FrightFest at Six Flags Great Adventure

"Fun for Everyone"

As the seasons change and Fall begins, Six Flags Great Adventure transforms into a Halloween play land.  The park is festively decked with pumpkins, corn stalks, spider webs and other decorations throughout.  The fountain on Main Street no longer sprays clear water, but red.  The Looney Tunes characters can be spotted wearing costumes and many shows change into that of a Halloween theme.  Fright Fest offers both a family friendly day time theme and a scarier night time one. There are many free shows and attractions and a handful that will cost an additional fee, such as the hayride and terror trails.   If you have a family with younger ones, it is best to experience the fun during daylight hours prior to 6pm.  On your way into the park, be sure to pick up a Fright Fest time schedule to see a complete listing of show times and special events.  The rides are all still open as well!

THRILLS BY DAY

During the day you can find family friendly, festive fun.  Nothing spooky or scary! At the Safari Theater you can catch Professor Slithers’ Creep Critters show.  Professor Slithers, his assistant Witch Hazel and his side kick zombie entertain you with jokes, silly dances and created potions to conjure up scary things.  Much to Professor Slithers’ dismay nobody was afraid of the creatures that emerged from the cauldron including an albino hedgehog, some guinea pigs, a lizard and more.  Witch Hazel walked the animals around and offered up facts to the audience.  

One of our favorite parts of Fright Fest was the Trick-or-Treat Trail.  Here, the kids receive a treat bag and walk the trail to characters that are stationed in front of Halloween backgrounds.  The characters will pose for a picture and the kids get a treat!  Bring your camera because this is one spot in the park they don’t have professional photographers on hand to take overpriced pics for you (a bonus in my book!).  Characters switch out throughout the day.  This was very cute, especially for the little ones.

Next door to the Trick-or-Treat Trail is the Dead or Local stage featuring local bands playing at scheduled times throughout the day.  This wasn’t quite our style of music but it was neat to see live bands playing in the park.  

The Monster Mash Bash is a musical show that takes place on the stage in Bugs Bunny National Park.  Viewers will find a mummy, werewolf, Dracula and Frankenstein dancing around on stage to music.  The sound system wasn’t great and when there were talking parts it was hard to understand.  I feel confidant saying that it is okay to skip this show.  (though the littlest ones may enjoy it)

A fun paid attraction is the Haunted Wagon Spells hayride.  Descend into the woods and meet some Halloween friends along the way such as Frank, Dracula, Harry the werewolf and others.  We stopped along the way to say hello and hear a Halloween riddle.  This is 100% family friendly; nobody jumps onboard the wagon or tries to scare you.  At night, the ride stays the same; it just may seem a tad spookier in the dark.  Tickets for this are an additional $5 (or you can get a Scare Pass for $25 for admittance into all the paid attractions).

In addition to those mentioned, there are many other free shows and experiences that we weren’t able to make it to as well due to timing that your family may enjoy.  

FRIGHT BY NIGHT

This starts off at 6pm.  First, Fright by Night is not recommended for those who scare easily.   Most of the shows and Terror Trails are not recommended for anyone under age 12, and with good reason.  Zombies patrol the park.  And they don’t just casually walk by, they get in line with you, ride the rides, get in your face, and are everywhere.  Their job is simple, to spook and unsettle you.  Some people may find this a little intimidating or scary.  

Unfortunately due to storms that rolled in we were not able to do a lot of the specific fright night terror trails and shows.  We did make it into the Haunted Manor and that was more than enough for me.  Prior to entering you get the rundown….nobody is allowed to touch anybody…and no matter how scared you get, keep walking.  The walking dead are everywhere, just waiting to jump out and scare you.  They pop out from behind pictures, from corners, and from coffins.  That did not bother me so much, that is what is expected in these attractions.  What terrified me was that at one point you need to walk through this tunnel which is similar to the blow up attractions.  It is pitch black, you can’t see where you are going, how long the tunnel lasts for and it is clinging to you from all sides.  I tend to be a tad on the claustrophobic side and I did NOT like this feature one little bit.  

Overall, I found Fright Fest to be great festive fun.  By offering both family-friendly and scarier events, everyone in the family can be happy and find something they enjoy.  

Disclosure:  I was provided complimentary admission into Great Adventure and front of the line media-passes for the special FrightFest Attractions.  While admission was free, I  was not asked to provide a specific point of view and opinions are mine based on my experience in the park.