UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — Universal CityWalk rolls out a virtual pastel pink carpet to welcome the Hello Kitty and Friends Cafe, serving a scrumptious selection of sweet treats and specialty beverages, and the Sanrio Smile Shop, offering a variety of collectible merchandise featuring Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, Keroppi, Kuromi, My Melody, Badtz-maru and Chococat. Both venues open at Universal CityWalk on Friday, September 6, 2024.

The Hello Kitty and Friends Cafe and the Sanrio Smile Shop are located adjacent to one another at the heart of Universal CityWalk and complement the Animation Studio Store located within Universal Studios Hollywood which features a wide selection of Hello Kitty merchandise including exclusive items only found at Universal Studios Hollywood.

The Hello Kitty and Friends Cafe, adorned with a giant signature Hello Kitty bow and framed by a pastel pink and white awning, will welcome guests to enjoy a unique, grab-and-go menu with the option to dine at any one of umbrella-covered tables located just outside the walk-up venue. The Hello Kitty and Friends Cafe is the first of its kind to open in Los Angeles.

The all-new Hello Kitty and Friends Cafe will offer a Sanrio-themed menu that presents an array of whimsical creations that include:

Desserts

• Hello Kitty® Mousse Dome – A red chocolate dome-shaped caked with cinnamon mousse, apple pie filling and cinnamon streusel
• Seasonal Mousse Domes – Seasonal dome cakes inspired by Hello Kitty’s friends crafted uniquely based on their personalities and composed of chocolate mousse and a delicious combination of fruit fillings and sponge cake
• Strawberry Cake – Vanilla sponge cake, strawberry jam and whipped white chocolate ganache
• Berry & Cream Churro – Berry stuffed churro with cream cheese frosting
• Birthday Cake – Confetti cake layered with white chocolate mousse topped with whipped white chocolate ganache
• Macaron Set – A set of raspberry, caramel, vanilla, pistachio and chocolate macarons
• Hello Kitty Cookie – A Hello Kitty-shaped sugar cookie topped with royal icing and rainbow sprinkles

Beverages

• Hello Kitty® Strawberry Green Iced Tea – Strawberry green tea, pink sugar rim with strawberries and mint
• My Melody™ Lemonade – Strawberry lemonade, yellow sugar rim, garnished with strawberries and a lemon wheel
• Kuromi™ Berry Iced Tea – Blackberry tea, purple sugar rim and served with blackberry and mint
• Tuxedosam™ Lemonade – Blue raspberry lemonade, pink sugar rim served and a lemon wheel
• Keroppi™ Matcha Latte – Frozen matcha latte topped with whipped cream and matcha powder
• Chococat™ Frozen Mocha – Frozen coffee, chocolate boba, whipped cream topped with chocolate sprinkles

The new Sanrio Smile Shop, located next to the Hello Kitty and Friends Cafe, celebrates all things Sanrio and Hello Kitty. Guests are invited to embrace the cheerful spirit of Hello Kitty and her closest friends, Cinnamoroll, Keroppi, Kuromi, My Melody, Badtz-maru and Chococat, with a wide selection of themed collectibles perfect for enthusiasts and novice fans alike.  Iconic statement pieces in vibrant colors with iconic motifs will include such favorites as backpacks with Hello Kitty’s iconic bow, stylish Spirit Jersey®), embellished hats, specialty cups and mugs, collectible pins, t-shirts, plush toys, keychains, jewelry, phone cases, lanyards and much more.

Within the Sanrio Smile Shop, shoppers can also celebrate the charm of the Hello Kitty and Friends Cafe with an exclusive new line of curated merchandise that pays homage to the Cafe by offering guests the opportunity to bring home a piece of its super cute atmosphere. The all-new Hello Kitty and Friends Cafe-themed merchandise is only available at the Sanrio Smile Shop with additional products being added throughout the rest of the year.

The shop also features a dynamic in-store photo op spotlighting Hello Kitty and the Sanrio characters, a perfect shareable moment for fans to enjoy.

Hello Kitty continues to bring her message of friendship and kindness to Universal Studios Hollywood theme park where she meets with guests in a dedicated area adjacent to the Animation Studio Store which offers exclusive merchandise that celebrates her status as a global pop icon.  This year, in honor of her 50^th anniversary, Hello Kitty also debuted a soft pastel pink flowy dress, embodying the perfect blend of timeless charm and elegance to commemorate her milestone moment as she poses alongside guests for memorable photo ops. 

Cincinnati favorite, Nick Lachey, spent part of his Labor Day weekend at Kings Island riding roller coasters. The 98 Degrees band member and star of the hit Netflix show, “Love is Blind” spent Sunday riding the park’s roller coasters including Orion, Diamondback, Mystic Timbers, Banshee and even the newest roller coaster, Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers. Kings Island is open on Monday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and then will close until the park’s Halloween Haunt opens on September 20.

Embed, the world’s FEC tech partner of choice for the amusement, entertainment, and leisure industries is set to showcase its breakthrough innovations at IAAPA Expo Europe in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, from 24 to 26 September 2024.

Market research sets the Europe family entertainment market share at US$1.82 billion, projected to secure a CAGR of 7.4% by the end of 2031. Key trends include the increasing demand for interactive and personalised experiences through mobile apps and digital platforms, a drive for the adoption of eco-friendly practices, and effective digital marketing as a vital growth driver to boost guest numbers.

“These dynamics are shaping the Europe market and are the reasons why we’ll be demonstrating the power of our Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions at the show,” explains Renee Welsh, CEO at Embed. “Since its launch in 2019, our award-winning Mobile Wallet is still the only Apple and Google-certified FEC solution. This virtual game card is a response to the growing demand for more personalised and contactless means (mobile payments) of transacting with businesses. Likewise, as operators seek higher profitability from reloads and return visits, and more business visibility, our STATS business intelligence dashboard enables them to use their games and guest data to design (future-forecasting) better experiences, value, and promotional offers and communicate these more effectively through digital marketing. This way, guests can play more with every visit and enjoy the best value while operators can take a step back and enjoy transformational business growth.”

Embed’s Mobile Wallet 2022-2023 metric results from its customers show a whopping 5x increase in average reload value ($50.57) compared to cash ($9.90) and credit card ($31.95), with 60% of reloads happening before guests arrive at the FEC. With STATS, powered by Amazon Web Services, operators have real-time visibility to their FEC data like game performance, revenue prediction based on retro data, inventory, and even manpower allocation.

Known for its tech partnership with Apple, Google, and Amazon Web Services, the solutions provider will exhibit its system’s reliability at the show – from its solutions to its payment processing gateway:

“We are always on the lookout for what hinders our customers’ potential for transformational growth and expansion – and one of them is losses from credit card processing fees or hidden merchant fees from their payment providers,” says Jeremy Dickamore, Payment Gateway Guru at Embed. “That’s why we are offering free cost-savings analysis/consultations at the show to help operators cut their losses and see the savings they can get from simply switching to another provider.”

Embed is raising awareness of losing revenue from paying published rates instead of effective rates (inclusive of different, fluctuating fees). CMO and Growth Officer Sara Paz explains, “We are challenging our partners and operators to stop and think twice about their payment provider. This means it’s business as usual even when the internet is down thanks to manual transaction processing; it’s security from fraudulent transactions and chargebacks with 3D Secure 2.2; it’s pricing transparency for effective budgeting; it’s saving money from better rates so you can keep as much of the revenue you’ve earned. And, it’s protecting our customers from getting duped by dual pricing schemes (and outsmarting those cons) because members of the Embed family enjoy the most competitive processing rates, highest security measures, and highest reliability.”

“This is the Embed difference,” adds CEO Renee Welsh. “After decades of being a family-owned company with deep roots in the family entertainment business, we know it’s not enough to offer the best cashless business solution and then watch operators get straddled with a payment processor that absorbs their revenue with hidden merchant fees. We’re doing something life-changing about it! It’s how Embed layers value for our customers – enabling them to maximise their system to transform their businesses.”

True to its service and reliability, Embed helped a customer to save US $56,000 a year by helping the business transition to another payment gateway provider – that’s more than half a million dollars in 10 years – it’s a life changer.

With recent global network outages, system integration issues, and lack of data stability plaguing industries across the globe (including players in this industry and their FEC customers, except Embed), Embed is taking its impeccable system reliability record to Europe to ensure FECs get the best system to deliver a superior guest experience and business longevity:

“We partner with the world’s best tech partners so we can deliver a system architecture that’s built to work even during network outages,” comments CTO Andy Welsh. “At a time when system reliability is a hot topic in the industry, we are in the strategic position to respond to the need for trusted tech partners. We partner with Amazon Web Services (AWS) for their data centres and tech development and maximise Apple and Google’s pilot tech for our innovations – that’s why we’re confident that the Embed family of FECs is in good hands. Embed is an example that tech partners matter! If you don’t recognise your tech partner’s technology partners, then your business is at risk.”

Embed is also set to showcase its latest innovations like the smarter, faster, and supercharged smartTOUCH™+, with its supercharged 512 MB DDR3 RAM; faster 528 Mhz processing power; supersized 4 GB storage; super signal at 23 dBm; and data transmission at 2.4 and 5 Ghz; the game-changing space-saver KIOSK+, game cards, RFID wearables, and more.

Catch the Embed team at IAAPA Expo Europe from 24 to 26 September at the RAI Convention Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

BOTTROP-KIRCHHELLEN — The flames of hell are already blazing, and darkness is casting its shadow. In just a few weeks, the gates of doom will open again at Movie Park Germany and the Halloween Horror Festival will ring in its 26th apocalypse! Europe’s biggest Halloween event has forged a blood-fresh pact with the devil and challenges its guests with an extensive Halloween program.

In the new live show “Unhallowed – The Freak Show Straight Out of Hell” in Studio 7, illusionist Christian Farla and his team make nightmares come true on stage. The demon of the underworld and a heavenly priest engage in a fierce battle for the soul of a young woman, testing the limits of the audience. Over 280 monsters, eight horror houses, four scare zones, the 4-D movie “The Conjuring”, DJ Max Bering and the popular hypno-casting with Stephan Nölle will also be back at the darkest time of the year.

“After our big anniversary last year, Movie Park Germany is ready for even more Halloween and horror!” says General Manager Thorsten Backhaus. “This year, we have once again put together a suitable entertainment program for all horror fans.”

On a total of 24 event days between September 28 and November 10, 2024, the Horrorwood Studios will welcome all brave guests who dare explore the dark side of the park under this year’s motto “Stay Quiet, Stay Alive”.

But there is still one part of the program that the park is keeping QUIET about: A new horror house in Studio 1 is on the dark conspiracy schedule to match this year’s theme. Its well-kept secret will be revealed in the coming days.

Demons conquer the spotlight: entertainment and show program
As part of its long-term collaboration with Christian Farla, Movie Park Germany is presenting the new live show “Unhallowed – The Freak Show Straight out of Hell” in Studio 7 for the first time. The park can not only rely on the magical talents of the renowned illusionist, but also on his technical production skills. The award-winning Dutchman developed the new 30-minute freak show and storyline for Movie Park and brought ten talented artists into his team for the implementation on stage. The opening sequence of the new show was inspired by “The Exorcist”, which is considered one of the most famous horror movies of all time. A total of one year’s work was invested in the project.

In contrast to the family-friendly magic show that guests were able to experience this summer, this show by Farla Stage Showproductions is all about horror and freaks, who wander between heaven and hell. In addition to some magical elements, a sword swallower, a contortionist and a fire-spitter will scare and shock the audience.

Movie Park Germany and Christian Farla recently signed a three-year contract to extend their collaboration for the park’s show program. Fans of the illusionist can therefore look forward to some surprises in the future.

Coming soon: Europe’s largest indoor horror house awaits its awakening
In May 2024, the final curtain fell for the “Project Ningyo” maze. After a complete gutting of Studio 1, the park’s biggest horror experience to date is now moving in. The floor area of the original maze of over 1000 m² / 10764 ft² is now being expanded to 1400 m² / 15070 ft². This makes the new project Europe’s largest indoor horror house to date. The staging of the experience is also new: a mixture of large rooms and narrow passages will be used to play with the guests’ fears in a total of eight detailed scenes.

“As with a real movie production, set construction and lighting play an important role. The 15-metre- high studio hall offers the ideal conditions for this,” says Halloween Project Manager Manuel Prossotowicz.

Following the success of “Final Stop” last year, the collaboration with long-standing partner IMAmotion will continue. IMAmotion does not only take charge of the conception, design and planning for the new horror house, but is also responsible for the realization of the experience this time.

The gates of doom open: eight horror houses, four scare zones, 4-D movie, hypnosis show, DJ live act and march of the monsters
For the 26th apocalypse at Horrorwood Studios, guests can look forward to even more! The well- known mazes “Hell House”, “Secrets of St. Elmo”, “The Curse of Chupacabra”, “Circus of Freaks” and last year’s novelties “Final Stop” and “Murder Museum” will also herald doom in the tried and tested manner. ‘The Slaughterhouse’ will also receive a small upgrade.

The Roxy 4-D theater could not be freed from the evil demons last fall. That is why it will be haunted again this year. With “The Conjuring”, one of the most successful Halloween movies of recent years flickers across the screen and allows guests to become part of a paranormal experience that culminates in an exorcism.

The march of the monsters will once again ring in the Halloween event days and will be led by the dark ruler of the Horrorwood Studios – the diabolical movie clapperboard S.I.K. This year, the flock of dark creatures will cover the entire route of the regular Movie Park parade and thus present an extended edition of the Halloween parade.

To make musical shreds fly as well, the next Halloween party with DJ Max Bering takes place in the scare zone “Acid Rain”. The DJ known from PAROOKAVILLE will once again provide the soundtrack for all those who want to include a party scene in their personal horror movie.

Anyone seeking refuge from the demons on the streets is in devilishly good hands at the Warsteiner Saloon in the “Hillbilly Town” themed area: The ‘hypnosis casting’ blurs the boundaries between reality and illusion. Master of the senses Stephan Nölle is preparing his casting studio in the saloon again and can hardly wait to take guests into the subconscious with his hypnosis art.

Further highlights of the 26^th Halloween Horror Festival
After dark, the scary editions of some coasters await guests! The “Movie Park Studio Tour – Final Cut” goes into operation. Meanwhile, the “Baboo Twister Express” lurks in the Western area. This year again, the Halloween version of the suspended looping coaster draws visitors into new in- between worlds with light effects and rock music. The wooden coaster “The Bandit” also shines in a play of colors. For “Star Trek™: Operation Enterprise”, a new lighting concept was invested in this year to further enhance the ride experience even in the dark hours.

A small food mile will be created on the forecourt of the “Baboo Twister Express”. In addition, Van Helsing’s Club will offer a themed Halloween buffet with appetizers, main course and desserts.

This year for the first time, guests have the opportunity to book a special group offer for groups of 25 people or more, exclusively before their Halloween adventure, in the new BBQ area of the California Coffee – and get in the mood for the dark park atmosphere. More information can be found on the park’s website.

A Special Event Day on October 12 will show that Halloween can spread more than fear. Together with the US initiative “Haunters Against Hate”, the park’s Halloween team and the more than 280 monsters at Horrorwood Studios will set an example for tolerance and equality. In addition to a large Halloween parade, the park will be symbolically lit up in rainbow colors in some places.

Where there is shadow, there is also light: Families who find demons and monsters too scary can also experience the friendly side of Halloween at Movie Park. The popular Halloween for Kids will take place again this year with some new features and offer a family-friendly option. More information will follow shortly.

Tickets for the Halloween Horror Festival
Movie Park admission tickets include park admission and the Halloween Horror Festival with spooky atmosphere on the streets and ominous encounters with the monsters in four scare zones. Due to high demand in recent years, Movie Park Germany strongly recommends that all Halloween fans purchase a ticket online. However, the box offices will be open for all spontaneous visitors.

Timeslot tickets for the horror houses, however, can only be purchased online and must be booked in addition to park admission. Tickets will be available as usual from Mid-September at www.moviepark.de/extras. The park will soon inform about this on its social media platforms.

This year, in addition to a “S.I.K. Speedy Pass”, which includes quick access to five mazes and the new freak show, there will also be a VIP version. The “S.I.K. VIP Pass” allows guests to visit all mazes including the new 2024 attraction and grants reserved seating in the new freak show, a VIP parking space next to the ticket offices and access to the S.I.K. Lounge including free drinks.

Due to the high demand last year, it will only be possible to book the backstage tour as a separate component this year. The days on which the backstage tour will take place will be announced on the website in the next few days.

ORLANDO — Let the horror commence… Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort opens tonight, unleashing a new slate of frights and nightmare-inducing terror upon guests. Running 48 select nights now through November 3, the world’s premier Halloween event is back for its 33^rd year with 10 all-new movie-quality haunted houses and five spine-chilling scare zones inspired by cinematic greats and eerie original stories created by Universal Orlando’s Entertainment team. And in-between the screams, guests can enjoy an energetic live show, fuel up for the next round of scares with delicious food and beverage items inspired by the event’s haunts, shop the latest merchandise at the highly-themed Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store, and so much more.

See below for an overview of the terrifying experiences that await guests at Halloween Horror Nights 2024:

10 CHILLING HAUNTED HOUSES
As guests brave this year’s lineup of 10 frightening haunted houses, they will:

• need to silence their screams as they enter a terrifying post-apocalyptic world in “A Quiet Place,” where they will follow the Abbott family as they try to escape monstrous creatures with a sharp sense of hearing – ready to hunt down anyone who dares to make a sound;
• be transported to New York City in “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” where fans will team up with Ghostbusters new and old to protect the city from a second Ice Age as the vengeful spirit of Garraka threatens to freeze everyone to death;
• travel deeper into a paranormal dimension of tortured souls and demonic entities as they follow in the footsteps of the Lambert family in “Insidious: The Further;”
• find themselves in the center of the ultimate battle between two unexpected alliances of classic female Universal Monsters – Saskia Van Helsing, Bride of Frankenstein, She-Wolf, and Anck-Su-Namun in “Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines;”
• scream their way through six original haunted houses created by the twisted minds of Universal Orlando’s award-winning Entertainment team, including:
  • “Slaughter Sinema 2,” where guests will head to the Carey Drive-in for a B-movie horror marathon full of spaghetti westerns, grindhouse gore and more;
  • “Goblin’s Feast,” where hordes of bloodthirsty goblins, orcs, hobgoblins, and witches welcome new visitors to their village for dinner;
  • “Major Sweets Candy Factory,” where guests join a field trip to a candy factory, only to realize the free samples have transformed the kids into candy-coated killers;
  • “The Museum: Deadly Exhibits,” which will transport guests to the new folklore museum, The Rolling Stone, where there is evil lurking within, ready to destroy everything in its path;
  • “Monstrous: The Monsters of Latin America,” home to the blood-sucking Tlahuelpuchi, owl-faced witch La Lechuza and bone-ripping El Silbón who can’t wait to prey upon guests;
  • and “Triplets of Terror,” where guests will celebrate the Barmy triplet’s birthday and soon realize they celebrate by recreating their family’s horrifying murders.

FIVE TERRIFYING SCARE ZONES
This year’s event will introduce two new hosts of horror, SINIST3R and SURR3AL, who are reigning the streets of Universal Studios Florida and unleashing the horror that awaits within five scare zones. As guests navigate the park, they’ll try to evade hordes of menacing scareactors stalking their every move as they: 

• choose a path between SINIST3R, the manifestation of visceral horror, or follow SURR3AL, the incarnation of unearthly terror in “Duality of Fear;”
• brave the gloriously gory homemade torture devices ‘til they are put out of their misery in SINIST3R’s renaissance faire, “Torture Faire;”
• get caught in an otherworldly hellscape in “Demon Queens,” where four merciless queens loyal to SURR3AL rule;
• wander onto private property in “Swamp of the Undead,” where they are surrounded by zombies borne from the bodies of other brave trespassers;
• escape a terrifying gauntlet of Blumhouse characters in “Enter the Blumhouse,” including M3GAN, sinister sadists from The Purge and Black Phone, and more.

ALL-NEW ENTERTAINMENT, SINFULLY DELICIOUS FOOD, AND IMMERSIVE RETAIL EXPERIENCES
In between the screams, guests can enjoy:

• Nightmare Fuel: Nocturnal Circus – an energetic live show featuring a new nightmare set in a dark circus, full of pyro and aerialists to the beat of rock rhythms;
• an all-new highly-themed Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store where guests can shop the latest Halloween Horror Nights merchandise as they are transported to the back alleys of New York Citywhere an ancient evil has been unleashed;
• an all-new food & beverage menu inspired by this year’s haunts, including items like Pork Carniceria (“Monstrous: The Monsters of Latin America”), Mini Stay-Puft S’mores (“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire”), Abbott’s Farm Corn Chowder (“A Quiet Place”), and fan-favorites like Twisted Taters.

EXCLUSIVE HALLOWEEN EXPERIENCES AT UNIVERSAL ORLANDO’S HOTELS
To complete the ultimate Halloween Horror Nights getaway, the horror will expand to all Universal Orlando hotels with Halloween-themed lobby décor – including a web of sinister roots and pumpkins that have taken over the lobby and the Swizzle Lounge at Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort; creepy driftwood structures and spirits from the dead sea haunting Universal Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn and Suites; the transformation of Loews Sapphire Falls Resort into a dark seaside gothic manor, and alien overlords have descended upon Universal Aventura Hotel.  Guests will also enjoy spooky photo opps and specialty drinks during their stay, in addition to other benefits including access to a dedicated Halloween Horror Nights entrance gate exclusively for Universal Orlando hotel guests for faster entry into the event, plus free transportation to Universal Orlando’s theme parks and Universal CityWalk before and after the scares.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld San Antonio is back and scarier than ever! From haunted happenings to spine-tingling surprises, SeaWorld transforms into the biggest and scariest Halloween event in the state of Texas on select days from Friday, September 13 until October 27. As the moon rises, guests can immerse themselves in an unforgettable Halloween experience that includes six haunts, eight terror-tories (including one all-new!) and a new party zone.

SeaWorld has elevated every single element of Howl-O-Scream for 2024, creating an unmatched experience of eerie entertainment, hair-raising shows and a variety of delectably daring food and drink options. Around every corner, in every nook and cranny, are all-new and enhanced scares and scenes that will unsettle even the bravest souls. The frights begin as night descends on the park and are included with general SeaWorld admission.

New this year is Till Death Do Us Party, an eerie enchantment of a party zone where the celebration of a wedding takes a chilling turn. This whimsical party zone is set with a live band and a ghastly bar with a selection of elixirs for the 21 and up crowd. It’s the perfect spot for an eternal reception, where guests can toast and celebrate the newlyweds… or newlyDEADS.

The suspense and terror intensify this year as guests can also experience a new terror-tory, Colleen’s Dollhouse. The dolls emerge from their hiding places as the sun sets – eyes glinting with a disturbing gleam and their painted smiles twisted into grimaces of hunger. This spine-chilling street is where childhood nightmares come to life as a parade of porcelain figures lurk in the shadows. 

Horrifying Returning Experiences Will Send Chills Up and Down Guests’ Spines
Back and scarier than ever are returning frightful favorites including Bunny Bradley’s Ice Cream Shoppe, Milton Creek Manor, The Swamp at Blackwater Bayou, Zombie Horde, Dis-Assembly Line and Atlantis-The Cursed Chasm. The pathways around the park aren’t safe from the scares as guests will encounter creepy creatures inhabiting eight different frightening terror-tories. Returning this year are Ripper Row, Vampire Point, SINdustry District, Blackwater Bayou, Water’s Edge and Nightmare Midway. These, combined with the new Colleen’s Dollhouse, ensure that pathways are full of suspense and terror, and feature blood thirsty vampires, mysterious water creatures, terrifying zombies, dark bayou mutants, deadly dolls, and a community of mysterious Victorian souls.

Howl-O-Scream also returns with the popular Monster Stomp, a sinister song and devilish dance show that will wrap guests up in murderous mischief, and features a live band, singers, and dancers!

Not-So-Scary Halloween Fun
Those not into frights can enjoy not-so-scary fun during the day starting September 12 during Spooktacular, SeaWorld’s kid-friendly event designed for the whole family! The not-so-spooky daytime fun includes a corn maze, Spookley the Square Pumpkin, Ports o’ Skull, in-park trick-or-treating, and the Sesame Street Halloween Parade! Available during both daytime and nighttime hours, Día de los Muertos celebrates a tradition close to the hearts of all in the South Texas region with sugar skull characters, traditional music, and an altar to honor those who have crossed over.

While parents enjoy the haunted thrills of Howl-O-Scream, youngsters are safe from the scares while playing games, crafting and learning about animals at Spook-Camp-ular! Parents can drop off their little ones with SeaWorld camp counselors, and they will steer clear of the scarier zones of the park. The evening will be filled with crafts and visiting sharks, stingrays, colorful fish and dolphins on a private tour. Campers will be provided dinner and a snack. Camp hours are from 6pm until park closing and is for children ages six to twelve.

Guests wanting to experience the Howl-O-Scream sights but not the scary startles can purchase a No Boo Necklace. These colorful light-up necklaces are Halloween themed and notify scare performers along pathways and terror-tories to steer clear and avoid startle scares. Park goers can also enjoy fun interactive necklaces that react to the environments by flashing and spewing an eerie watery mist!

Best Way to Play
The best way to experience Howl-O-Scream, Spooktacular, seasonal events, and all of the amazing animals and rides that SeaWorld has to offer is with the new 2025 Season Pass. For a limited time, guests who purchase a Season Pass will get unlimited admission for all of 2025, Aquatica (Texas’ best waterpark) for free, free parking, and the rest of 2024 for free, all for only $92.99 – the best price of the year! For even more unbeatable benefits, guests can upgrade to a SeaWorld Annual Pass for as low as $9.99/month. With an Annual Pass, guests will enjoy 12 months of visits with special benefits like free parking, free guest tickets, access to special VIP events, savings on merchandise and more!

ORLANDO — Ripley’s Believe It or Not! proudly announces the acquisition of a remarkable collection of nearly complete set of Olympic torches.

Ripley’s compilation of Olympic torches now stands as one of the world’s largest and most valuable private collections. It showcases a remarkable 116 torches with a more than $10 million combined value. The company’s most recent purchase of 45 torches from a private collector has further enhanced the existing Ripley collection.

“The Ripley collection of authentic Olympic Torches rivals any in the World. The Olympic Museum (founded by the International Olympic Committee) in Switzerland and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado feature ‘complete’ collections, including authorized replicas of Innsbruck 1964. “Many of the earlier games produced very small numbers of torches, most of which are in museums, making a complete private collection a challenging feat,” noted Ripley’s Director of Exhibits, John Corcoran.

Ripley’s collection remains unmatched, with rare highlights including:

• The 1936 Berlin Games torch, which is highly coveted and historically significant, as this was the first time the torch relay was introduced.
• The 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics torch, signifying the first time the Games were held in the U.S. and a new standard for Olympic presentations thanks to pageantry committee chairman Walt Disney.
• All seven versions of the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics torch. The creation of different versions of this torch was due to design flaws that caused burns on torch bearer’s hands.
• The most recent 2024 Paris Olympic torch.
• The most valuable torch in the collecting world, the 1952 Helsinki Olympics torch.

Ripley’s collection is now only missing the 1964 Innsbruck torch, of which only two were made.

Ripley’s plans to display this collection of Olympic torches – along with other Olympic and Paralympic items, including a torch signed by Muhammad Ali – at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! attractions around the world.

ORLANDO — LIVE! AT THE POINTE, Orlando’s highly anticipated dining, entertainment, nightlife and social destination opening at Pointe Orlando, has announced that it will open to the public on THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2024 AT 9PM. The 73,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor destination is bringing an unmatched food and beverage, social, nightlife and special event experience to Orlando’s tourism corridor, creating a unique block party atmosphere for locals and tourists alike.

The multi-concept district will showcase nationally acclaimed and new-to-market brands when it debuts this September including Sports & Social, PBR Cowboy Bar, Houndsmen Lounge, and Shark Bar. The recently announced Palm Tree Club, a two-level restaurant and nightlife concept founded by globally renowned DJ and record producer, Kygo (Kyrre Gorvell Dahll) and his manager Myles Shear, will open in October.

The four-day grand opening celebration will include a full lineup of live music kicked off by national DJ and reality personality James Kennedy on Thursday and internationally recognized Dominican band Oro Solido on Friday, as well as special events, premier sports watch activations and more all weekend long. All grand opening festivities are free to the public. Parking at the Pointe Orlando parking garage will be validated with any purchase from a Live! at The Pointe Orlando business for grand opening weekend and ongoing operations.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — International Ride Training (IRT), a leader in safety training and operational consulting for the amusement industry, has been on an upward trajectory in the last year, adding new clients from around the world to its iROC Program.

iROC, which stands for International Ride Operator Certification, was designed by International Ride Training and includes all the tools and resources necessary for an attractions facility to succeed in implementing and maintaining compliance with the “Ten Critical Components of Ride Operator Safety”. iROC third-party certification helps with standardization, risk management, education, support, and communication, all to improve guest and operator safety.

“International Ride Training has seen significant growth over the past year, with new clients joining the iROC family of world-class facilities, the expansion of the program into Europe, the rollout of iROC Program materials in multiple languages, and the addition of new members to the IRT team,” said Erik Beard, Managing Member and General Counsel of IRT.

In just the past year, Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark, Kennywood Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ripley’s Super Fun Park and Mountain Coaster, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Rye Playland, Rye, New York, and Dreamworld and WhiteWater World, Gold Coast, Australia have all entered the iROC program, bringing the total number of certified facilities to 54 across North America, Europe, and Australia.

Beard added, “Looking ahead to 2025, we are excited to see our growth continue both domestically and abroad. IRT views the iROC Program as a partnership with our clients and we strive every year to find innovative ways, from new services to new technologies to new training and accountability strategies, to provide them with the highest quality service to effectively manage their ride operations risk profile.”

Lou Axt, Rides and Aquatics Operations Manager at Adventureland Park in Altoona, Iowa, an iROC Facility since 2022, recently commented, “iROC has been transformative at Adventureland. The rides department is safer, more consistent and more professional as a result of IROC standards adoption.”

Kasper Schumacher, COO of Tivoli Gardens, has similar thoughts.  “iROC has improved Tivoli’s already high safety standards to the next level and it is fantastic to experience how our ride operators have received the iROC program. Furthermore, iROC has structured our training so we ensure that all our staff are well trained and skillful ride operators that comply with the same standards. We believe that when our staff are resourceful and highly motivated it will result better guest experiences. We are increasingly seeing the results of the of our hard work and iROC.”

In 2024 alone, there are currently more than 3300 iROC-certified Instructors and Trainers and more than 12,600 iROC-certified operators throughout the world. IRT has also conducted 75 iROC Certification Facility Audits and approximately 800 individual ride certification audits so far in 2024.

“Our partnership with our clients provides a personalized level of service while maintaining consistent, safe operating standards that cross both corporate and national borders,” said Beard. “The iROC Standards of Performance have been developed and honed through a collaboration between IRT and its world-class clients for over a decade. They are not only safe, but practical in their execution regardless of the age or sophistication of ride operations staff.  They are specifically developed to be flexible and adaptable as new ride technologies emerge.  We enjoy long-standing relationships with our clients – a sign of the continuing support and partnership we have developed with each of them – and that is something that IRT never takes for granted.”

IRT will be holding its Annual “Ride Camp” Safety School on February 10-14, 2025, at the Historic Galveston Island Pleasure Pier in Galveston, Texas. Clients from around the world will send their teams to this one-week intensive training program, preparing Instructors and Trainers for the 2025 Summer Season.

For more information about International Ride Training, its services, and Ride Camp, please visit ridetraining.com.

IRVING, Texas — Chuck E. Cheese, the #1 destination for family entertainment, is thrilled to announce new developments in its ongoing partnership with the American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC). This collaboration aims to create more accessible and enjoyable experiences for all children, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

New Sign-Along Videos on Chuck E. Cheese YouTube
We are excited to announce the release of our first Sign-Along videos in American Sign Language (ASL), which will be rolling out during the month of September on the official Chuck E. Cheese YouTube channel and broadcasting across the Chuck E. Cheese in-store media platform. These videos are a testament to the brand’s commitment of providing accessible content for all kids to enjoy.

Fundraising for National Deaf Awareness Month
This September, in honor of National Deaf Awareness Month, Chuck E. Cheese locations will host national in-store fundraisers benefiting ASDC. From September 1-30, Chuck E. Cheese guests will be encouraged to donate by rounding up their purchases to the next dollar at registers at fun centers nationwide. On September 29th, Chuck E. Cheese will donate 20% of all sales made at participating locations to the 501(c)3 organization when guests mention ‘ASDC’ at checkout. This portion of proceeds will directly support ASDC’s mission of empowering children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Bring your family and friends to join in the fun while supporting a great cause.

Employee Training
In collaboration with ASDC, Chuck E. Cheese will launch a series of training videos for team members across all fun centers this Fall. These videos will focus on teaching basic deaf culture, a variety of greetings in ASL, plus best practices for serving and interacting with guests who are deaf or hard of hearing, ensuring a welcoming and accommodating environments for all.

“At Chuck E. Cheese, we believe in creating fun and memorable experiences for every child and family,” said Alejandra Brady, Sr. Director of Communications and DEI, CEC Entertainment. “Our partnership with the American Society for Deaf Children reflects our commitment to inclusivity and accessibility. We’re excited about these new initiatives and look forward to continuing our support for the deaf community and beyond.”

“At the American Society for Deaf Children, we believe that every child deserves the opportunity to experience joy and connection in spaces that embrace their unique needs,” said Cheri Dowling, Executive Director of the American Society for Deaf Children. “Our partnership with Chuck E. Cheese is a testament to our shared dedication to inclusivity and accessibility. We’re thrilled to work together on these exciting new initiatives and to continue advocating for environments where Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children can thrive and create lasting memories.”