Welcome to the fifteenth and final post in the Imagineering Awesome series on Mouse on the Mind! You can access all of the posts by clicking on the link at right.
In the spirit of this year’s games, I totally completely stomped on the rules. In fact, instead of looking toward Disney films for inspiration, I found my spark in one of Dan’s amazing photo illustrations. As the spooky novels of my childhood used to warn: Reader. beware! You’re in for a scare …
If you’re like me, you’ve done Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and walked away feeling like … “That was it?!?”
To my mind, there’s not a ton of value in the ever-increasing ticket price. There’s candy I don’t need. Lines I don’t want to wait in. Parades that seem to be canceled for rain more often than not (at least during my visits). And characters I’m not going to GET to see (because of the aforementioned lines).
It all feels a little … Disney. A little too safe. A little too family friendly. But I want something a little more ominous. A little more terrifying. A little more exciting.
Sure, there’s Six Flags Fright Fest and Universal Halloween Horror Nights. And lots of similar special events across the country. I’ve never attended one that wasn’t small and local. And I probably won’t any time soon. Because they’re expensive. And without the promise of Disney-level quality and safety, I’m just not going to invest in a scary hard-ticket event.
Which brings me to the idea: Haunted Harambe.
Now that the area is bigger, better and more awesome than ever, it has been playing host to Harambe Nights. But that’s all but over: tickets are all sold out, and the last event is August 9. So why not extend all of that awesomeness into September and October … but with more spookiness?
First, as you walk through The Oasis, you’ll be greeted by Cast Members showing off creepy animals, like tarantulas and vampire bats. Once the party gets started, you can meet them as well as larger animals, like the okapi (ghost of the rain forest) in Harambe proper.
Early on, you’ll have an opportunity to get photos with some of DAK’s real ghosts: all of the folks from Camp Minnie-Mickey, dressed in their camp garb, will be wandering about, posing for photos. No lines.
There’ll be music. Dancing. Candy-inspired cocktails. And lots of spooky lighting. Food everywhere, much like during Harambe Nights. And both Expedition Everest (ah-mazingly scary in the dark) and Kali River Rapids (with extra ghosties and goblins along the riverbanks) will be open.
To give the evening an extra frightful feeling, the walkway between Africa and Asia will be a designated Scare Zone: a devilish DeVine and other ghoulish creatures will haunt the area and interact with guests. The area around the Port (in New Harambe) will also be a Scare Zone, this one featuring the ghosts of lost sailors.
Basically, it’ll be a great, adults-only Halloween Party with the Disney touch.
I don’t tend to love hard ticket events … but I think this one might be a winner. Would you buy a ticket?