Pirates of Emerson is one of the most popular Halloween events in the Bay Area. Every Halloween season, people come to see the haunted mazes and the iconic attractions with excellent actors and well-detailed costumes. This year, the event is running from September 26th to November 2nd.
Behind the Scenes
“It actually started, gosh, over thirty years ago — just this tiny little haunted house in Pleasanton. And then, every year, it kind of… grew. We added more sets, more actors, more effects. Now it’s like this full-on Halloween tradition for the Bay Area. It’s wild,” said Alice Shaw (‘03), Pirates of Emerson director.
This tradition is the result of months and months of immaculate planning and dedication. The Emerson crew begins their prep almost immediately after the end of every Halloween. By spring they are already building the sets and props, in August they begin training their actors, and by late September the Alameda Fairgrounds transform into a different world of smoke, screams, and fog.
“The hardest part? Safety, hands down. You’ve got hundreds of people walking through dark hallways, strobe lights, fog, everything has to run perfectly,” said Shaw.
Spooky atmosphere
At the carnival booths, sporting games such as playing basketball with heads and throwing toilet paper into toilet bowls entice visitors.
“It’s fun the crowd’s always wild and people come in costume, some are still like half screaming from the haunted houses when they get here and they’re laughing and trying to toss rings at the same time it’s chaos but good chaos,” said attendee Jacob Schultz (‘18).
Scare factor
The atmosphere of the event is the most important part in ensuring the spookiness of the event. The actors, the fog, the music, and the flashing lights create a tense yet playful feeling. The main purpose of going to Pirates of Emerson is, of course, the scares. Spooky actors chasing people around, chaos all around the place, while rock music plays in the background.
“It was a very nice atmosphere, I really liked the decorations and the vibe of the whole place. Next year, there should be more actors, more scares. I want to be very scared,” said Pauline Orbe (‘28).
