So, recently, there has been a lot of talk about HoS going "adult." There seems to be something of a consensus (or maybe just a vocal minority) that kids (and sometimes even teens) in no way shape or form have a seat at the Howl-O-Scream table.
But this view is something of a surprise to me. I mean, this event combines two things, Halloween and theme parks...neither of which I consider to be particularly "adult."
The first, Halloween, is a holiday that is probably best known for the tradition of 8 year olds getting free candy by dressing up like Dracula or Cinderella or a Pokemon. Other staples of Halloween iconography include witches, smiling pumpkins and monsters that don't exist.
The second is a theme park, most famous for family vacations, roller coasters and high-calorie junk food. Other things that go hand in hand with theme parks are bad song-and-dance shows, animatronic bears and giant, intrusive strollers.
My two questions are:
1) Is Halloween an adults only holiday, to you?
and
2) Does it make sense, to you, to turn family-friendly Busch Gardens into a kid-free place for Halloween?
As for my view:
To me, HoS should be for everyone...yes, even after 6. Obviously, I don't think 4 year olds belong in the haunted houses...but I also don't think that all park shows and walkways need to become adults-only. I think the park is big enough, and has enough to offer, that they could put on a quality Halloween event that could cater to *most* of the audience (excluding only the under-8 crowd on the low end and the SAW franchise fanclub on the high end). You could do a wrist band system that allowed people of certain age-groups or whatever into different attractions, and put the scare zones and such in areas that could be bypassed by those hoping to avoid them. Just my perspective.
What do you guys think?
But this view is something of a surprise to me. I mean, this event combines two things, Halloween and theme parks...neither of which I consider to be particularly "adult."
The first, Halloween, is a holiday that is probably best known for the tradition of 8 year olds getting free candy by dressing up like Dracula or Cinderella or a Pokemon. Other staples of Halloween iconography include witches, smiling pumpkins and monsters that don't exist.
The second is a theme park, most famous for family vacations, roller coasters and high-calorie junk food. Other things that go hand in hand with theme parks are bad song-and-dance shows, animatronic bears and giant, intrusive strollers.
My two questions are:
1) Is Halloween an adults only holiday, to you?
and
2) Does it make sense, to you, to turn family-friendly Busch Gardens into a kid-free place for Halloween?
As for my view:
To me, HoS should be for everyone...yes, even after 6. Obviously, I don't think 4 year olds belong in the haunted houses...but I also don't think that all park shows and walkways need to become adults-only. I think the park is big enough, and has enough to offer, that they could put on a quality Halloween event that could cater to *most* of the audience (excluding only the under-8 crowd on the low end and the SAW franchise fanclub on the high end). You could do a wrist band system that allowed people of certain age-groups or whatever into different attractions, and put the scare zones and such in areas that could be bypassed by those hoping to avoid them. Just my perspective.
What do you guys think?
