Hersheypark In The Dark

[bigstevet07]

I am going to be in the area from October 26th through November 1st. I am considering going to Hersheypark on the 30th.

 

What are the crowds like for this event? Are all the coasters open? What is the normal weather like that time of year? Any tips and information would be greatly appreciated.

[Speeddeamon128]

I've never been to the event but plan on going November 1st. What I can say is that the weather might be chilly possibly in the 50s so bring a coat. Also Hershey Park is very popular and since Halloween is that Saturday expect a decent amount of people.

[bigstevet07]

Thanks, I kind of figured it would be in the 50's, I just wasn't sure if it gets colder quicker there than Nebraska.

 

Has anyone been? I've heard tons about Universal's Halloween, Six Flags, and Cedar Fair, but I can't recall anything about Hershey's.

[Wild 1]

I went last year and here is some advice.

 

Crowds- Little to none, most of the people going to Hershey Park in the Dark are the kids coming to get free candy among other events but they are mostly geared towards kids. The park may seem crowded but the more intense coasters had little to no wait. The longest line was for Fehrenheit and it was only 15 minutes, Comet also had a 15 minute wait. All the other coasters were a 1-2 train wait other then Sooperdooperlooper (Walk on, no one in the station) and Great Bear (4 train wait)

 

Coasters- All of them should be open, though they change the names for Hershey Park in the Dark. Look on there site to find the name changes (I do know that Fehrenheit was Fearenheit last time and Great Bear was Great Scare)

 

Other then the cold you should have a great time with multiple rerides on the major coasters!

[Hercules]

This thread has decent information:

 

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=52286&highlight=hersheypark+dark

[bigstevet07]

^ Thanks, and how the hell did I miss that? Ah well, mods please feel free to lock this one.

[YoshiFan]

Thanks, I kind of figured it would be in the 50's, I just wasn't sure if it gets colder quicker there than Nebraska.

 

Has anyone been? I've heard tons about Universal's Halloween, Six Flags, and Cedar Fair, but I can't recall anything about Hershey's.

 

There are no special Halloween events at the park, no mazes, walkthroughs etc. Just some decorations. The park can get crowded since admission is so cheap compared to the summer season. Get there at opening and get Fahrenheit, Storm Runner, Comet and Grear Bear out of the way first since those 4 coasters are going to have the longest lines. Rollersoaker will be closed even though it can be run without water

[Hercules]

Before the lock job:

 

The reason you don't hear about the Hershey Halloween event is because it really isn't that great. It is a good family atmosphere, but there isn't anything Halloween about it. There aren't any houses or walk-thru attractions. It is really just Hershey with some Fall decor.

 

Also, sometimes Wildcat may not be open for the event for maintenance.

[bigstevet07]

I'm not necessarily going for the Halloween thing though. I'm going for the credits, so that is fine with me.

 

Thanks for the info though everyone!

[Swiminn6]

I went there a few years back, the crowds really weren't bad at all. I strongly suggest to bring warm clothing though! And yeah all the roller coasters are usually open.

[Jim S.]

Although all the coasters (except Roller Soaker) are scheduled to be open, remember that Great Bear doesn't run below a certain temperature (low 40s I think.) Neither does Stormrunner, although in my experience they'll at least try to run, or keep running, Stormrunner as long as it behaves, whereas with GB they'll just shut down when it reaches whatever the limit is.

[Ccron10]

It's also the same thing for Wildcat. It shut down a bit early at Springtime at the Park last year at a temperature around 40 or 50 degrees I believe.

 

They did try to get their feet into the haunted stuff back in 2004, but the park found that it wasn't a big selling point. The park does do a great job themeing the railroad. Besides the constant repetition of the Funny Farm song and the cheesey ride name, it's a good family event.

[Jim S.]

Wow, I never encountered a wood coaster that had problems running in the cold. I can't believe that it doesn't track well enough even with the MF trains. Maybe they need to re-profile the track.

[Jim S.]

Wow, I never encountered a wood coaster that had problems running in the cold. I can't believe that it doesn't track well enough even with the MF trains. Maybe they need to re-profile the track.

[HPCrazy]

Saturdays are a nightmare for this event. Great Bear and Storm Runner usually can have a full queue, along with Comet which is also pretty full.

 

Sundays, however, are the opposite. I rode Fahrenheit twice last year with a minimal wait per ride (the singles line wasn't open either), once in the second row and again in the front row. Fridays shouldn't be that bad either.

 

They tried that Haunted Harvest back in 2004 and although it was popular, I did hear they canned it because they wanted to focus on the family atmosphere. You usually will see more families with young children roaming the park than teenagers coming for the coasters.

 

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! Based on this, I'll probably be going Sunday the 18th. If anyone else wants to share their experiences, that would also be a big help just so I can be sure of what to expect. Thanks.

 

The 18th? My friend and are planning on being there that day if you want to meet up.

[tatertot3710]

^ No, thanks. I'm actually supposed to meet up with some friends that I haven't seen in a while, so I would probably rather spen some time with them. Thanks for the offer, though!