HHN best (ie:slowest) time to go...

[Poohgirl]

Last year we went around Halloween, great time but very crowded. We did have the HHN express passes so we did get to see everything.

For those in the know....When are the HHN nights the slowest where we may not need to get the express pass?

How crowded are the first few nights?

Thanks!

 

[Metro West]

Last year we went around Halloween, great time but very crowded. We did have the HHN express passes so we did get to see everything.

For those in the know....When are the HHN nights the slowest where we may not need to get the express pass?

How crowded are the first few nights?

Thanks!

HHN has gotten more and more popular over the years and slow nights are becoming a thing of the past. That said...try to stick to Sundays and Thursdays and avoid the peak nights of Friday and Saturday. If you do Stay & Scream it will help you avoid some of the lines early on. The EP is invaluable every night.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Weekdays of course are the slower nights. But I can't say when as we have only gone Saturday and Sunday nights.
One time a team member told DH and I to start at the back and go forward. That has some logic to it. However keep in mind the further back the house, the later it opens.
So maybe you could even start in the middle and go back. Without EP, that may at least help.

 

[VonBaroketch]

If I make it at all this year, it will be on opening night due to my schedule. I have only been to opening nights in the past when I was working HHN. I am looking forward to seeing it this year as a guest for a few reasons. First, the opening ceremonies are usually pretty good. Second, crowds are not that bad. It would seem that not many people are ready to celebrate Halloween with a hard-ticket event in September. Third, the cast is motivated on the first weekend to give the best performances. And finally, I expect to see and experience things as they were intended before they are tweaked by OHRC-minded management.

When I worked Screamhouse in 2002, it was three times as long on opening weekend as it was on other nights. Why? The designer of the house, Dave Clevinger of Terror On Church Street, created a dark maze for the middle portion that was meant to be very confusing. It succeeded so well that it took an average of 45 minutes to complete the house. Since Clevinger was only on contract to design the house, operations took over and changed it up a bit. After knocking out a few walls, adding lights, and having employees direct people through with flashlights, the house was reduced to 10-15 minutes. I also remember the original Run maze in 2001 when parties were split into two's and three's. This only happened in the beginning before they realized that doing so backed up the lines. I personally hate the conga lines and the flashlight employees yelling, "this way, keep moving." It is my hope to bypass this on opening night.

 

[Poohgirl]

If I make it at all this year, it will be on opening night due to my schedule. I have only been to opening nights in the past when I was working HHN. I am looking forward to seeing it this year as a guest for a few reasons. First, the opening ceremonies are usually pretty good. Second, crowds are not that bad. It would seem that not many people are ready to celebrate Halloween with a hard-ticket event in September. Third, the cast is motivated on the first weekend to give the best performances. And finally, I expect to see and experience things as they were intended before they are tweaked by OHRC-minded management.

When I worked Screamhouse in 2002, it was three times as long on opening weekend as it was on other nights. Why? The designer of the house, Dave Clevinger of Terror On Church Street, created a dark maze for the middle portion that was meant to be very confusing. It succeeded so well that it took an average of 45 minutes to complete the house. Since Clevinger was only on contract to design the house, operations took over and changed it up a bit. After knocking out a few walls, adding lights, and having employees direct people through with flashlights, the house was reduced to 10-15 minutes. I also remember the original Run maze in 2001 when parties were split into two's and three's. This only happened in the beginning before they realized that doing so backed up the lines. I personally hate the conga lines and the flashlight employees yelling, "this way, keep moving." It is my hope to bypass this on opening night.

Interesting perspective, thanks

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

We concur with Metro - there are really no slow nights. Thursday and Sundays tend to be less crowded but even then the regular lines can have anywhere from a 60-120 minute wait depending on the time and house. We wouldn't go without an express pass - even on a Sunday or Thursday. Last year we found that even the express lines could have a 20-30 minute wait on non-peak nights.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

I went on the last weekend last year and it was EMPTY. I mean, I got houses to myself. It was awful and amazing at the same time.]

 

[donaldduck352]

I went on the last weekend last year and it was EMPTY. I mean, I got houses to myself. It was awful and amazing at the same time.]

We did the same thing,the last night of HHN and we seen All the houses by 10pm.It started to get busy around 9 or so.But by then we only had 1 house to do(psychotherapy my fav last year)...

 

[Metro West]

I went on the last weekend last year and it was EMPTY. I mean, I got houses to myself. It was awful and amazing at the same time.]

I went on 11/1 last year and by the looks of the crowds that night, no one seemed to care Halloween was the previous night.

 

[Slacking]

As already stated, the best time to go is the last weekend. Especially when HHN creeps into November. I went 3-4 times last year and the final weekend was the only time I didn't feel like the crowds were overwhelming (and this is keeping in mind that the only other nights I visited were so-called "off-peak" nights.)

 

[Foladar]

We went the first weekend, it wasn't too bad. Stick with a Thursday or Sunday if you can help it, as stated, though. Stay and Scream is very helpful. We did a few houses by 8PM with the big crowds were coming in. Save the show(s) for later, IMO, and knock out the houses early.