Scarefest 2023 featured the debut of a new scare escape attraction, in addition to a new scare zone alongside returning scare mazes and family-friendly entertainment. All of the scare attractions, excluding the scare zone, and the family walkthrough attraction carried an additional charge, while all other attractions were free and accessible to all.
Key Information
Dates: 7th-8th, 13th-31st October 2023
Battle Galleons, Congo River Rapids, Get Set Go Tree Top Adventure, Hey Duggee’s Big Adventure Badge, Andy’s Adventures Dinosaur Dig, JoJo & Gran Gran At Home, Big Fun Show Time The Furchester Hotel Live shut at dusk.
Other rides shut at 9pm daily.
Prices
Scare Mazes
Single Ticket – £10.00
Four Maze Ticket (excluded Daz Games: PANIC) – £34.00
Trick O’ Treat Town – £12.00
Attractions
Thrill Attractions
Daz Games: PANIC
Altonville Mine Tours – Tiny’s Revenge
The Invitation
The Attic: Terror of the Towers
Darkest Depths
Burial Grounds
Family Attractions
Trick O’ Treat Town
Freaky Fun Zone
Patch’s Trick or Treat Party
Phil’s Halloween Dance Party
Sin Bin: ImmortHELL
A Vintage Halloween
Alton Ancestors
CBeebies Land Monster Ball
The headline new for 2023 attraction was Daz Games: PANIC, an experience where escape room met live action scare maze. Created in partnership with YouTuber Daz Black, this AI-inspired experience represented a new type of scare attraction for the Resort. Located primarily inside the Hospitality Suite marquee, next to Spinball Whizzer, the exterior queue line area had an industrial look, with theming in the form of mannequins and graffitied graphics. Guests were batched into the experience in groups of up to 40, with the first step being to collect a wristband containing a scannable chip and to enter a name. Everyone was then assigned a unique combination of two symbols, some of these being the logos of the Resort’s roller coasters.
The attraction started with a pre-show where Daz explains how he has asked his AI technology to create a game, however it became apparent that the AI has been corrupted, setting the scene for the challenge that awaited. With only seven minutes to find their symbols and escape, guests were then released into the labyrinth. Some of the symbols were easier to locate than others, although some also need to be activated by completing a task before they could be scanned. Of course guests weren’t alone inside of the game, with a variety of characters also stalking guests and adding to the difficulty of completing the task in hand. Physical contact from the inhabitants formed a key part of the experience, with this in some cases meaning that guests were physically prevented from being able to reach their symbols. Whilst the attraction did not have the immersive and detailed theming of other scare attractions, it did feature an intense soundtrack and disorientating lighting which built as the timer counted down. Upon exiting the attraction, there were screens displaying leaderboards of the times that guests managed to successfully escape in, both from the last game and over the duration of Scarefest. A dedicated merchandise stall was also located outside the exit.
Scarefest 2023 also saw the main scare attraction line-up refreshed with the debut of Altonville Mine Tours: Tiny’s Revenge, which saw this long-running scare maze updated with a new story, theming and scenes. Immediately from the queue line it was apparent that it was no longer business as usual at the Altonville Mines, with local law enforcement having successfully detained the notorious Skin Snatchers. That is with the exception of Tiny, who had managed to evade capture and was believed to still reside within the Mines. Within the mines, guests encountered characters which included other members of the sheriff’s department, cheerleaders and of course a gas-masked clad Tiny.
Returning for 2023 was 2022’s controversial new addition, The Invitation – the core experience of this audio-based attraction remained unchanged, however the attraction did benefit from the addition of a new live action finale for Scarefest 2023. Also back for what was their fifth year was both The Attic: Terror of the Towers and Darkest Depths, with the former benefitting from some enhancements to a couple of its scenes.
Away from the scare mazes, another new addition for Scarefest 2023 was Burial Grounds. In this free-flowing outdoor scare zone, guests journeyed through the sacred sanctum of The Unchosen, a cult of modern-day fanatics obsessed with the lore of the Beornen – a highlight of the scare zone were the flaming set pieces found along the route. The scare zone primarily used the walkway running adjacent to Wicker Man, although an early section saw guests walk beneath the path of the Skyride. This saw a return to the one-way walkthrough format of the event’s early scare zones, and provided a free to enter scare attraction with the added benefit of it being open until 9:30pm.
Trick O’ Treat Town returned for a third year, with this family friendly interactive walkthrough once again sponsored by HARIBO.
The family shows and entertainment were once again hosted on the Front Lawns stage. As well as including the traditional shows from the Freaky Five, with Patch’s Trick or Treat Party and Phil’s Halloween Dance Party, a mix of live vocals and dance was provided by Sin Bin: ImmortHELL and A Vintage Halloween. The food and beverage units seen on the Front Lawns during Oktoberfest were once again retained, making this area a combined food and entertainment hub.
The Alton Ancestors also made a return with an updated dance routine, being found on Towers Street in the morning and Fountain Square later in the day. They also performed their ‘Final Haunt’ dance on the Front Lawns stage in the evening.
CBeebies Land joined in the Scarefest festivities for a sixth year with the CBeebies Land Monster Ball.
Towers Street was decorated with its traditional colourful bunting, as well as the ride-themed pumpkins and main Scarefest sign. However, the iconic hearse did not make a return for Scarefest 2023. As darkness fell, The Towers were once again illuminated, but this year with the addition of mist effects around its base. Although enhancements were made to park-wide lighting and mist effects, Garden Lights Walk: Whispering Souls did not return.
The Curse at Alton Manor, the new addition for the 2023 season, also saw a number of enhancements implemented in time for Scarefest – alongside permanent new elements within the attraction, one of Emily’s ragdolls joined the roaming characters and, as evening descended, party guests also arrived for a New Year’s Eve celebration, just like on the fateful night of 31st December 1891…
As in the preceding years, there was no overnight or late night experience available during Scarefest 2023.
Over at the Resort’s accommodation there was a variety of entertainment suitable for guests of all ages, including live vocalists and magic shows. The Alton Towers Hotel also saw some new entertainment with Vikings taking over the iconic ship.
Alton Towers Resort reveals UK’s first terrifying escape maze with YouTube star, Daz Games
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Alton Towers Resort has partnered with YouTube sensation, Daz Games aka Daz Black, to host the UK’s first escape maze
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The Resort reveals a brand-new horrifyingly unique, immersive scare attraction at the Theme Park’s award-winning Scarefest event
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A video revealed by the Resort gives a terrifying glimpse to the new scare attraction, where escape room meets live action scare maze for the ultimate horror experience
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Scarefest will take place from 7th – 8th and 13th – 31st October, tickets are on sale now
Alton Towers Resort is redefining horror attractions with a terrifying new scare attraction, as the UK’s favourite spooktacular event returns for the 2023 season with more thrilling frights and family spooks. This Scarefest, the UK’s largest theme park has partnered with online superstar, Daz Games, to host a horrifyingly unique, immersive experience where escape room meets live action scare maze, Daz Games: PANIC.
The legendary YouTube star, Daz Black, has become hugely popular for his Daz Games YouTube channel, gaining a huge following of dedicated ‘Dazzlers’ with over eight million subscribers and over two billion views.
The brand-new scare attraction is the first of its kind, where players will be given a wristband and released into the attraction to compete to find two unique symbols and exit within seven minutes, however they will not be alone. Daz Games: PANIC will put players through an intense series of tests to challenge the mind and body, as they race against the clock to find the symbols and escape, before being trapped in the game forever.
In a chilling promo video released by the Resort today, Daz’s AI technology has been corrupted and taken over the maze. A brave thrillseeker can be seen running down a dark corridor lined with chain link fencing, searching for the unique symbols before becoming face-to-face with terror.
In addition to the terrifying new escape maze, guests can expect more creepy scares, shocks and spooktacular thrills than ever before as the Resort has announced two new scare attractions, including:
- Burial Grounds, a free-flowing outdoor scare zone shadowed by the mighty Wicker Man will be accessible and free for all guests to experience. The Unchosen, a cult obsessive of modern-day fanatics obsessed with the lore of the Beornen invite you to their sacred sanctum of ancient burial grounds. Keep your pace amongst the desecrated realm of unearthed bodies, flaming shrines and monstrous deities. Stay too long and they will choose you too – are you ready?
- Altonville Mine Tours – Tiny’s Revenge: Updated for 2023, rumours are afoot that the old Altonville Mines are alive with activity once again. Following a breakthrough from local law enforcers, the notorious Skin Snatches have been detained.. but for how long? The ironically named Tiny, however, has evaded capture and is believed to still reside within the Mines. Explore at your peril and risk the adventure, if you dare.
The Resort has confirmed the return of three multi-award winning, terrifying mazes, plus the family fave Trick O Treat Town with HARIBO is back for a third year. The line-up of terrifyingly good scare maze and attractions include:
- The Attic: Terror of the Towers: An unforgettable and truly chilling experience set in the eaves of the Theme Park’s famous and historical Tower ruins. Rumoured to be haunted by ‘the Governess’, local legend says she is eternally trying to avenge the death of her charges; taking the spirits of the living as penance…but who will be her next victim?
- Darkest Depths: Get ready for a terrifying new adventure aboard ‘The Mutiny’, a notoriously spine-chilling ghost ship. You’ll truly earn your golden piece of eight by venturing into the darkest depths, avoiding the hazardous calls of the treacherous Sirens, dodging the swords of terrifyingly ghoulish pirate mutineers and coming face to face with the Kraken – the legendary monster of the seas!
- The Invitation: Visit the Lakeside Cemetery mausoleum where the friendly funeral director is dying to meet you. Enter the vault to choose your final resting place but proceed with caution, you will not be alone, some caskets have already been filled and their occupants are keen to meet you.
- Trick O Treat Town with HARIBO where every day is Halloween and the townsfolk favourite pastime is trick-or-treating for the town’s visitors. Guests will be given a tote bag upon entering the indoor attraction and start by taking a walk down Spooky Avenue before moving onto houses in Treat Street, Witchy Woods, The Graveyard and The Hill. Knock on the doors to collect lots of sweet treats and other spooky surprises but be careful as there will be tricks aplenty.
Also returning for 2023 is the family friendly frights line-up of live entertainment including the Alton Ancestors, Freaky Five and CBeebies Land Monster Ball, where little monsters can see their favourite CBeebies Land characters for a special Halloween party.
Open until 9pm each day, daring guests can also face the head-spinning, hair-raising rides and attractions in darkness including the Alton Towers Dungeon.
If one day just isn’t enough, guests can extend their stay with an overnight stay at the Resort’s iconic themed accommodation. From the UK’s only CBeebies Land Hotel and Caribbean themed Splash Landings Hotel, to enchanting log cabins and the eccentric Alton Towers Hotel, there are six delightfully themed accommodations to choose from, and with a buffet breakfast, live evening entertainment, free parking and a free round of Extraordinary Golf, it’s the perfect escape for friends and families. To help families and thrillseekers make the most of the spooktacular activities, the Resort has launched an overnight offer that gives overnight guests a second day on park absolutely free!
Daz Black, said:
“It has been an incredible experience to mix gaming, horror and theme parks to create a totally unique scare attraction for Alton Towers Resort. I am super excited to see it come to life and I hope fans will both love it and be absolutely terrified at the same time.”
Scarefest will take place at Alton Towers Resort from Saturday 7th to Sunday 8th October, then each day from Friday 13th to Tuesday 31st October.
