Halloween has become one of the most profitable dates in the retail and leisure calendars, along with Christmas, Easter and New Year. Having traditionally been a time for children to dress up in scary costumes and trick or treat the households in their local areas, it seems that adults now wish to share the fun too.
As a result, retail properties, bars and even theme parks have decided to grab themselves a piece of the action, with the majority currently indulging in decorations, themes and costumes for their staff in order to drum up some business.
No-one, however, launches itself into Halloween more enthusiastically than Staffordshire theme park Alton Towers, which attracts thousands of people to its annual Scare Fest. For a two week period between the 19th and 31st October, the park throws itself whole heartedly into giving its visitors a day out that they will never forget.
Already famed for terrifying thrill seekers with its free-fall Oblivion ride, organisers of Scare Fest decided to make this rollercoaster a little more unnerving by extending opening hours to 9pm. This means that visitors have the option of riding some of the UK’s most frightening rollercoasters in the dark, which is a whole new experience for anyone who has simply bought tickets for the usual opening hours previously.
The darkness gives a whole new feeling of disorientation, plus with the park below illuminated by millions of lights brought in to lend an eerie glow to proceedings, every ride feels that little bit more risky.
Alton Towers itself is transformed into a gloomy haunted mansion, with a maze entitled “The Sanctuary” taking over a large part of the building. Another maze, “The Carnival of Screams”, lies just outside and transports guests to a disused circus ground, inhabited by terrifying apparitions and crazed clowns ready to catch the unwary explorer.
Even areas of the park which have not been filled with (very convincing) actors manage to induce a feeling of dread in those who linger after dark. Wandering through the Gloomy Wood, a natural forest lying within the boundaries of the theme park, induces paranoia in even the most hardened of Halloween participants – the sense of eyes watching from between the trees and figures shifting in the shadows certainly encourages a quickening of both walking speed and heart rate!
Overall, Alton Towers provides the ultimate Halloween experience for all ages, being a perfect way of shaking up the standard trick or treat routine with the kids this half term. Other options such as face painting, specialist children’s rides given a special Halloween twist and scary zombies wandering around all day ensure that even the youngest member of your family will enjoy their day out – the adults in the party may be interested to know that under 4s gain free entry to the theme park!
Unfortunately, the day may prove to be rather costly for many people, especially considering that Britain has just last week left one of the longest recessions since war times. Standard entry per adult is £45, and with thousands of visitors crowding through the gates during this popular annual event, purchasing a fast track for any rides you particularly wish to experience is also recommended. This can cost anything between £3 and £5 per ride, or special group fast track options are available which give a slight discount.
The two mazes also come at a cost, priced £9 per person earlier on and rising to £11 per person in the early evening. Taking food and drink into account, as well as dryer costs or ponchos for anyone brave enough to face the water rides, a family of four could end up paying in excess of £100 for the day. Although you get a lot for your money in terms of enjoyment, it is best to prepare yourself before checking your bank balance the next day – in fact, this could well be the scariest part of the experience for some!
Cheaper Halloween options are, of course, available. Most pubs and bars get into the spooky spirit with gusto, while costumes can now be picked up quite cheaply at most supermarkets and costume retailers nationwide. Many towns also have zombie runs or similar events around the date of Halloween itself, which are a great excuse to get a group of friends together and dress up for the occasion.
However, despite the cost, the best Halloween experience this year has to be Alton Towers’ Scare Fest. The expression of pure fear on the faces of most visitors on the majority of the rides is testament to the effort put in by organisers, and any true thrill seeker should not miss out on a trip to the Staffordshire theme park this year.
Do you tend to get into the spirit of Halloween, or would you rather forget about the day instead? Would you consider visiting a theme park as a scary alternative to the usual Halloween, or do you go for the traditional pub and party instead?
Previous Post
Scottish Businesses Unite Against Rates Proposal
