Aug. 21, 2026

NEWS: Movie tickets broke records. Are haunt tickets next?

Key Takeaways

Record-breaking movie ticket sales this summer demonstrate that consumers are still willing to spend on local entertainment, positioning haunt ticket prices advantageously closer to movie tickets than expensive theme park vacations.
Major national brands are heavily promoting sensory and textural Halloween foods, which trains guests to expect interactive treats and provides an opportunity for local haunts to capitalize on unique food items.
Theme parks and major attractions like Kennywood and Universal's Halloween Horror Nights are successfully monetizing their assets during the day through behind-the-scenes tours, family trick-or-treat events, and daytime walkthroughs.
Permit timelines and building regulations have become a critical component of the seasonal calendar for haunted attractions, as evidenced by major moving delays and cancellations for the upcoming season.
Integrating intellectual properties requires careful budget reallocation to avoid the classic IP trap where expanding licensed zones forces a reduction in overall haunted house counts.

Show Notes
Transcript

Movie tickets broke records this summer, showing that people are still paying to go out. They're choosing cheaper formats, and a haunt ticket sits much closer to a movie ticket than to a theme park vacation. In this week's newsletter, we break down what that demand means for haunts this fall, the sensory Halloween food trend hitting national shelves, how Kennywood and HHN are monetizing assets by day, and what Ocean Park's shrinking house count says about the classic IP trap.

In this issue:
- Villains Land's Story Details Revealed
- The Fortnite Era: The Game Is at Disney and Universal at Once
- Ocean Park Reveals Its Full 2026 Halloween Fest Lineup
- Hotel Transylvania Comes to SeaWorld Orlando's Spooktacular
- Kennywood Turns Its Dark Ride Into a Day-and-Night Walkthrough
- Dollywood's Harvest Festival Returns With Two New Additions
- Alton Towers Scarefest Adds the Final Exhibit Maze
- Evil Intentions Won't Open for 2026 After Elgin Move Falls Through
- Fall Food Roundup: Hershey, IHOP, Chick-fil-A's Chicken and Waffles
- Ghost Face Fanta, Michael Myers Beer, and Cheetos' Blumhouse Snack
- Scream Returns to Theaters for Its 30th Anniversary

https://mailchi.mp/hauntedattractionnetwork.com/movie-tickets-broke-records-are-haunt-tickets-next

Frequently Asked Questions

How do haunt ticket prices compare to theme park vacations?

A haunt ticket sits much closer in price to a movie ticket than to an expensive theme park vacation, making it an affordable local entertainment option for fall consumers.

What is Kennywood doing with its Ghostwood Estate ride for the fall season?

Kennywood is opening its Ghostwood Estate dark ride on foot during the day as a lights-on, all-ages trick-or-treat walk, and transforming it into a flashlight walkthrough with live scare actors at night.

Why did Evil Intentions Haunted House cancel its 2026 opening?

Evil Intentions was forced to cancel its 2026 season after spending seven months in Elgin's permitting process without successfully obtaining the necessary building construction permits in time.

How are major theme parks incorporating Fortnite this Halloween season?

Fortnite is appearing at both Disney and Universal simultaneously, featuring a connected mission through the Disney app at theme park rides and a dedicated Freaky Fields scare zone for Universal's Halloween Horror Nights.

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Coming up your weekly roundup of news from around the

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haunt industry. Welcome to the show. I'm Philip on the

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HN Show. We bring you the haunt news, information and

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education you need to prepare for Halloween. On Tuesdays, we

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bring you a roundup of news from haunts worldwide. Read

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more about these stories and so much more in our

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free weekly newsletter. Subscribe at the link in the show notes,

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and as always for the news roundup, I'm passing it

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off to Darryl.

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This is a message from Philip Bernandez, publisher of the

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Haunted Attraction Network. Back in April, when gas first topped

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four dollars a gallon, I wondered whether guests would keep

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spending on entertainment into the fall, and the latest AMC

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earnings suggests that they're at least spending locally. AMC posted

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the highest quarterly revenue in it's one hundred and six

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your history, with attendance up thirteen and a half percent,

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then set the highest grossing single weekend ever two weeks later,

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after a summer when the parks discounted a whole attendance.

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People are still clearly paying to go out. They chose

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cheaper formats when they do, and a Haunt ticket sits

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much closer to a movie ticket than to a theme

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park vacation. That is one side of the demand curve,

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the value side, which Haunts her positioned to capture this fall.

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The other side is the premium guest, which we've discussed

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is more willing to spend an exceptional memory making experiences.

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The food trends we've been tracking are now also showing

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up in stores. Cheetos and Blumhouse have built a snack

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that starts sweet, turns hot, and leaves your mouth fizzing, tingling,

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and numb. Ghostface has a Fanta flavor, Michael Myers has

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a beer, and Stranger Things is hiding Funko toys in Kinderreggs.

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Three weeks ago, Mars reported that seventy one percent of

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adults want sensory or textural experiences from their treats, and

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the major brands are following that pattern. Why does it

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matter for Haunts? The national brands are training your guests

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to expect Halloween food that does something. Fewer than ten

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percent of haunts sell food. What's the food item guests

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can only get from you? In October? It's also worth

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noting is how Kennywood and HHN are monetizing assets. Kennywood

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is opening its Ghostwood Estate Dark Ride on Foot this fall,

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a lights on trick or treat walk by day, then

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a flashlight walk through with live scare actors at night.

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HHN Hollywood added its first daytime Unmasking the Horror tour

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at twenty dollars for two houses. Many haunts are now

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offering daytime trick or treat events or behind the scenes tours,

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and as long as your build holds up to the

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glare of house lights, it's a great idea to bring

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in extra revenue. A follow up in my predictions about

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IP costs, Ocean Park dropped from six haunted houses to

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four for this season. I assume this means part of

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the build budget was taken to fund the Jackson Wang licensing,

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which is the classic IP trap. This month we spent

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a full episode on whether the IP if he expands

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the event or reallocates it. Here the IP zone grew

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and the house count shrank. If you're weighing a license,

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that's what a reallocation looks like. Evil Intentions won't open

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for twenty twenty six, seven months into Elgin's permitting process.

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The Haunt says it would rather take a full year

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than Russia location, targeting a twenty twenty seven return to

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the Chicago area. It's the third building setback we've covered

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this season, after Freight Works in the Field of Horrors Fire.

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If a move is in your future, the permit timeline

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is now part of the season calendar. Also this week,

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Disney confirmed Villain's Land story at D twenty three, built

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around a corrupted wishing well. Fortnite is at Disney and

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Universal at the same time. This fall, Hotel Transylvania joined

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SeaWorld Orlandos Spectacular. Dark Harboard detailed the season It kills

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an icon six flags open twenty twenty seven pass sales

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one day after earnings, and we published five new guides,

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including Kennywood, Magic Mountain, Alton Towers, Dollywood, and hell Wee

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TV specials. Here's what you need to know This week,

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the villain Lands story is confirmed, a corrupted wishing Well

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and a year round bet on Dark. Disney confirmed the

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story in both attractions for Villain's Land, the Dark themed

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land coming to Magic Kingdoms in Orlando, Florida at its

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D twenty three fan convention showcase. Saturday Night coming to

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Magic Kingdom, Orlando, Florida. Guests will leave the safe path,

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enter a dark forest, and find a broken, twisted wishing well,

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corrupted due to a mysterious figure's evil wish that infused

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all the land with poisoned magic Cruela, The Evil Queen

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and Doctor Facilier move in and build layers. The land

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gets a Maleficent inspired coaster, a Magic Mirror dark ride,

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and dining and shopping, all on a scale Disney compares

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to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. No opening date was announced

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Fortnite Era Fortnite is having a theme park moment this year.

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The game will be at both Disney and Universal at

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the same time at this year's D twenty three Disney

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Connected Millennium Fire Bulk Smuggler's Run to Fortnite Live the

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same day at Disneyland Anaheim, California, and Disney's Hollywood Studios

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in Orlando, Florida. The first link of its kind between

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a theme park ride and a video game. Guests except

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a mission from Hondo Onaka in the queue through the app,

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ride the attraction, and unlock rewards that transfer into Fortnite

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once they link their My Disney and Epic accounts a

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tie in Island Smuggler's Gambit is playable by anyone in Fortnite.

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Fortnightmares comes to Halloween Horror Nights as the Freaky Fields

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Scare Zone, opening August twenty eighth in Orlando and September

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third in Hollywood as a walk through take on Epic's

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annual in game Halloween event, with the battle Bus and

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a few creatures exclusive to the parks. So this fall,

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the same game sits inside both major resort companies at once,

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with Universal building the game into physical space for its

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Halloween audience and Disney sending its ride into the game.

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Follow the links in our show notes to read Phillip's

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full analyses of these two strategies. Ocean Park reveals its

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full twenty twenty six Halloween Fest lineup, led by Jackson

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Wang's Under the Castle. Ocean Park in Hong Kong has

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revealed the full lineup for Halloween Fest twenty twenty six,

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themed The Grave Rave In running September fifth through November first.

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The event centers on four ticketed haunted houses led by

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FWD Insurance Presents Under the Castle Haunted Experience. The original

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Fantasy ip created and creatively directed by global music star

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Jackson Wang at the Summit. The other three are aon

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Card presents Voodoo Boo Terror Park, a three D Glasses

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walk through at the waterfront, Oriyan Beer presents Troublesome Night eight,

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built from the classic Hong Kong horror film, and Forbidden Asylum,

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a reopened psychiatric hospital that hands guests bone conduction headphones.

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This is down from the six houses Ocean Park ran

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in twenty twenty four and twenty five. The Under the

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Castle House carries a larger zone this year, and the

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park says its roving castle is double to more than

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one hundred and twenty performers. The show lineup includes trip

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dot Com Presents, Opus Scaremonies and what Ojan Park bills

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is Hong Kong's largest cosplay party, alongside family programming like

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the Booloo Boo Trick or Treat Party. Ticket pricing and

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specific October dates the Haunted houses will operate have not

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yet been posted. Hotel Transylvania brings Drack and Mavis to

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SeaWorld Orlando's Spooctacular. Hotel Transylvania's Monsters are checking into SeaWorld

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Orlando in Orlando, Florida. This fall for the first time.

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Sony Pictures Animations Hotel Transylvania joins Spootacular, the park's daytime,

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family friendly Helloween event, with character meetups, a dance party,

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and a separately ticketed monster breakfast. Guests can meet drack MAVs,

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another Hotel Transylvania characters through themed experiences and entertainment across

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the park. Spootacular runs on select dates from August twenty

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ninth through November one, and is included with regular SeaWorld admission.

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Art The Clown takes over HHN six Flags opens twenty

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twenty seven, passes Universal Detail, That's Halloween, Horror Nites, Hollywood

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Plans at the Midsummer Scream, and the through line of

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small ips moving fat Art. The Clown returns in three

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controlled deployments, a terror tram takeover built around an original

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storybook and metal Christmas covers from Ice nine Kills, a

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dedicated photo op, and a character encounter. Nicki from Curry

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Barker's Obsession joins as a character experienced two months after

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the film premiered. The kind of deal that only closes

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that fast. With an independent creator and slash scored the

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Kilsenira House with an original song. The villain lip Sync's

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delivering exposition as a ballad, so good fans are already

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asking for it on Spotify. The takeaway for operators is

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to build the event bones and hold the budget placeholders

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so the IP can plug in late. Elsewhere. At Midsummer

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Scream Hollywood adds its first unmasking the Horror Daytime Tour

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at twenty dollars for two houses. Winchester Mystery House drops

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a linear Haunt for an open festival format, and six

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Flags Magic Mountain adds Final Destination plus a werewolf maze

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from Knots Scary Farm designer cross park design work the

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old corporate structure never allowed. Meanwhile, Six Flags open twenty

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twenty seven passes one day after earnings with regional gold passes,

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Prestige passes, dining as bundles, and all season fast lane

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pricing that runs six hundred dollars at Knots and two

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thousand dollars at Cedar Point. Entry stays cheap because the

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strategy is repeat visitation. Finally, SeaWorld, Orlando, Aquatica and Discovery

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Cove returned to a single president twenty three year company

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veteran Brad Gilmour, reversing the twenty twenty three split Dollywood

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Harvest Festival, twenty twenty six, a forty foot pumpkin tree,

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lumin nights and two new editions. Thousands of carved pumpkins,

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a glowing forty foot pumpkin tree and a hillside of

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luminous owls turned Dollywood in Pigeonforge, Tennessee into one of

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the country's biggest family Halloween season draws each fall. The

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Harvest Festival, presented by Humana, runs September fourteenth through October

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thirty first, with the award winning Great Pumpkin Luminites lighting

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the Knights, and two editions new for twenty twenty six,

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Harvey's Boo Bash, a limited capacity night time celebration and

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Candy Corn Country, a sweet takeover in the park's country Fair.

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The Harvest Festival and Great Pumpkin Luminites are included with

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park admission and season passes. Harvey's Boo Bash is a separate,

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limited capacity event. New final exhibit Maze comes to Alton

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Tower's Scarefest. Alton Towers and Alton, Staffordshire, UK turns into

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one of the UK's biggest Halloween destinations each autumn. And

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Scarefest twenty twenty six leads with a brand new Scare

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Mas Final Exhibit. The award winning event runs select dates

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September sixth through November first at the Staffordshire Resort and

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it splits into two sides, Frightful Nights for scare seekers

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and Spooky Days for families, with the park's headline coasters

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running into the dark on event nights. The headline edition

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is the new Scare Mays Final Exhibit. The teaser centers

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on a figure called the Curator and a co election

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where every exhibit has a story, hinting that some of

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the archives are still searching for their newest editions. This

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maye joins three returning favorites, Edge of the Forest Compound

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and Altonville Mine Tours, Tinyes Revenge plus two scare zones.

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The daytime side Spooky Days is built for all ages.

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It features trick or treat walkthroughs, ride at dusk, and

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a multi colored Halloween playground in the courtyard arena, plus

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spectacular shows, character meet and greets and photo opportunities. Kennywood

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Phantom Fall Fest twenty twenty six Kennywood's Phantom Fallfest in

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West Miffland Pennsylvania, returns on select date September twelfth through

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November first. By day, the event stay's family friendly with

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rides and fall food under the Foliage. After dark, the

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Phantom takes over the seven Haunts and four Scare zones

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as part of the after dark event long known as

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Phantom Fright Nights. Notably new for this year is the

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park's creative use of its year round interactive dark Ride

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during both the daytime and nighttime events. Trick or Treating

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in Ghostwood Estate opens Lord Kenna with Ghostwood's Estate during

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the day without the ride's vehicles or ghostplasters. For a

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lighter all ages walk with the lights on to meet

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spirits and collect candy. At night, the venue transforms into

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Ghostwood Estate Open House. Guests explore the manor's eight rooms

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on foot, guided by a single flashlight, while live scare

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actors joined the mansion's animatronic spirits. Evil Intentions Haunted House

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won't open in twenty twenty six after Elgin move falls

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through Evil Intentions. Haunted House from Maple Park, Illinois will

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not open for the twenty twenty six season after its

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planned return to Elgin fell through over building permit issues.

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Owner Mike Fitzpatrick told The Daily Herald that his team

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spent seven months on the building approval process for the

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former Hydroelectric building at eighty North State Street, but could

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not obtain the permit needed to begin construction. Elgin Communications

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and Entertainment manager jos Beecher Croddy said the development team

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was unable to provide a complete code compliance set of

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plans within the timeframe to meet the planned opening. Fitzpatrick

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said Evil Intentions is now vetting locations to bring the

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Haunt back to the Chicago area in twenty twenty seven

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and is accepting proposals. In a statement on Instagram, the

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Haunt told followers it is not closing and would rather

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take a full year than Russia location, writing that it

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wants to come back better than ever. Evil Intentions ran

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for almost twenty years at the former Elgin Casket Company

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building before moving to Makeple Park two years ago. Queen

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Mary's Dark Harbor will murder one of its thirteen kons

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live this year. Queen Mary's Dark Harbor in Long Beach, California,

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is entering the thirteenth year with thirteen kons roaming the

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ship and plans to kill one of them. Off in

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front of live audiences. This season, The producers detailed the

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twenty twenty six lineup at their Midsummer screen panel, led

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by a new World War two mays and the promise

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that one icon will not survive the run. This year,

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we kill an icon, said Amy Holloman, the event's director

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of Halloween Attractions. Dark Harbor is keeping the victim's identity secret,

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so fans have to attend to learn who dies. The

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new maze, Shipwrecked, is built on Queen Mary's real World

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War II service, when the gray painted liner ferried troops

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across the Atlantic and earned the nickname the Gray Ghost.

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Holloman told the story from the stage. The ship sailed

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under orders never to stop, and one foggy night, a

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submarine crossed her path. The man responsible for the crossing,

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a new icon called the Commander, refused to slow down.

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He ordered the crew to brace for impact, and the

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Queen Mary sliced through the submarines, sending hundreds of sailors

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to their deaths Now, those drowned sailors rise aboard the

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ship for revenge. Beyond the mazes, the ring Master's carnival

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grows darker with a new crew of Punk Anarchy, Clowns

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and Big Top Terror Carnival of Chaos, plus two new

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rides of Spinning, Alien Abduction and Neon Blacklight Bumper Cars.

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A new nighttime event, The Harbor Awakens, sends the Icons

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in a cast of stilt walkers and dancers through the event,

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and a new slider show Slider Showdown Clash of the

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Realms joins the returning Maiden Voyage Launch Party, fire Shows

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and Final Voyage Dance Party. Dark Harbor runs select knights

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September eighteenth through November one. Haunt Guides The Halloween season

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is almost upon it. Send haunts around the country are

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announcing their dates, new editions, special events, and more. To

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help you manage the myriad of updates, the Haunted Attraction

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Network has compiled comprehensive guides to the top haunts in

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the US and top theme parks around the world. Bookmark

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the important pages by following the links in our show notes,

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and check back often for updates as new information is released.

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The latest editions include Kennywood, Phantom Fall Fast twenty twenty

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six Date Haunts and Phantom Fright Nights Fright Fast twenty

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twenty six at six Flags, Magic Mountain dates, lineup and tickets.

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Alton Towers Scare Fast twenty twenty six, Dates and new

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final exhibit Mays and What to Know Halloween TV Specials

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twenty twenty six, What to Watch and Where, Dollywood Harvest

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Festival twenty twenty six, a forty foot pump Contry, Luminights,

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and two new editions. Previously announced guides include Cedar Point

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Hello Weekends twenty twenty six, Spirit Halloween Locations twenty twenty six,

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Netherworld Haunted House When do Huntunted Houses open in twenty

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twenty six, The Best and Scariest Haunted Houses in America,

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Halloween Horror Nites twenty twenty six, Disney Halloween twenty twenty six,

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Bright Fast twenty twenty six, Hallow Scream twenty twenty six,

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Orlando Halloween Events, Halloween Time at Disneyland, Haunted Houses in California,

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Halloween Horror Nites twenty twenty six, Haunted Houses in Texas,

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and Halloween Horror Nites Tickets twenty twenty six. In retail,

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News Home Depots seven foot Plague Doctor animatronic Home Depot's

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seven foot Graven Bones animated led Plague Doctor is one

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hundred and ninety nine dollars animatronic in the retail's twenty

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twenty six Halloween collection, and it has become one of

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the seasons of breakout searches. This hooded, beaked medieval plague doctor,

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holding a lantern in one hand and a staff in

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the other, stands seven feet tall and runs four movements.

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It speaks three spooky phrases and lights up in several places,

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color changing goggles, a lit collar and a mask trim,

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and a glowing staff in lantern. On Home Deepas it

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is marked top rated, carrying a four star rating from

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more than two hundred and seventy five reviews. Walt disney

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World Halloween popcorn buckets and sippers in twenty twenty six.

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Walt Disney World's twenty twenty six Halloween popcorn buckets and

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sippers add up to six designs across the parks, the

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Water Designs and Disney Springs two new products this year,

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or the Vampire Mickey Mouse popcorn bucket at twenty eight

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dollars sold at select popcorn cards at Disney's Animal Kingdom,

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Disney's Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and The Magic Kingdom, and a

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Winnie the Pooh Honeybee sipper twenty two ninety nine, including

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a Fountain beverage sold at Pinocchio Village House and Magic

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Kingdom and its select spots in Disney's Hollywood Studios at Epcot.

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The Haunted Mansion hat box, Ghost Popcorn bucket and the

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Headless Horsemen sipper are sold at Magic Kingdom Popcorn Carts

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near the Cinderella Castle, and only Mickey's Not So Scary

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Halloween Party ticket holders could purchase them. Two designs come

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back from last year, both at the water Parks and

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Disney Springs rather than the theme parks, the Stitch Mummy

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bucket and the Pluto Skeleton Zipper. Fortnite Halloween Costumes land

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at Spirit. Spirit Halloween has rolled out a lineup of

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officially licensed Fortnite costumes for twenty twenty six, letting fans

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drop into the season as the new favorite skins, and

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it lands the same fall the game gets its own

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scare zone at Universal Halloween Horror Nights. Spirit's officially licensed

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Fortnite range covers the game's most recognizable skins in both

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adult and kid sizes, including Peelee, the Walking Banana, who

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has become Fortnite's unofficial mascot. Spirit is also stalking fortnite

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prop roplicas to finish the look, including a light up

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boogie bomb and a Peelee pickaxe. West ELM's twenty twenty

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six Halloween collection, Frankenstein Oddities and a Petite Plume Kids line.

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West ELM's twenty twenty six Halloween shop is live and

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two new collections stand out. The retailer's in house Frankenstein

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collection turns ceramic and glass into a set of oddity

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shaped like disembodied body parts, and a limited edition Petit

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Plume collaboration brings a whimsical kid's assortment of felt ghosts

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and glow in the Dark bedding. West Elms is a

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Williams Sonoma brand, the same parent company as Pottery Barn,

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and it joins a growing group of home retailers putting

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out designed, forward helloween collections for twenty twenty six. Target

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has announced its twenty twenty six Halloween assortment. The lineup

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covers decor, costumes, treats, and family activities, with hide and

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eke boutique decor starting at five dollars and the sixty

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inch pose and Stay skeleton at twenty five. Target says

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nearly seventy percent of the collection is new, About sixty

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percent is sold only at Target, and sixty percent of

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the core is under ten dollars. Our guests are looking

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for more than simple Helloween decorations or costumes. They want

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the latest trends, meaningful ways to celebrate with family and friends,

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and products that reflect the fandoms they're excited about, said

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Carlo Sylvester, Executive vice president and chief Merchandising officer at Target.

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Target says half its customers and accessories are under twenty

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five dollars. The assortment includes the Target exclusive K Pop

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Demon Hunter's line with a roomy costume, among the options.

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Compared with the retailers that lead on large animatronics, Target's

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twenty twenty six assortment is weighted toward families in value.

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The bulk of the lineup sits in budget decor, kids collections,

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fandom costumes, seasonal food and Make Together diy kits, which

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matches the trend and family framing Target used throughout the announcement.

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In food and beverage news, Hershey's twenty twenty six Halloween candy,

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Hershey has announced its twenty twenty six Halloween lineup, which

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the company calls its largest and most diverse to date,

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with more than twenty innovations across chocolate, sweets, and salty snacks.

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What is new this year includes a witch shaped joining

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kit Kat's returning Vampire account, are Reese's Sweet and Salty

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assortment and Amazon only Reese's Pumpkin Bowl, and Hershey's first

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broad push into Helloween salty snacks. Our Halloween leadership is

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earned long before consumers walk into a store, said Kate Dicapria,

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head of Hershey's Hershey Ween program. It comes from spending

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the entire year studying shopper behaviors, tracking aaring trends, and

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understanding what people want from the season. Hershey built the

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lineup around its Unwrapping Halloween Season report, which found that

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Halloween shopping now stretches across roughly a third of the year,

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from Summer Ween in the summer to Halloween Night Hand

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covered that report earlier this month. Her She said the

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twenty twenty six products rolling out to shells Now will

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be available all season and pricing will be set by

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each retailer. I Hop's Pumpkin Pancakes return August twenty fourth,

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with new pancake tacos and a Pumpkin Spice milkshake. I

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Hop is bringing its pumpkin lineup back to participating locations

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on August twenty fourth and adding two new items. The

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returning Pumpkin Spice pancakes are joined by a new Pumpkin

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Spice milkshake and new Pumpkin Cheesecake pancake Tacos, which fold

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small pumpkin pancakes into a taco shape around a cheesecake filling.

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Pete's coffee menu turns Fall on August nineteenth with pumpkin

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chi and protein smoothies. Pumpkin season starts at Pete's on

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August nineteenth, when the chain's fall menu nationwide with three

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new Vitality Protein smoothies, a pumpkin line up crowned with

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Vanilla Dreamtop, the seasonal Vine and Walnut Autumn Blend coffee bag,

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and three fall food items, including a chicken sausage sandwich

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on a pretzel bun. Chick fil A puts chicken and

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waffles on the menu all day with s'mores on the side.

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Chicken and waffles are coming to Chick fil A's nationwide

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starting August twenty fourth. The chain adds chicken and waffle

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sandwiches and breakfast and entree sizes, alongside two new campfire SIPs,

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the S'mores Milkshake and the S'mores Frosted Coffee, all for

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a limited time this fall. Michael Myers gets his own

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Halloween beer with Voodoo Rangers Slasher Ipa, Michael Myers has

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his own beer this Halloween. New Belgium's Voodoo Ranger has

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released the Halloween Hoppy Pack, a limited twelve pack built

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around Slasher Ipa, a new seven and a half percent

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ABV beer that puts the masked killer from the Halloween

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films on both the can and the box. Screams ghost

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Face gets his own Panta Halloween flavor ghost Face Punch,

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