Castle Park to host daytime fun, nighttime fear with two Halloween events in one

Halloween has returned for another season to Riverside, Calif.’s Castle Park, with two seasonal events in one park for every scale level.

During the day, the family-friendly Halloween fun takes over with a new theme, Dia De Los Muertos. Guests can enjoy arts and crafts, contests, and entertainment. When night descends, Castle Park transforms into Castle Dark for another year of terrifying haunts.

Dia De Los Muertos

For families looking for more fun than fear, Castle Park’s Dia De Los Muertos is the place to be. Paying homage to Mexico’s annual celebration of their connection to family members past and present, guests ages 12 and under can enjoy fun with no frights every Saturday and Sunday from Sept. 29 – Oct. 28.

The fun starts at noon when the park opens with various crafts like sugar skull decorating, pumpkin painting, a Halloween costume contest, trick-or-treating throughout the park, and more.

Castle Dark

Running Sept. 29 – Oct. 28, as the sun goes down every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the real Halloween scares will come to life at Castle Dark. This year’s lineup includes four new haunted mazes with a new theme, called “The Lady in White.”

Guests will have to search to find the Lady in White’s hidden soul, mind and heart and restore them to her, in order to save themselves from oblivion.

The new mazes for this year include:

• Nightmare – Enter a dark, twisted bedroom where a young girl is tossed into a cursed nightmare by her evil stepmother, the Lady in White.
• Along Came a Spider – The Lady in White’s favorite nursery rhyme has taken a turn for the worse. Travel to a cottage that’s been overrun by soul-stealing spiders. Will you escape this lair without losing your soul?
• La Vey Institute – Follow the Lady in White’s heart as you travel inside the institute that has turned into a scientific nightmare with creatures born half-man, half-beast. As you enter, you’ll see the master summoning the final spell to release Oblivion.
• Oblivion – Enter through the gates of Oblivion to find the mind of the Lady in White. Escape the demons and monsters and restore balance – releasing her from her nightmare.

Returning to Castle Dark for a second year is “The Ghost Manor VR Experience,” a virtual reality experience that will take guests through haunted grounds filled with scary sights, illusions and frightening encounters with the unknown. The Ghost Manor VR Experience will be available for guests to enjoy in the evenings during Castle Dark.

Tickets for both Dia De Los Muertos and Castle Dark start at $9.99 for both events when purchased online in advance. The rides, arcade, and miniature golf will be open both day and night.

To learn more about Castle Park and its Halloween offerings, visit CastlePark.com.