This year was the first time we went through the Wicker Man themed maze, The Welcoming: Be chosen at Alton Towers Scarefest. This maze is located directly opposite Wicker Man. It is located in the courtyard area which is usually used a seating area for the tavern. Admission into the house has to be bought separately at a cost of £8 per person.
Alton Towers have created a very well thought out backstory to this house which follows the same group of people as you encounter on the Wicker Man rollercoaster.
From Alton Towers website….
The woods surrounding the village of Alton harbor a mysterious group, which until recent sightings were unseen by the modern world. Whispers around the village say that the group are angered by people abusing the world’s natural resources and the rapid advance of technology. Every year the secluded group host a festival to celebrate their own interpretation of Halloween – paying homage to the earth and celebrating the crossover between the living world and the dead. The group have recently infiltrated the Alton Towers Resort and for the first time are allowing outsiders to celebrate with them. But what part will you (‘the outsiders’) play in this ritual?
The majority of this maze is set outside although there are some very dark, indoor sections. To get the best experience from this maze we would advise you to book a time slot for this house for when it’s dark. The scare actors in this maze were very enthusiastic and energetic and they were certainly able to deliver some good jump scares. The actors in this maze are allowed to touch you but they will not hold on to you. The maze ends with a well designed fire effect. This was the first time we had ever seen real fire used in a maze at any haunt event we have ever attended.
Overall opinion…
We really enjoyed our walkthrough The Welcoming: Be chosen. This maze was a well rounded mixture of some very good theming and some decent jump scares. This maze is definitely not as scary as some of the more intense mazes at Alton Towers such as Project 42. We would not advise that children under 13 experience this maze however, we do feel it would be a good first maze for those aged 13 or above. If you do get the opportunity to visit Alton Towers Scarefest in the future then we would definitely recommend that you experience this Wicker Man themed maze.
Rating- 7/10
If you enjoyed reading this article then please check out our review of Wicker Man, Alton Towers newest coaster.
For more information on Scarefest at Alton Towers then click the link to check out the parks official website.
