Filoli’s Halloween experiences are drawing record crowds, with the heritage site reporting a sold-out opening weekend for its Nightfall attraction.
Filoli has now sold more than 53,000 tickets across its Autumn Days and Nightfall experiences, with the strong turnout representing the latter's biggest fall opening to date.
This builds on record advance demand for the Halloween experience, which surpassed 32,000 tickets sold before the summer ended.
Nightfall, now in its third year as an expanded experience, transforms Filoli after dark and has established itself as one of the Bay Area's most distinctive and popular Halloween attractions.
Filoli’s Halloween experiences, Autumn Days and Nightfall, are drawing record crowdsFiloli
Highlights include more than 1,000 illuminated jack-o'-lanterns, over 200 scarecrows, character actors, a new Witches' Village, and a new Haunted Railway.
At the Autumn Days experience at Filoli, guests can enjoy photo opportunities, a vintage farm truck filled with pumpkins, harvest games, seasonal food and drinks, and the new Creepy Treat Challenge.
“Nightfall has grown tremendously since we first introduced it, and this year’s opening weekend shows just how much guests have embraced the experience,” said Kara Newport, president & CEO of Filoli.
“We’re thrilled to see families, couples, and friend groups coming from across the Bay Area and beyond to experience everything fall at Filoli has to offer during the day, then discovering a completely different side of Filoli after dark.”
Speaking to blooloop about Nightfall's expansion, Filoli's chief experience officer Davey Barrett said: “I’m ambitious, but I didn’t imagine it would scale this quickly!
"We started small, with horticulturalists dressed as quirky characters and our talent acquisition specialist playing the role of a fairy. In that first year, I installed the smoke, sound and lighting effects myself.
"From those grass-roots beginnings, Nightfall has evolved into something extraordinary. Because it was homegrown, it feels authentic, and that spirit still drives everything we do."
Filoli is a 654-acre historic estate in Woodside, California, featuring a 1917 Georgian Revival mansion, 16 acres of English Renaissance-style gardens, and expansive natural lands with forests, trails, meadows and diverse ecosystems.
Autumn Days and Nightfall are running at Filoli through 1 November.
