Hersheypark is adding haunts to its Halloween event this fall. Dark Nights will be a new upcharge add-on to the park's Hersheypark Halloween event, allowing fans unlimited visits to four new haunted houses.
In addition, Hersheypark will create three scare zones, which will be open to all Hersheypark Halloween ticket holders.
Hersheypark Halloween runs Saturdays and Sundays from September 17 through October 30 this year, plus Fridays from October 14. The Dark Nights haunts will begin each event night at 6pm and run for one extra hour after Hersheypark Halloween ends. Dark Nights' four haunted houses will be:
Haunted Coal Mine - For too long, unsettling cries of miners lost in these coal shafts have tormented the living. Take a daring trek through the abandoned mine, which suddenly becomes an explosive encounter.The Descent - Who prowls the dark underground tunnels beneath Hersheypark? Follow her into the depths of decay where the only way out is down…
Creature Chaos - Join Professor Darkstone as he pits you against Pennsylvania’s most fearful and deadly creatures. Don’t worry, they’re in their cages…for now.
Twisted Darkness - Dare to have your tarot read by our twisted fortune teller and be forced into a never-ending carnival of nightmares. Was it real or was it all in your mind?
And the three scare zones are:
Darkstone’s Hollow - Wander among Professor Darkstone’s showmen boasting his array of mythical creatures. Beyond the mesmerizing imagery, there’s more to the show than meets the eye.Valley of Fear - Don’t find yourself alone in the murky mists along Spring Creek. The dreadful beings are watching and waiting deep within the shadows, and they know exactly when to strike.
Midway of Misery - Flames burst into the skies as guests are summoned through a sinister gateway into the darkest corner of Hersheypark…where no one can find you.
Regular Hersheypark admission tickets can be used for Hersheypark Halloween, but admission to Dark Nights is an add-on that starts at $24.95 per night. Tickets are available on the Hersheypark website.
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I agree, Russell. I'd love to get a closer look at the finances behind this, but in terms of guest satisfaction, I think you're better off getting guests into the park for a specially ticketed night at a reasonable price ... and then doing what you always do: Charging them too much money for food and bev in new and creative ways. If you can dress it up well for the Halloween Season (especially, increasingly, if alcohol is involved) you might have a hit on your hands.
It's just a bonus if the mazes and scare zones are excellent. Props to you if you have an entertainment division that can also throw in a great show to soak up the crowd for extended periods of the night.
Something Russell did note, and I think is important context, is how good many of the local haunts are in this area of Pennsylvania. I used to travel to the area for work in Fall and was blown away by how creative and enjoyable many of them were. So, people have plenty of options away from the gates of a theme park.
@Jacob - That's exactly what I referring to, and probably why the big park haunts (Dorney and SFAdv) don't draw as well as other regional parks like KD and BGW that are outside of this uber-competitive region (though the latter was one of the first regional parks in the country to offer a Halloween event on par with HHN and has established a similar cult following that many of these one-offs enjoy). There are dozens of scary farms, corn mazes, and escape-room/haunted prison style attractions that pop up across the region in September and October, more so than any other place I can fathom. Some of them are truly iconic, and Hersheypark is going to have to deliver the goods if they want to gain any traction in a saturated market.
Totally agree with you. That's why, to your previous point, I'd try to limit the feel of corporate-y nickel and dime-ing at all costs while trying to establish a brand. Include everything in the cost of admission and create a quality event while giving locals a reason to spend more money on an equivalent product — because expectations are likely to be higher given the higher cost.
I'd love to take a couple weekends to hit a bunch of these big regional haunts to get a better sense of what's working and what isn't and what locals actually prefer in this market. It feels like one of the few truly regional things we still have in an increasingly corporatized business.
While I don't doubt anybody else's experience, the California 6 Flags parks sell low priced passes that include all the mazes, and I've not noticed single maze pricing. Now why Discovery Kingdom's regular maze pass was the same as Magic Mtn's express pass in 2021 (about $40), even though Magic Mtn's mazes are superior by any objective measures, is a mystery I can't solve.
I do think it's better for a special ticket as 6 Flags parks here are far too crowded with people having No Halloween interest.
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I'm curious where they will set up these areas. Hersheypark is a pretty tight park as it is, at least in the original sections of the park, and there aren't a lot of backstage areas to stage high quality mazes.
This seems like a natural progression for a park that is trying to squeeze more revenue out of their seasonal schedule (they've expanded the Christmas/lights event already to include limited rides), but it's tough to pull off a Halloween event in this region with so many 1-off experiences that specialize in haunts.
Going the Six Flags route by making the scare zones free and mazes extra (though a single modest charge for unlimited access is more appealing than SF's tact of charging per maze or a ridiculous price for all-inclusive), but I always wonder how many people base their decision to pay for the mazes based on the quality of the scare zones, and if the mazes live up to the expectations established by the scare zones. In my experience, when Halloween events are set up like this, the scare zones have to be pretty good in order to draw guests into buying maze tickets, but ultimately the mazes are about as good as the scare zones, and I'm usually satisfied in the quality of the scare zones without having to pay extra for the mazes. It's a bit of a Catch-22 that makes it difficult to really capitalize on Halloween. I know they're not trying to alienate guests, but I think they'd be far better off designating specific nights to create a separately ticketed Halloween event instead of trying to straddle the line.