After a nearly five-year hiatus, Long Beach’s favorite Halloween event is clawing and crawling its way back to the shore.
Dark Harbor at Queen Mary, one of Long Beach’s iconic holiday traditions, will make its return on Sept. 20 with the haunted mazes, live entertainment, themed bars and on-board scares so many people came to love each spooky season. The event ran from 2010 to 2019 in the Queen Mary parking lot and aboard the ship, drawing 100,000 people each year.
“Dark Harbor has become an iconic part of our city’s Halloween celebrations, and we are excited to once again transform the Queen Mary into a haunted spectacle for scare-goers,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a public statement.
“Having brought in hundreds of thousands of visitors to Long Beach in years past, its return is another major step in the Queen Mary’s recovery and return to a premier tourist attraction.”
The theme for this year’s return of the beloved event will be Dark Harbor: The Spirits Rise. The Queen Mary’s legacy will be eerily highlighted through characters like The Captain, Ringmaster, Scary Mary as well as new additions to the frightful family.
Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group will produce, promote and operate the event for the next five years, following an event license agreement the City made with the company in April. The City and Evolution Hospitality currently own the Queen Mary and adjacent property.
A profit-sharing component was part of the licensing agreement, meaning Long Beach can benefit by more than $1 million from this year’s event, and up to $3 million in the final year.
“After a four-year hiatus, we’re thrilled to resurrect Dark Harbor and summon the spirits back to The Queen Mary for this coming Halloween season,” said Steve Caloca, Managing Director of the Queen Mary in a public statement.
“We’re grateful to be working with Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, as well as the unwavering support of the City of Long Beach. This event holds a special place in the community’s heart, and has long been a cornerstone of Long Beach’s Halloween traditions.”
Dark Harbor will run select nights from Friday, Sept. 20 through Saturday, Nov. 2. Event updates and announcements will be revealed later this summer at darkharborhalloween.com.
