What is it with Halloween events being so damn good this year?
Oh Liseberg! I loved you already, but now I love you even more. Firstly, I would like to award Liseberg the Most Pumpkins Crammed Into A Park award. Seriously! And I thought Europa had loads. At Liseberg, there were pumpkins EVERYWHERE. My fave Pumpkin Moment was plunging down the log flume to see stacks of pumpkins at the bottom of the drop. Amazing.
One of the best bits about visiting Liseberg in November is that you get a least 5 hours of night time in the park. 5 hours of twinkling orange lights and Helix' glowing train zooming overhead. 5 hours of Lisebergbanans sparkling lift hill and every tree lit up in glorious red hues. It really is so beautiful when darkness falls.
The Halloween event, only 4 years in the running, really surprised me with how extensive it was. The scare zones were fully decked out, with big set pieces for actors to scare you from. The atmosphere was unique and subtly creepy - not in your face at all. There was lots of spellbinding music playing all across the park - all whirring harpsichords and theremins, not your usual pounding attack of horror soundtrack. There were 5 mazes, a Circus-of-Horrors style show, and several scare zones. I only did 2 mazes because the park was very busy - queues averaged at an hour for most rides and mazes. Standout for me was the maze 'Vinden' - it was themed to an attic - you had to go up in a service elevator just to get to it! It featured one of the most nightmarish giant doll scenes I've ever witnessed.
Anyway, onto the juicy B+M gossip.
Valkyria is intense. The drop has that Oblivion stomach-in-mouth plummeting feeling - which I haven't found on any other Dive Machine yet. Seriously, I couldn't believe it - the drop felt so sharp and brutal. It really caught me off guard, especially since I've ridden Valravn so I thought I knew what to expect! The rest of the layout is forceful and fast. Of all the Dive Machines I've ridden, Valkyria definitely wins the Least Lumbering award.
Is it my new favourite Dive Machine?...No. It's certainly impressive, but the intensity cramps its re-ride factor. It gave me a bit of a headache in all honesty. People who love old school, more forceful B+M's will adore this one though. The station is well pretty too.
Night rides on Helix are still an absolute joy. I still don't rate Helix that highly in the day - but when it has warmed up at night, this thing is breathtaking. We also discovered the hilarious fun that is night rides on Balder - very wild indeed!
I enjoyed watching the others go on the flat rides, and now wish I had summoned the courage to ride Loke and Uppswinget. Something about them being plonked on edge of that massive hill makes the flat rides at Liseberg super intimidating to me though!
All in all, I would highly recommend Liseberg's Halloween event. It just felt...different? Enchanting and bewitching, rather than scary. It has a lovely atmosphere and easily some of the best night rides in Europe. What a way to end the 2018 season!
Oh Liseberg! I loved you already, but now I love you even more. Firstly, I would like to award Liseberg the Most Pumpkins Crammed Into A Park award. Seriously! And I thought Europa had loads. At Liseberg, there were pumpkins EVERYWHERE. My fave Pumpkin Moment was plunging down the log flume to see stacks of pumpkins at the bottom of the drop. Amazing.
One of the best bits about visiting Liseberg in November is that you get a least 5 hours of night time in the park. 5 hours of twinkling orange lights and Helix' glowing train zooming overhead. 5 hours of Lisebergbanans sparkling lift hill and every tree lit up in glorious red hues. It really is so beautiful when darkness falls.
The Halloween event, only 4 years in the running, really surprised me with how extensive it was. The scare zones were fully decked out, with big set pieces for actors to scare you from. The atmosphere was unique and subtly creepy - not in your face at all. There was lots of spellbinding music playing all across the park - all whirring harpsichords and theremins, not your usual pounding attack of horror soundtrack. There were 5 mazes, a Circus-of-Horrors style show, and several scare zones. I only did 2 mazes because the park was very busy - queues averaged at an hour for most rides and mazes. Standout for me was the maze 'Vinden' - it was themed to an attic - you had to go up in a service elevator just to get to it! It featured one of the most nightmarish giant doll scenes I've ever witnessed.
Anyway, onto the juicy B+M gossip.
Valkyria is intense. The drop has that Oblivion stomach-in-mouth plummeting feeling - which I haven't found on any other Dive Machine yet. Seriously, I couldn't believe it - the drop felt so sharp and brutal. It really caught me off guard, especially since I've ridden Valravn so I thought I knew what to expect! The rest of the layout is forceful and fast. Of all the Dive Machines I've ridden, Valkyria definitely wins the Least Lumbering award.
Is it my new favourite Dive Machine?...No. It's certainly impressive, but the intensity cramps its re-ride factor. It gave me a bit of a headache in all honesty. People who love old school, more forceful B+M's will adore this one though. The station is well pretty too.
Night rides on Helix are still an absolute joy. I still don't rate Helix that highly in the day - but when it has warmed up at night, this thing is breathtaking. We also discovered the hilarious fun that is night rides on Balder - very wild indeed!
I enjoyed watching the others go on the flat rides, and now wish I had summoned the courage to ride Loke and Uppswinget. Something about them being plonked on edge of that massive hill makes the flat rides at Liseberg super intimidating to me though!
All in all, I would highly recommend Liseberg's Halloween event. It just felt...different? Enchanting and bewitching, rather than scary. It has a lovely atmosphere and easily some of the best night rides in Europe. What a way to end the 2018 season!
5 hours of Helix/Balder goodness in the dark sounds awesome indeed!!