Fright Nights 2021

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

On 17/07/2021 at 6:10 PM, Brad2912 said:

It (vaccination rates) shouldn’t be used as a yardstick for whether events go ahead or not. 

This is, quite literally, the measure by which state and federal governments are using to determine when things go ahead \ open up.

 

20 hours ago, Jdude95 said:

vaccinations and general hygiene make it not a massive threat to just go outside and be in groups of people. 

Even 18 months in, most people's general hygiene out in public is pretty pathetic. If that's what we're relying on, we're doomed.

20 hours ago, Brad2912 said:

no more lockdowns, masks etc, and people then take accountability for their own health decisions, risks, chances of exposure. 
 

the UK has moved to that model, and it’s the only way the economy can start being repairing. 

The irony that the UK has today lifted restrictions on the same day that their PM and two other senior government ministers have had to self isolate after being exposed to a positive case.

The UK may well have moved to that model, but that does not prove it is the best option. Let's let them test it for a while before we jump on the bandwagon, eh?

18 hours ago, aaronm said:

Agree the risk level is not really any different from sporting matches, which were largely operating "as normal" until a few weeks ago.

Disgree. Sporting models at present have had guests sit in a seat. They move to use facilities or F&B and then they return to their seat. I watched Origin last week and sure, not many masks in sight, But while there might be 20-30,000 in a stadium, if there's an infected person there, the spread risk is limited perhaps to the particular seating section of a few dozen seats, and perhaps the nearest bathroom or food outlet. A single infected person in a stadium is unlikely to infect the entire stadium population.

Contrast that with movement within a theme park - 1 infected person is going to touch the same queue rails, walk through the exact same closed-room mazes, touch the same ride harness \ seatbelt... Everyone at the event is a potential close contact - including staff \ actors.

[Brad2912]

2 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

This is, quite literally, the measure by which state and federal governments are using to determine when things go ahead \ open up.

It’s not being used to determine if we can have 54,000 at the football, so it should be used to determine if we can have 10,000 at fright nights. 
 

2 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

The UK may well have moved to that model, but that does not prove it is the best option. Let's let them test it for a while before we jump on the bandwagon, eh?

Given I said this should occur AFTER the country has enough vaccines to fully vaccinate anyone who wants it, we’re at least 6-9 months off that option being on the table. The best option for one country may not be the best for another - all I know if the option we are taking currently is not the right option. 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

30 minutes ago, Brad2912 said:

It’s not being used to determine if we can have 54,000 at the football, so it should be used to determine if we can have 10,000 at fright nights. 

I've already explained why those two are not the same thing. Nevertheless at present everything is occurring as it is based on risk assessments. The parks got to reopen with certain restrictions, and so did the sporting venues. It's not a free for all footy day at Suncorp, in case you haven't been to the grounds - there are still plenty of additional steps taken due to the current environment. Like any other business, the NRL negotiated with the government to develop a method by which they could still operate. Government leaders themselves have talked about how the penalties the NRL hands out to players for a breach are far more than anything the government fines do.

What I meant was simply that there has been much rhetoric (including in the NSW presser this morning) about a certain level of vaccination being needed before restrictions can be lifted. You said vaccination rates should not be a yardstick and yet that is the yardstick by which the UK has just removed most of their restrictions!

33 minutes ago, Brad2912 said:

all I know if the option we are taking currently is not the right option. 

You "know" this? How? How can leaders at all levels of government not know this, but you do?

I think perhaps it is a poor choice of words, and perhaps what you meant to say is "i feel as though there is a better option than the one we are taking, but i'm no expert in health and finance and this is just an opinion".

[Brad2912]

10 minutes ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

You "know" this? How? How can leaders at all levels of government not know this, but you do?

I think perhaps it is a poor choice of words, and perhaps what you meant to say is "i feel as though there is a better option than the one we are taking, but i'm no expert in health and finance and this is just an opinion".

You’re not an idiot, it’s a turn of phrase and that’s precisely how I meant it. You know that, but your insatiable appetite to nitpick doesn’t allow you to just move on. 

As I said above, I’m not turning this discussion into a covid debate. I’ve said my piece, you’ve said yours. If someone else wants to chat it out with you they are welcome to, but I’m out. 

[Jdude95]

5 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

Even 18 months in, most people's general hygiene out in public is pretty pathetic. If that's what we're relying on, we're doomed.

Well, I guess a few unwashed people outweigh vaccinations and masks. Everyone, have a shower or you'll get COVID 

[Jdude95]

Deodorant V Covid: The battle we never saw coming  

[Ryanhop01]

Took me a hot second to understand what type of face mask they were referring to 🤣🤣

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

1 hour ago, Ryanhop01 said:

Took me a hot second to understand what type of face mask they were referring to 🤣🤣

Lol. Lots of folk used to go in costume that obscured faces - it was hard to tell who was cast and who was guest. 

They're probably going to have to re-word this policy this year.

[themagician]

They are looking for makeup artists for this years event 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

1 paid artist to oversee up to 10 volunteer students - sounds like slave labour for the students.

If it were a charity event i'd be all for volunteers but as its for a paid event by a for-profit company, i find that despicable - even if they are getting valuable experience, it should still be paid work.

[New display name]

25 minutes ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

1 paid artist to oversee up to 10 volunteer students - sounds like slave labour for the students.

If it were a charity event i'd be all for volunteers but as its for a paid event by a for-profit company, i find that despicable - even if they are getting valuable experience, it should still be paid work.

I'm sure all the parks do this type of thing.

[Jdude95]

2 hours ago, New display name said:

I'm sure all the parks do this type of thing.

All big businesses do this type of thing. It's how the rich stay rich and whatnot

[sixdollardress]

Does anyone have any idea if FN is still going ahead, given the past few weeks in Queensland?

We’re fresh off the strictest lockdown and worst outbreak since early last year, the CHO is saying that mask mandates could remain in place until Christmas, and it feels as though we’re one cluster away from being thrown back into lockdown at any minute. I honestly thought there was no way the Ekka could get cancelled with such short notice, after they’d already started setting up, but boom - it’s  history. We’re not even remotely close to getting everyone vaccinated, especially the under 40s that tend to go to Fright Nights. 

At this point I am really struggling to see how they can safely proceed, even with the preparations they’ve already made. With Delta out and about…the idea of hundreds of people screaming their guts out inside cramped mazes, not mention actors yelling to scare people, all expelling droplets into the air like crazy. Then there’s the long queues, the close quarters that can happen with the panic rooms/scare rooms/terror tour, etc etc. And it still isn’t clear how face coverings will be incorporated into the event when they have always been banned in the past…all we would need is one or two infectious cases and COVID could spread like crazy. Even if things go ahead, it feels like there’s a high risk the event could be shut down at any point due to exposed or infected staff needing to quarantine. 

I was trying to think of how it might still go ahead, and I had the following thoughts:

- Get rid of all indoor mazes for this year. Build a maze outdoors similar to the scary  corn mazes they have for Halloween Harvest festivals in the US. Or just have scare precincts. Moving scares and mazes outdoors doesn’t eliminate the risks, but it’s a lot less than doing it inside.

- As someone here said, have the mazes but all the scarers have to be behind plexiglass. This doesn’t really solve issues with the attendees screaming inside small maze corridors though. Also plexiglass isn’t totally protective against Delta. 

- Have everything as normal but ask guests not to scream - similar to the “please scream inside your heart” thing that Japanese rollercoasters tried to do last year.

- Instead of mazes, use VR experiences similar to the “The Peeler” experience they ran a few years ago, when they set up a situation on a set and then put on a headset for a pre-recorded VR thing. 

- Have all guests wear cloth masks, but require them to buy a Fright Nights branded mask or give them out with the entry tickets - this means all guests would wear the same masks (make them bright orange or something so they’re distinctive) and staff could still easily differentiate between guests and staff. Build masks into the actors’ costumes. Again this would probably have to be combined with one of the above measures, since cloth face coverings aren’t foolproof.

- Major alterations to the Terror Tours - no buffet, possibly no meet and greet with the cast, probably no scare rooms. 

- No panic rooms this year. Possibly no concert stages or seated concert areas if dancing is still prohibited in October. Majorly reduced capacity. Maybe a maximum limit for how long queues can be?

I’m by no means an expert, but I feel like major alterations like these are the only way they can safely proceed. What do you guys think? 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 8, 2021 by sixdollardress

[themagician]

I don’t think they’d put the mazes outside. October is a very rainy month and the mazes will get ruined and won’t be useable during wet weather. I’d say they will only send you through with your group, rather than combing groups. Masks will absolutely be required and actors costumes and makeup will allow for this. The way scares are done will likely be different and as you suggested, some form of screening will probably be the solution. I don’t think we will see up close scares this time where actors follow you or get right up in your face. And we will probably see less street scare actors too because of this. There may also be less shows to reduce the amount of people close together. And they may reduce capacity further, which could see another price increase 

[Tim Dasco]

In my opinion it doesn't seem to be an event worth holding right now from a business point of view. The sheer cost to hold Fright Nights is an insane amount of money and CAPEX to run that the event. (more than any other event out there) If something was to happen (touch wood) and QLD was to do a lockdown would be a massive loss to the business.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I suppose you think they'd be better off postponing it until March?

[MrLukeCarroll]

If Luna Park somehow operated their Halloween event last year anything is possible! (Even though I'm not holding my breath about it)

[Tim Dasco]

2 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

I suppose you think they'd be better off postponing it until March?

I never said postphone I said cancel.But if by February 80% of the population is vaccinated and hard lockdowns weren't needed then yeah.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

1 minute ago, Tim Dasco said:

I never said postphone I said cancel.

No you didn't.

3 hours ago, Tim Dasco said:

In my opinion it doesn't seem to be an event worth holding right now from a business point of view. 

That implied it should be held later.

2 minutes ago, Tim Dasco said:

if by February 80% of the population is vaccinated and hard lockdowns weren't needed then yeah.

Holding a themed spooky event in a traditionally non-spooky season? sounds very-un-themepark-like.

[Tim Dasco]

10 minutes ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

No you didn't.

That implied it should be held later.

Holding a themed spooky event in a traditionally non-spooky season? sounds very-un-themepark-like.

As I said not to host it right now, rather wait another year till next "spooky Season".

[sixdollardress]

23 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

I suppose you think they'd be better off postponing it until March?

I don’t think anyone was talking about postponing it. They cancelled it outright last year and I would not be surprised if they did again this year. 

[ejpdtd]

Think we might see a scaled back version similar to what USF did last year, a couple of houses allowed for walk through during the day?

I can see them doing upcharge mazes for day guests in October, especially if they have already put work into building them? Still 2 months-ish until peak spooky time, maybe we could get a solid vaccination rate by then 🤷 (doubtful)

[Mxry]

At this point of time it looks like it’s not happening. 

[MrLukeCarroll]

VRTP really love their "announcements" of things coming from private messages sent to guest services hey...

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

*shrug* it worked for Arkham. 

The tiniest part of me says 'anyone could knock that up and pretend its real' but we've seen so much stuff confirmed by guest services without any official announcement, the lack of credibility doesn't even come into question!