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Building on the tremendous reception of last year’s revolutionary all-day-and-night Halloween Fest, Ocean Park this year will again present a new breakthrough by transforming itself into a horror film studio, featuring nine unique experiences at seven haunted attractions that offer a galore of fun and scares all day and night for the price of one ticket! Presented for the first time is an ultimate haunted attraction where guests would need to complete a series of tasks within a locked chamber, challenging the limits of the senses and their innermost fears. As well, the team behind the horror blockbuster Rigor Mortis is bringing to life the film’s eerie dilapidated public estate setting and zombie-making process. At Asia’s first Doraemon-themed Halloween party, featuring the beloved Doraemon’s favourite gadgets such as “Time Machine” and “Anywhere Door”, guests can experience along with a fun and fascinating adventure with Doraemon. For the first time this year, Ocean Park will introduce two Transforming Attractions, which offer fun-tastic experiences for the entire family until 5pm on each event day before transforming into the most frightful haunted zones for the evening. Brave souls would also want to visit the world’s first haunted attraction with selfie video cameras available for rent so they can take home up-close footage of their own expressions of sheer terror. Topping the event off is a wide range of Halloween shows to spark the Halloween spirit for guests of different ages.
Revolutionary Format to Meet the Needs of Different Guests
Ms. Vivian Lee, Executive Director, Sales & Marketing, said, “We introduced the all-day-and-night format for last year’s Halloween event to elevate its appeal among family guests, and successfully recorded a 11% year-on-year increase in attendance in that segment.”
Regarding the popularity of the Halloween Fest among corporations, Lee said, “We started receiving enquiries about charter events for this year’s Halloween Fest since the end of last year’s Halloween Fest, and during 14 September – 1 October, all seven event days have been bought-out by different corporations for their charter events for staff or customers. Although the public cannot enter the haunted attractions during this period, guests can still feel the Halloween Fest ambience and take photos with our ghouls around the Park. To experience the fun, yet spooky haunted attractions, the public can visit Ocean Park on 16 event days from 2 – 31 October. Don’t forget to also check out the Tim Tam Surprise Happiness Truck for free trick or treat!”
First-ever Reservation-only Limited-admission Haunted Attraction
This year’s Halloween Fest will also feature the first-ever reservation-only limited-admission attraction – H14 presented by Modern Education. Admission to this ultimate haunted attraction will be restricted to persons aged 16 or above, and requires online registration in advance. Those brave enough can take the challenge alone, or go in a group of up to six people. Different from the usual spooks, H14 is designed to challenge the limits of the senses and the fright tolerance of each guest, who must overcome their phobias to complete different tasks as they advance through a series of locked chambers. More hauntingly still, the experience of each guest is specifically customized based on personal information collected before entering the attraction. Ocean Park’s Halloween team will make unexpected adjustments to the adventure and scary elements according to the experience and reaction of guests during their journeys. The first round of online registration will take place on 29 August and 3 & 5 September, with only 1,000 time-slots available on each registration day. The dates of the second round of registration will be announced in due course.
Ms. Lee said, “Everyone has something they fear deep down inside, and H14 is designed around this concept. Guests are welcome to gauge their courage level by visiting H14.” Ocean Park has invited Dr. Allan Zeman and veteran actor Lo Hoi Pang to star in a viral video to promote H14. Lee added, “As Dr. Zeman has always been an iconic part of our Halloween celebration, we are delighted to have him join our campaign, creating more buzz and viewership for our video.” Starting today, the clip can be viewed at: http://youtu.be/RtjSvfmgq78
Local Elements Make for More Personal Frights
Being Hong Kong People’s Park, Ocean Park incorporates extensive local elements into its Halloween event to create a stronger resonance among guests. This year, the Park teamed up with film director Juno Mak to bring to life scenes from his movie Rigor Mortis, which won Best Visual Effects at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Ms. Eva Au Yeung, Ocean Park’s Events & Entertainment Director, said, “Mak’s film pays homage to zombie movies of the 1980s and features public housing estates as its setting – both of which are highly significant in the collective memory of locals. Audiences who have watched the film will find our attraction particularly resonating. By working with the production team behind the movie to create Rigor Mortis LIVE presented by Yahoo! Hong Kong, we hope to bring spine-tingling fright out of everyday settings.”
Doraemon to Create Big Draw among Comic Fans
Catering to the needs of families and kids, Ocean Park is introducing the Doraemon Halloween Party, Asia’s first-ever Doraemon-themed Halloween attraction. Ms. Au Yeung said, “Many of us have grown up with Doraemon comics, much like we have with Ocean Park. This time, Doraemon & friends will showcase their new Halloween looks in Asia for the first time at Whiskers Harbour, the venue of an adorable Halloween party. Guests will be able to visit the Doraemon House of Gadgets, featuring his favourite gadgets such as the “Time Machine” and “Anywhere Door”, and take photos with various Doraemon decorations and meet-and-greet the gang of characters. Doraemon fans will also love our Doraemon-themed food and drinks, and merchandise.”
Make the Most Out of Your Visit at the “Transforming Attractions”
“Transforming Attractions”, introduced for the first time this year, will offer guests different experiences depending on whether they are visiting during daytime or at night. At 5pm on each event day, the music and lighting at the Park will change, marking the start of the frightful evening. Night-time ghouls will also appear to intensify the terrifying atmosphere. Two transforming attractions, which offer fun-tastic experiences for the entire family until 5pm on each event day will be transformed into the most frightful haunted areas for the evening.
On their visit to Phantom Studios in the daytime, guests will join an audition by striking hilarious poses of horror to be captured on camera. The footage can be downloaded via QR code when they exit the attraction. At 5pm, the lighting, music and even the set design will change to reveal a new adventure of terror, thereby transforming the attraction into Horror-wood Studios. After guests leave the attraction, they can review their journey as captured on camera. A selfie video camera is also available for rent – a first for haunted attractions worldwide – so guests can capture and take home their most frightful moments. A second transforming attraction is themed on the forest, changing from Forest of Legends during the day to Forest of Doom in the evening. In both incarnations, guests can collect unique commemorative seals on a complementary Ghost Journal at different spots throughout the attraction.
Ms. Au Yeung added, “As ‘Transforming Attractions’ involve a large number of characters, we had to engage the largest-ever cast of performers. During the recent recruitment drive, we hired over 1,000 talents, who will perform in shifts during the event. On each event day, there will be over 1,000 performers and backstage staff to interact with guests and operate the attractions.”
Other Lite Spooky attractions include Eerie Nippon Journey, which is designed based on an Edo-period Japanese garden and features adorable ghost characters such as funny kappa (river child), hitotsume-kozo (one-eyed kid) and more. For those looking for Intense Scares for the Brave, visit the Chinese Mad-icine Hall presented by Age of Three Kingdoms, where guests may fall prey to the evil experiments of a mad doctor.
Glorious Return of Popular Halloween Shows
Spooky Shows have always been popular with guests of all ages. One of the shows not to be missed is the returning performance of Scaremonies presented by Blue Girl Beer, our guests’ favourite from previous years. Ms. Au Yeung said, “Although we could not stage this show last year due to programme changes, we received a lot of requests from guests to have it re-launched for this year’s event. This time, Scaremonies will be staged at the Applause Pavilion, a newly-constructed indoor venue equipped with air conditioning to provide audiences with a comfortable viewing experience and performers with the optimal facility and space to shine. Not only will audiences enjoy advanced lighting, pyrotechnics and special effects, they will also be able to see the latest trending EL (electroluminescent wire) costume dance during the show. This is a show not to be missed!”
Save Queue Time with Schedule Pass App
To provide guests with added convenience and flexibility in planning their itinerary from day to night, Ocean Park is again offering the Halloween Fest Schedule Pass, a smartphone app first launched last year for guests to make advance reservation for attractions. Simply by inputting simple information through the app before departing from home, guests can schedule visitation times to five attractions for themselves and four friends, thereby saving a significant amount of queuing time. The five attractions covered by the app include: Rigor Mortis LIVE, Forest of Legends, Forest of Doom, Chinese Mad-icine Hall and Eerie Nippon Journey. There is a limit on the number of Schedule Pass issued per day, and is available on a first-come-first-served basis.
Giving Back to the Community through Various Promotional Offers
During Halloween Fest, guests can enjoy fun and scares all day and night for the price of one regular ticket. This year, Ocean Park is launching a Spooky Student Offer for full-time students to purchase Daytime Admission Tickets at an 18% discount on Thursdays and Fridays. Gold Pass, Silver Pass and Student Pass holders of Smartfun Annual Pass are entitled to free admission to the Park, and can purchase one additional Halloween Fest Premium Ticket at a discounted price. With the Halloween Fest Premium Ticket, not only will guests be given priority access to 16 designated attractions all day and night, they will also receive an in-park coupon pack and a special Halloween souvenir. Moreover, Ocean Park offers free admission for Hong Kong residents on their respective birthday, senior citizens aged 65 years or above, and local guests holding the registration card for people with disabilities along with half-price discount for one care provider. The Park also offers $20 admission for individuals and members of families receiving assistance from the CSSA Scheme.
