Six Flags Darien Lake (SFDL) Discussion Thread

Why wouldn’t they just keep the rides open until 8? It’s just plain stupid to close everything down an hour before the show starts.

 

I imagine makes the shift scheduling for ride ops simpler. 11-7 is 8 hours. Also a number of rides have to finish operation before the laser show so riders aren't getting beamed by it.

 

AFAIK running 2 trains on Viper was pretty likely. Blue train was just about ready to rock at opening. Guess they didn't hit whatever numbers they wanted to see to actually put both on.

The only rides they close early for the laser show are the Giant Wheel, Redhawk and Boomerang. Those are the only three rides that the lasers even have a chance of hitting. Thanks to the placement of the trees on the top of the laser lawn most all other rides are safe from lasers. Especially RoS.

I think it would be better for the park if scheduling is an issue to open later by an hour and close at 8 instead. Perhaps next year when we have a full season of Six Flags operations the hours will make more sense? We shall see

What was available to do from 7pm-8pm while waiting for the laser show?

Damn, they probably used up their whole Hope Depot gift card on that.

What was available to do from 7pm-8pm while waiting for the laser show?

For a non-camper it didn't seem that there was much. The ride lines close at 7pm, so if you're in line before then you may have an extra 20 minutes MAX to spend waiting in line for Ride of Steel, the Harvest Festival crafters and entertainment are supposed to end at 7 but I noticed some did stick around for a little while after (not the food trucks though, they were out by 7:05 at the latest). Me personally, I left the park at 6:40 to get a tripod to record the show (to see how the quality of my new phone compared to a recording I took on my old phone earlier in the season), then got to the laser lawn by 7:05 and sat there for over an hour before the show actually began (the usual pre-show at 8:05, introduction speech at 8:10 and show kick off around 8:12 or so).

To put it in perspective, during the regular season the park closes at 10:00pm, and the laser show is running by 10:15 at the latest. A 10-15 minute wait (with pre-show almost always happening at 10:05) is no trouble at all, however with the park closing at 7, and having to wait until 8:15 or so to see the show - with no clear advertisement that the show is even happening (as I mentioned in my first post about this) is a little crazy. Like I said hopefully Six Flags can schedule the 2019 season a little bit better so that this kind of stuff makes more sense - even if it means we dont have a laser show between the end of Daily operation and the start of Fright Fest.

Based on how many people were in the audience for the show though, I'm almost wondering if they perhaps ran the show assuming the guests sticking around to see it would be mostly the campers. Like I said, next to none of the commuter park goers stuck around for the show. Except for me, I love Ignite the Night / Colorblast / Laserblast / Laserlight Fantasy etc.

Photo from DL's instagram

I do appreciate the little bits and pieces of Halloween decor that has been popping up recently, being a Theatre Designer and Technician I was much more interested in the Source Four lighting instruments that I saw in almost every corner and in every flower bed. These instruments are incredibly versatile for those who dont know of them - they can be colored, project images, spin, rotate and the size of the image / light can be made larger or smaller by swapping out a barrel (similar to a camera). This to me is huge because it looks like they're gonna light the park up like a Christmas tree for this event. I could care less about the scare actors and attractions if the park is gonna be bathed in red and orange and whatever other colors they decide fit their palate. I even noticed they had lights in the street lamps throughout the park being more festive purples, reds, blues, greens etc. which even that little detail to me was very nice. Did I mention the fog machines? Source Fours (or ERS instruments for the nerds back home) and Fog Machines can be used to create some pretty wild and cool effects with minimal effort required. Plus, if you're a dork like me, you'll love to look around and see where all of these things are set up throughout the park during the day, and appreciate how they are used during the night!

If anyone ever has questions about these types of things please do let me know - I'm always happy to talk about this kind of stuff, especially theatrical instruments and their application in the theme park industry

Be on the lookout for various versions of this little dude throughout the park when Fright Fest opens on Friday! (They're EVERYWHERE!)

/ End Theatre Babbling

Photo from DL's instagram

 

I do appreciate the little bits and pieces of Halloween decor that has been popping up recently, being a Theatre Designer and Technician I was much more interested in the Source Four lighting instruments that I saw in almost every corner and in every flower bed. These instruments are incredibly versatile for those who dont know of them - they can be colored, project images, spin, rotate and the size of the image / light can be made larger or smaller by swapping out a barrel (similar to a camera). This to me is huge because it looks like they're gonna light the park up like a Christmas tree for this event. I could care less about the scare actors and attractions if the park is gonna be bathed in red and orange and whatever other colors they decide fit their palate. I even noticed they had lights in the street lamps throughout the park being more festive purples, reds, blues, greens etc. which even that little detail to me was very nice. Did I mention the fog machines? Source Fours (or ERS instruments for the nerds back home) and Fog Machines can be used to create some pretty wild and cool effects with minimal effort required. Plus, if you're a dork like me, you'll love to look around and see where all of these things are set up throughout the park during the day, and appreciate how they are used during the night!

 

If anyone ever has questions about these types of things please do let me know - I'm always happy to talk about this kind of stuff, especially theatrical instruments and their application in the theme park industry

 

[attachment=0]ae7a7f-304a79-download__3_.jpg[/attachment]

 

/ End Theatre Babbling

I saw those lights all over the place when I was there last weekend. I was curious as to how much those things can do. That is really exciting and I will definitely go at night during Fright Fest to see all the awesome lighting!

Are the haunt mazes free? If not, how much is it to get into each one?

Looks like we couldn’t be that lucky. Yet they haven’t announced the actual prices yet sadly

From what I've seen for other Six Flags parks (online at least) it looks like the fright pass to get into the mazes is about a $20 up charge (give or take a few dollars). I may be wrong about that but that is my current assumption based on information I've found for other parks in previous years.

DARIEN CENTER — Darien Lake, a Six Flags Theme Park, will unleash the biggest and scariest Fright Fest in park history.

As part of the bone-chilling lineup, seven brand new nightmarish attractions will leave no tombstone unturned to deliver what guests want most — an all-out terrifying experience, company officials said in a news release.

The event will feature three electrifying mazes and four dare-to-enter scare zones, along with hellish, roaming zombies around every corner. To take fright to the extreme, Darien Lake will add a sinister element to some of the theme park’s monster coasters by turning off the lights, leaving riders to face their fears in total darkness.

“Darien Lake is thrilled to bring top-level, terrifying thrills to our guests with an incredible lineup of truly frightening attractions and entertainment,” said Park President Chris Thorpe in the release. “Fright Fest is the ultimate national Halloween event and we are excited to present our biggest and scariest event yet.”

New this Year, three haunted attractions — at an additional charge — will incorporate state-of-the-art makeup, props, and special effects:

■ Hotel Terror: 7 Deadly Sins: Tour the horrific hotel where sinful guests are condemned to a life of suffering.

■ Jungle Apocalypse: Visitors will be taken into a forsaken island filled with ancient ruins, secrets and a tribe of worshippers looking for their next human sacrifice.

■ Camp Scumshine: Visit the winding paths of death and despair that once was Camp Sunshine.

Four additional scare zones around the park leave guests nowhere to hide and screaming to get out unscathed:

■ Passage of the Damned: Walk through the passage of the soulless keepers that ensure that no living enter the world of the dammed

■ Creep Show Freak Show: The area of rejected and demonic circus performers.

■ Voodoo Curse: Visitors will pass through a marshy inlet but must be careful not to be enshrouded by those who have been cursed to roam these mucky waters.

■ Screampunk: People here have been experimented on by a delirious inventor who thought it would be a brilliant idea to mechanize mankind

Big Top Freaks is headlining the entertainment with a nightly show that is not for the faint of heart, company officials said. Freaks showcases four entertainers that specialize in dangerous, scarring, grotesque, and hard-to-watch feats of physical endurance. Additional frightful entertainment includes:

■ Direct from Las Vegas, Zamora the Torture King will cause most to shield their eyes as he subjects his body to numerous skewers being thrust into his arms, face and neck.

■ The Great Throwdini, internationally known as ‘The World’s Fastest and Most Accurate Knife Thrower’, will subject his human target to multiple razor sharp knives thrown at dizzying speeds avoiding body parts by only a few inches.

■ Red Stuart is the oldest sideshow entertainer, oldest sword swallower and holds nine world records for his craft. Armed with nothing more than a kilt and a microphone, he will swallow swords of increasing length, swallows a car axle, and tops it off with swallowing multiple swords at once.

■ Ziggy Artist of Oddities will perform his own signature blend of modern extreme fire eating as well as treat his head like a block of wood by driving a large nail into his cranium.

For the little monsters, a Trick or Treat Trail and Halloween crafts round out the activities during the day.

Fright Fest Operating Hours and Days

■ 6 to 11 p.m. Fridays, Sept. 28 to Oct. 26

■ 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays, Sept. 29 to Oct. 27

■ 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays, Sept. 30 to Oct. 28.

■ 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. October 8

For more information on Darien Lake’s Fright Fest, visit website at www.darienlake.com.

Sounds like there will be plenty of fun stuff to do this Fright Fest!

Nothing about laser spooktacular... that's odd. Did they decide against it, or do they once again have no idea how to market one of the few (only?) unique selling points of Darien Lake...

Nothing about laser spooktacular... that's odd. Did they decide against it, or do they once again have no idea how to market one of the few (only?) unique selling points of Darien Lake...

It is still listed on the website. That’s strange that it wasn’t mentioned on the article you saw.

Found a couple of my old SFDL season passes

Found the answer to the Hounted House question:

$10 for one house of $25 for all three.

^ So there's no season pass/membership holders deal like the other SF parks where you can pay on price to do the three all month long?

$25 dollars for all three is not horrible. I have paid more for a single hayride.

Also, the picture of the old season passes is rather neat. I never saw Darien Lake under its first Six Flags era, so it always interests me to see memorabilia from that time in Darien Lake's history.

Since Darien Lake isn't on the Six Flags app (cause you need it to check into rides and shows to earn points), how will I be able to earn reward points for my membership?

Since Darien Lake isn't on the Six Flags app (cause you need it to check into rides and shows to earn points), how will I be able to earn reward points for my membership?

I’d say to just give them until next year, by then it will surely be in the app as it will officially be “Six Flags”.

I don't think it's possible to get "check in" points or purchasing points this year... I did however get the points for visiting the park.

^ Ah, okay. So I guess for now the only way is by visiting the park or buying items.

But I'm most likely going to another Six Flags park Columbus Day weekend, so I can check into rides and etc then.

Is anyone else getting errors when logging into the membership page?

Yes, it's having issues

I’m just wondering if somebody could help me: I bought a gold season pass and processed it at the park a few weeks ago. The other day, I decided to purchase the premium dining plan online. Where do I go to get the dining plan added to my season pass card?