History of haunts
Shaq is back with his massive Halloween party on the grounds of the Queen Mary in Long Beach.
But this year things are getting a little scarier, since the basketball star is taking part of the celebration inside the famously haunted ship.
Shaqtoberfest, a Halloween event conjured up by former Los Angeles Lakers star Shaquille O'Neal that features walk-thru haunts, mazes, carnival rides, themed bars and DJs, returns on various evenings through Oct. 31.
“We are making our haunted trails longer and scarier and we are opening a new haunted trail on the Queen Mary,” said Brett Bertolino, director of special projects for Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, which teamed with O'Neal and ABG Entertainment to launch the event in 2022.
In the beginning, Shaqtoberfest was meant to be a family-friendly, festive Halloween celebration with more emphasis on spooky fun than pop-out scares
Where: Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach
Tickets: Starting at $29.99 for adult general admission at shaqtoberfest.com
and gore. This year, the scare factor has been elevated, but there are still safe spaces for those not into being spooked.
“All the trails are pick and choose. If scary things are not your cup of tea that's fine,” Bertolino said. “So for folks that don't want to do these scary trails, there's additional entertainment, there's additional bars and lounges, and people can do other things if you're not into the scares.”
While outside there's a party vibe, aboard the Queen Mary is a new walkthru haunt dubbed The Grey Ghost. This experience will mark the first haunt on the recently reopened vessel since Dark Harbor in 2019.
“There's no other experience like stepping onboard that ship,” Bertolino said.
The new haunt incorporates the history of the Queen Mary, which was designed as a luxury ship. But during World War II, the ship was tasked with carrying troops to battle and nicknamed the Grey Ghost. The haunt will take people onboard to meet the spirits that lurk throughout the dark, damp corridors.
“While the ship was closed over the last three years these spirits have had the energy to really take over the space,” he said.
For about a decade, the Queen Mary served as the home for Dark Harbor, a popular Halloween event with six mazes on and off the ship that attracted more than 120,000 people yearly. But like many other live events, Dark Harbor was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and never returned.
The inaugural Shaqtoberfest brought a Halloween celebration back to the ship's grounds in 2022, but
Various dates and times through Oct. 31
Giant inflatables are shown at last year's Shaqtoberfest. This year's event leverages the Queen Mary liner's reputation for being haunted with a maze titled The Grey Ghost.
The attraction includes walk-thru haunts and nonscary stuff like carnival rides, themed bars and DJs.
none of the mazes were on the ship.
“Now you're going to encounter moments of history that took place on the actual Queen Mary. You'll see the souls of those that have perished come to life in front of your eyes. So you may encounter a bellhop, you might encounter a first class passenger, a child who is chasing around a ball, a piano player who is playing a tune from the 1930s,” said Amy
Holloman, creative lead for Shaqtoberfest.
In keeping with the choose-your-own-scares vibe, at one point in the maze, guests will be confronted with a choice.
“They will be asked if they're brave enough to continue forward to prepare the ship for battle. If they're too scared at that moment they will be allowed to leave the ship and we'll thank them for sailing with us through
the history of the Queen Mary. But if they're ready for a more intense experience, they'll take a left turn and go down a dark hallway,” Holloman said.
Besides taking part in supernatural battles, people will be able to walk through several haunts located off the ship like Deadman's Wharf: The Storm, where they'll need to navigate through fog to escape sea creatures. There are also Pirates Cove, which is filled with demonic buccaneers; the funhouse-themed Midway Madness; and Diesel's Pumpkin Patch, a maze with walls made of hay.
The scary fun continues with nightly block parties and pop-up performances throughout the festival that include fire spinners and sliders.
Be on the lookout for the star of the party, since O'Neal was spotted walking through his event last year dressed all in black, checking out mazes and taking pictures with fans.