A video of a SeaWorld employee telling a guest that American flags are not allowed inside the park on the Fourth of July has gone viral, igniting widespread outrage online and prompting calls for a boycott of the theme park chain.
The incident, captured in a roughly 25-second video posted Sunday morning on X, shows a man carrying a large American flag approaching what appears to be a security or guest services employee at a SeaWorld location. The guest asks why the flag isn’t permitted on Independence Day. The employee, a woman wearing a black polo shirt with a name tag, glasses, a nose ring, and purple-streaked hair, responds that it is “company policy” and that the rule “has been that way for years.”
SeaWorld Orlando, widely believed to be the location based on vegetation and one user’s reference to parent company United Parks & Resorts (PRKS), heavily promotes patriotic programming around the Fourth of July. The park offers fireworks spectaculars, Red, White & BBQ events, and military appreciation activities, including playing the National Anthem and lighting the SkyTower in red, white, and blue.
The company’s official park policies page for SeaWorld Orlando does not explicitly list flags or banners as prohibited items. Prohibited categories focus on weapons, drugs, glass containers, outside food (with exceptions), and disruptive behavior. However, the park reserves the right to ban “any other items deemed to be inappropriate, disruptive, or harmful.”
No official statement from SeaWorld had been issued as of Sunday afternoon. One user predicted the publicly traded parent company would address the matter before markets opened Monday.
As of press time, SeaWorld had not responded to requests for comment on the specific incident or clarified whether the policy applies equally to all flags, including those associated with other causes.
