WINDERMERE, Fla. — Enchanted Parks is ready for a fall filled with freaks, fear, frights, and family-focused experiences at its theme parks. Guests are invited to pick their own scare-venture and visit their favorite park for day-filled smiles and night-filled fear. From pint-sized treats and trails to evening scares, haunted mazes and creepy creatures around every corner, Enchanted Parks has something frightfully fun for everyone.
“Visiting a Halloween event at our parks is fall tradition for many of our guests and their families,” said James Harhi, chief executive officer, Enchanted Parks. “Our teams have put together incredible events, complete with live scareactors and monsters around every corner along with thrilling ride experiences under the night sky. While we are heavy on the frights and jumps scares, we did not forget our younger guests. Daytime events include costume contests, trick or treating and more. We look forward to seeing families visit their local park for a terror-ific time!”
“We are proud to announce we are joining FARE’s Teal Pumpkin Project™ and are providing food allergy safe trick or treating spots at all of our family-focused events,” Harhi continued. “We understand some families don’t feel comfortable taking part in some Halloween-themed activities because the risk of being exposed to an allergen is too high for their children. When families come out to our events, we want everyone to be able to take part and have a great time.”
Through the nonprofit FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education), the Teal Pumpkin Project encourages businesses hosting Halloween-themed events and individual families to offer non-food treats for trick or treaters with food allergies. The top nine most common allergens for those affected by food allergies are found in many traditional Halloween candies and treats, and some families avoid events to reduce the risk of an accidental exposure. As a Teal Pumpkin Project participant, Enchanted Parks is providing non-food options during its family-focused Halloween events.
Parks hosting Halloween-themed events during the day – and night – include Diggerland USA, Great Escape, Mid America Adventure, Water Safari, Worlds of Fun and Valleyfair. This year’s sinister synopsis:
Diggerland USA, West Berlin, NJ
Diggerfest at Diggerland USA
Pumpkins meet machines during Diggerfest, Diggerland USA’s family-focused fall festival. Running weekends through Nov. 15, Diggerfest pairs the park’s signature drive, ride and operate experience with fall decor, hayrides, bonfires and harvest season fun. Little ghouls and goblins are wear costumes and take part in Dig or Treat, the park’s construction-themed trick-or-treating from park opening until 12:30 p.m. and the parade through the park at 1 p.m.
Diggerfest highlights include fire truck rides, family hay rides, a farm animal petting zoo and the Parade of Machines. Families can also take part in pumpkin decorating, pipe-rolling games, and enjoy a bonfire complete with hot chocolate, s’mores and seasonal treats.
Great Escape, Queensbury, NY
Fright Fest at Great Escape
’90s grunge, sinister dolls and chilling musical storytelling headline Fright Fest at Great Escape. Complete with three new live shows, Fright Fest’s tradition of monsters on the midway returns Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 25. Four haunted houses and three scare zones beckon the bravest, while three new shows bring fresh fear to the park’s tradition of combining theatre with terror.
New shows include:
- PigFace – Set against a ’90s hiphop soundtrack, dolls come to life in this blood-soaked mainstage horror show, as PigFace stalks them one by one. When the dolls fight back in the deadly finale, the audience is invited to take part!
- Grunge Monsters – Singing and dancing monsters perform early ’90s grunge hits during this live show.
- Weird Tales Story Hour – Haunting narration and eerie songs while bringing chilling stories to life.
After surviving the shows, guests can creep through four haunted houses and three scare zones each with frightfully-themed lore and dozens of live monsters ready to shock, scare and startle. This year’s haunted houses, Nightmare, Skull Manor, CarnEVIL and Hell Block VI will test guests’ courage, while the immersive scare zones Dead in the West, Dark Oaks Graveyard and Sirens bring mayhem to the midway.
Boo Fest at Great Escape
The theme park is filled with giggles and treats on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. during the family-focused Boo Fest. Children are encouraged to arrive in Halloween style and take part in the park’s Costume Contest for the chance to winspecial prizes. Families can also sing and dance during the popular Monster Mash show withCount Dracula and his friendly and spooky friends.
Trick or Treating takes place each weekend at each Storytown house in Buckaroo Junction and kids can then run, twist and turn their way through the playful Hay Maze.
Boo Fest at Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark
Great Escape Lodge’s Boo Fest is the perfect way to be fully surrounded by Halloween from sun up to sundown. Family-friendly themed activities take over the Lodge each weekend through Oct. 31, allowing guests to pair seasonal fun with indoor waterpark play. Events around the Lodge include:
- Timbertown Monster Mayhem – Timbertown monsters roam the Lodge for meet and greets, hugs, photos and Halloween fun.
- Witch-Craft – The Kids Club features Halloween-themed crafts.
- Evening Halloween Dance Party – Music, dancing and festive fun in the lobby.
- Spooky Tales – Guests gather by the fireplace for family-friendly stories with a spooky twist.
Mid America Adventure, Eureka, MO
Fright Fest at Mid America Adventure
Fright Fest returns on select nights through November 1. The terrifying and fully immersive fright experiences include haunted attractions, scare zones, and Halloween themed shows.
Four haunted mazes headline Fright Fest’s horror-filled nights:
- Gordy’s Gruesome Revenge –The pumpkins in Gordy’s Pumpkin Patch come to life and he has vowed payback on those who turned his beautiful pumpkins into diabolical beings.
- Creatures of the Corn –In this abandonedcornfield the path is foggy, the terrain is tricky and the scarecrows are alive.
- Oddball’s Funhouse –Thishouse of warped and bizarre trickery is filled with laughing clowns and screaming guests.
- The Slaughter House –Chaos and fear await guests down confusing hallways, in caged rooms, among dangling body bags and through a maze of barrels.
Scare zones keep guests fully immersed throughout Fright Fest. Guests are encouraged to enter seven immersive realms complete with monsters and the park’s famous Freaks. This year’s scare zones include: Dreadwood Pass, Rottingham & Bones Graveyard, Sinister Clowns, Spider Alley – The Underground, Troll Bypass and Zombieville.
Live shows and productions at Mid America Adventure drive the excitement as monstertainers combine music, dance, special effects and sinister storytelling. Along with three new shows, this year marks the final season of the beloved and bewitching show, Love at First Fright. After 32 seasons, Witchie’s search for the perfect brain for her beloved Frankie is coming to an end.
As they move from scare to maze to show, Fright Fest guests can take a fear-break and enjoy an exclusive Fright Fest inspired menu featuring more than 25 food and beverage offerings including The Watcher non-alcoholic drink, Halloween themed waffle cones, Cajun Corn on the cobb, and Spooky Spud seasoned potatoes.
Kid’s Boo Fest at Mid America Adventure
Families can experience Halloween together throughout the entire park. Highlights include several all-new experiences:
- Kid’s Mash Bash – Bugs Bunny and friends invite kids to join them in a dance party filled with spooktacular Halloween themes songs.
- Gordy’s Candy Trail – Dressed in their Halloween costumes, little ghouls and goblins can visit Gordy’s Candy Trail for trick or treating with the park’s pumpkin patch characters.
- McBoogle’s Pathway – This walkthrough experience is an adventure starring the park’s favorite ghost family.
- “Who Stole My Candy?”– Hops and Hootenanny return with a new plan to swindle candy from unsuspecting riders on the park’s steam train.
- Spooky Stories with Jack – Families can attend this puppet show complete with spooky fun and a candy ending.
In addition, favorite Boo Fest traditions, the Creepy Castle kid-sized walkthrough and the Halloween rock show, the Smashing Lanterns, return for added seasonal delight.
Scary Good Deals await guests who purchase tickets now and use by Oct. 11. Guests can now buy a one single day ticket and automatically get one free. This limited time deal will disappear on Oct. 4.
Valleyfair, Shakopee, MN
ValleyScare at Valleyfair
ValleyScare, the Twin Cities’ largest Halloween-themed event transforms the into a chilling land filled with haunted mazes, immersive scare zones, live entertainment and intense scares. Running on select Friday and Saturday nights through Oct. 31, ValleyScare delivers six weeks of screams, surprises and unforgettable Halloween experiences.
Five original tales come to life within ValleyScare’s haunted houses:
- Berserkers: Valkyries’ Vengeance – A dark Norse nightmare filled with undead Vikings, monsters and ancient ruins.
- Cryptidland – A roadside attraction gone horribly wrong when legendary creatures become terrifyingly real.
- Mr. Cleaver’s Bloodshed – A relentless slaughterhouse experience for those who dare enter.
- The Chateau: 7 Deadly Scares – A haunted manor where the Seven Deadly Sins come to life as living nightmares.
- Undertakers – A haunted mortuary where restless spirits refuse to stay buried.
Once they escape the haunted houses, guests must sneak through four realms of all-new scare zone fear: the post-apocalyptic Signal Zero, dark magic of Hemlock’s Coven, horrors of Blood on the Boundary Waters, and fog- filled madness of CarnEVIL: Midway of Mayhem surround and scare guests with every step.
Tricks and Treats at Valleyfair
Families can enjoy the return of Tricks and Treats, Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 1. Created for the park’s youngest guests and their families, Tricks and Treats features festive fall décor, kid-friendly entertainment, seasonal treats, candy collecting, interactive activities and Halloween fun throughout the park.
Water Safari, Old Forge, NY
Autumn Adventure
Autumn Adventure at Water Safari transforms the park into a Halloween wonderland weekends through Oct. 24.
Families can trick or treat together as they stroll through Storybook Lane, pose for fall photos with Paul Bunyan, and ride the Sky Ride. The park’s rides are open and the Haunted Train experience beckons the bravest parents and kids. Throughout the day guests can take part in fall-themed activities, exclusive photo ops, tie-dye t-shirt-making, a Costume Contest and more.
Worlds of Fun, Kansas City, MO
Halloween Haunt at Worlds of Fun
Sinister scares await as Halloween Haunt takes over on select Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 31. The park fully transforms into a haunted playground complete with 15 fright-filled experiences.
New this year are three scare zones that pull guests into menacing stories that surround and scare with every step:
- Mr. Tickle’s Sideshow Alley – Expelled from the big top, Mr. Tickle’s band of merry malcontents welcome guests to their delirious sideshow in this new scare zone.
- Invasion – A horrible infestation has taken over the Serengeti Research Facility, leaving creepy crawlies lurking in the shadows.
- Necropolis – This ancient cemetery invites guests to explore but also understand where there’s always room for more residents.
After tiptoeing through a scare zone, or surviving a terrifying haunted house, guests can also tap into five electrifying new live entertainment experiences, including the all-new live show, Spellbound.
Tricks and Treats at Worlds of Fun
The park’s favorite family event with a spooky twist takes place on Saturdays and Sundays. Tricks and Treats includes “skele-TONS” of seasonal-themed food, specialty drinks and trick-or-treating for kids. Children can come to the park dressed in their Halloween costume and a take part in Count Snooptacula’s Costume Contest for the chance to win prizes for the cutest, scariest, and most original costumes.
Halloween at Worlds of Fun will also leave guests thirsting for more. The park has created a to die for menu featuring more than 15 new themed items that are available during both Tricks and Treats and Halloween Haunt.
Scary Good Deals await guests who purchase tickets now and use by Oct. 11. Guests can now buy a one single day ticket and automatically get one free. This limited time deal will disappear on Oct. 4.
Admission to all Halloween events at Enchanted Parks require a Season Pass or theme park ticket. Hours of operation vary by park, and guests are encouraged to visit the parks’ website to learn more.
