Let it be known that the team at Fort Fright certainly know how to make an entrance.
In celebration of their 10th anniversary, Fort Henry’s Fort Fright has amped up the milestone with more scares and more interactivity – like October 13th’s invasion of downtown Kingston, where a trolley loaded with ghouls and zombies were delivered to Springer Market Square to guard free tickets to the attraction from those brave enough to visit.
Fort Fright is Kingston’s beloved annual scare fest that turns Kingston’s UNESCO World Heritage Site Fort Henry into one of the top haunted houses in North America.
This year the creative team is using a combination of more scare actors, new animatronics, and, of course, the haunting backdrop of the fortress itself to bring a little girl’s nightmare to life.
“You’ll really be living this little girl’s nightmare as you tiptoe your way around the Fort and peek around every corner,” says Susan Leclair, a rep with the St. Lawrence Parks Commission.
If you make it out, you’ll find new carnival games near the end, as well as a special pop-up haunted escape room from Kingston’s Improbable Escapes. The entire experience is suitable for brave souls of almost any age, says Leclair, but particularly for those 14 and up. Not sure if you can take all that terror? Ask for one of the “scare” amulets. Wearing one will ensure that scare actors keep their distance.
Haunted Walks Kingston will be back with their “Tales from the Tunnels” guided tours. That’s right, Fort Henry has a few true ghost stories too, and you’ll hear all about them inside its dark, narrow tunnels.
The terrifying and sense-scattering Vortex also returns this year, as does the “Total Scare” package, a special $15 upgrade that gets you a coffin ride, an exclusive Haunted Walk and admission into the haunted escape room. What trumps all of those creative scares, though, is probably Fort Henry itself. It’s tough to think of a more spine-tingling venue for a haunted house than an old stone fortress perched high on a hill at night.
“For anyone who hasn’t experienced Fort Fright before, this isn’t your run-of-the-mill haunted house,” says Leclair. “It’s just the scale of Fort Henry. The minute you start walking up to the Fort, you will feel your goosebumps rise.”
More than 22,000 people are expected at Fort Fright this year, many of them returning, many expecting at least a few of the same scares from past years. They won’t be disappointed, says Leclair.
Plan your visit and experience the haunted side of Kingston before time runs out!
Thursday to Sunday, 7 pm – 9 pm:
October 12 – October 15, 2017
Nightly, 7 pm – 9 pm:
October 19 – October 29, 2017
This year’s tickets will be sold for specific time slots spaced 15 minutes apart. There is room for 150 people per time slot.
