Should Disney Take Halloween A Step Further For an Older Crowd?

Truthfully, I wish they would take a cue from seaworld (and slowly busch gardens) on this one where it starts as a kids thing and ends for the older crowd.

FWIW, my family and i LOVED Boo Bash because it was far less crowded than MNSSHP and we felt the CMs really checked to make sure you were there for that. Both trips to MNSSHP were kind of a bust due to the fact crowds were so large and we saw so many people wandering about without the wristbands.
 


Marthasor said:
I seem to recall an absolutely, horribly executed Villains after hours event that took place a few years ago. It was so bad Disney offered tons of refunds. They have a formula - it works and most nights sell out. I can’t see them investing more money to revamp this event.
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I don't think the event as a whole was a fail so much as the time of year-I would LOVE a villains event after hours party. But make it during Halloween.


As I mentioned above, SW has started to craft a very interesting Halloween experience in Orlando and BG Williamsburg (curious to see what they will do in Tampa). They know they can cater to both. Now granted BGW does have its issues, but they made some very interesting ways to get around it (you can't just exit Sesame Street area if you want to bypass scary, so they did away with certain scare actors in certain areas and for the very front of the park they has the light up skulls on lanyards which were apparently very successful because the actors saw the blinking skull, knew not to scare and went along their way. Plus they started the SS area event earlier and gave some buffer between that and the start of HOS. Still could use some work, but better than nothing and it was somewhat successful).

It broke my heart seeing a bunch of us on a UOR post with someone with kids during halloween. While we were able to direct them to various other activities (including the Hogwarts castle nighttime show) I could tell the parents felt stuck. Maybe if IOA or even in the future Epic Universe did something for kids, I can 100% see Disney doing something more skewed towards adults (Oogie boogie bash you can kind of said went there last year a little bit but still not as intense as HHN).


Basically? I am all for compromise and competition proving why said compromise is needed.

Halloween is my fave holiday. I like being scared and also having fun. You can have both. In the future I can totally see both being 100% necessary
 
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Marthasor said:
I seem to recall an absolutely, horribly executed Villains after hours event that took place a few years ago. It was so bad Disney offered tons of refunds. They have a formula - it works and most nights sell out. I can’t see them investing more money to revamp this event.
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Went to both, both horribly executed, both PROVED that this is a bucket of money they keep leaving on the table. Folks love Disney Villains at an adult level that don't enjoy the Horror at UO. The Unleashed was a good idea but wasn't followed through with any level of good management.

But I think the biggest problem is that I don't want to see the sets, structures and distractions sitting in the parks that UO has. Most Disney guests don't want to see the ambience upended. And I agree with that. Find a way to incorporate it with simple interference with the daytime guests.

They could totally pull off an adult Villains Halloween event at DHS IF IF IF they put someone in charge who knows the park, knows the market and knows how to organize a successful large event in DHS.

NOW if they are talking two different events at MK - MNSSHP and other nights a Villains/more adult Party ... I would love that. A bit creepier, more villains, more good interactions & meets, no candy, no kid dance parties. Maybe one adult dance party with strobes, smoke and better music. Perhaps a minimal parade like the DRAGON at night with her hard rock music she had during Villains After Hours.

Maybe an awesome castle show like DL has combined as dance party, their Halloween is much better offering. No free food but spend the money on entertainment like Mad T Party and more characters. It could work, I'd buy.

 


I would love to see a more adult Villians themed event (but needs to be more than just the villians party they did a few years ago). Could be fun if done well. Don't think it will happen as Disney, by design is keeping theirs less scary and family friendly.
I think Disney is content to give the scarier version to Universal.
 
gharter said:
I would love to see a more adult Villians themed event (but needs to be more than just the villians party they did a few years ago). Could be fun if done well. Don't think it will happen as Disney, by design is keeping theirs less scary and family friendly.
I think Disney is content to give the scarier version to Universal.
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I don't think the thought is to replace MNSSHP, just to give another option that is more adult, more villain. It could be different nights, a different park, or even a different time of year. They used to have a short lived Pirates & Princess Party that was lots of fun, and that was winter/spring time.

The plus for fall is that they tap a market that find UO too horror and MNSSHP too babyish.
 
Meriweather said:
Club Villain was so much fun. Wish they would bring that back.
It wasn't just for Halloween.
I think we went 3 times
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They converted the Top of the World Lounge that has reopened to Villain's Lair and made just for DVC members. In line with Disney wanting a certain type of clientele though. While not quite the same thing as Club Villain it's supposed to have events and classes, etc over time. Disney clearly knows Villains are a popular theme these days
 
I think if there wasn't a major competitive close by it would def. be nice to have a more adult Halloween event(s). And while Universal is really up there for the adult crowd I think it serves enough purpose there. I think you'd find it a tad hard to tread in that middle ground for Disney while appeasing the bulk of what visitors to their events want which is probably more that younger family option.
 
I have been at Universal several times during HHN and I would never go. Being scared is not fun for me. I don't do haunted houses or enjoy things jumping out at me. Perhaps something less scary at Disney? maybe.

The article linked was suggesting a split night, with kids events earlier and adult events later. Not sure how they would ticket/charge for that - would you pay for the whole night even though only staying for half? Have a break in the middle for some people to leave/some to arrive? Doesn't sound practical.
 
georgina said:
The article linked was suggesting a split night, with kids events earlier and adult events later.
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Yeah that's the hard part even my own regional park doesn't have this sort of thing. It has activities during the day for kids under a name Great Pumpkin Fest. But once the actual Halloween event hits around 6:30 or so it's not recommended for those under 14 and switches to scary, haunted houses, scare zones, etc.

I think that's why places do events during the day for more family friendly and saves the evening for older. It's easy to do that but would be much harder to control at night plus the offset in cost to experience ratio. A lot harder to charge high dollar for a short and late event. Not to mention crowd control on actively getting families out of there that a more adult event wouldn't suit with enough time for older to come in.

Universal has a gap in time from when the park closes to da guests and their events start which gives that buffer but not really a way to make both work in the same evening.

I know someone could suggest alternating nights but then someone would complain (and understandably so) that when their trip fell they couldn't make the more family event work (or it was sold out) or the more adult event work (or it was sold out), not sure that would make for happy customers
 
georgina said:
The article linked was suggesting a split night, with kids events earlier and adult events later. Not sure how they would ticket/charge for that - would you pay for the whole night even though only staying for half? Have a break in the middle for some people to leave/some to arrive? Doesn't sound practical.
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Agree. And invariably there would be "that family" that doesn't get it and stays in and their kid gets traumatized and they want to sue. I don't see how it's practical.

And I'm with you in that I don't do scary. I feel like if people WANT scary, that's available down the street.

Villains? I'm all for that (and I actually LIKED Villains After Dark), but Villains does not have to equal scary.

(Edit to add: For those like me who don't want to go down the street because they're nauseated by the thought of adding money to JKR's pockets, I saw something someone did to be able to experience what they wanted to at "the shadowlands" and feel ok about it. Donated 25% of their ticket cost and 200% of the cost of anything they inadvertently bought in "her" area to a pro-Trans organization!)
 
Marthasor said:
I seem to recall an absolutely, horribly executed Villains after hours event that took place a few years ago. It was so bad Disney offered tons of refunds. They have a formula - it works and most nights sell out. I can’t see them investing more money to revamp this event.
Click to expand...
It was still running when I went in 2020, right before lockdown. I would expect when they start expanding hard ticket events, Villain after hours is next.

But even the Halloween party isn't sold out yet, so maybe the hard ticket strategy isn't working like it used to.
 
I think they could pull it off. Make the kids time during the day with trick or treating and Halloween themed parades. At night switch to a more adult oriented party. Have the ghouls, ghosts and goblins come out. Have some scare but not to the level of HHN.
 
RoseGold said:
It was still running when I went in 2020, right before lockdown. I would expect when they start expanding hard ticket events, Villain after hours is next.

But even the Halloween party isn't sold out yet, so maybe the hard ticket strategy isn't working like it used to.
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They are not talking about Villains After Hours. They are talking about Unleash the Villains that was at Studios in 2013 and 2014. First year free, BIG MISTAKE and second year ticketed but so bad many (myself included) got our money back. Great concept, poorly executed.

I at least got to wear the shirt I made for them again to the Villains After Hours at MK. :maleficen
 
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