NEWS: Disney Parks Halloween Updates; Dark Harbor Returns

0:07 Coming up your weekly roundup of news from around the haunt industry. Welcome to the show. I'm Philip on the HN Show. We bring you the haunt news, information, and education you need to prepare for Halloween. On Tuesdays, we bring you a roundup of news from haunts worldwide. Read more about these stories and so much more in our free weekly newsletter. Subscribe at the link in the show notes, and as always for the news roundup, I'm passing it off to Darryl. Disney Parks released a salut of Helloween updates to celebrate halfway to Halloween. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party returns to the Magic Kingdom and Walt Disney World Resort on August ninth, and will take place on select nights through October thirty first. This is the earliest we have seen a ticketed Halloween event. Universal Orlando will offer Haunted House tours begins August eleventh.

1:00 This year, Strake opposed with Mickey and Minnie and the new costumes. During the party, meet Bruno alongside Mirabelle in the Fantasy Garden, and even show off your best villain dance moves in the new Descend Dance party inspired by the upcoming Disney Plus movie Descendants, The Rise of Red. Tickets will be available to select hotel guests on May eighth, and to all guests starting May fifteenth. The Ugi Boogie Bash at Disney Halloween Party returns to a Disney California Adventure Park for twenty seven select nights beginning Sunday, August twenty fifth. Enjoy an evening of immersive treat trails, unique character sightings, special entertainment, themed merchandise, food and beverages available only during Ugi Boogie Bash nights, and so much more. The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort will celebrate Halloween from September twelfth to October thirty. First. Common experience Halloween were favorites such as The House of de Villains Award winning show Let's Get Wicked one of my favorites, Theme park shows Everywhere, and Nightmare Before Dinner experience, complete with character greetings and an atmosphere show, will return. Disney Halloween Festival returns to Disneyland Paris from October first to November three. Relish in this spellbinding atmosphere with the return of fan favorite shows Mickey's Helloween Celebration, meet your favorite Disney villains, experience the iconic Phantom manner, and so much more. Disney Halloween returns to the Tokyo Disney Resort from October first to November seventh. Enjoy brand new theming at Tokyo Disneyland,

2:34 new entertainment, and more. A few spooky food items are available at Gideon's Bakehouse Florida and Kala's Cake in California through May ninth. Read the full details on the Disney Parks blog by following the links in our show notes. After a multi year hiatus that Queen Mary's Dark Harbor returns to Long Beach, California for the twenty twenty four season, Halloween Spirits rise once again select Night'september twentieth through November two. This year's event will feature haunted mazes, live entertainment, themed bars and lounges, experiences on board the ship, festive eats and treats, and the return of well known icon characters. Twenty twenty four attraction details will be released in the coming months, including fan favorites from the past and many new surprises. Dark Harbor has become an iconic part of our city's Halloween celebrations, and we are excited to once again transform the Queen Mary into a haunted spectacle for scaregoers, said Mayor Rex Richardson. Having brought in hundreds of thousands of visitors to Long Beach in the years past, its return is another major step in the Queen Mary's recovery and return to a premier tourist attraction.

3:43 I extend my appreciation to Evolution Hospitality and to our city Council for their support. Tickets will be available to purchase in late summer of twenty twenty four. I app A President and CEO Jacob Wall said summer travel numbers look strong according to iapp as members, AYAPPA expects a two percent boost in North American park attendance, representing more than three hundred million visits in twenty twenty four. Consumer spending is expected to match pace, with more than thirty two billion dollars projected to be spent, a seven percent increase. As the weather warms up, many people are thinking of the classic summer vacation. Wall said, we're seeing consumers shifting spending for material goods and instead investing in those trips and memories with family. Attractions are rising to the occasion to meet consumers with new experiences, with four trends emerging for this season. Family attractions, technology and inclusiveness to allow more accessible guest experiences, attractions for younger children and zoos and aquarium exhibits evolving to become more nature driven with initiatives focusing in conservation and sustainability. Donald Finley, owner of the Bayville Screen Park in Bayville, New York, and the now defunct Jekylin Hide Club in Manhattan, New York, was sentenced to two years in federal prison for three point two million dollars in COVID loan fraud.

4:57 Finley pleaded guilty in May to relieve fraud and wire fraud, admitting he inflated the payroll of his business entities and made other false statements to obtain additional COVID nineteen relief fund. Prosecutors said he used the money for personal expenses, including purchasing a home. In addition to jail time, Finley has paid three point two million dollars in restitution, and the judge ordered him to pay a fifteen thousand dollars fine and complete five hundred hours of community service. A hauntingly good time awaits this Saturday, May eleventh at the Halfway to Halloween Expo in ann Arbor, Michigan. The expo offers an array of vendors, walk through haunt rides, and food. Costumes are encouraged. Tickets are available online starting at five dollars for general admission. Twelve and under are free. Just in time for Halfway to Halloween Spirit Halloween debut, two new animatronics and a new prop. A seven foot Clowning Around animatronic for three hundred and nineteen ninety nine is a diabolical black and white clown who flails his victims up and down in each arm. The anomatronic has six unique sayings, including a volume control and speaker. Jack Face your musophobia the fear of mice with a six point three foot Ratman animatronic for one ninety nine ninety nine. This rat infested zombie animatronic will give your guests that total creeps once he comes to life with a side to side moving torso and dangling rats. Lastly, prepare for the Martian evasion with the officially licensed Mars Attacks Atomic ray Gun with poster for one twenty nine ninety nine featuring intergalactic sounds, a blue led light up barrel, and a green led light up nozzle that shoots actual fog missed when turned on. This

6:29 officially licensed fog gun is perfect for fans to show off their fandom from Mars attacks this Halloween. Squish Mellows and Sees Candies are teaming up for a new Squish Mellows Halloween gift set that will roll out to more than two hundred and fifty Seas Candy stores across the US in early October. The set will include Squish Mellows brand tote bag, a custom box of candy, and a limited edition eight inch Emily the Bat. Squish Mellow partnering with Sees Candies is the perfect way to introduce Squish Mellows to the consumable space. Further, said Garrard Runken, Executive vice president of Brand and Marketing at Jazzwares, This will be the perfect Helloween treat for both brands, and we're eager to see this unique collaboration in our robust lineup of iconic Squish Mellow products. Cineverse and its horror division, Bloody Disgusting have announced Terrifier three is now slated for an October eleventh, twenty twenty four premiere. This moves the release date up two weeks, giving fans even more time to get into the holiday spirit and make sure their stomachs are fully settled in time for any year end family gatherings and dinners.

7:30 Following the theatrical run, Cineverse plans to release the film across all platforms, including its scream Box horror streaming service from filmmakers Damian Leon and Phil Falcone. Terrifier three sees the return of art to Clown David Howard Thornton as he unleashes another round of chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully dripped off to sleep on Christmas Eve. Some upcoming events for all of the So Cal folks include Urban Death in North Hollywood, Call, California, May tenth and eleventh, The Haunt super Show in Palmon's, California, May third through twenty seventh, Halfway to Halloween Festival in Riverside, California, May eleventh and twelve. Google's Day Out in Los Angeles, California, May eighteenth. Monster Palooza May thirty first through June second in Pasadena, California, Also coming up the Midwest Haunters Convention June seventh through ninth in Rosemont, Illinois, the Texas Haunters Convention July thirteenth and fourteenth in Mesquite, Texas. And Midsummer Scream July twenty sixth through twenty eighth in Long Beach, California. And that's all for the news this week. Today's episode was produced by me Philip Bernandez, with reporting by Darryl Plunky, post production by David Swope. This Haunt News Update is a production of the Haunted Attraction Network and you can sign up to our weekly newsletter at hantatractionnetwork dot com. Support for this episode comes from Gantum Lighting and Controls. Until next time, Haunters Stay Scary. This is a Haunted

9:03 Attraction Network production.