Ghouls and girls across the Coast are gearing up for one of the biggest Halloween parties to ever grace the Central Coast when The Entrance and District Chamber of Commerce hosts Fright Night on Halloween (October 31).
The Chamber has teamed up with legendary purveyors of all things spooky, the Grey family, whose Haunted Houses have been delighting adults and terrifying children in Killarney Vale for the past few years. The evening marks a whole new approach to event planning and management by the Chamber who hope Fright Night will act as a catalyst for bringing people back to The Entrance.
“Halloween has slowly become more accepted across Australia and the Coast is no exception, but a primary concern about the holiday is having kids out and about wandering the streets and knocking on strangers’ doors, ” said Belinda Katalinic, Vice Chair of the Chamber Committee and Fright Night event organiser.
“That’s why the Committee approached the planning of Fright Night around the idea of making Halloween safe and easy, not just for trick-or-treaters and their parents, but for the wider community, ” Katalinic said. “We’ve had such a positive response to Fright Night from the community, from schools and emergency services to The Entrance business community. “It’s going to be such a great night and it feels good to know that people are excited about The Entrance again, ” she added.
As part of the festivities, the business community will also be pulling out all stops, embracing their inner ghoulies with Halloween window displays and a number of one off Fright Night offers and deals that the Chamber encourages guests to take advantage of while they can. With more than 20 shops across The Entrance to open their doors and over $4,000 worth of lollies to give away, visitors can take part in the festivities by visiting participating stores and getting stamps on their Halloween passports that they can exchange for sweets.
Trick-or-Treaters can pick up a passport and map from all participating stores or by visiting the Fright Night Facebook page. There’re also several fun activities on offer as part of Fright Night, with virtual reality experiences, arts and crafts, and a display from the Sons of Obiwan Saber Academy, culminating in John Grey’s Haunted House at the old Taylor Homestead on The Entrance Rd, where the brave and the masochistic can enjoy multiple rooms and an outdoor graveyard full of horrors.
The Haunted House will run in two sessions on the 31st, the first being a special needs installation with the lights on, no moving props or actors and no scary sounds from 2pm to 4pm. It’s recommended that anyone with young children or children with additional needs attend this session.
The main session will run from 4pm to 10pm in its full blood curdling glory. “You’ve been warned, it’s going to get scary, ” Katalinic said. A gold coin donation is required for entry with the funds to be donated to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
Sources: Website, Oct 18 John Grey, Grey’s Haunted House Interview, Oct 21 Belinda Katalinic, The Entrance and Districts Chamber of Commerce Dilon Luke, Journalist