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Scarefest 2023

I would actually rather towers had less mazes but changed them and made them better.

Back in the day we used to have a free maze and two paid ones. Now it’s 4 paid ones and then extra paid things (Daz and trick o treat town). And back in the day every inch of the scare mazes would be removed and rebuilt, which would cost a lot more than the mazes do now when the majority are left there all year round.

It feels like the budget is stretched just that little bit too far, one less maze but the same budget would mean they could change things up.
 
I think there should be 3 scare mazes, 3 scare zones and a family attraction like trick or treat town but maybe something new for next year. What i would do for next year is not what i expect to happen at all.
Scrap the invitation, and also darkest depths and alton ville as they have served their time. Change the attic to fit more with the theme of the curse at alton manor, and add 2 new scare mazes. Keep burial grounds, have a nemesis/phalanx scare zone and another one too. Then maybe a new kids halloween attraction or just keep trick or treat. I would do scrap daz games as alton can do a lot better than IP’s
 
As has been mentioned on here before, since the creation of more season wide events (mardi gras, oktoberfest etc), Scarefest has suffered massively - likely due to budget been took from it to be spent on these events. Covid also seemed to hit the event hard as well, and it hasn’t recovered since.

The example of Xtreme Scream is great, obviously a much smaller budget and smaller operational revenue but performs well every year and has kept a very similar core lineup for 7-8 years now.

Changing every maze every 2-3 years is of course a great idea on paper but is definitely not a feasible concept from a business point of view. These mazes cost insane amount of money to create and run.

I’d like to see a central hub created also, with all mazes located in the towers and 2/3 free scare zones across the park.

In terms of this year, I think it’s fair to call it a mini refresh. I’d be surprised for a full refresh next year though, I can see minimum 2 new mazes
 
RIPCorky said:
Be interesting to know the numbers regarding who actually goes for these "mazes" and who just goes for the rides in the dark.
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I only ever really go for the rides in the dark, I’m not bothered at all for scare mazes. Only did Burial Grounds because it was free, and by the sounds of some reviews, the scariest experience at Scarefest.

I remember visiting Towers for the first time during Scarefest in 2016 and actively avoided anything scare related 😂 should have seen how fast I ran when I accidentally joined the Dark Apocalypse scare zone half way through after veering away from the safe route around it 😂
 
I would like to see the mazes dismantled every season again to allow the Towers to open during the start of the season.

Alton Towers used to change mazes every year, and scrap/bring new ones in every year, I disagree with those who say it is not feasible. Otherwise, Towers would have never approached it that way years ago!

A central hub in Fountain Square is a good idea. Perhaps have it run from 7-10pm with more adult-based shows, a fire/laser/light show and roaming scare actors. Maybe have some street-style food for sale too.
 
James said:
I would like to see the mazes dismantled every season again to allow the Towers to open during the start of the season.

Alton Towers used to change mazes every year, and scrap/bring new ones in every year, I disagree with those who say it is not feasible. Otherwise, Towers would have never approached it that way years ago!

A central hub in Fountain Square is a good idea. Perhaps have it run from 7-10pm with more adult-based shows, a fire/laser/light show and roaming scare actors. Maybe have some street-style food for sale too.
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That was years ago though to be fair. A hell of a lot has changed since then. Changing one maze every year is feasible for sure but not 2/3
 
OButler said:
That was years ago though to be fair. A hell of a lot has changed since then. Changing one maze every year is feasible for sure but not 2/3
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To add onto that, they were all situated in temporary tents and all located either at the hotels or in the black hole tent. There has always been at least 1 maze in the towers. Its was only in 2012 onwards with the introduction of The Sanctuary when there were 2 mazes in the Towers and even then they kept up parts of the mazes throughout the year.

I don't think its feasible to remove the entirety of the mazes every year but maybe sections of the mazes. I would love to see most of the 1st floor of the towers as that only includes the queue and preshow for the Attic-easy to take those sections down.
 
There's only so many approaches you can take toward a scare maze and they'd burn through a heck load of ideas in that time. Changing a maze every year also wouldn't allow for feedback. It's never going to be perfect on its first year, or run, so allowing some breathing space should allow Towers to perfect a maze. It also wouldn't be cost effective. You'd end up with really temporary looking theming because if it's only going to be used for one year, why bother investing? Some return on investment is needed, so a cycle of three years (for the lifespan of a maze) seems appropriate.
 
I agree completely. Each maze should have a cycle of 3 years to allow a return in profit. They have defo stretched out the likes of AMT, Attic and Darkest Depths a bit too long though but at the end of the day, if it’s making them better revenue by not having to change much, then of course they’re going to do it.

Bringing back old mazes could happen as well, especially as it’s likely large amounts of props, sets etc are still there. As well as scripts, layouts and feedback. Look at Sub Terra for an example of that

In terms of this year, Burial Grounds is the perfect example of where i think they can fill in more gaps. I’d happily see Invitation/Darkest Depths removed in replace of 1/2 more similar zones. The zones are great for filling capacity and spreading out the park wide theming and atmosphere
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
There's only so many approaches you can take toward a scare maze and they'd burn through a heck load of ideas in that time. Changing a maze every year also wouldn't allow for feedback. It's never going to be perfect on its first year, or run, so allowing some breathing space should allow Towers to perfect a maze. It also wouldn't be cost effective. You'd end up with really temporary looking theming because if it's only going to be used for one year, why bother investing? Some return on investment is needed, so a cycle of three years (for the lifespan of a maze) seems appropriate.
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I don't think anyone means changing the mazes yearly. They mean making small tweaks and additions that improve and enhance the experience over the years. Again, the example of Xtreme scream is perfect because they have been making small changes to the mazes, not massive changes but small tweaks that make them scarier or fresher.
 
James raises a valid point about the vast area of open space in Fountain Square which has never really been utilised. In the past the fountain would light up red with Latin writing on the walls by Hex but now it’s just void of anything.

For some reason I am thinking of the days of the Circus and circus characters Alton used to have. They could put up a big top style tent in this area and have the characters inside, some weird mirrors, creepy crawlies, funny shows, and things for kids to try out given you have all the children’s attractions nearby.

Also- just as important as the mazes is the atmosphere and theming around the park which in recent years has mostly centred around towers street.

However the inclusion of the free maze this year is great news, and given the unique events towers has done in the past I am hopeful in years to come we will see some more investment ploughed into this highlight of the year for many.
 
Hazza said:
I don't think anyone means changing the mazes yearly. They mean making small tweaks and additions that improve and enhance the experience over the years. Again, the example of Xtreme scream is perfect because they have been making small changes to the mazes, not massive changes but small tweaks that make them scarier or fresher.
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Exactly this.

The main issue overall with Scarefest is the mazes coming back the exact same, with the same script, same story, and same characters. It costs little to make changes here and there to keep it fresh and doesn't have to involve heavy investment.

On balance, I would say the event looks improved to last year. The mazes are still a bit of an issue but there has at least been an attempt with The Invitation and Mines to freshen them up. It's clear Towers have tried some last-minute improvements, although, like many things around the park, it will take time for Bianca and co to implement bigger changes to the park and events.
 
Mattie boy said:
Is there still a maze set up thats not used in the towers somewhere? If so where and where was the entrance..
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I ended up in that last year i think....i mentioned it somewhere and apparently a door had been forced open so you could walk to places in the towers you shouldn't be able too
 
With everyone saying about how new Scarefest attractions are needed or current ones get greatly tweaked, any ideas what would be ideal?
 
I think if they were doing a refresh at this point, in order to really drive the point home they would need to go with a maze completely different to anything they've done before.

Egyptian Terror Tomb, Something Poltergeist-y. Horror at the Zoo. That sort of thing.

It needs to be something that allows them to really flex some creativity and generate a proper show stopper.
 
We’ll be at Scarefest for four days next week - I love coming to Towers as we only come up once a year, so the park itself is still so great for me. We will be at Thorpe Park FN for two days beforehand so will have a direct comparison - I think FN will edge it out.

Talking of earlier years, I actually thought 2020 was a great Scarefest due to Covid - the smaller groups meant me and my partner went round every maze just the two of us, resulting in great scares. I also miss Project 42 - the first scare maze I ever did at Towers, was thrown at the front and I got all the scares. Great memories.

Not sure what to expect this year. Really looking forward to Burial Grounds, but agree that others mazes have had their time. Would love to know the budget behind the whole event and how they allocate money for the scare mazes.

One thing is for certain - scrap the Invitation. Worst experience ever. Can we start a petition to make sure Towers can’t ignore our feedback? 🤣
 
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