested in the Atlanta community through different organizations. This year’s beneficiaries are MEGA Family, The Health Initiative, and PALS. Of the three organizations, one holds special significance to Jones.

“We chose MEGA Family because of what they do to help our community have their own families,” says Jones. “They have a lot of seminars on how to start a family when you’re part of the LGBT community, which is great, and they actually helped me with my family, because I have two children – two boys, and they were a great source of information when I wanted to start my own family.”

Smith adds that new beneficiaries will be selected in future years to receive donations from Rainbow Days.

With the amount of growth that the event has experienced since its inception just three years ago, Smith believes there’s still room for growth due to its location in Atlanta.

“Atlanta’s a great city, and people want reasons to come here. Compared to Gay Days at Disney…I think Atlanta has so much more to offer and so many more reasons for people to come. We expect for this event to continually grow.”