137% increase in visitor numbers at High Chaparral

Last year, High Chaparral offer a Halloween experience that no one else could compete with. They had over 2,700 visitors, which they were very happy with. This year, they invested even more. It paid off. Over 699 visitors were scared silly in a Wild West town full of zombies.

- An increase of 137 percent is better than we even dared to dream of, says the park's marketing manager Malin Ögård.

Malin Ögård believes there are three clear reasons for the success. Last year, the area that was open was expanded, while at the same time more zombies and activities were added. This year, they also created a narrative about an abandoned Wild West town where everyone had died from an unexplained plague 150 years earlier but which had suddenly come back to life. In addition, parts of the town were made even scarier than in 1994.

- High Chaparral is a family park with children in mind. The spookier parts of town attract a new audience of older kids who love Halloween, without scaring away families with children.

Just like last year, the Run For Your Lives zombie race was organized, with over 600 runners chased by zombies adding to the atmosphere.

- "Halloween, together with our Christmas tables and conferences, is part of our efforts to make High Chaparral a year-round meeting place. The high number of visitors this summer and now the success of Halloween naturally strengthens our ideas," concludes the park's acting CEO and co-owner Emil Erlandsson.

High Chaparral goes big on Halloween

- After last year's success, we decided that High Chaparral should offer a Halloween no other amusement or theme park can compete with.

The Wild West park High Chaparral in Småland has been hosting Halloween celebrations for a couple of years. Last year, they expanded the area of the park that was open and added more zombies and activities. In addition, they made everything a little scarier than in previous years. Malin Ögård, marketing manager at High Chaparral, says that they hit the mark with a completely new target group.

- There were a lot of visitors. Above all, a new target group found its way to High Chaparral. It consisted of slightly older young people who love everything about Halloween. They liked our setting with an old town. No one else had that.

So this year, they've decided to put a little more effort into Halloween. Of course, all families with children should feel warmly welcomed and be suitably frightened by hollow-eyed zombies, resurrected Western heroes and wandering tourists left over from the summer. But after 5 p.m., some parts of the city will only be open to those over 15.

- It's going to be really scary. And the story behind it is already set for the whole celebration. The town of High Chaparral is transformed into the town that died and was forgotten after it was ravaged by an unknown plague in 1871. In October, 148 years later, the gates to the unknown are thrown wide open. "We are the only ones in Sweden to do this," concludes Malin Ögård.

The sheriff moves on

Our CEO Lotta Edin Johansson has chosen to move on to new challenges in life. The owners, board and staff of High Chaparral thank Lotta for the years she, together with her team, has been involved in developing High Chaparral to what it is today.
Lotta's last day at High Chaparral is September 27, 2019.

The process of recruiting a new CEO is underway and, in the meantime, Emil Erlandsson will act as interim CEO. The vision, strategy, goals and organization will continue exactly as previously decided. Emil's role will be, until the new CEO is in place, to implement and follow up on previously made decisions together with the management team. The owners and the Board have full confidence in the management of High Chaparral and the way the business is run today.

Jönssonsquaden to Family Day at High Chaparral

- With mother, father, children and even the cinnamon bun having their own day, we thought it was time someone paid attention to the family. That's why we plan to celebrate Family Day annually at High Chaparral. This year it will be Saturday, July 6th.

High Chaparral's CEO Lotta Edin Johansson says that they haven't yet decided whether Family Day will have a fixed date or always be celebrated on the first Saturday in July. But it is certain that they want to draw attention to the family every year in one way or another.

- We love families, whatever they look like. It is the family that is our main target group. By celebrating Family Day, we also want to point out that you don't passively consume attractions at High Chaparral, but with us the family creates experiences together.

To show that they are serious about Family Day, High Chaparral has invited one of Sweden's most popular families, the Jönssonsquad. On Youtube you can follow mom Tina, dad Jerry, little brother Kevin, big sister Alicia and the dog Blakki, when they do a lot of fun things together. They have become very popular in a short time. However, it is their six-year-old little brother Kevin, or Dulle as he is known, who is most famous. He is perhaps Sweden's youngest and most popular gamer, with 63,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel where he plays Fortnite. The idea of inviting them to the park is for visitors to the park to meet the popular family.

- It was pure chance that we discovered that they and we are driven by the same values. The Jönssons are a family where the children's interests engage the whole family, and where they really enjoy doing things together. They also talk a lot about the importance of respecting that everyone is different.

Lotta Edin Johansson says that when Dulle plays Fortnite, mom Tina or dad Jerry is always there, and it can never be more than two hours a day at the screen.

- Despite being a famous gamer, Dulle spends less time in front of the screen than many other children. The rest of the day is spent doing homework, playing with friends or hanging out with family. We like that at High Chaparral. Having the Jönssonsquad here for the premiere of Family Day feels really good.

Småland hit by gold fever

- One of our popular activities is gold panning. That's why we're making a major investment to build a new and bigger facility. Our new gold deposit will infect whole families with gold fever.

Lotta Edin Johansson, CEO of High Chaparral, talks about the theme park's latest major project. The plan is to rebuild a pond for gold panning, everything will then be built together with the current gold panning flumes.

- We already have a small pond with an island in the middle. But we're going to build a mountain with streams in it and turn the pond into a natural pool with a water level of twenty centimeters so that you can look for gold in it. Then there will be rafts to get between the island and the mainland.

The idea is that you can search, dig, and pan for gold around the mountain, in the streams, ponds, and gullies, just like they did back in the day in California in the 1870s. There will also be boots available to borrow for both adults and children.

- This is an investment that is completely in line with our strategy of being an amusement and theme park where you don't just consume experiences, but where children actually get the opportunity to play like children. And of course, adults can also pan for gold," concludes Lotta Edin Johansson.

Sweden's best theme park

We are so proud. For the fifth year in a row, we have been named Sweden's best theme park.

In the competition Stora Barnsemesterpriset we came second in the category of the best theme park in the Nordic region. Only beaten by Legoland, this means that we are the best theme park in Sweden, which we are very happy about.

The competition is organized by Barnsemester.se and the jury is the best you can imagine, namely families with children. We thank everyone who voted for us and promise that we will continue to do everything we can to make our visitors feel most comfortable with us in the Wild West