Every Autumn since 1994 Tulley’s Farm in Turners Hill, near Crawley, has played host to the ‘Shocktober Fest,’ an annual celebration of all things evil. Recently crowned Europe’s biggest scare park, Tulley’s has grown from a local Halloween event to a nationwide must-see experience, expanding from a simple pumpkin festival to eight horror attractions in less than a decade. Behind this madness and mayhem are 130 employees who make everything runs smoothly to ensure every guest gets what they came for – a horrifically memorable time. 

Alicia Dorey is midway through her second Halloween season at the farm as a host, and loves it. “It’s so much fun working at Tulley’s but so scary, you can’t compare it to anything else.” Dorey describes her time at Tulley’s as “different and entertaining,” and appreciates the sense of community alongside the opportunity to be a part of such an enthusiastic team. The only downside, she says, is the exhaustion: “It can be tiring if you’re working back-to-back shifts in the half term, like I have previously done.” But even despite this Dorey emphasises how much she enjoys working there -since Tulley’s is a theatrical experience, it is no surprise that many local drama and theatre students work there during the Halloween events. 

Peter Gregory, an Actor, says that he was drawn to Tulley’s as he thought it would be perfect experience as a drama student. Currently working in the ‘Twisted Clowns 3D’ attraction, Gregory finds that scaring is “rewarding as you know you’re giving a convincing performance.” While only this being his first year as a scare actor, he was previously a part of the events team and raves about how supportive and encouraging the team is. Gregory describes his time as a scare actor as “incredibly intense physically and vocally. Luckily, you are prepared with warm ups.” 

Aside from their October events, we can also look forward to their fireworks display on the 4th of November, where there is live music and street theatre shows, making it an enjoyable and unique occasion. Tulley’s also offers Christmas events from the 25th of November to the third of January which introduces their new ice skating rink and the Santa’s grotto event which is popular among families as well as three of the food courts being open to visitors all day. Although Tulley’s is known for its ‘Shocktober’ events, they have festivities year round for all ages. “It grows bigger and bigger every year” Dorey states, “It gets so busy, but it’s worth it”.

Mhari Grace, Oriel High School.