The best time of the year has finally come, Halloween time! But this year's Halloween event at California's Great America looks a little different than in years past. Gone is the scary Halloween Haunt and here is the more family friendly Tricks & Treats. The question everyone wants to know is: how was it? Well, I might like it more than Haunt. It's not scary but it's delightfully done with plenty of good and silly theming, activities and of course, all the rides that we love from CGA. So without further ado, let's talk about the event!

Table of Contents

• Tricks & Treats
  • Everfall
  • Sweet Tooth Acres
  • Planet Snoopy
  • Ickyville
  • Spooky Spires
• Markings Near Drop Tower

Tricks & Treats

As you'd expect the front of the park has the T&T logo greeting you

Before we run through the lands of the park, let's talk about a couple things. First, T&T brings some new policies around bags. If you're in the park before 6pm you can bring your bags in but if you get in after 6, you'll need to abide by these rules

As you'd expect, there's plenty of T&T merch. I really like the park skyline in front of the moon

The stage at the front of the park features several shows

This one ended up being a very cute kids costume show

The park is divided into 4 (or 5) themed lands. Now let's walk around the park in counter-clockwise order starting with Everfall, then Sweet Tooth Acres

Then Ickyville and finally Spooky Spires

Everfall

The first zone is Everfall, which takes over Hometown Square

It's got the classic orange and pumpkin aesthetic that you'd expect from fall

It has a handful of activity stands for kids, like this one for decorating gourds and another for decorating rocks

There's also a cute little maze for kids

And a big stage that shows the Great Craft Off

One little detail I hope stays is the tables with firepits under and around Railblazer

Sweet Tooth Acres

The County Fair area of the park has become Sweet Tooth Acres. As you'd expect, it's full of big candy like this candy cane arch

The big draw here is the trick or treat trail

Kids head up to several doors like this scattered throughout the area...

And when they knock, CGA employees "answer" the door and give the kids candy. Very cute!

Once you got towards Action Zone, the candy theming faded and some more generic Halloween-y elements popped up

Planet Snoopy

Planet Snoopy, the (5th) area of the park that I mentioned earlier was more or less the same

With lots of pumpkins of course

And Snoopy was dressed up for the occasion

Ickyville

Continuing around, we get to Ickyville, which takes over All American Corners

In what is, I'm sure, to be a popular area with kids, it's themed to general grossness, with some ride renames, like Booger Flicker

Or maybe Filthy Fly Flyers?

Or the new for 2022 Liberty Hurler

My personal favorite that I didn't get a shot of is Orbit becoming Centrifugal Farts

But the area featured more than just renamed rides. There was a row of games set up near Mass Effect or the South Bay Shores entrance

Slime Works takes over the Kids Stuff Outfitters

Which features a little area for kids to...

Make their own slime kits!

I know that I would've been all over this if I were younger

Continuing around the area, the stage for the Snots, a cover band was here. Allegedly the show was really good but unfortunately I missed it

The coolest part of the area was the original walkaround characters! The fish monster was the best!

There was also a little activity booth for the kids here

Here like the rest of the restaurants in the park, you can find some special Halloween dishes, like this one at South Bay Cantina

I just had to show this one! Like the park just wanted to unload a bunch of TV dinners they had! I probably should've tried it. I'm sure it tasted great but it still is kind of a silly idea!

Also very cool, there was a show called the Gross Out Gauntlet that I missed

Looks like it was some sort of kids Fear Factor eating challenge

The former Wax Museum facade sits empty here. I wonder what will happen to the venue if Haunt is gone?

Spooky Spires

The final area of the park is Spooky Spires in Orleans Place

Although it remains family friendly, this is definitely the darkest area

With more traditional dark Halloween decorations

Like the usual Haunt hearse!

Or these little witches

Some of the entertainment in this area is the Disco Crypt Yard, a silent disco

Where you can borrow a set of headphones and dance to a DJ among the gravestones and fog

I didn't see it but there was also the Spectral Sisters

The adults could visit the Blood Bank Bar

With a good little assortment of drinks

And some good decorations fitting the name inside!

So that'll wrap up our coverage of the event!

Visit the event if you can! Only the rest of this run and then WinterFest and then the season is over!

Markings Near Drop Tower

But Tricks & Treats isn't the only exciting thing happening at the park this month, let's check in on the markings around Drop Tower. The markings themselves are back

And they bring a new set of work walls

These lie in front of Grizzly at the former Tooth Fairy building

And wrap towards the Grizzly entry plaza

Again, still no word about what this might mean for the park. My money is still on demolition or rehabilitation of these buildings. It certainly could open up some room for a flat ride or combine with Grizzly to give room for a new coaster. Of course this is all with the potential closure of the park on the horizon. We'll wait and see what comes of this!

So that'll wrap up our update for the day! I was really really impressed with the event. If you go in expecting Haunt you'll be very disappointed but I really liked the multiple themed areas. There were so many little touches that just showed how much care went into the event. If you can, get out to the park and see it before it ends! Our next update at the park will be for WinterFest!