Spooky season 2024 witnesses the return of Dark Harbor aboard the Queen Mary. After a three-year hiatus, the Halloween festival is rising from the grave and is aptly themed, “The Spirits Rise.” Many were excited when the news was announced on April 30th, which is Walpurgis Night and the halfway to Halloween mark. It’s no doubt one of the most highly anticipated events happening this fall.
I have very fond memories of the times I’ve attended Dark Harbor. There’s something thrilling about celebrating Halloween on a haunted ship. The festivities will include haunts, mazes, live music, spooky bars and lounges, terrifying characters and special experiences on the vessel.
I had the pleasure of interviewing the Queen Mary’s Director of Special Projects, Brett Bertolino, who shares what the experience has been like planning for the resurrection of Dark Harbor, as well as a few bone-chilling teasers.
Q: Welcome to Vamp Jenn’s Corner and thank you for being a guest! So many people were excited to hear that Dark Harbor would be returning this year to The Queen Mary. What motivated the creators to bring it back?
A: When the 2020 season of Dark Harbor was suspended due to the pandemic, the plan was always for the event to return. The pandemic lasted longer than anyone would have guessed, and the Queen Mary was closed until just last summer, so the event’s return took longer than expected.
Q: What has the experience been like planning for the return of Dark Harbor? Did the hiatus and renovations help to revitalize the creators’ approach to the event?
A: Bringing back Dark Harbor has been an exciting, complex, and challenging process. When the ship was closed during the pandemic nearly all of the physical assets from the event were lost to time. Of course, we have the rich stories of past icon characters and mazes to inspire the continuation of Dark Harbor. And some of the spaces previously used for the event have been allocated to other uses since the last time the event operated.
For example, at this year’s event, there will be familiar mazes like a Lullaby. You know the story and, of course there will be lots and lots of Scary Mary’s inside, but it’s an entirely new path and new sets than past years. The pause has given us the opportunity to bring back an event that mixes the best elements of the past seasons while simultaneously injecting new and innovative experiences.
Q: What teasers can you share about this year’s Halloween soiree? Will there be new concepts/attractions introduced?
A: At this year’s event you can expect to find lots of familiar fan favorites like mazes on the ship, secret bars, returning icon characters, the Sinister Swings and the Dark Harbor sliders. We’ve already announced that there will be new versions of the Lullaby and Big Top Terror mazes. In addition, there will be new mazes, characters, rides and attractions.
Q: Dark Harbor has a big fan base within the Halloween and horror community. What do you think makes Dark Harbor stand out from other haunts happening during the spooky season?
A: There are a few factors that make Dark Harbor unique. First and foremost is Dark Harbor’s characters and story. The detailed maze and icon character backstories that were developed and evolved over the event’s history rival those of theme park events.
Another main factor that makes Dark Harbor unique is its location. The iconic Queen Mary has a rich history and no shortage of ghost sightings and paranormal activity. It’s this authenticity that is the inspiration for Dark Harbor. Combining these elements with live entertainment, rides and hundreds of monsters have made Dark Harbor a fan favorite.
Q: Before we part, what does the future hold for The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor in the years to come?
A: The fog rolling into Long Beach is thick and dense. The spirits of Dark Harbor will continue to rise each fall and just like before the pandemic, the characters, stories and attractions will continue to change and evolve.
The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor: The Spirits Rise emerges from the mist and will take place from September 20th to November 2nd, 2024. Presale tickets were available on July 24th, so head to the website to see if you can still purchase. If presale has ended, make sure to sign up to find out when tickets will go on sale again.
Vamp Jenn's Corner 
It is amazing how you are able to get these great interviews. Congratulations to another great interview. You mention Walpurgis and that is a pretty big deal in Sweden, where I orginally am from. There’s fireworks and bond fires, parades, herring and champagne for breakfast.
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Thank you so much for the compliment! I love this event so I was excited to score this interview. It sounds like it would be amazing to witness Walpurgis festivities in Sweden in person.
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Uppsala about an hour north of Stockholm is probably the best place to do it
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