Shaqtoberfest: 2022 Review

The Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA

From one 13th Floor Entertainment event to another, today we're shifting from the L.A. Haunted Hayride in Griffith Park down south to the Queen Mary in Long Beach to cover the newest large-scale haunt in the Southern California Halloween landscape, Shaqtoberfest! Yes, I know, what does Shaquille O'Neal, of professional basketball fame, have to do with Halloween? Well, he's always been an entertainer, and since basketball retirement, in addition to humorously jousting with Charles Barkley on The NBA on TNT, Shaq has also been engaged with many live events, DJ'ing at festivals and producing big parties for guests to enjoy. Shaq has always had a reputation for having fun, and that's exactly what this new Halloween festival in Long Beach aims to bring.

Halloween enthusiasts recall that the Queen Mary was previously the site of Dark Harbor, a fan-favorite haunted attraction that featured mazes both on and off the venerable steamliner, a scary carnival atmosphere, an energetic and spirited cast of monsters, and (as time went on) as many hidden bars inside mazes as possible. The event celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2019, but it has remained dark since the pandemic. While the passing of Dark Harbor is one to be mourned for guests who enjoyed this creepy, unique alternative to Knott's and Universal, Shaqtoberfest's arrival promises a new tradition in Long Beach Halloween frills and thrills for poltergeist-seeking patrons!

Unlike Dark Harbor before it, Shaqtoberfest is set entirely on the parking lot area in front of the Queen Mary and not on the ship itself. This makes sense, because thanks to news reports last year, we learned that the interior of the ship has been in poor condition and has been undergoing repairs.

Here’s a map of the grounds.
(Image courtesy of Shaqtoberfest.)

The event features six themed environments: Shipwreck Graveyard, Deadman's Wharf, Pirate's Cove, Midway Madness, Lost City Boardwalk, and Diesel's Pumpkin Patch. There's also a central Block Party! area with a stage, DJ music, live performances, merchandise store, and general information. Of the six themed areas, all but one (Deadman's Wharf) also come with family-friendly, no-scare Trick or Treat Trails that operate during daytime hours until the 8:00pm "Witching Hour." That is when Shaqtoberfest transforms into a more frightful affair, and the monsters emerge both onto the general street zones and the Trick or Treat Trails turn into haunted "Twisted Trails." In addition, there's also a VIP Slam Dunk Lounge that is set on an upper level on the ship, overlooking the event grounds, plus a Tiki Terror bar tucked off into the far corner between the ship and the old Spruce Goose Dome / Carnival Cruise Line Terminal. Various food and beverage stands are scattered around the property, and a Boat House Patio and Bar anchors the opposite corner on the ocean side.

I didn’t have any other place to stick these photos of the Tiki Terror bar, so here they are.

What distinguishes Shaqtoberfest from previous Queen Mary Halloween events is its emphasis on all-ages fun. The event starts in the late afternoon and early evening hours (5:00 or 6:00 depending on the day of the week), and friendly roaming characters in the general areas and staff members handing out candy in the Trick or Treat Trails make Shaqtoberfest closer to an Oogie Boogie Bash than a Knott's Scary Farm. As the sun sets, a pulsating Halloween dance track (which predominantly featured haunt community favorites LVCRFT during our VIP and Media Night visit last Sunday and included an appearance by Skeleton Sam) emanates from the Block Party area, increasing the Halloween party vibes.

It's not until 8:00 that the monsters emerge--although there did appear to be some elements of scare manifesting prior to the Withing Hour as well. From 8:00pm until event closing (at 11:00pm or 1:00am depending on the evening) , Shaqtoberfest more closely resembles its Dark Harbor predecessor, with monsters prowling around the themed scare zones as well as the Twisted Trails. In addition, the Twisted Trails are not as packed with monsters as most Halloween event haunted mazes. There seemed to be about half a dozen or so scareactors at most in any particular maze, and the balance of the scares is bolstered by the inclusion of motion-sensor animatronic scares, including some impressive large-scale figures like what we saw at the 13th Floor Haunted House in Denver!

Curious and creepy creatures lurk about after the 8pm Witching Hour at Shaqtoberfest!

Lets take a closer look into each of the different districts of Shaqtoberfest, which are accessed after guests enter through a large inflatable of Shaquille O'Neal at the event entrance and proceed through a rainbow-lit line of shipping containers reminiscent of Dark Harbor's original and much more dramatic and scare-filled entry during its early years!

To enter Shaqtoberfest, guests must enter Shaquille O’Neal.

Shaq’s cavity is apparently rainbow-lit shipping containers.

Shipwreck Graveyard

This area is located to the right of the entrance to Shaqtoberfest around the old Queen's Marketplace buildings that used to be known as London Towne and Mary's Gate Village before that. It's also where Dark Harbor located its Intrepid maze during its final year in 2019 and its The Village maze during its debut year over a decade ago.

The daytime operations are devoid of scares.

Instead, candy is passed out along the trails.

For Shaqtoberfest, Shipwreck Graveyard is essentially what the title describes--a morass of rotting sea vessels mixed with a selection of sea creatures, some of which spring to life after the Witching Hour. There are a lot of displays and figures scattered about in this area, and during the daytime, it looks a little messy, especially in the Trick or Treat Trail, where a friendly ambiance is juxtaposed against fearsome and somewhat gory-looking creatures. As a graveyard of ships, the clutter of this area makes sense. It just looks visually a little odd until the nighttime, when theatrical lighting and fog really give this zone an eerie and ghostly feel and looks much more appropriate.

Roaming characters also wander the premises. They are not scary, just spooky at most.

The Trick or Treat / Twisted Trail here is pretty short and accessed off the left side, into the village area. Guests can receive candy from two or three sailors during the daytime. By night, those sailors turn into decomposing submerged spirits lurking behind the nooks and crannies of the walkthrough haunted trail. The Trail is highlighted by a couple of towering animatronic monsters that come to life as guests pass, plus an interesting and colorful underwater section where a vibrant anglerfish lunches forward from the deep.

And there are scareactors who spring forth and scare people.

Deadman's Wharf

The only area without its respective Trick or Treat / Twisted Trail, Deadman's Wharf feels like an extension of Shipwreck Graveyard, which makes sense, because it is located adjacent to prior themed zone. Here, guests can relax at The Boat House Patio and bar and enjoy a drink while watching others be scared. There's also a giant Castle Shaqenstein backdrop and photo-op, complete with a static Shaquille O'Neal Frankenstein's creature. Opposite this is a Dead Head Hoops carnival game where guests can shoot severed heads into basketball barrels. The asymmetry and unbalanced weight of the heads makes this more challenging than the traditional basketball shot game.

Shaq shoots free throws with severed heads. You couldn’t make this up.

Other than this, Deadman's Wharf functions more as an extension for street talent to roam. A pair of dead cruiseliner passengers seem to wander the grounds, forever looking for land, not quite processing that they're dearly departed. After the Witching Hour, street monsters also frequent the area, looking for fresh frights.

The roaming characters are now in peril of drowning.

Pirate's Cove

Located on the opposite side of the London Towne village from Shipwreck Graveyard, Pirate's Cove is a very small themed area encompassed almost entirely by its spooky trail, but it's also one of the most lavish and extravagant! As a neighbor to the aforementioned nautical-themed areas, Pirate's Cove has an organic and fitting adjacency.

The walkthrough facing the Queen Mary is marked by the hull of a massive remnant of a pirate ship that guests can walk inside. By day, the treasure for families is a booty of candy given out by friendly buccaneers located throughout the course, which winds an extended zigzag that starts outside the ship, U-turn's into the ship and through, then exits outside again for a series of pirate figures and smaller nautical sets before turning into a treasure-filled chamber hosted by a mermaid who hands out one last bit of candy during the daytime and glares menacingly like a fearsome siren during the evening hours.

This mermaid hands out candy by day and glares by night.

The Pirate's Cove maze is also home to Captain Shaq's Hideaway, a not-so-hidden bar just off to the left of the entrance of the pirate ship hull that can be accessed by guests with VIP admission to receive a free shot of spiced rum. This intimate space can only hold a few guests at a time, but it is lavishly decorated and beautifully lit, taking on the ambiance of an elegant captain's quarters.

Captain Shaq's Hideaway continues the Queen Mary haunt’s tradition of a hidden bar.

The same rich detailing can be said of the rest of the Pirate's Cove trail, especially inside the ship section. The galley and sleeping quarters and treasure chambers are exquisitely furnished and look absolutely beautiful and convincingly immersive. Stocks of provisions, barrels of what we assume would be rum, cool, atmospheric lighting, and a few skulls and bones create a magnificently eerie ambiance that is a joy to admire. The figures on the latter half of the maze are also fun and ornate, and they make a great accompaniment to the monsters at night that lurk in amongst the set pieces and spring statue scares among unsuspecting passers-by!

The scenic treatment inside is astounding and quite immersive!

Figures outside make for great blending in spots for the scareactors.

Each Twisted Trail has anywhere from three to six scareactors.

Diesel's Pumpkin Patch

From the smallest area to the largest, Diesel's Pumpkin Patch is located west of the central Block Party area and just northwest of Pirate's Cove. This area is also made up entirely of its Trick or Treat / Twisted trail and is sprawling! Guests enter under a bridging shipping container flanked by a pair of talking, towering skeletons that seem to have been modified from the 12 foot tall Home Depot variety (or are at least similar).

Inside, Diesel's Pumpkin Patch has the unique added feature of hosting several inflatable attractions, including a massive bounce zone, a couple of obstacle courses, and a giant slide. These are open during the daytime, before the Witching Hour, and are great for children and adults who want to relive being kids. The lengthy trail brings guests through rows of hay bales and pumpkin figures and autumn harvest displays, and each of the inflatable zones branch off to the side from the main path.

During the daytime hours, the path through the Trick or Treat Trails is pretty straightforward, outlined by the hay stacks that line the main route. At night, side sections are opened up that house most of the scary components of Diesel's Pumpkin Patch's Twisted Trail. A farm shed area marked Crowe Co. reveals humans being processed for meat or hung up like fleshy scarecrows. Another shed area labeled The Pumpkin Shaq features more cadavers and some pumpkin monsters. The last stretch of the main path also features an encounter with a chainsaw monster, before guests head into the big barn at the end of the course.

This pumpkin creature seems a little murderous.

During the daytime, the barn features a witch and a clown that are spooky and entertaining but not scary. At night, shadowy creatures lurk about, but there seems to be an absence of any big climactic scareactor moments--though maybe that was just our unfavorable timing going through. The barn structure is pretty impressive though--live size and full of detail and not something that was put up hastily. In another haunt, it could function as a very creepy and suspense-building maze-like space that could pack several jump scares into one exciting space.

The large scale animatronics are pretty awesome too, and they come alive during the second half of the night.

Diesel's Pumpkin Patch also features four motion-triggered animatronic scares that can catch guests off guard as they walk by. The creature by the barn is the most impressive, towering ten to fifteen feet in the air as it gesticulates and roars with feral intent!

Lost City Boardwalk

Located right next to the Queen Mary herself, Lost City Boardwalk is another compact area, but it is by far the cutest and most charming. The theme places guests in a 1930s Atlantic City-style gangster environment. But instead of being gritty and dark, Lost City Boardwalk is accented by a series of wonderfully cartoony skeleton character illustrations and bold sets that showcase a casino, a bank, and a jail. Period-specific vehicles and stands fill in the ambiance, which is fun and friendly and romantic.

This is probably the most charming and captivating area.

The 1920s / 1930s era style fits with the Queen Mary very well!

At night, this area takes on more of a film noir feel--though not overly so--and a couple of scareactors circle the Twisted Trail, hopping in and out of openings to apply jump scares around corners and behind obstructions. The talent here is low in number, but they take advantage of their surroundings very well to stalk guests and grab quick and focused startles before vanishing and moving to the next target.

Midway Madness

Finally, Midway Madness showcases the fairground atmosphere that Dark Harbor's general scare zone area embodied during its heyday and will probably harken the most nostalgic memories to the old event. Themed to a circus, with a general high-energy frenzy enhanced by a variety of clown characters and street talent, Midway Madness features one themed trail, several carnival rides, and the largest concentration of scareactors and strolling characters in Shaqtoberfest. At night, if there's one place where guests will find shrieks and screams, it's here! The engaging and talented and active street monsters throughout this area certain gave us warm memories of the experience at Dark Harbor! Big kudos go out to all of the scareactors out and about in Midway Madness just killing with their scares and their interactions!

The Trick or Treat / Twisted Trail in this area is located inside a circus tent that has been pitched just south of the traveling amusement park rides. We did not have a chance to go through this before the Witching Hour, but we imagine friendly clowns and circus characters welcoming guests with candy. By night, however, those clowns turn much more aggressive, and some of the stranger and more horrendous creatures (animatronics) locked up in the circus escape. The twisting and surprisingly dim trail winds its way through moments of strobes and animatronic jump scares, with a few live scareactors mixing up the different types of frights. The latter half, which forms the inside of a moving ducky sharpshooters carnival game facade (no actual carnival game featured), is a clever mix of outside dress-up mixing in interior use. In a way, the guests are the targets, not the ducks!

The Twisted Trail is a circus-themed maze.

To the side of the themed trail is also a bonus "trail" inside a massive inflatable crocodilian creature of sorts. This walkthrough does not have any talent inside to apply jump scares, but there's a good reason! It's actually fairly dark inside, with sporadic gel-lit spots guiding guests along, and there are dark corners where guests might bump into the walls of the innards of this creature! fortunately, being fully inflatable, all surfaces are soft. And while no actual thrills occur inside, the whole experience is certainly strangely entertaining, especially when guests exit the rear. In addition, we were impressed that 13th Floor went through the effort to create this massive structure (whether or not for this event or transplanted from another) and landed it here!

And this inflatable walkthrough is a bizarre but interesting bonus!

Lastly, there are several carnival rides that guests can enjoy if they decide they're tired of the mazes and the scares. These include a fun house, ferris wheel, gravitron, and tilt-a-whirl, merry-go-round. We indulged our inner children and tried the fun house, which was a lot of fun. As we understand it, the rides are an additional cost for guests with General Admission but are included in the price of VIP admissions.

There are carnival rides too, for guests who enjoy those.

Block Party!

Finally, the central area of Shaqtoberfest is organized around a large dance area and stage that pulses the heart of the event. During our Media Night visit, this area was blocked off as the VIP reception area, complete with food and drinks. On stage, a DJ spun Halloween-themed dance beats, mixing in dubstep with pop tunes with artists like LVCRFT and Figure and others to create an enthusiastic dance vibe. The music and lights contributed heavily to the joyful Halloween festival exuberance and really enhanced the entertainment of the event.

Speaking of entertainment, we would also occasionally see live performances in the Block Party. These included flame spinners on stage reminiscent of the fire performances that used to occur at Dark Harbor. There was also a roaming percussion band hitting beats and even playing along with the DJ from time to time--also referencing components of Dark Harbor from years before. In fact, we really appreciated that there seemed to be a lot of little nods to Shaqtoberfest's predecessor, indicating a level of research and gratitude that we really respected.

There are live performances in this central part of the event too, like these fire performers.

Opposite the stage is the Merchandise Shaq, where guests can take home Shaqtoberfest and 13th Floor memorability and souvenirs as a token of their visit. This is similar to the set-up of the General Store at the L.A. Haunted Hayride. It's basically the event's gift shop.

In addition, the Block Party area is where the largest concentration of food stands are set up, since it's also where most of the seating and dining areas of Shaqtoberfest are located. The grub is generally a mix of fair food and one or two food trucks. It's a nice place to take in the ambiance while enjoying a meal or snack or drink in the middle of the Shaqtoberfest fun.

We admit that we had no idea what to make of Shaqtoberfest when it was first announced and had relatively low expectations, given the very limited amount of information released (most of it at Midsummer Scream) in advance of the event. We've seen plenty of new haunts arise with limited press communication that turned out to be low-quality cash grabs preying upon a general public appetite for new Halloween events, which disappeared the following year. What bolstered our hopes for Shaqtoberfest was the 13th Floor Entertainment name standing behind the event. With haunted houses located all across the country, 13FEG is the biggest multi-region player in the Halloween game, and their productions are high quality. We saw that with their flagship Denver haunted house, which really impressed us with the scale and scope and detail of their sets.

This giant skeleton monster is friendly, right?

We're pleased to report that Shaqtoberfest exceeds all expectations and blew us away with the amount of energy, scale, variety, and quality of all of its offerings. From the trails to the talent to the scenic sets to the carnival attractions to the food and merchandise, Shaqtoberfest has clearly seen a heavy and concerted investment into the event designed to impress not only general guests looking for an interesting Halloween event for the season but also seasoned enthusiasts who attend multiple haunts a year and are looking to target their patronage to the highest quality attractions. The unique and custom large-scale inflatables, the numerous big animatronic figures, the richness of the theming and decor, and the thought put into Shaqtoberfest are very impressive and showcase concerted care to make this a high-quality event. In fact, our only critique and disappointment is that we never saw a "Shaqula" character or display at the event. We won't riot as promised during the Midsummer Scream presentation, but we expect more Shaq-related monster puns are in store for next year!

Ultimately, Shaqtoberfest embodies the spirit and personality of its namesake. It's just plain fun! Other attractions may offer more immersive, theatrical experiences or intensely intricate theming or envelope-pushing scares, but Shaqtoberfest successfully walks the tricky line of having an event that is scary but still accessible to a wide audience, keeping them laughing and enjoying themselves in between the startles and thrills. And it does all of this spectacularly, with a vibe that captures a giant Halloween street party. Bravo to 13th Floor Entertainment, ABG Entertainment, and Shaquille O'Neal for coming up with a genuinely delightful Halloween festival!

Shaqtoberfest runs select dates now through Halloween night. Tickets should be purchased in advance online, though there are ticket sales and upgrades available on site for those who wish to obtain them. As we get deeper into the Halloween season, those VIP and front-of-line perks will likely come in handy for those who want to make more efficient use of their time. Prices range from $29.99 for General Admission for children 12 and under ($5 more for adults) on quieter nights to $99.99 for VIP Slam Dunk passes. General Admission allows one-time entry into each of the Trick or Treat Trails and each of the Twisted Trails. VIP Slam Dunk waives the need to select an entry time, allows for unlimited and expedited (front-of-line) entry into the Trails, access to all bounce houses and rides, and entry into Captain Shaq's Hideaway hidden bar inside the Pirates' Cove Trail. Given the general going rate of Halloween events across Southern California, we think the pricing overall is a pretty good deal for the caliber of production guests are receiving!

There’s a lot to enjoy about Shaqtoberfest, and it’s definitely won us over with its unique and high quality combination of Halloween attractions!

Shaqtoberfest is not just a one-off. With the investment placed into this event, it's clearly here to stay. We look forward to the growth of a new Halloween tradition at the Queen Mary!