| Six Flags Fright Fest | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Halloween |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location | LegacySix Flags parks |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Website | Official website |
Fright Fest (also known asFestival Del Terror atSix Flags México) is aHalloween-oriented haunt event held annually at legacy[a]Six Flagstheme parks in theUnited States,Canada, andMexico.[1] It mainly featureshaunted attractions, themed areas namedScare Zones, and live entertainment.[2]
It opened asFright Nights atSix Flags AstroWorld in 1986.[3] In 2020, Fright Fest was reimagined toHallowfest, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[4]
After testing various Halloween-based seasonal events throughout the 1970s to mid-1980s, Six Flags, then owned byBally Manufacturing, created an all-new Halloween event forAstroWorld in 1986 that they namedSix Flags Fright Nights.[3][5]
In 1987, the event began to be expanded to Six Flags' other properties.Six Flags Over Georgia was the second park to introduce the event.
Six Flags Over Mid-America was the third park to introduce Fright Nights in 1988 withFreddy Krueger fromA Nightmare on Elm Street as the event's "entertainment chairman". The all-new Fright Nights featured House of the Living Dead, a walk-through inside of the ride building for the Time Tunnel dark ride, as well as the "Terror Train", a horror train show on theTommy G. Robertson Railroad.
In 1989, Fright Nights debuted atSix Flags Over Texas.[6] Like the parks in Texas and Missouri, Freddy Krueger was the central figure of the event. It featured haunted houses, atrick or treat trail for kids, and more.
In 1999, Six Flags licensed and openedAlice Cooper's Brutal Planet haunted houses at some parks, featuring music from the album and using similar elements in each house. The next year it became just simply "Brutal Planet" and dropped theAlice Cooper theme. Since then, Six Flags has licensed other intellectual properties for mazes and scare zones, including theSaw films[7] andDC Comics'sSuicide Squad.[8]
In 2018, Fright Fest returned to Frontier City and Darien Lake (later renamed as Six Flags Darien Lake since May 4, 2019), two former Six Flags parks re-acquired by the company on May 22, 2018.
To comply with the new health and safety protocols implemented by Six Flags due to the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020, the company announced that their Halloween event would be rebranded toHallowfest. The change from Fright Fest to Hallowfest included no haunted houses or indoor shows.[4][9][10] Six Flags Discovery Kingdom held a different event calledBoo 2020! for the 2020 season, as the park operated as a zoo for the season to act in accordance withlocal government guidelines with the state.[11][12]
In 2022, Six Flags introduced another Halloween event alongside Fright Fest, calledKids Boo Fest, a kids-oriented Halloween event withtrick-or-treat trails along with in-park entertainment, that is held in mornings.[13][14] On October 7, 2022, all Six Flags amusement parks implemented a new policy in which it limited the size ofbags and subjected all bags toX-ray screening.[15][16] While a reason for the change was not stated by the parks, an editor from theTheme Park Tribune said the new policies could be related to recent guest altercations, includingshootings, atKennywood andSix Flags Great America.[17]
On June 25, 2024, Six Flags announced in a press release[18] that the event was rebranded as Fright Fest Extreme. This enhanced version of their annual Halloween event featured haunted attractions inspired by well-known horror franchises, namelySaw,Stranger Things,Army of the Dead,The Conjuring Universe,Trick ‘r Treat,Texas Chainsaw Massacre, andDCeased.[19]
Six Flags parks are heavily decorated for Fright Fest, and mainly featurehaunted attractions at an extra charge, as well as live entertainment and scare zones.[20] Halloween-based shows are also performed, most notably "Love at First Fright" atSix Flags Great America,[2]Six Flags St. Louis[21] andSix Flags Over Texas,[22] as well as opening ceremonies and closing finales such as "Freaks Unleashed" and "Final Freakout" at Six Flags St Louis which brings all the actors into the park for a first and last scare.[23]
The parks also feature themed "Scare Zones" in designated areas of the park where costumed actors are allowed to scare guests, though these parks also typically include areas where the actors are not allowed, thus allowing a "safe" area for families with small children or otherwise not wanting to be scared.[2]
Many of the parks have similar shows and share names and ideas, like "Dead Man's Party", which is at Six Flags St Louis,Six Flags New England,Six Flags Over Georgia,Six Flags Great Adventure and Six Flags Over Texas.[24] "The Ringmaster's Cabaret" is another show, but is exclusively shown at Six Flags Great America.[25]
Most also have a specific show that unleashes the monsters into the parks, including "Freaks Unleashed" at Six Flags St. Louis,[23] "Awakening" at Six Flags Great Adventure andSix Flags Discovery Kingdom,[26] "The Uprising" at Six Flags Over Georgia,Six Flags America, Six Flags Great America,[25] "The Arrival" atSix Flags Fiesta Texas, and "Unleashed!" atSix Flags Magic Mountain.
Some parks also have their own respective characters that lead Fright Fest at their park, such asDr. Diabolical at Six Flags Fiesta Texas[27] and Nox at Six Flags Great America.[2]
| Park | Opening season | Last season | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Six Flags AstroWorld | October 1986 | October 30, 2005 | |
| Six Flags Over Georgia | October 16, 1987 | — | [28] |
| Six Flags Over Texas | October 15, 1988 | — | [29] |
| Six Flags St. Louis | October 19, 1988 | — | [30] |
| Frontier City | October 7, 1989 | — | [31] |
| Six Flags Great America | October 19, 1991 | — | [32] |
| Six Flags Great Adventure | October 17, 1992 | — | [33] |
| Six Flags Magic Mountain | October 16, 1993 | — | [34] |
| Six Flags Fiesta Texas | October 1996 | — | [35] |
| Six Flags Darien Lake | October 1998 | — | [36][b] |
| Six Flags America | October 1999 | October 27, 2024 | [37][38] |
| Six Flags Discovery Kingdom | October 1999 | — | [39] |
| Six Flags Elitch Gardens | October 1999 | October 2006 | [40][c] |
| Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom | October 1999 | October 2009 | |
| Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor | October 1999 | — | [42] |
| Six Flags New England | October 6, 2000 | — | [43] |
| Six Flags Worlds of Adventure | October 6, 2000 | November 2, 2003 | [44][d] |
| La Ronde | October 2002 | — | [45] |
| Six Flags Mexico | October 2012 | — | [46] |
Fright Fest at Six Flags Magic Mountain has wonUSA Today's Reader's Choice Award forBest Theme Park Halloween Event twice, in 2016 and 2017.[47] Additionally, Fright Fest for all parks has also been nominated for the same category in 2022, placing second place, behindKings Island’sHalloween Haunt.[48]
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