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Though the costumes-and-candy festivities surrounding Halloween take place largely in North America, they are now catching on fast in Asia, adding up to fun revenue-generating spooks and scares.
Specifically in China, Halloween has gained a following in recent years. While Halloween costumes and festivities involve ghouls and other supernatural creatures, the Chinese superstitions and fears surrounding death seem to be suspended for this festival in China, and it has instead been hailed as an occasion for dressing up and having fun.
Halloween at Chinese Amusement Parks
 Initially, Halloween was celebrated only in larger cities— such as Shanghai and Beijing—with sizable expatriate populations, and even then only by communities with young children or in pubs and bars. But in recent years it seems to have caught on at the amusement parks and attractions in China and has become a popular holiday with the young and young at heart who are happy to dress up in their scary best and get a scream or two during the night.
At the horror costume contest held at Hangzhou Paradise for example, many of the contestants are grown-ups, according to the organizers.
In south China, Happy Valley Shenzhen, the longest-running and most popular OCT Tourism Group amusement, started holding Halloween events only in 2006.“Shenzhen is a young and trendy place, and Happy Valley held the first major Halloween celebration in the city, so we have successfully built a brand association between the park and Halloween,” says Wang Libin, marketing manager at OCT Tourism.
 The Happy Valley amusement parks in Chengdu, Beijing, and Shanghai also celebrate the holiday. In Shenzhen, the success of the Halloween-themed events at Happy Valley led to promotions at other OCT attractions such as Windows of the World—a miniature park with replicas of landmarks around the world. Splendid China—a miniature park featuring famous landmarks around China—held an “Obsession Ghost Night” on Halloween for the first time last year.
Last year nighttime operating hours at Happy Valley Shenzhen, which normally has a daily capacity of 50,000 people, were extended from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and to 11 p.m. on weekends. “On the night of Halloween, we stayed open until midnight so that more visitors could have more time to enjoy the festivities,” Wang says.
Four houses of horror featuring the themes Shanghai Night Club, Hospital, Circus, and Human Leather Store were added, and the park was divided into five themed zones with no shortage of zombies, vampires, demons, ghouls, and the like. Six themed performances were also introduced.
“On top of the holiday attractions and performances, an additional 200 staff members dressed up as ghosts and other horror characters, and interactive segments are also included in all the major performances. We held an hourly ‘10,000 screams’ (where all visitors and staff members at the park scream in unison on cue) activity to add to the atmosphere of fun,” Wang says. “We really drew a lot of attention with the variety of entertainment.” The park also provided a free-of- charge makeup service; “This gives them more value for their money and adds to the festive air,” Wang explains.
Visitor numbers have been climbing over the years, and, according to Wang, the number of visitors going to the park during the extended night hours increased tenfold from 2006, when the Halloween celebrations first started.
Outside attractions operated by OCT Tourism Group, Halloween is also commonly celebrated. In Hangzhou, a 45- minute train ride from Shanghai, the Hangzhou Paradise operated by Songcheng Limited has also jumped onto the Halloween bandwagon.
The medium-sized amusement park, which has recently reopened after a refurbishment, has five themed zones, including 23 attractions and rides as well as a waterpark. Hangzhou Paradise started holding Halloween-themed events in 2008 and received very good feedback. The event drew a high number of visitors in the first year of the celebrations, and that convinced the park to continue with the tradition. Mindful that visitors may lack background knowledge on this western holiday, Hangzhou Paradise also has a web page dedicated to explaining the origins of Halloween. “Halloween is a new thing for many people, so we just wanted to tell our visitors more about the cultural background,” says a representative from the park’s marketing department.
Last year, the star attraction was a ghost ship, a pirateship- themed house of horror. Other special attractions included a house of horror, a Halloween parade, and themed performances. Visitors were encouraged to dress up, and there were also staff manning stands to apply Halloween themed face and body paint on visitors. In addition, there were a photography contest and music performances. The popularity of the activities was such that a horror costume contest was sold out, according to the park’s marketing department. A representative says that from the first time Halloween events were held, interactive activities have proven to be the says best-received by visitors.
Festivals Add Value, Popular with Guests
The themed events are a form of added value for park visitors, and admission prices are not increased during this time, according to OCT’s Wang, who says interactive events were especially popular. “Halloween in our park has been very well received: visitor figures for this period have been growing each year—not only has it been accepted by our market, it has also become something that’s highly anticipated.” Some 40 percent of the visitors to the park have been there more than once.
 For OCT Tourism, Halloween has been surprisingly successful, more so than other traditional festivals such as Chinese New Year. Happy Valley Shenzhen also holds other themed festive events such as the International Magic Festival and Pop Music Festival, but none have matched Halloween in appeal.
“Our market research shows that half of the visitors that come to the park during the Halloween period choose to do so ‘to feel the festive atmosphere and to take part in the Halloween celebration activities,’” Wang says. “After five years of educating the market, Halloween has become the event product with the highest growth potential at Happy Valley Shenzhen.” The market segments targeted for Halloween are those aged 15 to 35, as well as young families.
Alternatives to Traditional Festivities
While some amusement parks look set to continue enjoying a hugely positive response to their Halloween events and continue with the tradition, others are still feeling their way through it.
At the 10-year-old Chang zhou China Dinosaur Park, located about two hours from Shanghai, 2008 marked the first time a special Halloween program was in place, according to the park’s website. Operating hours were extended to 10:30 p.m. (the park usually closes at 5 p.m.) over four days from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, and all visitors received a mask and a pumpkin lantern. In addition, stage performances by Korean pop stars were featured as part of the festivities.
Last year, the program was altered with Korean pop acts taking center stage and Halloween elements sidelined. The park says it was catering to the preferences of the largest demographic segment of its visitors, who are mostly young people under 35. A special three-time night pass was introduced over the period, and there were special autograph sessions as well as related video contests where K-pop fans would express their adoration for their idols. Yang Lei, a representative from the corporate planning department of the Changzhou China Dinosaur Park, says, “We changed the program according to the feedback we received from the market.” The park’s official website states that it aimed to “offer visitors a completely different experience of Halloween.” And the pop concert concept has also been adopted for Christmas celebrations at the amusement park.
Lim Hui Sin is a writer and translator based in China. Originally from Singapore, she has been living in Shanghai for nine years. She can be reached at sinify@gmail.com.
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