Review by Kimberley Hawker-Bain (edited by Alton Towers Fandom)
If you’re hunting for the ultimate Halloween thrills, let me tell you about our wild weekend at Thorpe Park Fright Nights. From eerie rides in the dark to maze scares and VIP perks, there was never a dull moment.
🎢 Starting off: Ride & Shine VIP Experience
We kicked things off early with Thorpe Park’s Ride & Shine VIP package.
- Unfortunately, the staff seemed a bit unsure of the protocol — we were told to head to the VIP entrance next to the accessibility kiosk (where you collect RAP).
- Using the intercom, we gained entry. The desk staff then contacted the VIP team to collect us for breakfast at 9 a.m. — but we ended up waiting ~20 minutes before anyone showed.
- Despite the delay, we did manage to collect our RAP for the day, meaning we didn’t have to exit the park after the VIP portion.
At about 9:20 a.m., we were escorted to Vibe for breakfast, then guided to our first ride slot. Our original choice, The Swarm, wasn’t ready yet, so we went with Stealth instead. Riding through a near-empty park, hearing coasters spinning with no crowds around, walking the queue paths in the silent morning mist… it was surreal. We even got to ride front and back rows first thing. To cap it off, they presented us with a keepsake certificate and a badge to remember the experience.
🎃 Fright Nights in full swing
Once the VIP portion was done, we stayed in-park for the full event. The atmosphere was electric. Highlights:
- Fanta Experience: A fun little free activation that was a nice break between thrills.
- At around 2:30 p.m., we queued (despite the long wait) for Stitches scare maze. The mazes were well themed, and the atmosphere immersive — though for us, they leaned more fun than terrifying.
- Ranking our experience: Survival Games (our favourite), then Trailers, Dead Beat, and finally Stitches.
- Staying late until 9 p.m. was worth it. Riding coasters in the dark, under the lighting and haunting theming — Stealth absolutely stood out (especially the views). We missed SAW in the Dark, but hit up Mawkin Meadow at ~8:30 p.m. — it was pitch black, nicely themed, though we would’ve liked more jump scares.
🍽️ Food & Sleep (yes, it can be comfortable)
We grabbed food from the jacket potato truck, then took it back to our hotel — we stayed in the Shark Hotel (yes, those quirky “shark cabins”). It’s small — like a shipping container — but charming and cozy. We slept soundly, with no disturbances. Breakfast the next day was solid. They also gave us 1 hour of unlimited Fast Track, plus two sets of 5 coaster passes. We were pretty exhausted by then, so we weren’t able to use all of them — we ended up handing some off to fellow park guests who looked like they could use a boost.
✅ Overall Thoughts
This was one of the more memorable Fright Nights experiences we’ve had. The ambiance, the dark rides, and the VIP early access all elevated the visit. While we didn’t tackle every maze or ride, we came away thrilled and satisfied.
If you’re planning a trip, I’ll say this: go for it — take the VIP if it’s within your budget, stay late, and soak in those haunted nights.
📲 Follow Kimberley
Want to see more of her adventures? You can follow Kimberley on Instagram:
instagram.com/outwiththewildones
