Anyone else dislike park Halloween events?

With parks gearing up for their Halloween events any week now, I thought I'd start a topic that I don't ever recall being discussed on TPR. I know the general consensus on this site is "ZOMG!! ¡¡Haunt/o-scream/o-weekends/horror-o-nights OMG amazbealls/can't get enough/never want it to end!!¡¡" but am I the only one who vastly prefers the parks in their normal summer mode? The mazes just don't scare me and I can do without all of the cheesy/cheap theming and a billion pumpkins strewn about any and every spot one can possibly be placed.

September and October used to be the best time to visit parks - perfect weather and manageable crowds - and now many parks see their highest attended days of the entire year during this time. Don't get me wrong, I totally see why this is great for the parks, but it's just a personal preference and I know I'm not the only one. I'll breathe a giant sigh of relief come November 1 when all of the nonsense is over

I like the fact that Halloween events are the primary reason northern parks extended their operating season, but I'm not a huge fan of the houses and mazes unless it is part of a large v group of friends.

Why do we need threads about things we don't like? Someone asked me on our live stream last night "What are the parks or rides you hate the most?" I responded back:

"Why do people want to talk about things we hate? Aren't theme parks and roller coasters supposed to be about FUN and ENJOYMENT? WIth so much hate in the world right now, can't we talk about things we LIKE and make us HAPPY?"

Seriously, isn't that better?

--Robb "Hoping this thread gets abandoned in favor of topics that are more positive in spirit." Alvey

Robb makes a very good point.

I do not do trails because I'd rather spend my time on thrill rides, but I actually love going to parks during the fall to see the haunt/fright decorations/costumes/etc and walk through the scare zones. Not to mention I love fall weather - love being a park in jeans and a hoodie.

Overall its nice to experience parks in a totally different atmosphere from the summer vibe, same reason I love Holiday In the Park. That said, in my experience Cedar Fair does a much better job @ Halloween events than Six Flags - I haven't been to any other parks during that time of year except Hershey which is geared toward kids.

Why do we need threads about things we don't like? Someone asked me on our live stream last night "What are the parks or rides you hate the most?" I responded back:

 

Roller Coaster at the New York, New York Hotel and Casino

At my park SFGAm, I like some of the new houses and Love at First Fright is awesome. Especially if you see the Adult show.

Robb makes a very good point.

 

I do not do trails because I'd rather spend my time on thrill rides, but I actually love going to parks during the fall to see the haunt/fright decorations/costumes/etc and walk through the scare zones. Not to mention I love fall weather - love being a park in jeans and a hoodie.

 

Overall its nice to experience parks in a totally different atmosphere from the summer vibe, same reason I love Holiday In the Park. That said, in my experience Cedar Fair does a much better job @ Halloween events than Six Flags - I haven't been to any other parks during that time of year except Hershey which is geared toward kids.

Yeah this pretty much sums it up for me too. I love being at an amusement park in the fall. Ill take going to any park in the fall over the summer any time. I dont really do any of the haunt stuff either.

When i went to Cedar Point a few years ago at the end of September, it was honestly perfect- no lines, weather was in the 70s and the skies were blue. I wasnt sweating my butt off from the heat.

I think it depends on the park. At SFSTL(home park) some of the stuff is just forced in and cluttered and cuts off paths so you have to take longer routes to get around. At CP the Halloween stuff isn't nearly as intrusive in that way. I enjoy the decorations and atmosphere and weather(and amount of time for night rides) better in October. I am not interested in waiting in line for the houses, but I do like the scare zones. In general I would say I prefer the Halloween events to the regular operating season.

I like Halloween and pretty much everything to do with it, so I have no issue with parks celebrating it. I do have a friend who does not like the foggy areas where they have "scare zones" not because she's afraid of the characters but she doesn't like not being able to see where she's going. So she isn't too keen on Halloween in parks for a somewhat different reason (other than just not liking the Halloween stuff).

And there is one big upside to going to parks that have Halloween events - generally the coasters and other rides are very uncrowded if you go earlier in the day before the mazes open up. So it is a good time to get plenty of re-rides on your favorites because they are often walk-ons, even if you have no interest in the Halloween festivities.

While Haunt mazes and scare zones aren't exactly my cup of tea, I'm still glad that parks host Halloween events. It is nice to be able to visit parks during fall with the cooler temperatures and fall foliage, and Halloween events extend the parks' operating seasons through at least the end of October (many seasonal parks used to close in September/early October before Haunt events became popular).

With parks gearing up for their Halloween events any week now, I thought I'd start a topic that I don't ever recall being discussed on TPR. I know the general consensus on this site is "ZOMG!! ¡¡Haunt/o-scream/o-weekends/horror-o-nights OMG amazbealls/can't get enough/never want it to end!!¡¡" but am I the only one who vastly prefers the parks in their normal summer mode? The mazes just don't scare me and I can do without all of the cheesy/cheap theming and a billion pumpkins strewn about any and every spot one can possibly be placed.

 

September and October used to be the best time to visit parks - perfect weather and manageable crowds - and now many parks see their highest attended days of the entire year during this time. Don't get me wrong, I totally see why this is great for the parks, but it's just a personal preference and I know I'm not the only one. I'll breathe a giant sigh of relief come November 1 when all of the nonsense is over

Haunt is my most favorite time of the year to visit Worlds of Fun!

While I pretty agree with all that Robb said, I will chime in a little and say that Halloween events at parks have never really been my thing. I grew up going to Knott's and still have never been to Scary Farm. I love all the decorations, lights, and props, but I've just never been interested enough in the walkthroughs, mazes, and shows to justify purchasing an extra ticket.

For those who enjoy them (whom I assume is the majority), more power to you. I'm one less person in line!

I love the Halloween events, if you don't like them it's basically a month and half at some parks. It's not like there aren't plenty of other times you can go to the parks when they are less crowded.

I personally just don't do Halloween...in any capacity (and no, 'm not a bible-thumping whatever either). It does not appeal to me. That's all I'll say about that part. Fortunately if I want to go to the parks in FL near me, I can just go during the day time to enjoy my favorite rides & attractions during that time. This is rare anyway due to work schedules and everything else going on. Christmas time is different since we're off the two weeks around Christmas & New Years.

I mostly prefer parks in their raw summer season form. However, change is good. I enjoy my once per year trip to a haunt event, as I enjoy my new once per year visit to our local Holiday in the Park event. Without these events, parks would not likely draw enough people to turn a profit, and therefor would likely not be open. If that's what it takes to have parks operating in October and December, I'm good with it. Everyone else at the park seems to love the events.

The best rides I've had in the last several years have all been during Halloween events at night. I cherish slightly cool air and low humidity when riding coasters, and when you factor in heavy fog, earlier nighttime, & some coasters shutting off their lighting packages, I get so many memorable rides that are unique to the season. Even if you're not a Halloween person who likes the haunts or pumpkin themes, it's a great time to be on a roller coaster.

Last year at Kennywood...you don't have to love Halloween to appreciate how awesome this is!

Good luck getting an experience like this during the regular season!

Flying through the foggy night

I love everything about Halloween events, especially the fog ... Well maybe not the crowds, but if you don't wait until the end (or go to the worst parks for them) there are some great times crowds-wise as well.

I'd be interested to see what the park schedules actually were before Halloween was a thing. Not "until the stroke of midnight" I'll bet! If I had a choice, I'd never go during daylight.

I'm not at all into Halloween, nor Haunted Houses, so that aspect of these events doesn't appeal to me. What DOES appeal to me however, is the night rides on roller coasters, and the atmosphere of the parks! And for that, nobody beats Kings Island at this time of year! I'd love to pay that place a visit during Haunt every year, though honestly I'll probably skip it this year since I don't have a Pass. But seriously, if you haven't done KI during Haunt at least once, you're missing out! It's awesome!

I like the Halloween events. BGT is my home park. I get there early and do the houses before the crowds get there. This give me time to enjoy very short lines , sometimes walk ons and rerides, for night rides on some great coasters , a few adult beverages, while everyone else is standing in 1 to 2 hour lines for a house. Nothing better than riding Montu, Sheikra or Kumba at 1 or 2 in the morning.

I enjoy the Halloween events, too. But if you're not into the mazes and shows, Fridays and Sundays during Howl-o-Scream are good days to visit Busch Gardens Williamsburg. All the coasters are running, and the crowds don't start to get big until the evening (and lines are usually short on Friday evenings).

The mazes and haunts were never the draw for me when it comes to Halloween events. Nothing beats late season riding, and it's always cool to see a park fixed up for Halloween. Oh, and the fog. Those Kennywood images are pretty much spot-on.

I don't do the mazes and haunted houses but I absolutely love the Haloween events. My homepark is SFNE and there's nothing like waiting for the front seat for Superman on a cool fall night in late October. As already mentioned I love the fall weather so that's a plus. Even if the parks a bit crowded it's fun to see the atmosphere and how alive the park and everyone in the park becomes.

I actually greatly enjoy Halloween events at parks. So much so that we are currently planning trips to parks this fall specifically so we can enjoy the Halloween events.

Love love love Halloween events. Traveling to do 4 Halloween amusement park events on the West coast this year (why go in Summer when you get the bonus of cooler weather and extra attractions! Yes it is crowded on Saturdays but that's what flash passes are for) and then I also just planned out a road trip to do 9 additional haunts (only one at an amusement park) so I guess you could say I love this season.

I don't get scared in the houses/mazes (well, rarely) but the set design and unique scares make it a fun time of year for sure. Just the atmosphere alone makes me love the park events, and usually they are a great value compared to local haunts which charge $30+ for just their haunts that take an hour to go through. This way you get to ride stuff at night and spend several hours in a park. Win win.

Halloween events are waiting in lines worse than the worst summer day in the park just in colder weather. No thanks! Amusement parks have convinced people this is some great event, despite the fact it's not and thus extended the time they can extract money from people.

Halloween events are waiting in lines worse than the worst summer day in the park just in colder weather. No thanks! Amusement parks have convinced people this is some great event, despite the fact it's not and thus extended the time they can extract money from people.

I can confirm this as Carowinds (my home park) almost "always" has Interstate 77 backed up for at least 5 miles in both directions on any given Friday or Sat night in October.

In fact the last time I attempted a SCarowinds visit was in 2011 and after waiting for 2 hours in traffic, couldn't even get in as they closed the gates due to the park being at capacity. (I didn't even know parks could do this as I never experienced this before)

Now that I think about it, I do not ever recall seeing any amusement park post their maximum capacity like what you would see when you enter a restaurant but I'm sure there has to be one for safety reasons. If I had to guess, I would say capacity for Carowinds would be somewhere in the 50,000 range..I dunno!