HONG KONG – Filipino travelers, in particular, have been consistently among the top five visitors to Hong Kong’s Ocean Park since its inception decades ago, even until the pandemic, its management told Rappler.

Families and groups of friends typically head to the resort and amusement park for its kiddie rides, family attractions, pandas, penguins, aquariums, hotels, and restaurants.

But with most theme parks, seasonal festivals have always been at the heart of drawing in larger and newer crowds from neighboring countries. And from October until the start of November, Ocean Park Hong Kong has transformed into a Halloween playground filled with death-lightful decor, interactive exhibits, unique themes, and all sorts of eerie surprises that aren’t just for kids.

Step into the park, and it all seems like family-friendly fun at first glance. But as the sun starts to set on Fridays to Sundays, and the night crowd trickles in — slowly but noisily, excitement buzzing in the air — the atmosphere begins to shift.

Boo-tiful cosplayers

As the sun sets, the park’s young staff are no longer in their usual uniforms. Elaborately dressed and meticulously made-up cosplayers begin to roam the grounds, turning Ocean Park into a cosplay-driven nightmare.

You’ll see zombies, possessed dolls, famous serial killers, jesters, jack-o’-lanterns, and Día de los Muertos skeletons, all acting in character, with some even on stilts. They’ll lurk around, follow you a few steps, show off their props, and occasionally give you a little fright while walking beside you.

Taking photos with them is easy — they’ll gladly stop for a scare-fie.

Home is where the haunt is

The main highlight of this year’s Ocean Park Halloween Fest 2025: Unbox the Cursed Collection is its six haunted experiences. Long lines await (expect about 20 to 30 minutes on weekends), but with six houses to choose from, you can plan which jump-scare fix to get first.

The most original one features Ocean Park’s very own Voodoo Boos, a cheeky and creepy nod to Hong Kong’s popular labubus. The Hatred Box pays homage to jack-in-the-box fears — a toy-themed horror maze where abandoned blind box toys return from to seek revenge.

One fun twist: guests get to draw their own blind box inside for a chance to obtain a Voodoo Boo figure. The haunted workshop maze features twisted toys, blood-soaked eyeballs, scattered teeth, and severed limbs.

For true crime fanatics and escape room lovers, The Unsolved Terrors dives into Hong Kong’s most horrific and seemingly “solved” cases. You’ll board an elevator and journey through different scenes to “uncover truths” drenched in gore.

The prosthetics and displays — severed heads, guts spilling out of body parts, and dirty toilets — are eerily realistic here; it’s almost unsettling to look too closely, but the craft is worth admiring if you can stomach it.

If you’re into sci-fi horror and mad scientists, H25: Rising Fear puts you inside a lab experiment gone wrong. Wearing a lab coat, you’ll race against time through frightening lab tasks that test your senses.

Ocean Park’s haunted houses are not just run-and-scream experiences; the characters inside stay fully in character, turning it into a near-4D experience. Beyond the sights and sounds, there are even tactile moments — the smell of decay, the feel of crawling through tight tunnels, or squeezing through narrow hallways — all adding to the immersion.

The Ritual Mansion is about a long-dormant cult that re-emerges to summon new followers for a forbidden blood sacrifice, and The Cannibal Woods, set outdoors, where you play a survivor of a plane crash in a forest, forced to follow an ill-fated expedition into the hunting grounds of a savage tribe.

The Soul Graveyard brings color and less horror to the night, celebrating the Mexican Day of the Dead, but still with the occasional vengeful ghost.

Each horror house concept is meticulously thought out, and every design is distinct. It’s possible to go through all six with The Halloween Ocean FasTrack, which is worth it if you don’t like waiting in long lines and want to skip queues.

A thoughtful little touch — in line with the park’s world-famous pandas and its consideration for less-brave guests — is the Little Brother “De De” Badge – I Dare You badge, and Elder Sister “Jia Jia” Badge – Don’t Scare Me. The former signals to cosplayers that you’re game for scares; the latter politely tells them you’re not.

All-night eerie-tainment

While waiting or wandering between attractions, there are live performances scattered across the park once night falls. Bone-twisting monsters leap from boxes in Break and Rattle, while paper effigies rise from the grave in Diva Paper Doll Reviving Night. In Taoist and Zombies Jump Jump Jump, Taoist priests battle the undead through ritualistic choreography, while Demon Hunters take on rogue ghouls.

At The Summit, Gangnam’s Devils — a boy group called NAMJA6 — bring K-pop on stage.

The Boo-tiful Mariachi Band or Skullplay Jam adds rock music to the environment, and the Sparkle Sliders show off their roller-skating stunt choreography, sparking fire from their feet.

Halloween-themed food and drinks are also available for the season.

General admission to Ocean Park Hong Kong is HK$538 for adults (12 years old and above) and HK$269 for children aged 3 to 11. For the Halloween Fest, you can top up your park admission with a Trio Combo Ticket for access to three of the park’s signature haunted houses; either The Dark Spirits Trio Combo (Hatred Box, The Ritual Mansion, and The Cannibal Woods), or the Lost Souls Trio Combo (featuring The Unsolved Terrors, H25: Rising Fear, and The Soul Graveyard).

The Trio Combo Tickets are priced at HK$280 per combo on peak dates (October 24–26, 29, 31, and November 1–2), and HK$238 on off-peak weekends (October 10–12 and 17–19).

General admission tickets do not include access to the six haunted houses, and all combo tickets and Halloween Ocean FasTrack are on top of a valid admission ticket.

Trick or treat yourself

Ocean Park Hong Kong has housed its own resorts within the estate since 2018. With the opening of the Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel (2018), Water World Ocean Park Hong Kong (2021), and The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel Hong Kong (2022), guests can walk from their accommodations to the park in five minutes.

The Marriott is the more family-friendly pick, featuring panda decor and a 16-meter aquarium in the middle of its lobby: three stories high, filled with 800 fish and 500 species. A favorite of kids is watching the scuba diver feed the fish, especially when he’s dressed for the occasion — as a scuba-diving skeleton on Halloween, or Santa Claus come Christmas.

The Fullerton, meanwhile, is a more luxurious five-star option, with beautiful bay-view rooms, an infinity pool up top, and an international lunch and dinner buffet.

Located in Wong Chuk Hang on the southern side of Hong Kong Island, Ocean Park spans over 91.5 hectares across two main areas — The Waterfront and The Summit — connected by the scenic cable car and the Ocean Express underground train. – Rappler.com