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Scarefest 2024
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jon81uk
TS Member
they've charged for the scare mazes for at least ten years.
In 2013 it was £10 before 5pm and £12 after 5pm for the Sanctury & Terror of the Towers combo (only had two mazes that year). Thats £5-6 a maze.
Alton Towers Resort Halloween Scarefest
Book your Scarefest tickets online today and save up to 25% online.
So £34-38 for four mazes this year, £8.50-9.50 a maze. Inflation calculator says £6 in 2013 is £8.15 in 2024, so £9.50 is a bit higher than inflation.
Benzin
TS Member
It's been a constant discussion since they started charging.
But when they were free the queues were even more awful. Same for most parks that have free mazes (had to wait FOREVER when at Toverland and Mrs was doing them).
Still, least gets some money out of the MAP guests.
Lot to be said for not being up for scare mazes.
jmc
TS Member
they've charged for the scare mazes for at least ten years.
In 2013 it was £10 before 5pm and £12 after 5pm for the Sanctury & Terror of the Towers combo (only had two mazes that year). Thats £5-6 a maze.
Alton Towers Resort Halloween Scarefest
Book your Scarefest tickets online today and save up to 25% online.web.archive.org
So £34-38 for four mazes this year, £8.50-9.50 a maze. Inflation calculator says £6 in 2013 is £8.15 in 2024, so £9.50 is a bit higher than inflation.
Well aware!
My point being, it is largely the same offering year on year with very little beyond the same unchanged mazes/upcharges. Other than the odd pumpkin photo opportunity (the same ones they have had since the event began in 2007!) dotted around the park you would not really know you are at a ‘Scarefest’ event.
The number of things to do included with entry have dwindled over the years (Garden Lights Walk, multiple Scarezones to name a few) and it just feels like another cashgrab.
I’ll wait and see how it pans out but we always talk of hope for a ‘big refresh’ that never actually transpires.
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James
TS Founding Member
It would be nice to see at least one free maze, which they did with Carnival. Yeah, it would have an insanely long queue, but at least the option is there for guests who are a bit dubious about paying for the other mazes, and a freebie may actually encourage more people to spend money on the paid-for mazes/experiences.
I hope they sort this maze situation out over the next year or two. Bin Altonville Mines, refresh TOTT with a new story/overlay (and make it the only maze in the Towers). Then, look to alternative forms of entertainment, such as a light show (Fright Lights) or light trail (Garden Lights Walk). As it stands, beyond Towers Street, if you want to experience a Halloween event, you have to pay a premium for it.
I hope they sort this maze situation out over the next year or two. Bin Altonville Mines, refresh TOTT with a new story/overlay (and make it the only maze in the Towers). Then, look to alternative forms of entertainment, such as a light show (Fright Lights) or light trail (Garden Lights Walk). As it stands, beyond Towers Street, if you want to experience a Halloween event, you have to pay a premium for it.
I forgot about the light trail that was such a good addition and could also be utilised for Christmas. Also i completely forgot and In all fairness they did introduce Burial grounds last year which is free and kinda like a scare maze, along side forbidden valley looks incredible at dusk. If they have roaming actors that pretty much a scare zone anyway?
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Dave
TS Founding Member
Haven’t done scarefest in a while but I would argue what they are doing this season seems reasonable.
It’s not practical to expect all new mazes to be created. Really it needs a cycle so each season has 1 or 2 new attractions with 2-3 recurring attractions but some changes within to keep it fresh.
Ticket prices are getting silly though
It’s not practical to expect all new mazes to be created. Really it needs a cycle so each season has 1 or 2 new attractions with 2-3 recurring attractions but some changes within to keep it fresh.
Ticket prices are getting silly though
jon81uk
TS Member
I think scarezones died off because many people don't like them if they are on normal paths or seem hard to avoid. That's why the current Burial Grounds works, its on a space well out the way. Also the park shifted to having more full mazes and added trick'o'treat town. It is a shame the garden lights hasn't returned though.
Skyscraper
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
It didn't return last year either sadly.
djtruefitt
TS Team
Rather than free mazes I would much rather we have more free scare zones and general actors around the park to create a proper Halloween feeling, rather than it all happening down towers street and that’s about it.
The problem AT have is they dropped all summer events so they could focus on quality rather than quantity however if we are having just 1 new scare maze and 1 new family attraction where is all that money they saved going.
They are so far behind the industry standard they should really just give up and not put anything on for scarefest. Other places do it better. Thorpe park, xtreme scream etc...
They are so far behind the industry standard they should really just give up and not put anything on for scarefest. Other places do it better. Thorpe park, xtreme scream etc...
I think they scrapped scarezones because there was no money in them!
They could always be "cul de sacs" away from main routes...Haunted Hollow ideal.
Towers dropped summer events because they didn't need them, punters turn up in summer regardless, events would only put poor operations and ride offering under even more pressure.
So they just didn't spend the money.
jon81uk
TS Member
Do you know that as a fact? I don't think the park have revealed anything about how they allocate budget.
They aren't offering the same thing as Thorpe Park or Tulley's Shocktober etc. Alton Towers offer Halloween activities for at least three or four different audiences, there is CBeebies, the scarefest characters and shows on the stage, the more family-friendly stuff like Trick'o'treat town and the full-on scare mazes.
Thorpe Park and others only offer full-on scare mazes, no shows, no costumed characters, no family entertainment. Chessington/Legoland only offer the family stuff and no scaremazes.
If Thorpe Park or Xtreme Scream offers the experiance you are looking for then visit those places instead.
jon81uk
TS Member
I think there is an element of that, but Burial Grounds did start up last year.
But when they tried having scare zones in Forbidden Valley there was issues as some people don't like jump scares, but still want to ride Nemesis.
They had issues with the staff/actors getting punched in Haunted Hollow as its too remote, I think some guests acted instinctivly to someone jumping out of them in the dark unexpectly and punched but it being more remote and those issues stopped it being used again for scares.
Dave
TS Founding Member
When has anyone said they scrapped other events to focus on quality and how do we know they haven’t see haven’t had the event yet? To be honest scarefest problem isn’t the scare mazes per say (some need retiring but ultimately if they scare they scare), it’s the park wide atmosphere that needs work.
Agree the dedicated scare events do it better but Thorpe Park is variable.
Benzin
TS Member
From what I hear from Mrs and others who do many scare events is that they're all much of a muchness.
And more often than not run into the same issues of variable runs, overcrowding the mazes and poor organisation. Or in terms of Thorpe you could save money and spend the night in Staines for the same experience.
Scarezones are a strange one. But again are strongly dependent on the quality of the staff knowing how to work a crowd. Liseberg's Circus themed one when I went many moons ago was outstanding, purely because it relied on many different types of interaction opposed to people in costumes shouting "boo" with a faux chainsaw.
And more often than not run into the same issues of variable runs, overcrowding the mazes and poor organisation. Or in terms of Thorpe you could save money and spend the night in Staines for the same experience.
Scarezones are a strange one. But again are strongly dependent on the quality of the staff knowing how to work a crowd. Liseberg's Circus themed one when I went many moons ago was outstanding, purely because it relied on many different types of interaction opposed to people in costumes shouting "boo" with a faux chainsaw.
James
TS Founding Member
Ideally, they should do both
, along with more theming around the park (add a new piece or two every year to build up the atmosphere).Alas, budgets are tight... and Merlin.
BarryZola
TS Member
It's a real shame about not having the garden lights anymore. One of the years, at least, they were really top notch. I suppose they can't be bothered to spend the money on it anymore and/or the risk of someone slipping over on a path is not worth the trouble. Maybe if they got some sorted for Xmas they might get a few more punters in. Can't see it though.
Bert2theSpark
TS Member
It really does feel like the Gardens have been forgotten about since Lightopia finished and new leadership took over. I understand that it’s not a priority for the park because leadership has so many issues of a higher priority (and subsequently a bigger return). But the Garden Lights Walk truly added a lot of value to Scarefest and Christmas that had the scale of the modern theme park but strips to the fundamentals of the business.
I really do think that the park does limit itself by solely focusing on its ride offering, there’s so many more people that the park could market itself towards that isn’t CBeebies/Rides based. I meet so many people that don’t visit theme parks because “I don’t like rides”, and they are truly missing out on the experience of theme parks and what they could potentially offer because the marketing and understanding is based around rides. Environmental storytelling is a large part in the art of theme parks, and you can’t get more environmental than the Gardens.
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