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Hong Kong—Once drawing over 7 million yearly visitors and named one of the world’s most prominent amusement parks, Hong Kong’s Ocean Park has faced swooping attendance since the pandemic’s massive blow to tourism. The park relied heavily on overseas tourists, who accounted for over 70% of visits.
But this Halloween season, the over-45-year-old park is shrewdly harnessing Hong Kongers’ enduring interest in 1980s culture and urban tales of the Kowloon Walled City. The goal is to attract more local crowds by tailoring offerings to connect with changing festive preferences post-pandemic.
One of the most well-known advertisements of Ocean Park Halloween fest in 2010.
Localised immersive set
Halloween has been a signature part of Ocean Park for over two decades, which is held between late Sepetmebr to early November during weekends and Oct 31. The park first launched its ‘Halloween Fest’ event in 2000, playfully translating ‘Halloween’ into Cantonese as ‘Ha Lo Wai’ (哈囉喂) in promotions.
Video on the origin of this year’s theme, “Horrors of the Hidden City” (厲鬼圍城).
This year, the “Horrors of the Hidden City” theme aims to ignite imaginations about one of Hong Kong’s most famous eras – the lawless Kowloon Walled City that evokes a nostalgic ’80s aesthetic, which, elaborated haunted houses like “Hotel Morte” and creepy “Netherworld Wedding” vividly bring the era’s lore to life through immersive sets and scenarios.
Featuring exotic K-show
One show is taking another center stage for this year’s Halloween Fest is the wildly popular “Too Hot to K-Oppa” vampire dance show featuring Korean Boy idols’ adult-only show, featuring exotic dance and . The pulsating K-pop performance clearly targets younger crowds, which attracted 24-year-old Toby Tam,
“I feel like the Oppa show is something new and I came Ocean Park because I want to watch this show particularly.” she said.
“The Oppa show grabbed my attention more than other Halloween options this year,” Tam shared. The promotion of the Oppa show is notably engaging across social media, which is also where that promotion caught her attention. And with LKF, a familiar haunt she’s frequented many times, the timely hype around the K-pop performance made it the fascinating choice for her Halloween celebration. “It seemed different than before,” Tam added.
Balancing broad appeal has trade-offs. Parent Kelvin Cheng, 32, brought his 5-year-old daughter Ching Ching to the show but admitted some areas were unsuitable for children, like the prison escape, zombie zones, and the topless show.
Still, the park offers “Candy Pinata Parties” and a pumpkin quest for families; even if catering to all ages might be difficult, Cheng admits it is about the target audience instead of the festival’s quality.
“Just bring my daughter here to let her feel the atmosphere; I loved the fest 10 years ago, but now I might take her to Disneyland instead.” Cheng said.
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A post shared by Ocean Park Hong Kong (@hkoceanpark) on 2024’s event.
With overseas tourist numbers still depressed, Ocean Park has pivoted to target locals by hype-building on social media, holding member previews, and collaborating with Threads influencers, the Park’s Marketing Director Franklin Law told media. The goal is to transform the Halloween Fest into a journey through Hong Kong’s twisted tales—now more crucial than ever for the park’s survival.
In 2020, the legislature approved a HK$5.4 billion (US$692 million) relief fund for the park to remain floating for another 12 months to keep the park “alive” from the pandemic closing and looming tourism.
However, since 2015, attendance at Ocean Park has slipped. In 2016, there were more visits to Disneyland than Ocean Park for the first time. In 2022, Ocean Park’s visits plunged by more than 75 percent to about 1.4 million before rebounding to 2.1 million in 2023, according to Ocean Park’s yearly financial reports from 2009-2023.
Ocean Park has pioneered creative new themes and marketing angles each year, sparking online buzz. But what makes Ocean Park’s Halloween truly special is fusing Western horror with Chinese folklore, classic local ghost stories, famous haunted landmarks, and more.
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Although attendance numbers for 2024 are not yet available, Ocean Park’s targeted Hong Kong-themed approach resonates somewhat with changing local tastes compared to reliance on imported foreign concepts. However, the park faces ongoing challenges driving local engagement and recovering tourism in the long term. While tapping into nostalgia and Hong Kong culture reflects efforts to adapt, it remains uncertain whether this strategy will boost attendance to sustainable levels in the park’s new normal.
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