Okay, so the fact we’ve gotten to experience Scarefest this year was something I never expected to sit and write let alone say. So here’s our full trip report from our visit on Saturday.
I’ll begin with expressing our gratefulness to the staff for even making this event possible. Every single staff member we encountered were so lovely and full of joy. So a massive shout out to them for been so fab. Also a huge shout out to the staff on Thirteen for how fast they were at dispatching. It was very impressive. Right anyhow let’s get into the bit you’ve all probably clicked on here for, this year’s offering!
Let’s start with the family line up which is available. Unfortunately we never got chance to explore the Gardens as it gotten too wet for us. However we are back end of the month.
Alton Ancestors:
These guys are literally Scarefest to us. They are always so much to watch & interact with. This year was no different except their flash mob was on a stage which I quite prefer. It helped stop the crowds from gathering around Tower Street. They all social distanced yet continue to interact which was fab. Again they all wore mask which I found hard to spot as they blended really well into their costumes. As always these guys are so fun to be around.
Of course, with this been a family maze I always tend to have lower expectations compared to the others. This was our second from the last maze of the day. The new location I feel really set the atmosphere for this maze. From the outside the theming is immense the way The Smugglers Inn looks is fab. Similar to last year there’s not an area which is not themed. The audio, smell, theming & actors were all top quality.
In regards to the current situation & changes for the situation. We found the actors inside here used COVID in their stride. They implemented the new rules into such a manner it added to the eerie & scariness of the maze. Before & after the staff outside make you sanitiser your hands and batch you into two groups. After the pre show you then split off. I believe there’s a 30 second gap between the groups. But as I mentioned above the staff really did take the rules into stride.
Last year this was the maze for me. It was everything I had wanted in a maze. However this year it didn’t quite do it for me. But I was the middle of our group so I saw the brilliant scares the front & back got. The theming throughout was beautiful but not much changed compared to last year. The lighting always gets me especially leading up to the finale.
This maze was the first we had done of the day. So I was anxious to see how it would impact the experience. However it was absolutely perfect felt almost like normal, except less touching & more distance between you & the actors. The smaller groups going through made it that bit more intense. The way the actors used the distance to benefit the scares were fab!
Again last year was a different story for me I never rated this maze at all. Had a really awful run through last year with a lack of scares. However this year was completely different. This is now up there for me. I think the actors energy was spooking me out more not to forget the darkness inside. Visually it was a tad lighter than last year but still felt really hard to see where we were going. But this maze was fab I still wish for a the better finale though.
This was the maze I was very unsure about with the current rules & situation. Yet I found this maze better than last year. I’ll admit it felt odd not been touched but also quite nice haha. During our run through I found the actors used the lighting to give the illusion of been very close to you yet they weren’t. The actors were top form and again used the situation to their benefit in so many ways. Just like every other mazes you have to sanitise your hands before entering & exiting.
RATING : 4/5
I’ll be absolutely honest with y’all. Our first run through was a disaster. Mainly due to how light it was. So we paid to do it again as this was the maze I was most hyped for and didn’t want to go by the first run through. Second time, wow, I can’t even begin to explain how insane it was. We were lucky to the fact we were first in the maze after the enhanced cleaning. So all the actors were back in their places and we were only ones heading through. The scares was insane. We done it during the time of dusk so it’s that awkward lighting to see stuff. But these actors were something else. The sets were gorgeous so many Easter eggs as well. Also so many chainsaws!!
Our second run through we approached the front of the queue just in time to enter after its enhanced cleaning. Therefore it naturally felt so much safer. The actors again were fab with incredible jump scares from a distance.
We had an incredible time at Scarefest & can’t wait to return some point this month. If your unsure in regards to safety I can reassure you from our visit you’ll feel very safe. I can’t begin to express how incredible this years event line up is. Every single member of staff deserves praise. The actors I can’t even imagine how hard it must be to be scaring during these times but there was not one actor who didn’t give it their all. So we are thankful to them all for such an incredible time!
Have you visited or visiting Scarefest? Let us know your thoughts!