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Boo in the Woo brings Halloween thrills and chills to Polar Park

Polar Park goes from ballpark to “boo park” this October, with haunted tours for brave souls and fall festivities for families

WORCESTER—Polar Park is trading home runs for hauntings this October as the Worcester Red Sox roll out Fright Nights at the Field: Boo in the Woo, an immersive haunted experience for mature audiences, along with a family-friendly fall festival on weekend afternoons.

According to the announcement, the nighttime haunted tour transforms the park into a post-apocalyptic scene of zombies, ghosts, and ghoulish surprises. Boo in the Woo runs every Thursday through Sunday evening through Halloween, October 31. Guests 12 and older can explore a “fictional, abandoned Polar Park” overtaken by the undead, portrayed by professional cosplayers.

The haunt’s backstory is pure Worcester horror fiction: after a failed field experiment involving a formula called “Red Thread,” Polar Park supposedly became ground zero for a bizarre contamination that left only the grass alive. Now, the “restoration tour” invites the public to see what’s left—if they dare.

Haunted walkthroughs take place at 6, 7, and 8 p.m. each night, with Gate D on Madison Street opening at 5:30 p.m. Guests are asked to arrive 30 minutes early, and each group is limited to 15 participants. Tickets are $29 if purchased in advanced, and $31 the day of the event. VIP packages ($59) include access to the Royal Wooters Club, a complimentary beverage in a souvenir cup, and themed entertainment.

During daylight hours, Boo in the Woo for Kids turns the same ballpark into a fall wonderland. Running every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. through October 26, families can enjoy pumpkin decorating, face painting, carnival games and a hay maze. The WooSox mascots—Smiley Ball, Woofster the WonderDog, Roberto the Rocket, and Clara, the Heart of the Commonwealth—will don their own Halloween costumes for the occasion. Kids are encouraged to come in costume, too.

Tickets for the children’s festival are $12 for adults and $10 for kids when purchased in advance ($15 and $12, respectively, the day of the event). Both events are rain or shine, and ticket exchanges will be available in case of bad weather.

The ballpark’s Home Plate Bar also transforms into an Oktoberfest-style beer garden, complete with fall-themed food and drink specials, and the WooSox Team Store carries limited-edition glow-in-the-dark merchandise.

Tickets for all events are available at polarpark.com/boo.

Have news, tips, or a story worth telling? Reach Editor Charlene Arsenault at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org—because good stories (and great scoops) deserve to be shared.

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