October 3, 2022, 9:50 PM · 

Past night time future to the historic Queen Mary in Extensive Seaside, NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal welcomed admirers to the 1st evening of Shaqtoberfest, an all-new Halloween pageant co-manufactured by Thirteenth Flooring and ABG Amusement. But is this newcomer to Southern California’s spooky period an function deserving of a winner?
By the fading mild of day, Shaqtoberfest offers a child-helpful hay maze dotted with inflatable enjoy zones and slides, as properly as trick-or-managing stations. There is loads of campy Shaq-fulfills-Halloween verbiage thrown about skeletons loudly discussing their “Shaq-o’-lanterns” and chat of “exercising demons.”When the sunshine sets, “Shaq’s minions” arrive out of the woodworks, chainsaws in hand. The minions wander through the crowd, scaring and chasing guests. It’s an surroundings identical to Halloween Horror Evenings or Knott’s Terrifying Farm but at a scaled-down scale, which allows for far more “one on one” scares. Be organized to be singled out!The haunted residences open up at 8pm. These are exciting if you’re capable to walk straight in, but in my viewpoint not value waiting around in a line for – and there were strains on the event’s opening night. Every single dwelling delivers a quite shorter encounter and is just as terrifying as remaining out in the group. The carnival rides are really textbook: a carousel, Ferris wheel, and many others. – sounding rickety and working at jarring pace. I’ve under no circumstances viewed a Ferris wheel spin that promptly, and I absolutely was not tempted to hop aboard.
I had far more enjoyment wandering close to recognizing bits of Shaq-themed Halloween decor, like Shaq as Frankenstein’s monster and some basketball trophies strewn among the forgotten treasure. There’s also a entertaining hoops-capturing station that provides severed heads in lieu of basketballs. That’s a single way to make Shaq’s no cost throws even scarier.Unexpectedly, my preferred part of the complete night time was the DJ established. This took location on a massive stage in the heart of the competition surrounded by fog, lights, and the occasional fireplace-dancer. The audio blasted all through the complete party space, which established a incredibly exciting tone as the minions wreaked havoc. I have in no way absent by a haunted dwelling to the audio of a completely blended hip hop/EDM established just before, but it was a really great time. Overall, this was a pretty campy working experience. Shaq and Halloween are not two matters I have at any time independently blended in my thoughts, but the chaotic vibe of this occasion helps make the mix get the job done. There were definite flops (like the Ferris wheel) and definite wins (the DJ established). General, this party has a ton of opportunity and desires to be parsed for its weaknesses like a bag of Halloween candy requires to be parsed for Raisinets. I’m positive at the time that transpires, we’ll be remaining with the Snickers-grade high quality that Shaq and Halloween enthusiasts alike will exhibit up for.* * *
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