Ocean Park Injects Innovative Technology and Invites Sanrio Characters into Halloween Fest 2018

Asia’s largest Halloween celebration, Ocean Park Halloween Fest 2018, will be held from October 5 to 31, 2018 and will feature 13 all-new unique experiences at 11 haunted attractions to satisfy guests who love different types of scares or fun-filled surprises. This year, the Park will present high-tech elements to enhance guests’ haunted experiences, including Hong Kong’s first ever multimedia and interactive haunted attraction X-Dimension, which creates a frightful alternate dimension with the use of 360-degree interactive projections and 3D mapping technology. Meanwhile, Devil Seeker’s Tale will offer an interactive game that infuses augmented reality (AR) technology while Mine Train will provide brand new virtual reality (VR) Halloween content. Popular Sanrio characters will host the first-ever HELLO-ween party with fun-filled attractions to meet family and friends.
 
Innovative Technology to Enhance Experience for Both Bold and Light-hearted Guests
Ocean Park has introduced high-tech and interactive elements to Halloween Fest for the past two years. With the favourable response from guests, the Park is further enhancing its advanced technologies to upgrade the Halloween Fest experiences this year.
 

“Guests are no longer asking for just a scary experience. From their feedback, interactivity is one of the elements that they are most looking forward to,” said Timothy Ng, Ocean Park’s Executive Director of Operations and Entertainment. “Therefore, we are creating more interactive experiences with innovative technology this year, which will bring more shock to our haunted attractions and more fun to our family-friendly ones. Among the attractions, X-Dimension presented by Yahoo! Hong Kong boasts advanced technology and a 360-degree interactive projection scene co-developed by the Park and the School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong, which will provide guests with an immersive and realistic experience.”

 
The story background of X-Dimension is set in an alternate dimension built by an evil artificial intelligence that has mutinied. 360-degree interactive projections and 3D mapping technology will create several ever-changing digital realms, and surround guests with impactful visual effects in 360-degrees throughout the ten-minute long experience. During Halloween Fest, Mine Train presented by SAMSUNG GEAR VR will receive a  high-tech upgrade as well – guests who put on special VR headsets and ride on Halloween Mine Train will be transported to a ghostly domain, where they can shoot down zombies and corpses with their VR headsets. In the abandoned and haunted Hospital of Horrors presented by MoneySQ.com, guests have to explore the surreptitious operating rooms and clinic with only a ghost detecting torch in hand; as part of the interaction with guests, the scenes and pneumatic devices will respond to their torches and change. Guests can also put on VR headsets at VR Morgue and immediately feel like they are in a chilling mortuary accompianed by zombies.
 
 “Extreme Screams” Attractions to Challenge Guests with Creative and Classic Elements
Besides the various immersive high-tech attractions, the Park’s haunted houses feature creative themes and classic Halloween elements which will also provide more diverse and terrifying experiences to guests. Dark Waters, the Park’s first-ever Halloween attraction themed around a mysterious dark ocean, creates the illusion of a deep sea using special lighting and optic illusions. Guests will play the role of an underwater explorer venturing into a haunted laboratory as they escape from mutated sea monsters. Guests visiting Scarecrow’s Harvest, a semi-open attraction that integrates with the surrounding landscape, is bound to get goosebumps as they realise the dark powers of devilish pumpkins and scarecrows at a dilapidated farmhouse.
 
Two Transforming Attractions to Offer Four Fun and Horror-filled Experiences
This year’s two transforming attractions are Devil Seeker’s Tale (day) / Infernal Spiral (night) presented by vivo and Circus of Wonder (day) / Circus of the Damned (night) presented by Blue Girl Beer, which will double the fun surprises and fear-evoking experiences. The high-tech attraction Devil Seeker’s Tale will transform guests into exorcists, who will be able to hunt down Chinese devils that pop up from their device’s screen with their mighty bow infused with AR technology. After 5:30 p.m. the attraction turns into Infernal Spiral and welcomes guests with horrifying scenes such as “Pool of Blood”, “Chamber of Tongue Ripping” and “Mountain of Knifes”. At the fantastical carnival at Circus of Wonder, guests can enjoy magic shows, mini games and photo opportunities with the circus performers; after dark the attraction becomes the sinister Circus of the Damned.
 
 
First Ever Collaboration with Sanrio for the HELLO-ween Party
This year, Ocean Park is collaborating with Sanrio for the first time to bring the world-famous Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters to the Park, staging the largest ever HELLO-ween party in Hong Kong. “Since we have announced news of our collaboration, we have received an enthusiastic response and positive comments on our social platforms by those looking forward to joining our event. We expect the Sanrio-themed attractions will attract a large number of families and young guests, such as secondary and tertiary students, to come to the Park. We will also launch a series of Sanrio-themed gourmet items and limited edition themed merchandise to engage Sanrio fans,” said Vivian Lee, Ocean Park’s Executive Director of Business Development and Education.
 
Hello Kitty and Sanrio friends, who are much beloved by kids and adults alike, are hosting the largest ever Sanrio Halloween party in Hong Kong. Hello Kitty, Kuromi, Pompompurin, Little Twin Stars, Cinnamoroll,  gudetama and Bad Badtz-maru will all put on specially-made limited edition Ocean Park Halloween costumes, and greet guests at three family-friendly attractions - Sanrio Characters HELLO-ween Party, Sanrio Characters Trick-or-Treat Trail and Sanrio Characters HELLO-ween Meet & Greet.
           
Interactive elements are also introduced in Sanrio Characters HELLO-ween Party, where guests are missioned to rescue Hello Kitty and her friends, who are trapped in a magical forest by Kuromi, by using the device with a magical map; Sanrio Characters Trick-or-Treat Trail, featuring the largest outdoor trick-or-treat experience in Hong Kong where cutified Sanrio character pumpkins, as well as other Sanrio characters showing their first appearance here, such as Aggretsuko,  Hangyodo, Lloromanic and Tity & Lulu from Magical Twin Comets. Games and challenges are also available on the way for kids to win Chupa Chups and Mentos candies. Waterfront and Aqua City will be decorated with Sanrio-themed giant topiaries and more pumpkin ornaments to fill the Park with a strong HELLO-ween atmosphere as well. Hello Kitty and some of our Sanrio friends will take photos with guests at the Sanrio Characters HELLO-ween Meet & Greet. Families and friends can enjoy a happy “HELLO-ween” together.
 
Corporate chartered events for Ocean Park Halloween Fest 2018 will begin in mid-September. The general public can experience the attractions and shows at Halloween Fest with their admission tickets on 16 selected dates from October 5 to 31, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Premium Halloween tickets will be available for guests to enjoy priority access to Halloween attractions. Furthermore, public can sneak-peak Sanrio character “HELLO-ween” Party at The ONE in late-September. For more details on Ocean Park Halloween Fest 2018, please visit http://www.oceanpark.com.hk.