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34th annual Spooktacular event held at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

The Spooktacular event will be happening again on Halloween weekend from 6 to 10 p.m.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Costumes, candy and animals, there's no better way to kick off Halloween. 

“We’re just super happy to bring this event again this year even just as we the outing of COVID-19. We’re an outdoor venue obviously so we’re super excited to have this event," said Kelly Rouillard, director of marketing & sales at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.

Rouillard says they were expecting over 4,000 guests to come to the event.

First Coast News talked to a mother of two children who is a member at the zoo, and she says she’s glad she’s able to get her kids out of the house.

“To me honestly I think it’s a good thing seeing how we’re just coming out of COVID there was a lot of us locked away, it’s a good way for us to get out and enjoy each other and keeping our distancing and still wearing and mask and everything," said LaShanda Richey.

Rouillard says it took them eight to nine months to prepare for the event and this year they have new attractions for the community to check out.

“We’ve reimagined the whole event and everyone will see something completely different than what they’ve seen in the past. We’ve invested a lot of time and effort in décor and buying new fixtures and a lot of fun things," said Rouillard. 

Rouillard says they have a new virtual ghost hunting app, several scare zones that are new, and everyone’s favorite the candy stations. She says they bought over 1.5 million pieces of candy for the event.

“We just ask for everyone to come and have a good time. We got adult drinks and themed food and a lot of activities for kids," said Rouillard. 

The Spooktacular event will be happening again on Halloween weekend from 6 to 10 p.m.

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