The Great Pumpkin Fest at Worlds of Fun

For over forty-two years, Worlds of Fun has sought to thrill visitors within its Around the World in 80 Days inspired amusement park. But from September 19-November 1, 2015 guests can be expected to shriek in surprise as well as delight, as Worlds of Fun hosts Halloween Haunt, the Midwest’s Largest Halloween Event. Throughout the daytime, guests can partake in all the usual attractions but from 6:30PM on, be prepared for creatures of the night to take over! Five main hauntingly frightful attractions- as well as unexpected surprises- leave the evening entertainment with a recommended 14+ age requirement.

For the younger and/or more sensitive members of your crew, expect to make a daytime visit to celebrate The Great Pumpkin Fest, an uproariously delightful event sure to please the whole family! Throughout Saturday and Sunday from 11AM-5PM visitors can meet the Vamps, partake in over eight additional fall activities, enjoy a petting zoo, and even trick or treat alongside the whole Peanuts gang within Planet Snoopy!  

Kristina's Review of The Great Pumpkin Fest

About Kristina: Kristina Light grew up going to Worlds of Fun and still laments the absence of the Zambezi Zinger. She is the mother to four girls ages ten and younger. Her family visits Worlds of Fun every year, along with other theme parks as well. Her three older girls LOVE roller coasters and ride (over and over) every coaster they can (according to height requirements). Her younger two (when the five year old is too short for a coaster), hang out in Planet Snoopy.

Having been to every theme park in Missouri this year, what I love most about Worlds of Fun for my family (that includes young children) is Planet Snoopy and the fabulous roller coasters (our family LOVES roller coasters). Planet Snoopy is the BEST kids section we've found at an amusement park because: a) the kids can ride everything (a few - i.e. the Caterpillar kiddie coaster - require an adult passenger with them). We love that Worlds of Fun chose rides for Planet Snoopy with a consistent height requirement so the rides that are appealing to my kids, they can ride. It's simple -if you can ride one ride in Planet Snoopy, you can ride everything in Planet Snoopy. b) the layout in Planet Snoopy is great - when the park is not crowded, I can easily watch two kids on two rides side by side, c) they have lots of benches for parents, d) the aisles are wide and easy to navigate, e) they offer a great variety of attractions (kid coaster, swings, cars, moon bounce, foam blasters, kid monorail, spinning rides, and more) and MOST of all we LOVE meeting the Peanuts gang! Costumed Peanuts Characters roam Planet Snoopy throughout the day and perform or offer events (Trick-Or-Treat this time of year) through the day. Planet Snoopy features a family building with large bathrooms, changing tables, a nursing / baby feeding room, and a play room when you need a little rest in the day. The main building is home to a gift shop and Trick-Or-Treat with the Peanuts gang as the kids meet all the characters and receive treats from them. I am a big fan of Planet Snoopy for the quality of fun my little ones enjoy and the atmosphere (most relaxed at an amusement park) for parents.

In addition to Planet Snoopy, my older girls and husband enjoyed all the roller coasters (Mamba is their favorite) - the number one reason to visit Worlds of Fun.  

About October at Worlds of Fun... I have girly girls who love beautiful decorations. Worlds of Fun's big event for October is Haunt (after hours). Haunt is targeted to older audiences who really want to be scared and spooked, and as such many of the decorations throughout the park were gory, gruesome, and spooky. We loved the creative fall decorations (like pumpkins forming candy corn), but my family isn't a fan of more graphic Halloween decorations. We rode the steam train as a family and you could see some of the more graphic decorations for Haunt from the train ride. So, it is worth noting that while the Planet Snoopy is the wholesome fun we all know and love from the Peanuts, the decor throughout the rest of the park is varied. You'll find pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns, hay bales, corn stalks, as well as some more graphic decorations with Haunt specifically in mind (we did not photograph the graphic decorations). Our family LOVED the cute, fun, cheerful decorations, but we could've done without the more graphic decorations sprinkled throughout (i.e dead bodies, evil Jack in the Box, etc), as far as our personal preference.  

Worlds of Fun also offers Scare Free shows during the day including a fifteen minute magic show performed by Ed Alonzo (of TV's Saved by the Bell) and a street dance party hosted by "The Vamps" (dancers in Vampire costumes).

Charlie Brown in his Clown Costume

Lucy & Lucy

Sally as a Princess

The girls loved the Llama at the Petting Zoo most of all

You can purchase a bag of animal feed for the petting zoo (the petting zoo is a special attraction for October) for $1.

The kids enjoyed the hay maze outside the big bumper cars.

The stage for the Vamps Dance Party. We just caught the very end of one of the shows.

Some of the decorations....

that were less spooky.

Kayla LOVED the Candycorn shapes made with pumpkins!

Worlds of Fun offers TWO sizes of Bumper Cars. Big Bumper Cars for taller riders are located at the bottom of hill after you exit the Steam Train (across from the carousel and Flying Dutchmen). Kid Bumper Cars that even preschoolers can drive are located near the stage by the Steam Train entrance/exit. My younger girls who are often too short for gokarts and bumper cars LOVE that Worlds of Fun offers Bumper Cars their size!

Even Planet Snoopy has gone Blue for the Royals this October!

Some of the fun photo ops throughout the park (this was across from The Vamps stage, right outside the French Taxis).

One of the many rides we love in Planet Snoopy... the Red Baron!

Lauren's review of The Great Pumpkin Fest and tips for a visit to Worlds of Fun with little ones

About Lauren: Lauren Greenlee is a mother of three boys ages seven and younger, all the perfect ages for Planet Snoopy. She had not been to Worlds of Fun since she was a teenager and she was excited to revisit the park.

Here’s what you can do to make the most of your upcoming visit!

• Pack sunscreen and unopened bottled water. Outside food, coolers, and other drinks are not allowed within the park though picnics are permitted within designated areas outside Oceans of Fun and near parking lots D & F.
• Children 12 and under are encouraged to dress up in costume!
• Parking ranges from $15-20. Consider pre-paying online to save time!
• Take note that Planet Snoopy is closed on Fridays during Halloween Haunt and closes at 10PM on Saturday.
• No stroller? No problem! Worlds of Fun has them available for rent.
• Children can be officially measured and receive a wristband within Guest Relations to save time and negate the need to be measured at each ride. Planet Snoopy’s 20+ attractions require a minimum of 36”.
• Be sure to check out Dinosaurs Alive (an additional $5), a temporary exhibit that will become extinct next year!
• For $8, guests can purchase NO BOO lanyards that warn Screamsters to not scare you within the Scare Zones and Midway.

NOTE: Planet Snoopy is a delightful place made all the more special by traditional fall decor (pumpkins and hay bales) but be fair-warned that much of the Halloween decor within the greater theme park is gruesome and gory and may not be suitable for some guests.

Our pal Charlie Brown!

We all love Snoopy!

Some of the treats from Trick-or-Treats with the Peanuts Gang.

The race cars are a favorite in Planet Snoopy.

The Steam Train.

Enjoying a classic ride in Planet Snoopy.

Margaret's Review of The Haunt at Worlds of Fun

About Margaret: Margaret Sarver is Editor of KC Parent magazine and mother to a ten year old and four year old girl. The Sarver family holds season passes to Worlds of Fun, but they had never attended Haunt before and her girls were eager to try it. 

About Haunt: Haunt is SPECIFICALLY marketed to older kids, teens, and adults. Worlds of Fun discourages young children from attending.

For the past three years we have had season passes to Worlds of Fun. But, we have never made it to the Haunt as fall gets just so dang busy. This year we vowed to go. We had a free Friday night and my older wanted to attend a high school football game while my younger wanted to head to the Haunt, so we divided and conquered. I got football duty while my husband took WOF duty (and truly, not really sure which one of us had the scarier event for the evening, because realizing you have a child old enough to want to hang out at high school football games is scary in its own right).

Let me say, the Haunt was worth the wait, and, according to my 10-year-old, wasn’t too scary but just scary enough. She attended with a friend who is a bit more apprehensive. The group arrived early to get a front row spot for the nightly parade. About halfway through the parade her friend decided she’d had enough and both girls headed into a store to watch the remainder of the parade through the store windows. For those, like Ally’s friend who are a bit more timid but still want to take part in the fun, Worlds of Fun offers a no-boo necklace. Hers was purchased at the shop right across from Chickie and Pete’s. This let the staff of goblins and ghouls and other scary characters know not to scare her. My Ally, on the other hand, braved the evening without the necklace and she really enjoyed it. She went through a haunted house twice and told me that she stayed away from the really foggy areas, as those are rumored to be the scariest. My husband said that the scary creatures that roam the park were respectful of a younger child attending and did not go out of their way to be overly-scary. He mentioned that he appreciated how many of the characters gave her high-fives and encouraged her to do the Haunted House.

The report from the entire group was that one of the best things at WOF during the Haunt was the lack of lines for the rides. Because so many people attending are there to be scared, the lines are short and they were able to ride all of their faves several times.

If you have an adventure-seeking kiddo, then the Haunt may just be the perfect scary October outing for your family!