There will be no Fright at the Fort this year.
The Friends of Fort Knox announced the decision on Thursday afternoon.
“The board, director, staff and past Fright volunteers struggled with this decision, but with each year, we experienced increased production costs, guest misbehavior, liability insurance risk, and decreased attendance with fewer staff and volunteers. It was not decided lightly,” the Friends of Fort Knox said in a social media post.
The Fright at the Fort was started in 2000 as a fundraiser for the Friends of Fort Knox. It grew into one of the largest Halloween events in northern New England, each year attracting more than 10,000 people to the fort, and utilizing a small army of local scare actors, makeup, costume and set designers and other volunteers to pull off the signature event. For several years, it raised more than $100,000 each year toward operations, maintenance and upkeep of Fort Knox.
The 2018 Stephen King-themed event was the biggest Fright ever, with more than 15,000 people in attendance over the event’s five days, causing traffic to become backed up for several miles along the Penobscot Narrows Bridge on the first weekend.
Much like other major public events, the Fright at the Fort fell on hard times during the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted organizers to cancel it in 2020 and 2021.
“To the many fans of Fright, we’re sincerely sorry to disappoint you. To the local community and supporters who made past Frights so successful and frightful, we cannot thank you all enough for your efforts and energy. We could not have done it without you,” the Friends of Fort Knox said.
Former BDN writer Abigail Curtis contributed to this report.
