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Has anyone done any Halloween events in Europe, and if so any recommendations? I did Asterix last year which was great so I’m keen to try some others this year, looking at potentially doing Walabi Holland and Belgium but any thoughts would be appreciated If anyones done either of the Walibi parks at Halloween what did you think of them?

Interesting. With Rumba closing earlier than before and now cuts to Ghost train (which I don't think we've ever seen?) it definitely seems like theres been cuts made to operational budgets. Shame if thats the case - but would rather them close Rumba and this than cuts to opening hours.

Would be interesting to see what the Towers prices were last year to see what the increase was. Another thing I didn't realize, they have 1 less paid maze this year, and 1 more free scare zone, which could potentially be why they've made the mazes more expensive. Last year they had 4 paid mazes and 1 scare zone This year 3 paid mazes and 2 free scare zones Still doesn't justify charging £14 - £16 for a maze run through though...

Just had a quick check on queue times. 2014 is the earliest year its recorded. Rumba was open till 10pm Fright Nights, Loggers closed at dusk. Thought I had memories of loggers in the dark but maybe I'm imagining things there. 2015 was the first year Rumba started closing at dusk by the looks of things.

Rumba was open till around mid September last year so hours are certainly getting less and less for it. Don't forget there was also a period of it opening at 1pm this year too. Seems hardly worth all the effort getting it open and staff trained if they can no longer keep it operational during the summer holidays. Who remembers the days of Rumba and Loggers till 10pm in October? 😢 I do also understand it from a cost cutting perspective though. If they're being asked to cut costs, would much rather they do this than make staggered openings elsewhere or cut park hours completely. Its reliability has noticeably been a lot worse the last couple of seasons. Its been years of it not reaching full height too. Its a very old ride, wasn't it 2nd hand from Drayton? No clue how long it operated there. Zodiac has never been one of my favorites so I wouldn't miss it, but it would be a shame to see it go and not have anything replace it (which would be the most likely option unfortunately)

Audio has never been the same since they got rid of all the Bose speakers in my opinion. I miss the loud audio at the bottom of the lift too, much quieter now.

Will be interesting to see reviews from Scarefest this year and if theres any difference in quality. Its a good lineup this year, new maze and a new scarezone which is exactly what they needed in my opinion. I wonder if RWS have any input in design or its purely just from an operational perspective (employing actors.) If I was to guess, RWS are purely operational. One thing I've noticed though is the prices for the mazes at Towers. Thorpe this year 4 mazes £34 or £28 with AP discount 1 shots £8 or £7 with AP discount Towers this year 3 mazes £38 or £30.40 with AP discount Edge of the forest 1 shot (new maze) £16 or £12.80 with AP discount Compound or Mine Tours 1 shot £14 or £11.20 with AP discount £16 and £14 for a 1 shot through a maze is absolutely absurd, especially considering cost of entry etc..

Since this post theres been a couple of changes; - 6pm closes from 9th Aug - 31st Aug 4 - Mondays + Thursdays throughout September and October have been cut from 5pm to 4pm Don't think Chessie has ever had 4pm closes so thats a shame. Still no sign of any hours past 5pm in October, usually 7pm in the holidays + weekends.

Chessingtons opening hours for the whole summer holidays (and for the rest of the season) is 5pm. Same with Legoland. Going back, 6pm has always been standard, and for most weekends throughout the season. Infact a few years ago there was even a lot of 7pm closes in the holidays and weekends. Ouch.

The last few years, I'd say Thorpe park by a long way. Best ride availability, best throughputs and best opening hours. Crazy because going back 5+ years or so I would've always said Towers. 1 train ops on off peak days was standard at Thorpe, resulting in long queues even on quiet days.

Lineup has been released for 2025. - 4 scare mazes from last season returning - The crows scare zone - IT 4d cinema - Lucifers Lair - Creature Campus with a new show ‘Shock to the system’ - A new scare zone revealed soon ‘Something lingers in the shadows... a place even the damned dare not tread. This Halloween, we open the gates to an all-new realm - where lost souls wander in purgatory and time stands still. But beware: step inside, and you may lose all sense of where you're going... or why you came.‘ In an ideal world it would’ve been nice to see something new in Trailers place, but this is still a good lineup and to be honest another free scare zone is exactly what the event needs in my opinion. Looking forward to seeing more details and where it’ll be located?

Could’ve potentially been plans for a new flat this year or 2026 that had been cut? Or they just used part of the sparkle project budget to get it removed whilst they had the funds. Either way, shame to not have a replacement flat there yet. Hopefully soon 🤞

I've just seen on Linkdin that Russ Gaines, who was the commercial director for the last 6 years has left his role at the park. He was a very public figure, appearing in lots of Jack Silkstones videos and clearly had a lot of passion for the park, so its a shame to see him go. Don't really know what impact hes had at the park during his time but always a shame to see someone with clear passion leave.

https://www.towerstimes.co.uk/news/2025/07/11/alton-towers-resort-update-july-2025/ Bianca is out. Big shame in my opinion. Shes was a breath of fresh air and has done a lot of good for the park since shes been there. Sounds like she wanted to do a lot more too, but has never had the budgets to do so. Will be interesting to see what happens next. Towers needs someone good and long term.

Stealth is scheduled to be closed 23rd - 25th July. I assume this will be launch cable replacement.