Grave Concerns: Five People Will Be Shut in Coffins for 24 Hours at Elitch Gardens

More than 200 people signed up to spend 24 hours in a coffin at Elitch Gardens. On Saturday, October 5, five lucky (or unlucky) souls will take on the challenge.

The Denver amusement park is hosting its first Pine Box Challenge this weekend, offering five participants the chance to win nearly $900 worth of passes if they can survive an entire day in a wooden box. The contest kicks off at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 5, and concludes at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 6.

In addition to claustrophobia, contestants will face a series of spooky trials in exchange for time out of the box or perks like access to a cell phone. These will include solo walks through the park's haunted houses, roller coaster rides in the dark, and surprises involving "creepy crawly bugs," says Katelyn Beets, marketing manager of the amusement park.

"There's a little bit of torture involved. I mean, that's the point," Beets says. "We've got some fun stuff planned."

The makeshift coffins will be propped at an angle in front of a stage by the Half Pipe roller coaster near the back of the park. The cost of watching the challenge unfold is built into the Elitch Gardens admission fee.

The wooden boxes built for the event are not quite as restrictive as real coffins; an opening will be cut in the lids, exposing the contestants from mid-chest up. They'll also have designated break times when they can leave the coffins to use the bathroom and eat meals, which will be provided.

"We're keeping it humane," Beets says. "But they're going to spend most of the time in the coffin for the full 24 hours, unless they bow out early. And we're not going to make their sleeping part easy, I'll just say that."

The contestants are allowed to bring one sleeping bag and one pillow to take into the coffin. But no entertainment items like books or music players will be permitted, and cell phones will be collected before they enter.

Anyone who makes it to the end of the 24 hours will receive two Elitch Gardens 2025 season passes, two 2025 premium dining plans and two 2024 Fright Fest X-Scream and admission passes (plus "eternal bragging rights"), an $890 value overall. All five of the participants can leave winners, though if none of them make it to the end, the last person to leave the coffin will win the prizes.

Would-be contestants had to submit essays regarding why they wanted to be selected for the challenge. "The general gist of it was so many parents being like, 'I could use a nap,'" Beets says. "They would rather sit in a coffin for 24 hours just to be left alone, rather than being at home."

The five contestants selected include people who grew up coming to the park, single parents competing for their teenage kids, and those who wrote rhyming poems for their applications. Details about the participants will be published on the Elitch Gardens website once their involvement is confirmed, so visitors can read about and root for their favorite contestant.

This event is part of Fright Fest, the annual Halloween celebration that brings haunted attractions to the theme park. This year's Fright Fest launched on September 28 and will last through November 3.

"We've never done anything like this before at our park, but Fright Fest is such a big event for us," Beets says. "We want to do something different and out there, a stunt to get people excited and bring something new to the event."

Visitors can watch the start and end of the coffin challenge at Elitch Gardens; however, the park closes at 10 p.m. on Saturday and won't reopen until Sunday at noon. The contest will continue while the park is closed, with videos and photos of the festivities posted online and via social media, Beets says.

Good luck to the brave souls taking on the terrifying task. Let's hope they're not making a grave mistake.