Last chance to ride the Vortex at Halloween Haunt this weekend

Roller coasters won’t be the only attractions conjuring up screams this fall at Kings Island.  Halloween Haunt returns to the 364-acre amusement park this Friday.  The popular annual event marks its 12th season with two new scare zones, a new indoor maze and new show.  Halloween Haunt is open Friday and Saturday nights through October 27. CONTRIBUTED

Roller coasters won’t be the only attractions conjuring up screams this fall at Kings Island. Halloween Haunt returns to the 364-acre amusement park this Friday. The popular annual event marks its 12th season with two new scare zones, a new indoor maze and new show. Halloween Haunt is open Friday and Saturday nights through October 27. CONTRIBUTED

This weekend is the last chance for chills at Haunt and thrills on a classic coaster before it is retired.

Voted "Best Theme Park Halloween Event" in the country in 2018 by USA Today readers, Kings Island's Halloween Haunt will end this weekend.

The Halloween attraction features nine haunted mazes, seven scare zones, three live stage shows and hundreds of ghouls, zombies and monsters lurking in the shadows throughout the park.

All rides, including coasters, will be open and operating.

The final run of the Vortex is on Sunday during the daytime family friendly Great Pumpkin Fest and HalloTween.

>> Kings Island to retire Vortex roller coaster

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Kings Island’s Halloween Haunt will return for its 13th season on Sept. 20, 2019, with nine haunted mazes, seven scare zones, three live stage shows and hundreds of ghouls, zombies and monsters lurking in the shadows throughout the park.  CONTRIBUTED

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WHAT’S NEW

Here’s a closer look at the frights that are new this season, according to Kings Island’s team behind Halloween Haunt:

😱NEW SCARE ZONE: International Street Fear 

See the strange and mysterious creatures that stalk the shadows and lurk around every corner of International Street. Legend says that these doomed souls are condemned to haunt International Street for eternity.

😱NEW SCARE ZONE: Shipwrecked 

Take a stroll through a town full of seafarers, merchants, and scrappy ruffians that rival the ports once visited by Blackbeard himself. It may look innocent on the surface, but inexplicable terror lies beneath — where lost treasure and the song of the siren have put even the strongest, sturdiest pirates in a watery grave.

😱NEW SCARE ZONE: Rivertown Reaping 

Rivertown, a once-thriving logging and mining community, was struck with disaster when a plague wiped out the entire population. Nothing remains in these parts, except a tragic history and the ghosts of those long since forgotten.

😱NEW SCARE ZONE: Zombie Mall 

The sale of a lifetime is happening now at this one-of-a-kind outdoor market, and everything must go! If you’re looking for trouble you’re sure to find a killer deal, but it’s still going to cost you an arm and a leg.

😱NEW SHOW: Drums of the Dead  

You’ll be cast down to the underworld in this all-new, explosive performance that celebrates Día de Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, by making you a part of the action.

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😱FEAR-INDUCING FAVORITES  

Prepare yourself as dark forces are unleashed to make your wildest nightmares come true. Popular terrifying attractions returning this year include: Backwoods Bayou, Blackout, C.H.A.O.S., Coney Maul, Dance of the Macabre, Field of Screams, KillMart, Madame Fatale’s Cavern of Terror: Lights Out!, Pumpkin Eater, Slaughter House, Urgent Scare and Wolf Pack.

🎟TICKETS 

Tickets for Halloween Haunt, which ends Saturday, Oct. 26, start at $33.99 when purchased in advance online or Kings Island’s mobile app. Admission to the event is free for 2019 and 2020 Gold and Platinum Passholders.

Guests looking to make the most of their night at Halloween Haunt can add Fright Lane to bypass waiting in line to experience each of the nine haunted mazes once.

👭FOR KIDS, TWEENS 

Parents, be advised.

Halloween Haunt includes graphic scenes, suggestive themes and intense imagery and is intended for mature audiences. This event is not recommended for children.

Instead, Kings Island offers Halloween-themed experiences for younger audiences:

The Great Pumpkin Fest at Kings Island features family-friendly Halloween activities for guests of all ages, including a kids  costume contest, character meet-and-greets with the Peanuts Gang and much more. CONTRIBUTED

Credit: HANDOUT

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Credit: HANDOUT

🎃The Great Pumpkin Fest: Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 27 from 12-7 p.m. Located back in Planet Snoopy this year, The Great Pumpkin Fest at Kings Island is all treats and no tricks when it comes to family-friendly fun including live entertainment, mazes, trick-or-treating and more.  

👦🏼 HalloTween: This attraction is new to Kings Island this year and also will take place Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 22 – Oct. 27 from noon to 6 p.m. There will be kid-friendly, abbreviated versions of select Halloween Haunt attractions where older kids can participate in interactive, family-friendly challenges that will test their courage without the fear of running into one of our monsters.

On Saturdays, parents should be advised that rides in Planet Snoopy begin to close at 5 p.m. when the transformation into Halloween Haunt begins. Halloween Haunt does not take place on Sundays, when the park is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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HOW TO GO 

What: Kings Island's Halloween Haunt and Great Pumpkin Fest

When: Halloween Haunt runs every Friday and Saturday night through Oct. 26. Hours are 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. every Friday and Saturday. The kid-friendly Great Pumpkin Fest runs Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 27 from 12-7 p.m.

Where: 6300 Kings Island Drive, Mason

Cost: Tickets start at $33.99 when purchased in advance online.

More info: (513) 754-5700 or visitkingsisland.com/haunt

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