Cal Poly Pomona’s PumpkinFest has added a new attraction to the annual festivities. The Night Maze has lots of excited visitors going in, but the visitors are less excited coming out.
The Night Maze is exactly like the other Corn Maze except it is in the dark and more expensive.
Guests who have experienced the Corn Maze know it is fun for all ages. The twists and turns through the rows of corn, finding scattered letters to create a word and receiving candy is worth the price of three tickets (tickets are $1 per ticket).
According to the PumpkinFest website, the Corn Maze is open Tuesdays-Fridays from noon until dusk and Saturdays-Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Unfortunately for guests, the Night Maze admission price is $4 cash or credit, but no tickets can be used. The Night Maze is open Friday and Saturday from 6-8 p.m.
The front display of the maze is full of creepy decorations accompanied by spooky background music. This ambiance adds the right amount of suspense to hype up visitors.
Waiting to enter the maze for the first time, Kaylyn Del Campo said, “I feel like whenever (my friends and I) go through mazes, we get confused and laugh about it.”
Quickly after entering the maze, guests discover that the only thing to do is find the hidden letters to discover a secret word, just like the Corn Maze. A piece of candy is also awaiting guests once they find their way out.
After completing the maze with her friend, Faye Ling said, “I enjoyed it, but (my friend) made it scary. I thought it was going to be full of people popping out at you and stuff.”
There are no scare actors within the maze. According to the PumpkinFest website, guests in the Night Maze are recommended to “bring or purchase a flashlight or brave the dark as (they) explore every spooky turn.” This statement is somewhat misleading to guests as to what would be found in the maze.
Maze-goer Tyler Clawson said, “Honestly, I was really disappointed with the lack of scariness. It was cool and I enjoyed it, but I was expecting more.”
The Poly Post attempted to interview a Night Maze employee about the attraction, however the employee declined to disclose any information.
The Night Maze and the rest of the PumpkinFest activities and attractions will be open for the rest October during selected dates and hours.