March 23, 2026

NEWS: The Haunt Industry Descends on St. Louis

Show Notes
Transcript

TransWorld's Halloween & Attractions Show returns to St. Louis next week with 450+ exhibitors, dozens of seminars, and a full week of industry events. We put together a guide to help you navigate it all.
Also this week:- Travis Kelce Signs On as Six Flags Brand Ambassador- New State Lease Terms Put Old Joliet Haunted Prison's Future in Question- Will Attractions Be Impacted by Conflict in the Middle East?- Limited-Time Savings on Universal Horror Unleashed Tickets- Wicked New England Returns to Salem With Year-Two Expansion- Slashers Axe Throwing Hosts 2nd Annual Purge Night Tournament.

Read more: http://mailchi.mp/hauntedattractionnetwork.com/the-haunt-industry-descends-on-st-louis-next-week

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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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If you're heading to Saint Louis next week, you already

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know trans World's Halloween and Attraction Show is the single

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biggest week on the industry calendar. If you're not, your

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Facebook feed has probably been made that impossible to forget

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vendors who've been quiet all year suddenly posting product releases.

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Forums are full of haunters asking tips, and there's more

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information than anyone can handle. The returns to America Center

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March twenty fifth through twenty ninth, with over four hundred

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and fifty exhibitors, dozens of seminars, nightly events, and co

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located shows covering escape rooms, Christmas installations, and interactive entertainment.

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The Haunted Attraction Association is put together a full guide

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to help you make the most of the week. Find

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it by following the links in our show notes. Between

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pre show hunt tours, dozens of paid and free seminars,

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nightly parties, and a show floor packed with over four

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hundred and fifty exhibitors, the week offers more programming than

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any single attendee can cover. Some quick facts and an

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event overview five days of programming. Wednesday's pre show tour

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kicks things off, followed by four days of trade, show

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floor access, seminar and events throughout Sunday. Three shows. One badge.

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Your pass also grants entry to the co located trans

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World Christmas Show and interactive entertainment show covering escape rooms, acts,

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throwing VR and other experience based entertainment. Over four hundred

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and fifty exhibitors on the show floor, with free makeup

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demonstrations running daily on the Makeup Demo stage, Free and

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paid seminars spanning haunted attractions, Christmas installations, interactive entertainment, safety

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certification and business operations. Nightly events including the City Museum Party,

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a Murder Mystery Experience, the Heaven and Hell Costume Ball,

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and Moonlight Mingle after Hour's Lounge, the OSCARS Awards Ceremony

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on Saturday evening free for all attendees, celebrating the best

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of the Haunted attraction industry with the week at a Glance.

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On Wednesday, March twenty fifth, the pre show Talent Falls

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Tour BLUs departs at two o'clock and returns about midnight.

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Experienced Saint Louis Interactive Entertainment Tour from nine am to

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four pm. On Thursday, March twenty six, the show floor opens.

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Chaos Safety Seminar starts at eight thirty am, Paid seminars

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all day, agg Retainment Mixer, Interactive Entertainment Mixer, VIP Happy

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Hour in the evening, and the City Museum Party at

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seven thirty pm, along with the Moonlight Mingle at nine.

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Friday March twenty seventh, the show floor HAA State of

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the Industry at nine am is free, Paid seminars all day.

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The HAA Live Auction at five point fifteen pm is

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free as well. Bloodlines and Blackmail Murder Mystery at eight pm,

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Santa's Beach Bash, Christmas Party at eight thirty pm, and

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the Moonlight Mingle at nine. Then on Saturday, March twenty eighth,

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the show floor is open again, the AI Advantage Keynote

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at eight thirty am, paid seminars all day, the Oscar

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Awards Ceremony at five o'clock pm. Doors are open and

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it's free. Christmas Show Mixer at five thirty pm is free.

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Evan and Hell Costume Ball at eight pm, and the

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Moonlight Mingle at six to eight pm and eleven forty

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five pm. And finally, on Sunday, March twenty ninth, the

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show floor is open ten am to two pm. It's

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your last chance to shop. In other theme park news,

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Travis Kelcey was named the six Flags Brand Ambassador for

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twenty twenty six. Guests visiting six Flags Park this year

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will be seeing a lot more of NFL star and

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three time Super Bowl champion Travis kelce who is signed

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on as an official brand ambassador for the company in

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twenty twenty six. As part of the deal, Kelsey will

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share digital content across his own social media platform promoting

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the parks, while six Flags will feature Kelsey's name, image

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and likeness in broadcast media, streaming platforms and in park marketing.

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The announcement builds on Kelsey's existing relationship with Six Flags.

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In October twenty twenty five, he joined activist investment firm

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Jana Partners and other investors in a group that acquired

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a roughly nine percent stake in the company worth an

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estimated two hundred million dollars. Financial terms of the ambassador

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arrangement were not disclosed, though Kelsey's role as an investor

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provides additional context for that partnership. Learn more on this

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week's Green Tagged podcast, and this week's episode of Green

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tag also tackles what listeners have been asking about for weeks,

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the impact of the Middle East situation on tourism and

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the attraction industry. AYAPPA has canceled its Middle East expo,

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the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and the inflationary ripple

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effects of higher oil prices could squeeze discretionary spending. Scott

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and Philip disagree on whether that helps or hurts regional

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parks like Six Flags, and they talk through what parallel

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planning actually looks like for the operators right now. New

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state lease terms put Old Joliet Haunted Prison's future in question.

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The Old Joliet Haunted Prison a seasonal haunted attraction operated

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by Thirteenth Floor entertainment group at the former Joliet Correctional

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Center in Joliet, Illinois, may not return in twenty twenty six.

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According to a report from the Joliet Herald News, a

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new lease agreement between the State of Illinois and the

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City of Joliet now requires state approval for all activities

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on the property, and thirteen Floor is not curly and

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approved use under these terms. The city notified the company

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in January that its agreement had expired and that it

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must remove all property and equipment from the site. The

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Joliet City Council had approved the three year lease renewal

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with the state in December without any public indication that

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the new terms would affect the Haunted attraction. Thirteenth Floor

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told the Herald News the decision came as a surprise,

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noting the attraction has grown into a fall tradition that

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brings tens of thousands of visitors to the city each year,

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creates meaningful jobs for local residents, and supports local businesses

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throughout the season. The company said it hopes to work

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with the city to continue operating at the site over

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five seasons. The attraction has been recognized by the Haunted

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Attraction Association as a top haunt and holds a four

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point four star rating across nearly seventeen hundred Google reviews.

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Limited time savings on Universal Horror Unleashed tickets. Universal Horror

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Unleashed from Las Vegas, Nevada invites guests to experience the

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terror this spring with a limited time savings of up

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to fifty dollars on select tickets now through April thirtieth.

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General admission tickets to the year round horror experience at

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the Area fifteen district in Las Vegas start at thirty

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nine dollars for Nevada residents and forty nine dollars for

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non residents during the promotional window. Universal Horror Unleashed brings

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the production value of Halloween horror nights to a year

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round space. The venue features four walk through horror experiences

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including Universal Monsters, Blumhouses, The Exorcist, Believer, The Texas Chainsaw, Massacre,

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and fan favored original Scarecrow The Reaping, plus four themed

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zones with live entertainment, droving characters, and themed bars and dining.

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A second Universal Horror and Leased location is planned for

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Chicago Slasher's Ax Throwing in Ales hosts their second annual

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Purge Night Tournament, released the Beast at Slasher's Ax Throwing

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in Ales in Costa Mesa, California. During their second annual

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Purge Night Ax Throwing Tournament on Sunday, March twenty second,

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Purge inspired costumes and masks are encouraged. Complementary I Purged

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buttons will be given to all participants. Open to all

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experience levels, competitors have the chance to win prizes, trophies,

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and free beer. Practice starts at six thirty pm and

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the tournament begins at seven pm. Tickets are on sale

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now for forty five dollars per person. Zombie Joe's Underground

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Theater Group presents Zju the Board Game Friday and Saturday's

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March twentieth through April eleventh. Zombie Joe's Underground Theater Group

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in North Hollywood, California presents the all new production Zju

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the Board Game, a playable, immersive experience enter a devilishly

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daring competition that flings audiences into a high stakes race

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through a gauntlet of horrifying worlds that make up a

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treacherous life sized game board, guided by the eccentric Sadist

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boardmaster players must outwit a coven of macob Horrors and

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the all powerful Witch to reach the finish line. Alive

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in this immersive Nightmares Bible is the only strategy for

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the ultimate title, Zju Grand Champion. Due to mature themes,

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Zju the Board game is intended for audiences over eighteen

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years of age. Tickets are on sale now starting at

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twenty dollars online or twenty five at the door. Only

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five audience members participate per show. Wicked New England returns

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to Salem with a two year expansion. Wicked New England

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from Salem Mass returns for its second Halfway to Halloween

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Festival on Sunday, April nineteenth, twenty twenty six, at the

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Old Town Hall, expanding outdoors into Derby Square for the

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first time. The inaugural twenty twenty five event filled both

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floors of the Hall with a vendor marketplace in stage presentations.

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For year two, the programming grows with kids trigger treating

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from participating vendors, a traveling museum from heirloom Halloween showcasing,

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antique Halloween artifact, photo ops with Bora, the Witch and

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the cast of hocus Pocus Live, and all new parody

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musical along with a VIP ticket tier. Barrett's Haunted Mansion

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and Halloween New England return to the stage lineup, joined

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by the Wicked ghost Hunters, a behind the scenes look

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at hocus Pocus Live, and a mass vow renewal from

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Salem's Black Hat Society. With the success of the first

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Wicked New England event in twenty twenty five, I want

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to continue to grow, celebrate, and shine a light on

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what New England has to offer during the Halloween season,

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said founder Jeff de Powley. Tickets are available at the

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event's official website. Transworld Vendor Spotlight videos are short form,

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professionally produced video features filmed live on the show floor

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at Transworld's Helloween and Attraction Show. Each spotlight has one

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new product or best selling item in a focused, approximately

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thirty second interview style format. These videos are editorial features

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distributed through the Haunted Attraction Network, the leading news resource

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for the Haunted attraction industry. Each vendor Spotlight includes placement

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across the Haunted Attraction Network work including Haunted Attraction Networks, Facebook,

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YouTube and Instagram, newsletter, LinkedIn, and website, plus the opportunity

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to be tagged as a collaborator. The cost is three

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hundred dollars. Book yours today by contacting Philip at the

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Haunted Attraction Network dot com. Some upcoming events this March

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through May of twenty twenty six include trans World's Halloween

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and Attraction Show in Saint Louis, Missouri, March twenty six

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through twenty ninth, The Spooky Swap Meet from Los Angeles, California,

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April twenty four through twenty six, East Coast Haunters Convention

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from Oaks, Pennsylvania April twenty fifth through twenty sixth, and

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the Ohio Helloween and Haunters Convention in Mansfield, Ohio, May

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ninth through ten.

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And that's all for the news this week. Today's episode

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was produced by me Philip Rnandez, with reporting by Daryl Plunky,

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post production by David Swope. This hant News update is

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a production of the Haunted Attraction Network and you can

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sign up to our weekly newsletter Haunted Attraction Network dot com.

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Support for this episode comes from Gantum Lighty and controls.

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Until next time, Haunters Stay Scary. This is a Haunted

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Attraction Network production

NEWS: The Haunt Industry Descends on St. Louis

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