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Scaredy-Parks: 2009 Halloween Events at California Theme Parks
Spooky California Fun at Six Flags, Legoland, and California's Great America

By Arthur Levine, About.com

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Disney's HalloweenTime at Disneyland.

Disney. Used with permission.

Disney's HalloweenTime and Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party

Disneyland adds some jack-o-lanterns and cobwebs to the resort and offers its own Halloween event--albeit a considerably tamer one than the gross-out freak-fests at Knott's, Universal Studios, and other parks. Disneyland park will once again transform its classic Haunted Mansion attraction with a Halloween-meets-Christmas theme into Haunted Mansion Holiday. By overlaying the characters from "Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas," the attraction is able to maintain its haunted aura while introducing some off-kilter Yuletide cheer. It's a unique way to celebrate two holiday seasons.

New this year will be Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, a re-themed ride on the classic coaster, and a fireworks "spooktacular" featuring Jack Skellington from "Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas."

Throughout the two California parks, Mickey and the gang will be decked out in their Halloween finest. Also, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, which terrorizes guests year-round at Disney's California Adventure, is accessorized for Halloween and all the spookier.

Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party

In addition to the seasonal fun Disney will be conjuring during the day, it will stage an extra-charge nighttime Halloween event, Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party at Disney's California Adventure, that will include live music, trick-or-treat stations, craft-making, activities, and other mildly spooky fun for tykes, as well as selected rides and attractions.

Fright Fest

  • Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia (near Los Angeles), CA
  • 2009 dates: Oct. 3, 4, 9-11, 16-18, 23-25, and 30-31.
  • 2009 tickets: Included in Six Flags admission
  • Buy Discounted Fright Fest Tickets Online, Direct from Six Flags
    Save money and time by getting Six Flags Fright Fest tickets in advance of your visit at Six Flags online store.
  • For more info: Fright Fest official page.
According to the L.A. Times, the 2009 event will feature six haunted mazes, including Lector’s Slaughterhouse and Escape of the Zombies, three scare zones, including Aftermath Alley, and shows such as Heckles and Twitch. It's become a Fright Fest tradition to run the wooden coaster, Colossus, backwards, and to run other coasters such as X2 and Tatsu in the dark. Magic Mountain will also offer a more mild "Twick or Tweat" area in Bugs Bunny World with crafts, games, street entertainers, and a stage show for younger kids.

Fright Fest

  • Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Vallejo (near San Francisco), CA
  • 2009 dates: Oct. 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 23-25, 30, and 31. Nov. 1.
  • 2009 tickets: Included in Six Flags admission. (Additional fee required for haunted mazes.)
  • Buy Discounted Fright Fest Tickets Online, Direct from Six Flags
    Save money and time by getting Six Flags Fright Fest tickets in advance of your visit at Six Flags online store.
  • For more info: Fright Fest official page.
For 2009, Fright Fest will feature two haunted mazes, Bayou Hazard and Holiday House of Horrors, along with three shows: Club Cetacean, Shouka Nights, and Super Spooky Sea Lion Show. During the day, Discovery Kingdom caters to younger kids with trick or treat stations.

Brick-or-Treat Trail and Brick-or-Treat Party Nights

  • Legoland California, Carlsbad (near San Diego), CA
  • 2009 dates for Brick-or-Treat Trail: Oct. 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, and 31.
    2009 dates for Brick-or-Treat Party Nights: Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31.
  • 2009 tickets: Daytime Brick-or-Treat Trail events and Brick-or-Treat Party Nights are included in Legoland admission. The price for the Brick-or-Treat nighttime event alone is $35. Advance discount tickets available online from Legoland.
  • Legoland official page.
Legoland will be adding some Halloween fun to its regular attractions and shows. Features will include in-park trick-or-treating on the Brick-or-Treat trail, costume contests for kids, live music, and a stage show.

Halloween Haunt and Nick or Treat

  • California's Great America, Santa Clara, CA
  • 2009 Halloween Haunt dates: Oct. 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23-25, 30, and 31.
    2008 Nick or Treat dates: Oct, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, and 31.
  • Nick or Treat cost: Included in admission to California's Great America
    2009 tickets: Halloween Haunt is a separate admission, nighttime event. $39.99 on the day of the event. Advance discount tickets available online from California's Great America.
  • Halloween Haunt official page.
Great America, which has been featuring Nickelodeon-themed fun for its Halloween event, will continue the family-friendly fun this year. Kids 12 and under can trick-or-treat for goodies along with Nickelodeon characters. But, for the second year, the park will also bring on the gore with its separate nighttime Halloween Haunt. Haunted mazes will include CarnEvil and Club Blood, while scare zones such as Dead Man's Cove, and Underworld Alley will keep guests screaming outside the mazes. Special Halloween shows will include the Shocking Sideshow of Freaks and Haunted Hypnotics. The Logger's Run log flume gets retrofitted with spooky stuff and will be renamed Camp GonnaGetcha.

Halloween Spooktacular

SeaWorld will present special shows, treats, and family fun at its G-rated event.
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