Halloween
| DISCLAIMER |
|---|
| Information on this site is unofficial. It is compiled by fans of Adventureland amusement park in Altoona, Iowa (near Des Moines). There may be inaccuracies and omissions. For official Adventureland information, visit the official website. |
See Newest Pages or all Recent Changes. | Join my Facebook Group. | About this site. | Blog | Contact me.
This page was last updated on 08/8/2016. Total Pages: 317. Total Files: 327.
Home / Special Events - Halloween
Adventureland does not currently do any Halloween events, but wouldn't it be neat if they did? Now that they have started off-season events with Oktoberfest, I thought it might be fun to dream about what a Halloween event might be.
THIS IS NOT REAL. THERE IS NO HALLOWEEN EVENT AT ADVENTURELAND.
Let's just have some fun...
Halloween at Adventureland (Proposal)
This hard-ticket event could be a counterbalance to Oktoberfest and cater to younger audiences (simialarly to the Living History Farms event). At the simplest, it could be a kid’s trick-or-treat event with candy stations spread out down Main Street. The A-Train could provide a Halloween story experience. The arcade and food/drink stands could be open.
Or, it could scale up and provide some walk-through haunted house experiences as well, using the Palace Theater or other locations. (Or the theater could be used for a Halloween magic show or similar act.) This would require much more effort and expense, but with Oktoberfest catering to a 21+ only audience, perhaps the park might go the direction of Halloween Horror Nights (Universal Studios in CA/FL), Knott's Scary Farm (Knott's Berry Farm, CA), or (closer to us) Halloween Haunts at ValleySCARE (Valleyfair, MN)or Halloween Haunts (Worlds of Fun, MO). That seems like a much more expensive and ambitious undertaking, so I'd suggest they focus on the family event (at least for starting out).
For the family-friendly approach, the event would focus on children's trick-or-treating, Halloween costume contests, and family friendly Halloween entertainment. I envision the area being used to be similar to Oktoberfest 2015, but perhaps using less of the Boulevard, and instead circling around the Space Shot area to give access to Frog Hopper, Kiddie Kars, Convoy, Frantic Freeway and Red Baron.
Main Street Trick-or-Treats
Admission would include a trick-or-treat bag and allow kid's to start at the Post Office and make their way all around Main Street. Candy locations would be set up at doors to unused buildings, or outside on the sidewalk. (Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World uses long lines at individual stops all around the park, but containing it to Main Street would make it actually feel like trick-or-treating.)
One issue with this traffic pattern is it would block access to locations like Iowa Cafe and Fun Foods (especially if it had the long never-ending chain of trick-or-treaters like Living History Farms gets).
Ride Overlays
Much like Oktoberfest, several rides near the front of the park could remain open, with Halloween overlays. One problem is that none of the Kiddie Rides are close to the front of the park and that might be sad if the event focused on children.
Apparition-Train (A-Train)
The A-Train takes guests on a Halloween story adventure as it passes by sets while onboard music and narration plays.
Story Ideas: When The Monster arrived at Adventureland, it brought along some friends. As the trains travels along the route, creepy sets are stationed along the way with lights and sound (and maybe a few actors now and then). There could even be a sea monster where the train passes over the water on the bridge. It should be creepy but funny.
Technology: Speakers will be added to each passenger car (do the ones on the train now work?), with a 12V amplifier and sound source able to trigger at various points along the ride. (A simple self-triggering system can also be created to cause the audio to play automatically as the train passes each area.)
Town Square Scareousel
Halloween songs.
Giant "Die" Wheel
Spotlights light it up in eerie red or purple colors.
Ghost Galleon
A ghost ship with lights and a sound system to play creepy pirate music. (If the ride could handle it, some tattered sails could be added to the "mast".)
Scare-Tea Cups
Imagine the ride with some lights, music and fog machine.
...you get the idea. Most overlays would just be a sound system and some lights.