Alton Towers Scarefest was recently voted the Best Halloween Event in the UK Theme Park Awards so we were excited to be visiting on opening day of the spooktacular 2020 season!
As in previous years, the park is open 10am-9pm every day throughout the event giving you plenty of time to experience everything that the park has to offer. After sunset it's a brilliant opportunity to experience the best rides at Alton Towers in the dark, including all of the big roller coasters.
The theme park has something for the whole family, with a mixture of family friendly spooky activities suitable for younger guests, to their newest and most intense scare mazes for only the bravest. When added to the impressive line up of brilliant rides and attractions, it makes Alton Towers Scarefest the perfect destination for your Halloween fix.
Due to the continuing presence of the coronavirus (COVID-19), Alton Towers has put in place various measures to reduce the risk of transmission, with modifications to the scare mazes and how they are operated.
The measures include:
- Pre-booked tickets only for both theme park entry and the scare mazes
- Reduced capacity to allow for social distancing
- Temperature checks on arrival
- Social distancing in queue lines, walkways, restaurants, rides and attractions
- Individual households (up to 6 people) experience the scare mazes alone
- Face masks to be worn throughout the scares mazes and on many rides and attractions
- Hand sanitiser units at the entrance and exit of each scare maze and ride
- Enhanced cleaning measures
Towers Street looked fantastic again this year and it was great to see some new decorations.
Towers Trading Company shop has a great selection of Alton Towers Scarefest merchandise.
This year, there are a total of 4 live action scare mazes, with The Alton Towers Dungeon also supporting the line up.
Freak Show: Toxic Junkyard (New for 2020)
Set outside in what appears to be an abandoned junkyard, daring thrillseekers will discover the dark and disturbing secret it hides in a truly chilling experience. After being hunted and cast out of the community, the last of the psycho clowns have gone into hiding, plotting in secret their next big show.
Situated in an open-air space near the lake, the new scare maze is inspired by the popular Freak Show scare zone that has featured at Alton Towers Scarefest in previous years. This fast and frantic experience has you navigating a maze of relics from the history of the park.
We experienced the attraction in the dark and loved the clever use of set design, lighting and smoke effects, as well as numerous encounters with the circus rejects and misfits.
The Attic: Terror of the Towers
The haunting stories and legends of the Towers themselves return this year with this scare maze focusing on the park's iconic landmark.
Guests are greeted during a pre-show where the legend of 'The Governess' is explained, then climb a number of flights of stairs towards the attic. Once there, you'll encounter a number of 'children' delighted to meet you, but all may not be as it seems and the further you venture into the attic the more you will discover before coming face to face with 'The Governess'. You then find yourself climbing into a fireplace and will encounter the dark and terrifying secret beyond.
Altonville Mine Tours
Also located within the Towers, this returning scare maze takes on the theme of a reopened mine, home to a family of village outcasts nicknamed the ‘Skin Snatchers’ by local residents.
Due to coronavirus measures, hard hats with lamps are no longer part of the experience, so you really do descend into the darkness this year! With unexpected events at every turn and highly detailed scenes, this scare maze is once again not to be missed.
The clever use of lighting, smells, props and effective scares from a safe distance, all make for a very welcome return.
The Alton Towers Dungeon
We have previously reviewed The Alton Towers Dungeon in detail so won't do so again, but it's worth mentioning that we were very impressed with the coronavirus measures, ensuring every guest has a great experience whilst observing social distancing guidelines.
If you've not experienced it before, make sure you include this in your Alton Towers Scarefest visit, otherwise it's the same experience as normal.
Darkest Depths
An opportunity for younger guests to experience a scare attraction (recommended for those aged 10+).
This year, Darkest Depths is situated near the Towers rather than within Mutiny Bay, so it feels a little out of place. However, with an updated route and a new finale, impressive theming and the great cast, it's completely immersive once inside.
The family attraction is likely to give guests of any age a fright as you come face to face with treacherous sirens, pirate mutineers and the huge tentacles of the Kraken!
Garden Lights Walk: Whispering Souls (New for 2020)
This year you can enjoy the gardens as never before and witness them come to life in a whole new spooktacular light!
As darkness falls the many wonderful features of the gardens are illuminated for a self-guided trail that also incorporates atmospheric music.
This is a brilliant addition to the event that can be enjoyed by a wide range of visitors, not just those interested in the scare attractions.
Freaky Fun Zone – This family area has returned to the lawns at the bottom of Towers Street, with the addition of various food and drink stalls repurposed from the new Oktoberfest event.
The entertaining shows include Skelvin's Spooky Storytime, Phil & Franklyn's Ghoulish Games, Gretyl's Spell School and Patch's Halloween Party.
CBeebies fans can also dress up and join all their favourite characters for their first Halloween Party at the CBeebies Land Monsters’ Ball in Big Fun Showtime.
Alton Towers Scarefest continues on 16th October - 1st November 2020.
Despite the challenging circumstances this year, the event is just as full of chills and thrills for both families and thrill seekers.
If you're able to go, go! The event offers by far the widest range of Halloween activities at a UK theme park, with something for everyone.
Our theme park entry and scare maze tickets were provided by Alton Towers for the purposes of this review.
The '3 scare maze' ticket includes Freak Show: Toxic Junkyard, The Attic: Terror of the Towers and Altonville Mine Tours for £22 in advance.
Darkest Depths is £8 or can be combined with The Alton Towers Dungeon for £12 in advance.
Tickets for the theme park are also required and are £38 in advance.
