There will be Halloween Havoc at Efteling thanks to its newest attraction opening on Halloween: Danse Macabre.
“For the first time, the chapel doors open ajar and the secrets inside are revealed,” stated Efteling.” Discover all the different details in the sixth making-of and come experience the haunted spectacle for yourself from 31 October 2024!
Danse Macabre is a haunted spectacle full of dark twists where 108 souls each take their seats to “dance” to the musical piece of French composer Camille Saint-Saëns of the same name.
The design team visited several abbeys in Belgium for inspiration. Efteling’s investment in Danse Macabre and the new Huyverwoud themed era is around 35m Euros.
From 31 October 2024, Efteling will let visitors to Danse Macabre on a large 18-metre diameter turntable. On this turntable, there are six smaller turntables, each with one choir seat with three rows, that in total hold 108 visitors.
The large turntable will rise, tilt and fall, spinning like a coin before falling flat. Danse Macabre’s spectacular ride system is the first of its kind and makes its debut at Efteling.
Designer Jeroen Verheij explained that “The bizarre thing- and at the same time the beautiful thing- is that, as a designer, you are at the very beginning of inventing and sketching what we are showing here now. That means that I am actually in my own drawing now.
“I hope our guests will be overwhelmed by what they see soon enter this chapel. It is a hugely impressive space. This will be an unforgettable attraction.”
The 20-metre-high attraction is located in a completely new 17,000km2 creepy themed area with cattery, retail and matching entertainment: the creepy Huyverwould forest. It will house dining locations like In den Swarte Kat and the Koetshuys and a souvenir shop.
Visitors enter the creepiest part of Efteling via an ominous abbey square. They will find, among other things, dark catering locations In den Swarte Kat and ‘t Koetshuys and toilet facility De laetste Hoop. The Charlatan family and their special barrel organ, Esmerelda, will provide creepy entertainment.
Through a gate, visitors from eight onwards enter the ’waiting route’. This queue full of surprises leads them via the cloister, a mysterious herb garden, a grim cemetery and a creepy forest to the entrance of Danse Macabre. There, a creepy spectacle full of dark twists awaits them.
Images: Efteling
