Tuesday, 18 October 2016 15:23

The Ultimate Guide to Halloween in 2016

With the Halloween season upon us and a huge choice of spooktacular events to choose from, we've rounded up this year's highlights at the UK's theme parks and beyond for The Ultimate Guide to Halloween in 2016.

All of the most popular theme parks are as usual offering a comprehensive array of frightful fun, including Scarefest at Alton Towers, Fright Nights at Thorpe Park, Howl'o'ween at Chessington World of Adventures, Drayton Manor's More Treat Than Trick and LEGOLAND's Brick or Treat.

The UK’s original pleasure park Dreamland Margate once again transforms into a world of nightmares with ScreamlandVampire Pleasure Beach will return to Blackpool Pleasure Beach as part of a week of Halloween activities, and Twinlakes is a Family Scream Park by day and an Xtreme Scream Park by night.

There's also a great lineup of family events at many other theme parks in the UK including Paultons Park, Lightwater Valley, Flamingo Land, Pleasurewood Hills and Oakwood.

Looking beyond the UK's theme parks, Tulley's Shocktober Fest is the largest of many dedicated scare attractions around the UK and Warwick Castle becomes The Haunted Castle for Halloween.

Alton Towers Scarefest
Another year of hair-raising antics and spooktacular surprises as Terror of the Towers and Sub Species both return, alongside the Dark Apocalypse scare zone and family frights with Franklyn, Skelvin, Patch and Phil, plus the brand new Altonville Mine Tours scare maze, Freak Show scare zone and House of Monsters family maze.

Alton Towers Halloween Scarefest

Thorpe Park Fright Nights
Get ready for the ultimate Halloween at Thorpe Park on the 7th - 9th, 14th - 16th and 21st - 31st October 2016 with the return of Cabin in the Woods, SAW Alive, The Big Top and Containment plus a re-vamped Blair Witch, and the all-new Platform 15.

Thorpe Park Fright Nights

Chessington Howl'o'ween
You will be able to enjoy spooktacular entertainment as Halloween takes over Chessington World of Adventures for another year. Howl'o'ween takes places 21st - 31st October 2016, 10am - 8pm, and this year the spooky event includes two spine-tingling attractions, Curse of the Lost Tomb and Trick or Treat Wood, as well as rides in the dark.

Chessington Howl'o'ween

LEGOLAND's Brick or Treat
Brick or Treaters can meet Frankie and Lord Vampyre along with Orange Brick in the eerie, misty woodland of the Enchanted Forest, where they will also be able to create their very own LEGO or DUPLO pumpkins to place in the LEGO pumpkin patch and join in a giant LEGO Mosaic build. There’s also cobweb colouring, a Minifigure monster trail and watch out for an invasion of the ghostly kind over in Miniland where tiny LEGO figures will be spooking things up. And for littler ones there’s a special Spooky Puppet Show over at the DUPLO theatre where the puppets will don their very own Halloween costumes.

Drayton Manor's More Treat Than Trick
You are in for a treat at Drayton Manor, home of Thomas Land, this year. Thomas and his friends have been hard at work delivering pumpkins and decorations to Thomas Land to make this Halloween spookier than ever, along with extra activities.

Screamland at Dreamland Margate
The multi-award winning Screamland is back and more terrifying than ever! For the second year in a row, Dreamland Margate has been transformed into Screamland, with immersive scare experiences as well as all your favourite rides. The Paradise Foundation is a brand new scare maze for 2016, joining The Final Cut, Dead & Breakfast and Festino's Forgotten Funhouse, all substantially updated for this year.

Vampire Pleasure Beach
Vampire Pleasure Beach will once again be returning to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, as part of a spooky week of Halloween activities between 22nd - 31st October 2016. There will be a full 10 days of Halloween fun in addition to the special late night event on 29th October plus the bizarre Circus of Horrors is nightly between 27th - 31st October.

Happy Halloween at Paultons Park
Make your way to the Show Stage and enjoy The Little Monsters’ Ball, a daytime dance party where monsters move to spooky tunes! Dress to impress in your creepy costumes and join in with some frightfully fun dance moves. Be sure to stick around after the ball to meet the spooky team for tricks and sweet treats after every show! These haunted half term happenings are included in regular admission and will take place between 24th October - 1st November.

Pleasurewood Chills 
There’s spooky fun for all the family from 22nd - 30th. There’s not just the 35 rides, shows and attractions to enjoy but plenty of free Halloween activities and attractions. Scream and shout with Woody Bear and help him on his travels in a fantastic new show Woody’s Spooktacular suitable for all the family. Also some old favourites are back including pumpkin carving, trick or treat, mask making, find the witch treasure hunt and back by popular demand for Halloween Woody’s Spooky Parade.

Frightwater Valley
With spooky happenings and supernatural goings-on taking place across the theme park between 27th - 30th October, make this the ultimate spine-chilling adventure, as well as the opportunity to experience a selection of rides in the dark, you would be a crazy goblin to miss it all. 

Halloween Half Term at Flamingo Land
There will be a whole host of themed tricks and treats for you to enjoy each day. Younger visitors can hop aboard for a spooky indoor train ride at Mischief Mansion or watch as some of the fantastic animals encounter a Halloween pumpkin. Alternatively, slither on over to the Education Centre where you can demonstrate your pumpkin carving skills, meet some truly creepy creatures or pick up a free Halloween Zoo Trail sheet. Prepare yourself for the live Ghost Ship production show for an hour, featuring pirates, magic and nightmares!

Oakwood's Spooktacular
Oakwood is being transformed in to a Scream Park to celebrate Halloween (October 27th - 31st) with scary family fun for all ages to enjoy. The Pembrokeshire park will be presenting a new interactive live show narrating the story of The Ghost of Skull Rock including laser and pyrotechnics – perfect for all the family. There will also be a children’s pumpkin trail, creepy characters in the Spooky 3D ride, live music, and a Theatre of Nightmares set in an abandoned theatre for adult visitors.

Twinlakes Scream Park
Twinlakes Scream Park will offer a whole host of spooky and scary attractions for Halloween in 2016 with the combination of the Family Scream Park by day for young tricksters and the Xtreme Scream Park by night for the brave, with six scare mazes.

Southport Pleasureland presents After Dark
A brand new event for 2016, Southport Pleasureland presents After Dark, combining all the fun of the theme park with 4 scare houses, a creepy abandoned zoo, a screening arena and a Stage of Frights Showbar. The event for over 16's  runs from 6pm every night from 21st - 31st October.

Fright Nights Devon at The Big Sheep
Taking place over three nights on the 29th, 30th and 31st October, open from 6.30pm until midnight each night, with two new live haunt attractions and live music. In-Sanitorium is a maze which is being controlled by the military and something just isn't right. The staff seem unusually different and the patients are extremely agitated! Escape that and you'll enter The Outer Limits where you will find out exactly what has been going on at this lunatic asylum.

Tulley's Shocktober Fest
The UK's number 1 Scream Park returns for 2016 with 8 haunted attractions, live music and food. With live actors, special effects and scary surprises - the phenomenal haunts for 2016 are Coven of 13PanDEMONium's CarnivalThe Chop ShopThe ColonyThe Cellar Haunted HouseHorrorwood Haunted HayrideHell-ements and The Creepy Cottage. Enjoy two live music stages, award winning street theatre and food, all in a friendly festival atmosphere! We were particularly impressed with the sheer scale of the huge event and the incredibly long and detailed mazes, including some illusions that we've never seen before.

The Haunted Castle
With wondrous witches, Horrible Histories and the return of the spectacular Fire Joust, experience Warwick Castle's biggest ever Halloween event. From 22nd October to 31st October The Haunted Castle promises fearful levels of fun for all ages during the day and then, after dark, the fright factor is cranked high as the Castle remains open until 9pm with Tormented, Outbreak 1349 and The Castle Dungeon.

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