SANDUSKY, Ohio – Prepare to be scared: Cedar Point’s annual HalloWeekends event begins tonight, featuring new and updated haunted attractions.
For the first time, the park will charge an additional fee for many of its haunted attractions, including popular indoor mazes such as Bloodbath, the Haunting of Eerie Estate, and Fearground Freakshow. Season passholders will also be charged an additional fee on top of regular park admission.
A one-day Haunted Attractions Pass costs $10, $20, or $30, depending on the day.
Cedar Point spokesman Tony Clark said the park’s haunted attractions have been improved this year. “While we can’t share all the secrets, we’ve made various upgrades inside our mazes, including scenery, props and types of scares,” he told me.
The park will also debut a new interactive haunted experience, The Conjuring: Beyond Fear, based on the horror films The Conjuring. The park promises participants will navigate iconic scenes and race to return Annabelle to her case before the true evil is unleashed. The attraction is located in the former Town Hall building near the park’s back entrance.
The Conjuring will also cost an additional fee: $20 on Saturdays and $15 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
Not all haunted attractions will require additional fees. Admission to the park includes access to its four outdoor scare zones (Blood on the Bayou, Tombstone Terror-tory, Clownz: Hall of Infamy Tour, and Cut Throat Cove). (Note: Although an outdoor haunt, the popular Cornstalkers 2.0: Revenge of the Pumpkin Heads is included in the Haunted Attractions Pass.)
Many long-time Cedar Point fans are upset about the new fees, which were not disclosed until last month, after many people had purchased or renewed their annual passes.
The new fees align Cedar Point and other former Cedar Fair parks with Six Flags’ policies, which have long charged extra for haunted attractions. Last year, Cedar Fair and Six Flags merged, forming the world’s largest regional amusement park company.
In addition to the haunted attractions, HalloWeekends will include Halloween-themed entertainment, daytime activities for kids, and Cedar Point’s well-known ride lineup.
Here’s what’s on tap:
- Evening entertainment includes “Wake the Dead,” a murder-mystery in the Palace Theater; Fangs After Dusk in the Red Garter Saloon; and Butchers of Rock on the Gemini Midway; plus other performances.
- Family-friendly daytime activities feature children’s costume contests, a trick-or-treat trail, a corn maze, pumpkin decorating, Peanuts characters and more.
- Included in the ride lineup is the return of the Midway Scare-ousel, which gives guests the opportunity to ride the Midway Carousel backward.
The event will also feature fall-themed specialty food, drink and retail items.
If you go: Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends
When: HalloWeekends begins tonight and continues Thursday through Sunday until November 2. The hours are 6 p.m. to midnight Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Admission to the park varies by day, with prices ranging from $45 (Thursdays and Sundays) to $90 (Saturdays in October). Reminder: Buy your tickets online; gate prices are always higher.
Also, for the first time, guests will be required to pay an additional fee to visit many haunted attractions. A daily Haunted Attractions Pass costs $10 on Thursdays, $20 to $30 on Fridays, and $30 on Saturdays. Guests can also purchase a daily Haunted Attractions Express Pass, which gives them access to shorter lines for haunted houses as well as a single entry to The Conjuring: Beyond Fear. It costs between $69 and $109, depending on the day. The park also offers an all-season Haunted Attractions Pass for $99, but the all-season Haunted Attractions Express Pass has sold out. Note: Daily Haunted Attractions Passes will be available at the park.
