SbSteveZ

An optimist’s guide to Fright Fest at Darien Lake As you guys know, I’m always fairly quick to jump up and defend Darien Lake and what it does. So of course what better way to see an alternate opinion of the park’s Fright Fest event? And what better timing? So without further adieu, here’s my TR. WARNING - I’m gonna be optimistic and I will be complimenting the park. The entry way sign. It’s a nice touch that I wasn’t expecting and I’m glad to see it there (also, the lights are orange now, freaky stuff) Since that old park map they had has the incorrect times on it for the operating season (and of course for other reasons) they have these shiny new maps! RMC predator confirmed Wondering prices? Can’t find them anywhere? Today is your lucky day! Looks like we got ourselves a creepy fountain. Bloody and all! (I appreciate this take over putting skeletons all over it and calling it a day) This seemed to be the only one, but they had a Fright Fest themed food stand, which was an unexpected yet nice touch Something not advertised, an immersive buried alive experience - with a large coffin and a smaller coffin. People really seemed to enjoy this one At 5:30 the fog started rolling - this alone was cool to see back at Darien Lake and I would’ve been fine if this was all they did Trick or Treat for the little ones, very nice, though interesting that it completely blocks off one of the paths to get to Tantrum Mind Eraser Land is closed off completely as well Did somebody say re-routed Viper exit? No? Well, here it is. A rerouted viper exit, complete and with a rare view of the coaster! The Awakening - this was a cool way to get people excited about the scare actors, it was also nice to see a crowd from around the area since it is rather tucked aside. All the guests that were there really seemed to enjoy it which is the main point I know it’s not much but I liked the entryway to the ROS area. I also enjoyed the costumes of the scare actors over there the most. The Freak Show (for those interested in being totally grossed out and shocked) is a must see. Very well done compared to other shows in the park this year (minus the laser show of course) Remember those source fours I was talking about last week? All the shaped light on the paths are source fours doing their job! So one of the bigger things they did for this event that was a neat touch was turning off the lights on some rides - this is Viper. You don’t realize how much darker it is without the simple lights on until they aren’t there. It was a cool experience Check it out, even the Giant Wheel has its lights out - oh wait... The little planter / hanger decorations in front of Jungle Apocalypse are some of my favorite decorations in the park - sometimes simplicity is key Can you believe this entire shadow design on the bumper cars is one single Source Four? Craziness This type of fog with light in it effect is a fan favorite of mine - in the future I’d love to see much more of this. Subtle blue light on this guy makes it look really cool in my opinion, plus the occasional burst of fog from behind him On our way out, there’s two of these guys but I only got a decent photo of the one, they’re pretty large and a nice initial statement as you walk in At the end of the day, Fright Fest was done fairly well considering the short amount of time Darien had to plan for it - as Well as the fact that it is Darien Lake and Six Flags. There was decor, but it wasn’t intense. There were scare actors, but there weren’t 300 of them. Plus, being that we went on a Sunday, it wasn’t too busy, they didn’t have the laser show and the park closed at 9. But for us and most other guests it was a great addition to the entertainment options at Darien Lake. Also, you may notice I didn’t even set foot into the houses. I felt I didn’t have to. I had just as much fun for free outside of the houses. I heard Scumshine is the ultimate best of the three, so if you can only do one, that’s the one! Overall my group had a great time and I will be back a few more times to enjoy a decent Haunt locally before the season ends!

^ I don’t know that I’d say those circumstances are going to be common for this event. First off, any concert at Darien Lake brings out the worst in WNY, that isn’t a fright fest thing. Second, if the rules are that the meal plan ends at 7:30, and you are told that when you sign up, then plan accordingly. Third - of course it was dead there was a Kid Rock concert - I was going to drop by but being a local I know that if there’s a concert and I can avoid the park I will. I will admit that paying as much as they’re asking for 3 houses is ridiculous, I’m off to Halloweekends next week and I can get every single haunt they have to offer included with park admission. However I probably will at least one time pay for the three houses to see what they’re like, and I know I won’t be the only one. Some poor experiences for a Diamond Elite Plus member is not going to be the experiences of most people that will visit the park in the next few weekends. Though I am sorry to hear that you did not enjoy yourself and couldn’t stand to stay at the park, I’m certain that at least 90% of whoever else goes to Fright Fest while it’s open will be totally fine and enjoy themselves. This is the park’s first year being a six flags park again and the transition for the employees can not be super simple since they are practically running the park with two different owner’s logistics still at play. It’s confusing for me and I don’t even work there. Sure, it’s Six Flags and everyone loves to hate on Six Flags but look at it this way if anything - Six Flags has extended the operating season back to the end of October, brought in a Halloween event that is probably the biggest in the area (the next closest probably being Wonderland of course) and they’re adding a new 250 foot tall sky screamer next year. None of this would’ve happened without Six Flags coming in. They aren’t the most amazing perfect wonderful operations company out there but they’ve done a lot with a little at the park and a lot of people really seem to like that. Plus having a big name like Six Flags in our backyards once again is exciting for many many Western New Yorkers! I’d be curious to see how the event performs opening weekend before assuming it’s going to be an all out disaster - we already have that with Halloweekends - and we all see how popular and busy that event is for Cedar Point.

Looks like we couldn’t be that lucky. Yet they haven’t announced the actual prices yet sadly

I do appreciate the little bits and pieces of Halloween decor that has been popping up recently, being a Theatre Designer and Technician I was much more interested in the Source Four lighting instruments that I saw in almost every corner and in every flower bed. These instruments are incredibly versatile for those who dont know of them - they can be colored, project images, spin, rotate and the size of the image / light can be made larger or smaller by swapping out a barrel (similar to a camera). This to me is huge because it looks like they're gonna light the park up like a Christmas tree for this event. I could care less about the scare actors and attractions if the park is gonna be bathed in red and orange and whatever other colors they decide fit their palate. I even noticed they had lights in the street lamps throughout the park being more festive purples, reds, blues, greens etc. which even that little detail to me was very nice. Did I mention the fog machines? Source Fours (or ERS instruments for the nerds back home) and Fog Machines can be used to create some pretty wild and cool effects with minimal effort required. Plus, if you're a dork like me, you'll love to look around and see where all of these things are set up throughout the park during the day, and appreciate how they are used during the night! If anyone ever has questions about these types of things please do let me know - I'm always happy to talk about this kind of stuff, especially theatrical instruments and their application in the theme park industry Be on the lookout for various versions of this little dude throughout the park when Fright Fest opens on Friday! (They're EVERYWHERE!) / End Theatre Babbling

For a non-camper it didn't seem that there was much. The ride lines close at 7pm, so if you're in line before then you may have an extra 20 minutes MAX to spend waiting in line for Ride of Steel, the Harvest Festival crafters and entertainment are supposed to end at 7 but I noticed some did stick around for a little while after (not the food trucks though, they were out by 7:05 at the latest). Me personally, I left the park at 6:40 to get a tripod to record the show (to see how the quality of my new phone compared to a recording I took on my old phone earlier in the season), then got to the laser lawn by 7:05 and sat there for over an hour before the show actually began (the usual pre-show at 8:05, introduction speech at 8:10 and show kick off around 8:12 or so). To put it in perspective, during the regular season the park closes at 10:00pm, and the laser show is running by 10:15 at the latest. A 10-15 minute wait (with pre-show almost always happening at 10:05) is no trouble at all, however with the park closing at 7, and having to wait until 8:15 or so to see the show - with no clear advertisement that the show is even happening (as I mentioned in my first post about this) is a little crazy. Like I said hopefully Six Flags can schedule the 2019 season a little bit better so that this kind of stuff makes more sense - even if it means we dont have a laser show between the end of Daily operation and the start of Fright Fest. Based on how many people were in the audience for the show though, I'm almost wondering if they perhaps ran the show assuming the guests sticking around to see it would be mostly the campers. Like I said, next to none of the commuter park goers stuck around for the show. Except for me, I love Ignite the Night / Colorblast / Laserblast / Laserlight Fantasy etc.

I imagine makes the shift scheduling for ride ops simpler. 11-7 is 8 hours. Also a number of rides have to finish operation before the laser show so riders aren't getting beamed by it. AFAIK running 2 trains on Viper was pretty likely. Blue train was just about ready to rock at opening. Guess they didn't hit whatever numbers they wanted to see to actually put both on. The only rides they close early for the laser show are the Giant Wheel, Redhawk and Boomerang. Those are the only three rides that the lasers even have a chance of hitting. Thanks to the placement of the trees on the top of the laser lawn most all other rides are safe from lasers. Especially RoS. I think it would be better for the park if scheduling is an issue to open later by an hour and close at 8 instead. Perhaps next year when we have a full season of Six Flags operations the hours will make more sense? We shall see

^ yea, it’s the weirdest thing. They’ve done it for several years now where they close the park at 7, then run the show at 8. I don’t mind waiting an hour - especially for the last show of the season, but I feel like the way it’s set up is confusing. Not to mention nowhere in the park did it say the show was happening. I solely went based off of last year and how it worked then - and I saw workers loading fireworks and what not around 5:30. I have to say it seems like most of the audience were campers. There were maybe 20 cars in the parking lot after the show ended - meaning 90% of the commuting park guests did not know the show was happening. I mention this because some pages say the laser show only ran through September 3rd, others say the show only ran Saturday’s after that (no time given), and others (very rare) said Saturday’s at 8pm. Hopefully next year it will be more organized with when the show actually happens. Because “Nightly when the park closes at 10pm” is no longer a valid statement

Quick simple TR with some photos - mainly because I have the new iPhone and was hoping to try it out at the park - prepare for some nerd shots. Camp Scumshine from the Viper queue Different angle, basically the same thing. Beats seeing an overgrown putt putt course The very nice looking entryway for the new attraction. The first point where the photo came out REALLY nice, the fright fest chair Tantrum lift. Good stuff Short but sweet. I am a fan Jungle Apocalypse entryway. A nice use for the old Galaxy Theatre I never thought I’d see so much advertising for a new swing ride. This is plastered everywhere. I’m not complaining, I’m more so surprised (but should I be? It is six flags) Nerd shot - the laser lawn Little guy’s first time on the Ride of Steel, he’s a fan! Also, the camera really played nice with the sun, color me surprised! Beautiful Sunset before the final Ignite the Night Colorblast of the season LASER BEAMS!!!

^ A fair and valid opinion. I've worked with people who used to design those houses (specifically the Haunted Catacombs) and they do a very nice job depending on which house you go to. My opinion is that I prefer the atmosphere of an amusement park in the fall, and with Fright Fest bringing operation at Darien Lake through the end of October, plus having new attractions included in the event, I am all for it! Even if it is just a Six Flags Fright Fest. Long story short, for me anything is better than the Harvest Festival they have been having the past few years. The "magic show" they had last year (or perhaps the year before) was atrocious, and the hay ride around a closed camping loop was not exactly the "fall fun" I was hoping for, certainly not after waiting more than 30 minutes for it - which was probably the longest line in the park when we went.

Nothing brings the awesome like Six Flags Fright Fest. Anything is better than the poor excuse for a Fall event the park has had for the past several years. For most Darien Lake visitors, this will be a "very awesome" event. It's not HHN - obviously. But its probably the best local haunt attraction WNY will have. Unless you prefer abandoned stores being converted into haunted houses for a few weeks each year.

I’d be really curious to see how that actually looks when ordered at the park, but even if it doesn’t look stunning I bet it tastes awesome!

^ the only thing I don’t like about the membership card is the slit they have at the top - it looks like it’s meant for a lanyard to clip onto but they give you a lanyard with a card sleeve on it so there’s no point in punching a hole in the thing. Though for the past 3 or so years Darien lake has literally hole punched our passes so at least it’s nothing new. I never thought the topic of “pass quality” would show up here. And this isn’t even the worst this thread has seen.

The first year it reopened it flipped once. Now it flips 4.5 times and those who ride it seem to enjoy it just fine. I’m failing to see an issue here. Just because the Twister doesn’t flip you over 50 times and drench you in water from old fountains while blasting heavy metal music with strobe lights pointed directly at you does not mean it’s a bad ride. The people who venture over there to get on it seem to love it, that’s what matters. However, if it’s removed, not many people will care because of its currently poor location, and fact that it’s usually one of the first rides to close for staffing issues. I would personally miss it but at the end of the day the park is going to do what it / six flags want.

New Attractions and Experiences for Fright Fest 2018 Fright Fest 2018, presented by SNICKERS, features more horror than ever before! This year we're introducing 10 new, never-before-offered experiences. Our new haunted houses – Hotel Terror, Jungle Apocalypse, and Camp Scumshine – bring your worst fears to life, featuring wrath, flesh-eating cannibals, rotting zombies, and half-animal mutants. Enter the cursed lands of Creep Show Freak Show, Passage of the Damned, ScreamPunk, and VooDoo Curse, where fanged creatures, horrifying oddities, and undead armies lurk in the shadows and stalk your every step. Also new for 2018, three new shows will spotlight hot music, vivid lasers, and squeamish feats like you've ever seen before. We'll also introduce limited edition apparel, specialty fudge and caramel apples, and unique twists on your favorite foods. Source: Darien Lake Passholder Announcements

The way I see it is that it’s much easier for me to come up with $15 a month than it is to come up with $125 up front for two people. It’s really boils down to preferance. Like Apple Music. You can pay $15 a month for a family subscription, or you can pay $99 for the whole year. Sure it’s cheaper to pay up front but it’s not always the best option for everyone. Considering it’s going to cost me $180 to get unlimited access to all six flags theme parks as well as parking for two people, instead of the over $400 I’m going to pay for Cedar Fair, I’d say the membership is a pretty great deal - especially considering which parks from both brands we are close to here in WNY. Again, totally a preferance thing

Even if they do close Grand Prix I don’t think it’s really that huge of a deal. As it’s been said on here before, there isn’t much interest in them anymore and they never run full races. Ten years ago this was different but people don’t really want to spend $8 to drive around on a go-kart for 5 minutes - especially with all the included attractions they can ride with admission into the park. Besides, just up north on Clifton Hill they opened that new Niagara Speedway that is seemingly a lot larger and has multi-level track. If anyone needs their go-kart fix it may be worth a visit up to the “street of fun on the falls”. That space could be much better utilized by something else, and if this is the step towards that happening I’m all for it

Though we didn’t really ride much, we purchased our Six Flags memberships today and for those who are unaware and are considering buying before the sale ends (now on the 4th instead due to the store’s overload issue) - here are some of the things we got with the new pass - lanyards for the passes that say “Six Flags Member” on them (apparently only members get swanky lanyards, and I am a fan of swanky lanyards - though I will likely not use it) - one bring a friend ticket valid through 9/22/2018 - one bring a friend ticket valid through 10/13/2018 - one teal refill bottle with $1.49 refills for the rest of the 2018 season and $0.99 refills for the 2019 season - and of course the card itself. Which I appreciate the shininess of. With all of that jazz, the park website also mentions the below benefits of having the Gold Plus membership: - Gold Plus free Season Parking (all parks) - Including 13 existing Six Flags Parks as well as 6 waterparks and 5 more in 2019 - Save up to 20% on almost everything at the parks - Priority Member entry via a special member gate (which looks very temporary at Darien Lake now but I’d imagine by next season it’ll be a little more permanent) Further details include: - Admission and Parking to Darien Lake, Local Hurricane Harbor - Visit all Six Flags Parks and Seperate-Gate waterparks - Fright Fest and Holiday in the Park included where applicable - Free friend tickets on select days, discount tickets for friends, bonus friend ticket on select days - Priority entry via Membership gate - Use of Member benefits at all parks - Six Flags Membership Rewards program (free loyalty program) - 25% Season Drink Bottle Discount - Discounts ranging from 5% to 20% on most goods throughout the parks including the Flash Pass (20%) - 30% off discovery kingdom experiences (one time use) - Free double ride on paid attractions (one time use) - Free ICEE upgrade (one time use) - $5 powdered sugar funnel cake (one time use) - “Other Surprises (!)” - Passholder Appreciation Days, passholder exclusive ride times, member appreciation days, member exclusive ride times, member-only opening invite I know most on here are aware of these benefits but for those who are coming here for information - especially with how new this is to Darien Lake - I thought it would be nice to have all of this info in one place. I know from how I did this, I would’ve loved a clear list of all the specifics in an easy to locate place. It is possible to find but now it’s a little easier!

Looks like for the remainder of 2018, Darien Lake is going to be branded as “Darien Lake: A Six Flags Theme Park” similar to that of Great Escape and La Ronde Darien Lake’s new profile picture on Facebook

Not a whole lot of space there Sure there is. Twister is about 72 feet long, and you could easily fit two of them in that spot. That 144 feet, and the press release said the circle was 98 feet around. It's definitely tight, but would fit, especially if you took a portion of that parking lot behind that plot of land. Not to mention that 98 foot radius is likely when the swings are at the max height and speed. Meaning when they’re on the ground the diameter will be smaller, by maybe 15-20 feet I’d assume

Source?

Non-campers do not need anything in the General Store, and there is already a nice arcade in the park. Non-campers don't need to be in that area. So Pizza In The Square would be closed off for non-campers then too? Also doing this, doesn't it cut the complete circle, so if you're at Boomerang, you're gonna have to walk all the way back to the boardwalk and past Viper's batwing to get to Twister? They have a bridge and a scenic lake path for this very reason that has been closed off to the public for years. If they really wanted to they could fix that up and the circle would return again. But they probably won’t with just means you gotta plan accordingly when you tackle the park.

You also have to consider that the wind speed 300’ in the air is at times much different than it is on ground level. Just because it doesn’t seem windy doesn’t mean much.

Fortnite rides? Is this what the world is coming to?

Though it isn’t something I’d be shocked with, it’s probably not very likely that Darien will get any Coaster next season - even if it is a clone that most Six Flags parks get. That being said if we were to look at the *possible* attractions based on things SF has done in the recent past, the 2019 addition will probably be one of the following attractions: - S&S 4D Freespin - Huss Giant Frisbee - Starflyer And if we wanna get fancy here (probably not) - Harley Quinn Crazy Coaster - Cyborg Ride Regardless of if it’s something from those lists or not, it will be interesting to see what the new attraction is, and how the 2019 season will look for the park (basically, name change? And is the rumored removal of the go-karts actually happening, etc.)

It’s worth noting that before they made the switch that car specifically was having restraint issues. Sure it’s not the best solution but it’s better than them shutting down the ride to fix their one certified operable train. This really shouldn’t surprise anyone though. This has kind of been their way of doing things for quite some time now. Just look at how predator had an “A” train car on their “B” train for what I believe has been at least 2 years now