On Saturday, Los Angeles Haunted Hayride unveiled new details around its 2021 Halloween plans as part of the 13th Floor Entertainment Group panel at Midsummer Scream’s Awaken the Spirits. During the panel, 13th Floor Entertainment Group Creative Director Jon Cooke and writer and Los Angeles Haunted Hayride writer and live entertainment director Ted Dougherty shared new details around the 2021 event including location, and new experiences for 2021.
After transitioning to a drive-up experience and moving to a new location in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles Haunted Hayride will return to its original format and return to Griffith Park for 2021. 2019 marked the first year of the event under the ownership of 13th Floor Entertainment Group. After a year away and some time to reflect on the event, Jon Cooke shared, “We learned so much in 2019 about producing something like the hayride that we’ve now had, unfortunately, or fortunately [sic] how you look at it, two years to reflect on that and then be able to go back to the drawing board, redesign and be able to implement into 2021.” One of the key areas of improvement Cooke highlighted was the size and spectacle of the sets. Cooke later noted that despite 2019’s hayride being an all-new experience, nearly 80% of the sets for 2021 would be all-new.
Because of a current construction project at the park, the hayride will move to a different location within the park. However, the move brings with it the opportunity for the team to expand the event footprint and expand upon the fictional town of Midnight Falls, which is at the heart of the event. As part of the expansion is the debut of The Dead End Diner, a new walkthrough attraction where guests will enter a seedy diner where human flesh is the base of all their recipes. Guests will make their way through the diner and see exactly how the meals are made from slaughter to table. The new walkthrough’s name also hints at one of its more sinister features: Dead ends. “There’s actual dead ends throughout the maze where the actors can trap you,” said Cooke during the panel.
The Dead End Diner will join returning walkthrough attractions Midnight Mortuary and Trick or Treat, both of which are getting some revisions for 2021. Midnight Mortuary has been completely rebuilt for 2021, keeping with the same themes but with all-new scenes and an expansive outdoor cemetery where the punk vampires have taken over to throw their Halloween party.
Trick or Treat will get two additional houses for 2021, and every house on the block is getting packed with a larger scare than in previous years, with Cooke advising attendees to “send the person that’s annoying you all night to go press the button.”
Other enhancements for 2021 include an expanded town square and enhanced, more immersive retail and food and beverage experiences. 2021 will also introduce a new mayor to Midnight Falls; however, he’s by no means a stranger. The star of the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride: Live Drive-Up Experience, Monte Revolta, is now the self-appointed mayor of Midnight Falls and will return to offer his unique brand of humor and wit to the experience.
Los Angeles Haunted Hayride will return in September with ticket details and dates expected to be announced soon. For more information when it becomes available or to sign up for updates, visit https://losangeleshauntedhayride.com/.
