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Park Hoppin’ In association with Park Hoppin’with Susan Storey I


saw a funny post the other day that said in October


we lose all sense of situational awareness and personal safety. For 11 months of the year, we dash past the creepy old house on the corner,


avoid strangers on street corners and stay in well- lit areas, particularly at night. Then, Halloween season hits and all those norms go out the window. Take a tour of the abandoned mansion? Sign me up! Attend a movie screening in a graveyard? Where do I buy tickets? Wander down a dark alley? Let’s do it. Theme park Halloween events invite and encourage us to do these things. The inspiration to bring Halloween to parks initially started as a way to extend the regular operating calendar. Knott’s Berry Farm is widely accepted as the first park to start with the 1973 launch of the three-day long Halloween Haunt. It was an immediate success. It’s California location made it easy to add pop culture icons such as Elvira and Wolfman Jack and weaved them into the nighttime experience that featured haunted mazes, scare zones and live shows. Knott’s created a model that appealed to its loyal fan base as well as a new audience of guests. Today Knott’s Scary Farm continues to scare guests with its wild cast of creatures, monsters and all things that go bump in the night. Six Flags kicked off its own version of nightmare-


inducing fun with Fright Fest in 1989, three years after Universal entered the scare chat with Halloween Horror Nights. Busch Gardens’ popular


Howl-O-Scream and Paramount Parks’ FearFest, followed by ValleyScare and Halloween Haunt from Cedar Fair rounded out the themes and titles of events found around the country. Today, many of us can rattle off the names of these scare- filled nights, iconic characters and sinister scare zones as easily as we can our ABC’s. While the inspiration may have started as a way to build incremental attendance, our industry has created marquee experiences that guests look forward to with the same zeal and excitement as a new roller coaster or attraction. Of course, there are equally popular events


created for kids and young families. Daytime park experiences feature trick or treating, character meet and greets and costume contests. Cute pumpkins and cheerful décor delight during these safe, fun-filled events that give kids another reason to dress up as they collect candy, run through hay mazes and pose for photos in between rides on their favorite attractions. Those events are great, but when the sun goes down and the moon inspires the wolves to howl, that’s when parks take on a new persona, and the creativity of our industry really bites! At Six Flags Great America in Illinois, for instance, the welcoming entrance midway completely changes. Thick, deep red water fills the reflecting pool as dense fog eerily floats above its surface. Colorful flowers are torn out to make way for headstones, skeletons, fire torches and dead plants. This haunting atmosphere remains one of my favorite annual transformations. Throughout the industry, immersive scare zones and devilish décor set the tone for experiences driven by jump scares and the unknown. Haunted mazes and houses are the backbone of these terror-filled events and the mix of original storylines and ones based on popular IP’s and brands inspire


detailed spaces that scare, misdirect, and scare again. This year’s Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando features several storylines drawn from film as well as the amazing creativity of their internal team. Stranger Things, Ozzy Osborne and Sinners headline the terror-filled tales, but it was in the original Cybergoria that I swear I saw my son’s soul leave his body. The house was terrifying and yet I still managed to burst out laughing when a well-timed scareactor caught him completely unaware. Therein lies the magic of these events – they are scary and daring while also providing a shared release of laughter and collective celebration when you successfully exit after surviving the final scene. The collection of exclusive live spooky shows


are often as popular as the haunted houses themselves. Many even have cult-like fan followings. SeaWorld Orlando’s Jack the Ripper themed “Monster Stomp” is loud and has one of the most creative drumline-style performances I’ve ever seen. Six Flags Fiesta Texas consistently earns accolades for its original live shows “The Voodoo Dolls” and the new “Monster Mash Bash.” The shows vibrate with the energy and spirit guests bring to Halloween, combining live music, incredible performers and immersive lighting and set pieces. This year marks the end of one such show.


Since 1995, “Love at First Fright” has been a popular musical during Fright Fest at Mid America Adventure (formerly Six Flags St. Louis). The campy show follows Jack and Katie as they explore a graveyard and castle on Halloween night. Along the way they meet a creature-filled cast and perform live renditions of popular songs including Thriller, I Put A Spell On You, Monster Mash, Don’t Stop Me Now, Time Warp, You’re the One that I Want and more. Over the years, the script has been updated to include commentary and sarcastic asides about current events, but the core has always been the live musical set against a Halloween backdrop starring a dedicated and talented cast, many who come back to perform year after year. Throughout Fright Fest, most performances are standing room only, and now the sun is setting on this beloved tradition. Love at First Fright will have its last performance on November 1. I’m sure the park will resurrect an all-new show next season, but this year, one of the Midwest’s iconic, long-lasting Halloween traditions has reached its end, and with it the hope that Witchie finally found a brain for her Frankie. The 2026 Halloween season is special. October


has five Fridays and five Saturdays, there will be a meteor shower and a full moon. In other words – there is plenty of reason opportunity to be spellbound and brave your favorite park’s Halloween experience before it all…. expires.


OCTOBER 2026 5


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