Halloween Haunt (Canada's Wonderland)

Halloween Haunt
Halloween Haunt at Canada's Wonderland logo
Genre Halloween
Frequency Annual
Location(s) Canada's Wonderland
43°50′33.16″N 79°32′31.00″W / 43.8425444°N 79.5419444°W / 43.8425444; -79.5419444Coordinates: 43°50′33.16″N 79°32′31.00″W / 43.8425444°N 79.5419444°W / 43.8425444; -79.5419444
Inaugurated 2005
Website Official website

Halloween Haunt, previously known as "Fearfest", is a Halloween event at Canada's Wonderland located in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It runs after the park's regular operating hours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings in October - up to, and including Halloween night. It is Canada's largest haunted theme park featuring over 300 monsters, nine walk-through "maze" attractions, six uniquely themed atmospheric scare areas, and three live shows. During its operation, the grounds are transformed via decorative props, thematic music, eerie lighting to further create its scary atmosphere.[1]

History

The haunted theme park concept was first introduced in 2005, then called Fearfest while the park was under the ownership of Paramount Parks. Fearfest at Paramount Canada's Wonderland originally operated on weekday evenings through October, with eight frightening mazes, later on in the years when Paramount sold the park new owners added the "skeleton key" and "fright lane".

Most of the park's regular rides and attractions (with the exception of Nickelodeon Central, KidZville and Hanna-Barbera Land) continued to be staffed and operated during Fearfest, including the 'Haunted' Thunder Run coaster, which was slightly thematically changed to match the park. The park grounds were divided into three separately themed scare areas- The Curse of Sleepy Hollow, MTV Rockin' Scare, and Backlot Blood Bath - each having 2-3 mazes associated with it.[2] Each maze and scare area generally has its own unique back story, sometimes linking several mazes together.

The following year, Paramount extended its regular operating season through the family-oriented Halloween event "Spooktacular" in the typically closed child-oriented areas of the park, to match Fearfest's attendance in October. In 2006 the park ran Spooktacular from October 14–29 on weekends during the day, and would reopen the park as Fearfest in the evening.

With the change in ownership of the park from Paramount to the Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, the Fearfest name was dropped and renamed Halloween Haunt, remaining consistent with similar attractions at other Cedar Fair theme parks across North America. In addition, Spooktacular was not revived for the 2007 operating season. Despite this, Canada's Wonderland still continued regular daytime park hours during the Halloween Haunt run. With an existing history of running haunted attractions since 1973 at Knott's Berry Farm's event, Knott's Scary Farm, Cedar Fair was able to incorporate four additional mazes to the roster while retiring the Legend of the Lost and Slaughter Street attractions.

In 2008, Halloween Haunt saw an extended seasonal run into November, breaking the park's own attendance records for the event. Cedar Fair also retired the MTV Rockin' Scare area, including the Total Request Dead and Ozzburnes mazes in order to introduce three new ones for the season. The "adult-oriented'" horror musical show Dead Awakening also opened during the 2008 Halloween Haunt, performing at the Wonderland Theatre.[3] There are currently six atmospheric scare areas with free-roaming monsters: Front Gate, Ghostly Pines, Carnevil, Bloody Buccaneers, The Plague and Trick or Treat. A new Scare Zone, "Wicked Hollow", is being introduced for the 2018 season.

Current attractions

New Maze for 2018 is "The Crypt". New Scare Zone for 2018 is "Wicked Hollow". New Show for 2018 is "Vampire Disco".

Fright Lane is valid at all nine mazes

Mazes

Attraction Type Opened Location
Code Red Maze 2016 International Street
Sci-Fi House Maze 2013 Medieval Faire
Cornstalkers Maze 2005 White Water Canyon
The Ruins Maze 2013 Wonder Mountain
Blackout Maze 2017 Wonder Mountain
Blood Shed Maze 2014 Courtyard
Forest of Fear Maze 2017 Kingswood Music Theatre
Spirit Manor Maze 2015 Action Theatre
The Crypt Maze 2018 Medieval Faire

Scare Zones

Attraction Type Location
Front Gate Scarezone Front Gate
Carnevil Scare Zone International Festival
Ghostly Pines Scare Zone Action Zone
Bloody Buccaneers Scare Zone Behemoth Plaza
The Plague Scare Zone Medieval Faire
Trick or Treat Scare Zone Vortex
Wicked Hollow Scare Zone Action Zone (by Skyhawk and WindSeeker)

Shows

Show Location
Sinners Lounge Wonder Theatre
Devil's Circus Coasters in Action Zone
Vampire Disco Medieval Faire

Retired attractions

  • Club Blood - Maze (retired 2018)
  • Mysterion The Mind Reader - Show ('retired 2018)
  • Skeleton Crew - Show (retired 2017)
  • Cryohazard - Scarezone (retired 2017)
  • Louisiana Scream - Maze (retired 2017)
  • Streets of The Undead - Maze (retired 2017)
  • Toxicity - Show (retired 2016)
  • The Asylum - Maze (retired 2016)
  • Terror of London - Maze (retired 2016)
  • Clowns at Midnight - Maze (retired 2015)
  • Steampunk - Scarezone (retired 2015)
  • Mother Noose - Maze (retired 2014)
  • Blood on the Bayou - Maze (retired 2013)
  • Iron Empire - Maze (retired 2013)
  • Kingdom of Carnage - Maze (retired 2013)
  • Red Beard's Rage - Maze (retired 2013)
  • Blood Drums - Show (retired 2013)
  • Haunted House 3D - Action Theatre Show (retired 2013)
  • Miner's Revenge - Maze (retired 2012)
  • Beyond The Grave - Show (retired 2012)
  • The Hanging - Show (retired 2012)
  • Fun House Express - Action Theatre Show (retired 2012)
  • Elvira's Superstition - Action Theatre Show (retired 2012)
  • Psycho Circus - Show (retired 2011)
  • Fangs - Show (retired 2010)
  • A Midsummer Nights Scream- Maze (retired 2010)
  • Dead Awakening - Show (retired 2009)
  • Massacre Manor - Maze (retired 2009)
  • Slaughter Mill - Maze (retired 2009)
  • Total Request DEAD - MTV Rockin' Scare Maze (retired 2008)
  • The Ozzburnes - MTV Rockin' Scare Maze (retired 2008)
  • Legend of the Lost: The Director's Cut - Backlot Blood Bath Maze (retired 2007)
  • Slaughter Street Fear Zone - Backlot Blood Bath Maze (retired 2007)
  • Spooktacular - KidZville/Nickelodeon Central Area (retired 2007)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Canada's Wonderland - Halloween Haunt 2008". Canada's Wonderland. 2008-09-18. Archived from the original (Media Release) on 2011-07-08.
  2. ↑ "Fearfest Takes Over Paramount Canada's Wonderland". The Brock Press. 2006-10-11. Archived from the original on 2013-02-15.
  3. ↑ "Canada's Wonderland - Dead Awakening". Canada's Wonderland. 2008-08-18. Archived from the original (Media Release/Casting Call) on 2011-07-08.
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