Halloween 2020

This Halloween we're inviting little super sleuths to solve the mystery of a story that has haunted the darkest corners of the zoo since it first opened, a tale swathed in intrigue and ghostly horror. 

This half term you're being invited to decipher clues about a missing pilot dating back to when the zoo was the site of the former Stanley Park Aerodrome.

A newly built aircraft took off from the aerodrome on Thursday October 31st 1940 on its maiden voyage to the Squires Gate Airport just a few short miles away. 

This is where the mystery truly begins, as the plane never made it to its final destination. No trace was ever found and the pilot was never seen again.

That was 80 years ago and a lot has changed since then. This story has faded into myth and no one has spoken about this missing pilot in decades, until now…

From Sat 24th October to Sun 1st November the zoo will have touches of a 1940s aerodrome and visitors will be asked to piece together clues from the pilot’s log book, which will reveal a series of letters to spell out the location of the missing pilot. 

The popular Dinosaur Safari will be transformed into a new immersive experience with spooky sound and lighting, props and…...in the centre of the lake….the missing pilot’s plane, which appeared from the mist early one morning.

For younger visitors, there is another trail that takes little ones on a poem led walk to find mini pumpkin patches, each with a letter spelling out the location of the final one, which is a beautiful photo opportunity for people to take pictures to remember the day! 

We're so excited about our Halloween activities this year and, after a year like no other, we've pulled out all the socially distanced stops! The zoo is already starting to look very different as we're working hard to transform it into an immersive experience that will capture the imagination of visitors.

We all need a bit of escapism right now, and a socially distanced, Covid-secure visit to the zoo is just the ticket. Our story centrepiece was donated by the wonderful fire crew at Blackpool Airport and looks stunning, so huge thanks to them once again.”

The trail will run from Saturday 24th October until Sunday 1st November. Due to safety measures in place Blackpool Zoo is operating on a reduced capacity pre-booking is advised. All activities are included in your visit, just make sure to pick up a trail sheet from Admissions.

Blackpool Zoo is only taking booking from single households and support bubbles.

You can read about everything we're doing to keep our visitors, staff and animals safe here.