
This year, attractions are coming up with creative ways to stay open due to Covid-19. During the month of Halloween, Playland birthed Fright Night’s little brother, Slayland: Night of Thousand Screams. For the first time, Playland allowed people to wear a costume, so long as they weren’t wearing a Halloween mask (wigs and makeup were acceptable). The only masks allowed were non-Halloween masks/coverings to protect against COVID-19. Slayland provided a mask to attendees, and there were two different types of masks, a bright yellow smiley face, and a green monster’s mouth with sharp teeth. People didn’t have to wear the Slayland mask, but it was mandatory to wear a mask inside.
Slayland’s Cleanliness
Before entering, Slayland’s security checked inside people’s bags and slapped an approval sticker on it, but there was no physical search. When entering Slayland, workers enforced the 2 metre distance when lining up for an activity. Sanitizing stations were set up around the rides, food stands, the maze, and in random areas. From my observation, there were more washrooms, and they were located in areas with fewer people. I was pleased to hear that workers at Slayland cleaned with liquid sanitizer before opening, in the middle of opening, and after closing. Rides had limited seating and to reduce crowding, not all of them were operating. Rides were wiped down occasionally, and cleaning materials were switched out in the middle of the event. Every worker was wearing a mask and the ones at the food stand were wearing gloves, masks, and a face shield. I felt pretty safe when I was there, but I worried that other people were not following the 2 metre distancing rules in the long line-ups. It would be great if a few workers were checking that everyone was following safe distancing guidelines.
Food at Slayland
There was not a lot of food choices, but the food stands depicted every kid’s sweet tooth fantasies. The stands had candy apples, mini donuts, cotton candy, kettle corn, and hot chocolate. There were pumpkin flavoured cotton candy and mini donuts that people were pumped to try. There was also a Triple O’s if people were craving something less sweet. The restaurant had only a few tables open to the public, but most of the seating was spread out outside in a secluded area. Drinks like pop, tea, and coffee were available to wash down the food. I wish there were more pumpkin flavours, like pumpkin loaf or a type of pumpkin drink, but, Playland was limited on what they could have.
The Maze
No haunted houses here, but there was a “haunted” maze. The maze was a fusion of all the haunted houses from Fright Night. This attraction wasn’t that scary; there were no jump scares or loud sounds. This was because Slayland didn’t want to encourage people to huddle around each other when they get scared. This no-scare area was more for entertainment, like taking photos around the props, admiring the optical illusions, and interacting with the actors. The maze was a decent size, but it sucks there was only one. I had fun exploring the maze and taking photos of the creepy decorations there.
Overall Review: 8/ 10
Slayland was a fun event, and it got my Halloween spirit going. I like how people were encouraged to dress up or make themselves shine with glow sticks and LED lights, and the actors were very fun to talk to. I am hoping there are more spooky decoctions if Playland is going to continue Slayland in 2021!
Positives:
– Areas were cleaned
– Able to ride 10 different rides
– Able to dress up
– Able to take photos
– Interact with the actors
– Pumpkin flavor food
Negatives:
– Not a lot of decorations
– Needed more staff to encourage social distancing
– A bit on the pricey side
($39.50 on Oct. 9 – 25 or $44.50 on Oct. 26 -31)