RIDE ON
Everything happening at UK theme parks this autumn – from Oktoberfest to Halloween
Watch our expert video on the best theme park rides in the UK
AUTUMN has well and truly arrived - and that means some fun Halloween events are just around the corner.
If you fancy treating the kids to some extra fun, theme parks across the country are running some of their most popular rides alongside Halloween events and experiences - here are some of the best.
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Legoland
Legoland will be celebrating Halloween between September 27 until November 3.
The Windsor resort will be transformed into a "pumpkin-filled wonderland" when Brick or Treat arrives at the theme park later this month.
This year will see the return of Monster Street, the thrilling Monster Jam Show at the Heartlake City Harbour, where park-goers will get sweet treats and LEGO freebies.
There will be plenty of opportunity for photos with Halloween characters dotted throughout the park as well as other autumnal displays.
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Entry tickets to the Legoland Brick or Treat event start from £29 per person when booked in advance online.
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Drayton Manor
From October 4 through to November 3, Drayton Manor will also be given a spooky makeover.
Park-goers will be able to knock at Sir Topham Hatt's house where they'll be able to meet-and-greet the station master.
There's also the Hay Bale Trail, which is new for 2024.
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From October 26, visitors will need to follow the clues to find animal-themed hay bales.
Entry tickets to Drayton Manor start from £27.50, when booked online in advance.
Inside world's weirdest theme park with vomiting rats welcoming thrillseekers
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Alton Towers
This autumn, Alton Towers theme park will be hosting its very own Oktoberfest celebration complete with live music.
Running until September 29, adult visitors will be able to drink a beer and eat a pretzel as they join in on the festivities.
Just two weeks after the Oktoberfest fun, Scarefest is set to return to Alton Towers.
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This year will see two brand-new rides at the theme park.
Compound is a new live-action scare maze based on the Nemesis Reborn ride, while Amigos in the Afterlife is a family-friendly interactive attraction.
Popular attractions from previous years are also returning, including Daz Games, which this year has been titled Panic Reloaded - featuring an adrenaline-inducing escape room meets live action scare maze.
Scarefest favourites Altonville Mine Tours – Tiny’s Revenge, The Attic: Terror of the Towers and the resort’s outdoor scare zone, Burial Grounds are also making a comeback.
For those with little ones that prefer more treat than trick, Haribo's Trick O’ Treat Town, will also return for 2024, where park-goers can knock on the doors from Spooky Avenue all the way up to the Witchy Woods for a trick-or-treat experience.
CBeebies Land will also be hosting Scarefest festivities, with a Monster Ball being held in Big Fun Showtime, where guests can join their favourite CBeebies characters to dance and play games.
Scarefest festivities will start on October 11 and run until November 3, 2024, with one-day passes from £29 per person.
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Chessington World of Adventures
Enchanted Halloween – Trick or Treat will be back at Chessington World of Adventures for another year.
There will be plenty of places and animal townsfolk to visit where visitors will be in for a treat.
Award-winning shows like Banyan - the Final Flame is also set to return for the final time.
Werewolf Wilf and friendly vampire bat Violet will also perform on the mini stage for the first time ever.
Park-goers will also be able to go on rides at dusk, like Vampire and the World of Jumanji, as part of the Halloween event.
Entry tickets start from £29 per person, with visitors having to pay extra for some Halloween events.
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Paultons Park Halloween
Paultons Park, the home of Peppa Pig World, has also been transformed for Halloween.
The Great Halloween Mystery Show is new for 2024 - and it's said to be an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza.
Also new for 2024 is the Spirit Squad Ghoul School will also be new for 2024.
Both the Fairy Garden and Peppa Pig World have been decorated with spiderwebs and pumpkins.
Paultons Park Halloween event takes place from October 17 until November 4, with late night openings on October 29, 30 and 31.
The theme park will be open until 7.30 on late nights giving visitors the opportunity to try out their favourite rides in the dark.
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What's it like visiting a theme park at Halloween?
SUN journalist Jamie Harris previously visited Scarefest at Alton Towers, here's what he thought.
"Alton Towers has taken the screams up a spooktacular notch this year with three new attractions for its annual Halloween Scarefest – and they’re not for the fainthearted.
As if going on rides late at night wasn’t scary enough, the UK’s biggest theme park has enlisted YouTuber Daz Games to concoct its freshest thrill, fittingly called Daz Games: Panic.
The flagship attraction is best described as an immersive experience where escape room meets live-action scare.
Of course, a bunch of freaky actors running at you from every angle are thrown in too.
Unlike the usual live-action horror experiences where you simply follow a path to the end, this one has an active aim – and you can’t rely on your mates for help either.
You’re assigned two unique symbols that you need to find within a chaotic and crazed room before the time runs out.
You may have to complete a task to unlock the symbols too.
Don’t make the same heart-pumping mistake I did, so engrossed in the puzzle only to find a monster leaning right over me ready to yell in my face as I turned around.
The frenzied running of people desperate to find their symbols and escape the hellhole, along with flashing lights, ominous music and obstacles, makes it all the more thrilling."
And there are plans for a new £300million theme park in the UK following success in Europe - that has live shows instead of rollercoasters.
In the meantime, here are the best theme park rides to visit in 2024.
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