MANCHESTER, NH – In the bowels of Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester, a fisher cat carrying a mysterious disease bit a team doctor trying to treat it, infecting the doctor and rendering him the “patient zero.” The disease spread rapidly, setting off a zombie apocalypse in the stadium, which was then abandoned in order to contain the disease.
Time has since passed, but for five weeks this fall, the stadium will reopen, and the public will be allowed to attend a haunted tour and experience the horror and the screams, as well as try to solve the mystery behind the disease.
From Oct. 2-Nov. 2, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats organization will host “Fright Nights at the Field: Screaming Line Drive” at Delta Dental Stadium, an immersive experience that Fisher Cats general manager Taylor Fisher hopes will become Manchester’s “flagship fall event.”
The Fisher Cats are one of four minor league franchises owned by Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH) who will host haunted tours at their stadiums throughout the country this fall — the others are in Worcester, Mass.; St. Paul, Minn.; and Oklahoma City, Okla.
DBH has partnered with Next Level Events Group, an event entertainment and creative agency, who have created four separate storylines for each city, hired the actors, and handled all of the production for the haunted tours.
“Fright Nights at the Field” will run from Thursday through Sunday — as well as Wednesday, Oct. 29 —although Fisher said that other dates could be added. Participants must be at least 12 years old to attend.
“If the demand is there, we’re open to adding more nights,” said Fisher.
The event will contain two main components.
First, with each ticket purchased, which ranges from $18-25 per person, depending on the night, participants will be allotted a one hour time slot where they will attend the 10-15 minute “Haunted Stadium Tour” below the stadium in groups of 12 people.
There will also be exit points for anyone who finds the tour too terrifying to finish.
“I’m kind of a wimp, but I’ll probably go on ‘The Haunted Stadium Tour’ because I’m really excited to host it,” Fisher said.
Next, for those looking to challenge themselves to find the cure and save the stadium, there will be the additional “Save the Ballpark Escape Rooms” held in the double-suites for $25 per person. Each of the three escape rooms, which will be attended by two to six people, will run approximately 15 minutes, and all three rooms must be completed to finish the puzzle.
“The escape rooms are an option, but certainly not a requirement,” said Fisher, who said that he is personally looking forward to them. “I have intentionally made sure that I am not part of the escape room planning so I don’t get tipped off.”
Additionally, the concourse areas will be open to anyone with a ticket, serving food and beverages with the actors roaming around and plenty of photo opportunities while people wait for their time slots, said Fisher, who encourages everyone attending to stay as long as they’d like and make a night of it.
The events will run from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and from 6-10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Fisher said the goal is to make “Fright Nights at the Field: Screaming Line Drives” an affordable annual event that will compete with other Halloween events in the region. “Manchester doesn’t really have a premiere fall event, so we’re really excited about bringing an entirely new event to Manchester,” he said.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.nhfishercats.com, or at the door the night of the event, if time slots have not been sold out.