HONG KONG – Filipino vacationers, specifically, have been constantly among the many high 5 guests to Hong Kong’s Ocean Park since its inception many years in the past, even till the pandemic, its administration instructed Rappler.
Households and teams of associates sometimes head to the resort and amusement park for its kiddie rides, household points of interest, pandas, penguins, aquariums, motels, and eating places.
However with most theme parks, seasonal festivals have at all times been on the coronary heart of drawing in bigger and newer crowds from neighboring nations. And from October till the beginning of November, Ocean Park Hong Kong has reworked right into a Halloween playground full of death-lightful decor, interactive reveals, distinctive themes, and all kinds of eerie surprises that aren’t only for children.
Step into the park, and all of it looks as if family-friendly enjoyable at first look. However because the solar begins to set on Fridays to Sundays, and the evening crowd trickles in — slowly however noisily, pleasure buzzing within the air — the ambiance begins to shift.
Boo-tiful cosplayers
Because the solar units, the park’s younger workers are now not of their standard uniforms. Elaborately dressed and meticulously made-up cosplayers start to roam the grounds, turning Ocean Park right into a cosplay-driven nightmare.
You’ll see zombies, possessed dolls, well-known serial killers, jesters, jack-o’-lanterns, and Día de los Muertos skeletons, all performing in character, with some even on stilts. They’ll lurk round, comply with you a couple of steps, showcase their props, and sometimes provide you with slightly fright whereas strolling beside you.
Taking photographs with them is straightforward — they’ll gladly cease for a scare-fie.
House is the place the hang-out is
The principle spotlight of this yr’s Ocean Park Halloween Fest 2025: Unbox the Cursed Assortment is its six haunted experiences. Lengthy traces await (count on about 20 to half-hour on weekends), however with six homes to select from, you possibly can plan which jump-scare repair to get first.
Essentially the most unique one options Ocean Park’s very personal Voodoo Boos, a cheeky and creepy nod to Hong Kong’s standard labubus. The Hatred Field pays homage to jack-in-the-box fears — a toy-themed horror maze the place deserted blind field toys return from to hunt revenge.
One enjoyable twist: company get to attract their very own blind field inside for an opportunity to acquire a Voodoo Boo determine. The haunted workshop maze options twisted toys, blood-soaked eyeballs, scattered enamel, and severed limbs.
For true crime fanatics and escape room lovers, The Unsolved Terrors dives into Hong Kong’s most horrific and seemingly “solved” circumstances. You’ll board an elevator and journey by way of completely different scenes to “uncover truths” drenched in gore.
The prosthetics and shows — severed heads, guts spilling out of physique components, and soiled bogs — are eerily lifelike right here; it’s virtually unsettling to look too carefully, however the craft is price admiring if you happen to can abdomen it.
Should you’re into sci-fi horror and mad scientists, H25: Rising Concern places you inside a lab experiment gone mistaken. Carrying a lab coat, you’ll race towards time by way of scary lab duties that take a look at your senses.
Ocean Park’s haunted homes aren’t simply run-and-scream experiences; the characters inside keep totally in character, turning it right into a near-4D expertise. Past the sights and sounds, there are even tactile moments — the odor of decay, the texture of crawling by way of tight tunnels, or squeezing by way of slender hallways — all including to the immersion.
The Ritual Mansion is a few long-dormant cult that re-emerges to summon new followers for a forbidden blood sacrifice, and The Cannibal Woods, set outdoor, the place you play a survivor of a airplane crash in a forest, compelled to comply with an ill-fated expedition into the looking grounds of a savage tribe.
The Soul Graveyard brings shade and fewer horror to the evening, celebrating the Mexican Day of the Useless, however nonetheless with the occasional vengeful ghost.
Every horror home idea is meticulously thought out, and each design is distinct. It’s doable to undergo all six with The Halloween Ocean FasTrack, which is price it if you happen to don’t like ready in lengthy traces and need to skip queues.
A considerate little contact — in step with the park’s world-famous pandas and its consideration for less-brave company — is the Little Brother “De De” Badge – I Dare You badge, and Elder Sister “Jia Jia” Badge – Don’t Scare Me. The previous alerts to cosplayers that you just’re recreation for scares; the latter politely tells them you’re not.
All-night eerie-tainment
Whereas ready or wandering between points of interest, there are reside performances scattered throughout the park as soon as evening falls. Bone-twisting monsters leap from packing containers in Break and Rattle, whereas paper effigies rise from the grave in Diva Paper Doll Reviving Night time. In Taoist and Zombies Leap Leap Leap, Taoist clergymen battle the undead by way of ritualistic choreography, whereas Demon Hunters tackle rogue ghouls.
At The Summit, Gangnam’s Devils — a boy group referred to as NAMJA6 — convey Ok-pop on stage.
The Boo-tiful Mariachi Band or Skullplay Jam provides rock music to the setting, and the Sparkle Sliders showcase their roller-skating stunt choreography, sparking fireplace from their ft.
Halloween-themed meals and drinks are additionally accessible for the season.
Common admission to Ocean Park Hong Kong is HK$538 for adults (12 years outdated and above) and HK$269 for kids aged 3 to 11. For the Halloween Fest, you possibly can high up your park admission with a Trio Combo Ticket for entry to 3 of the park’s signature haunted homes; both The Darkish Spirits Trio Combo (Hatred Field, The Ritual Mansion, and The Cannibal Woods), or the Misplaced Souls Trio Combo (that includes The Unsolved Terrors, H25: Rising Concern, and The Soul Graveyard).
The Trio Combo Tickets are priced at HK$280 per combo on peak dates (October 24–26, 29, 31, and November 1–2), and HK$238 on off-peak weekends (October 10–12 and 17–19).
Common admission tickets don’t embody entry to the six haunted homes, and all combo tickets and Halloween Ocean FasTrack are on high of a sound admission ticket.
Trick or deal with your self
Ocean Park Hong Kong has housed its personal resorts inside the property since 2018. With the opening of the Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Resort (2018), Water World Ocean Park Hong Kong (2021), and The Fullerton Ocean Park Resort Hong Kong (2022), company can stroll from their lodging to the park in 5 minutes.
The Marriott is the extra family-friendly choose, that includes panda decor and a 16-meter aquarium in the course of its foyer: three tales excessive, full of 800 fish and 500 species. A favourite of youngsters is watching the scuba diver feed the fish, particularly when he’s dressed for the event — as a scuba-diving skeleton on Halloween, or Santa Claus come Christmas.
The Fullerton, in the meantime, is a extra luxurious five-star choice, with lovely bay-view rooms, an infinity pool up high, and a global lunch and dinner buffet.
Positioned in Wong Chuk Cling on the southern aspect of Hong Kong Island, Ocean Park spans over 91.5 hectares throughout two major areas — The Waterfront and The Summit — linked by the scenic cable automobile and the Ocean Categorical underground practice. – Rappler.com
