No scary Halloween in NJ is complete without a trip to Six Flags Fright Fest in Jackson. Coined the Northeast’s Largest Halloween Party, this event pulls out all the stops once the sun goes down and the ghouls come out.
For the Little Ones
New this year is the Broadway-caliber song and dance spectacular, Dead Man’s Party 20th Anniversary Bash. Wow the kids with music, lasers and pyrotechnics. Other shows include Unleashed!, a cirque-style performance with hair-raising acrobatics, and Blood Drums a percussion show with awesome effects.
Also new this year is Scary-oke, where the kids can belt it out on stage in front of a live audience. Hit the Trick-or-Treat Trail from 11 am-4 pm to meet park characters and score goodies. Once dusk settles in though, beware: Things are about to get scary.
For the Brave Ones
There’s plenty of gore to explore with your teens and brave 12-and-unders, thanks to terrifying haunted mazes and all-over scare zones. It all starts with The Arrival Ghoul Parade, when fog and spooky music slowly roll into the park followed by a horde of graveyard ghosts, full-on freaks and ghastly ghouls. If the kids are crying already, it’s probably a good time to go home. The Awakening comes next, where the ghouls wake up Dr. Fright and kick off Fright by Night at the park.
Then it’s time to hit the eight haunted mazes. These are not for the faint of heart and feature fog, light effects and serious jump scares. Take a walk through a backwoods cabin of terror at Blood Shed, fend off bloodthirsty prisoners at Cell Block 6, escape the wrath of post-apocalyptic mutants at Aftermath (new!), come face to face with circus freaks and (gulp!) homicidal clowns at Big Top Terror: Forgotten Carnival in 3D and tons more.
Keep an eye out while walking around the park; ghouls will be lurking around every corner. But honestly, don’t let that stop you from bringing the kids. There are plenty of general areas around the park that are relatively monster-free. Just keep an eye out for the five themed scare zones; you’ll find menacing clowns at CarnEvil on the boardwalk, spirits at Lady of the Lake Cemetery and the walking dead by The Bloody Fountain. Remember, not every statue is really a statue!
Highlights and Unique Attractions
Of course, the classic Great Adventure thrill rides you know and love will be running during Fright Fest. But this time when you ride, you’ll be in the dark! Take on monster coasters like El Toro, Kingda Ka and Nitro if your crew is super brave. Stick to moderate thrills like Skull Mountain, a coaster in a cave, or Houdini’s Great Escape if you’re not quite ready for the big rides. The carousel and Air Safari are perfect for the little ones and totally scare-free.
Back by popular demand is the 30-Hour Coffin Challenge. On October 13-14, six guests (chosen from thousands of applicants) will try to survive a whole 30 hours in a coffin. Ghouls will come to spook them during their stay, but if they manage to last, they’ll win prizes and bragging rights. This year, Butch Patrick, who played Eddie Munster on The Munsters, will be emceeing.
Details
Six Flags Fright Fest runs until midnight every weekend through November 3, plus some additional dates with 11 pm closings. Admission starts at $57.99 for a day pass; season passes start at $71.99 each. The Haunted Mazes will cost you an additional fee ($44.99/all maze season pass, $64.99 all maze express season pass), but they’re worth it if you’ve got the guts.
