Why Cedar Point’s Halloweekends is a Fall Classic

As the leaves start to turn and the air begins to take on a chill each evening, Cedar Point rolls out its sweater-weather version: a daytime experience for families that delivers fun rather than scares, and a nighttime destination for horror with immersive haunted houses.

The beloved spooky-season celebration, which runs through Nov. 2 this year, has been an Ohio tradition since 1997. It started as Cedar Point’s three-weekend experiment in hosting a fall festival. Decades later, it has become a favorite for families and thrill seekers alike, thanks to a creative team of park employees that include Sam Fowler, Cedar Point’s area manager for special events, resorts and live entertainment.

“[Cedar Point] was kind of like my Disney World, a place that I looked up to growing up,” he says. “To be a part of that and to come here and contribute to all that is really exciting.”

Halloweekends 2024 runs Thursday nights and Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until Nov. 2 and is divided into a tame, family-friendly daytime event for kids and a night of frights that is recommended for more mature visitors who don’t mind a jump scare or two.

During the day, kids and families are encouraged to come in costume for a fall festival that is geared toward younger visitors. Kids 12 and under can enjoy corn and hay mazes, a giant corn box, face painting and pumpkin painting. Little ones and their families can also enjoy interactive activities with the Boneyard Jamboree music station or the Kooky Craft station where mask-making and coloring are part of the fun.

Trick-or-treating through the park is a favorite for kids and this year, the route will spark nostalgia for many parents and grandparents. The stations are decorated to resemble beloved haunted attractions from years past, including Happy Jack’s Toy Factory. Adults can relive their own Halloweekends memories, while making new ones with their kids.

Once the sun sets, something more sinister sets in. The nighttime festivities always kick off with the Opening Scarymonies, where the costumed actors — or “screamsters” as they are known — are introduced. The Screamsters are found in designated scare zones through the park and are often found lurking in the shadows or sneaking up on you. This year, they have been training in the offseason to kick things up a notch.

“it's night and day, the quality of what they are doing and the intensity of what they are doing,” Fowler says. “I can see it in the actor's passion coming across.”

Nighttime visitors to the park can experience 10 haunted zones, with five indoor haunted houses and five outdoor areas to explore. The Haunting of Eerie Estate is the park’s take on a classic haunted house and is in one of the oldest buildings on the Cedar Point peninsula. Additional haunted attractions include a vampire-themed experience and a freak show with scary circus animals in the spotlight.

 Outside, thrill-seekers can enjoy the crowd favorite, Corn Stalkers walk-through, along with others like Blood on the Bayou and Clowns Hall of Infamy.

Visitors can also enjoy the classic Cedar Point experience they love, with select coasters open for night rides, upping the thrill. But, riders beware, the path to the next coaster might be through a scare zone with a screamster lurking right behind you.

“My favorite thing is to just listen or talk to guests and live the experience for the first time through them” Fowler says. “I know people have pride in it, and I hope a new person who comes in also leaves with that same feeling.”

For Halloweekends ticketing and information, visit cedarpoint.com/events/halloweekends

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