Queen Mary's Dark Harbor
Queen Mary's Dark Harbor is a yearly Halloween haunted attraction at the in Long Beach, California. During the fall season, the Queen Mary and its parking lot are converted to comprise mazes, "slider" street performances, a virtual reality horror experience, and circus performances. The event is populated by a variety of scare performers, led by "icons" such as Scary Mary, the Captain, Half Hatch Henry, and the Ringmaster.
Queen Mary's Dark Harbor was predated by the annual Halloween event, entitled, "Shipwreck: Halloween Terror Fest." In 2019, a sister location was developed in Orlando, Florida by the Epic Entertainment group, entitled, "Dark Horizons: Point of No Return." This event included three walk-through mazes, various performances, themed food and bars, and wandering scare actors.
Dark Harbor was developed by a team directed by David Wally, well known for directing projects such as the Westworld immersive activation at SXSW. The Queen Mary has a long history of ghost stories and supposed hauntings, which served as the attraction's inspiration. The supposedly haunted Room B340, as one example, inspired a Dark Harbor maze. Prioritizing greater audience immersion year over year, the team added alternate paths, hidden passages, and secret bars.
Dark Harbor ceased to exist following the COVID-19 pandemic, being temporarily replaced by Shaquille O'Neal's SHAQtoberfest. Dark Harbor reopened on September 20, 2024, under new management by the Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group. The sister location of Dark Horizons was also cancelled in 2020, ending its one-year run.