An event which brought screams to a Norfolk seafront attraction has seen off competition from Alton Towers to claim an award at the international tourism horror Oscars.
Fairground Frights debuted at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach in Halloween 2020 and has won the Best Scare Zone and Roaming Characters category at ScareCON, the European awards for companies that work within the scare industry.
The event also came runner-up in the Best Halloween Scare experience and Best New Event/Attraction categories.
In the lead-up to October 31, the event had a host of sinister characters haunt the rides accompanied by light projections and a ghostly soundtrack of Halloween hits.
Fairground Frights won Best Scare Zone/Roaming Characters beating Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventure and Twycross Zoo.
The success has prompted the Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach team to confirm Fairground Frights will return from October 27 to 31 this year with tickets going on sale soon.
Aaron Jones, the park’s marketing director, said: “Our efforts to host ghosts and create frights on the site proved hugely popular with visitors.
"We worked with some great performers and highly creative people to make Fairground Frights a fantastic experience and being nominated for ScareCon is a great reward for our four nights of fear last year.
“We launched it as a way of showcasing the Pleasure Beach in the autumn and also providing a host of Halloween thrills.”
ScareCon judges said they were really impressed by the atmosphere created during the debut event.
A spokesman for the judges said: “The roaming actors could scare relentlessly and nowhere was safe within the park.
"The seasonal makeovers of the Fun Factory and the Haunted Hotel added to the experience creating a fun and scary Halloween night out.”
The event also proved to be a huge hit with some evenings selling out completely.
Mr Jones added: “We want to say a huge thanks to all of our amazing customers who came along. We could not have done it without them, and we are looking forward to bringing it back later this year."
Tickets for the 2021 Fairground Frights will be on sale soon. You can book tickets at the Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach website.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here