Dracula’s Castle Opening its Doors this Halloween
Forget Trick-or-treating! All the candy in the world couldn’t beat a new contest that’s just launched on Airbnb. You could be spending this Halloween in none other than Bran Castle in Transylvania, which is generally thought to be the inspiration for Dracula’s home in Bram Stoker’s novel. His great grandnephew Dacre Stoker is responsible for the event.
All you need to do is explain in between 50-500 words what you would say to Dracula if you met him fact to face. I’d probably ask if Blade: Trinity made him want to drive a stake through his own heart.
Oh, and no garlic allowed. Seriously, that’s one of the rules listed below. The Lord of the Undead doesn’t like selfies either, apparently. I guess I can understand that one.
The Space:
A horse-drawn carriage carries you swiftly through Transylvania as the sun sets towards the horizon, heralding the hours of swooping bats and howling wolves. When you come around the final bend on the tree-lined road, you’ll catch a glimpse of Bran Castle. This misty mountain-top manor is home for the night. The chill that suddenly fills the carriage is not the evening mist, it’s a fear older than the forests now grown up around the castle rock. This is the lair of vampires, and you cannot leave until dawn.
Dacre Stoker, Bram Stoker’s great grandnephew, will answer your knock on the castle’s imposing wooden doors. He will be your host for the night, and resident expert on Transylvanian lore. Enter the castle and explore the labyrinth of lamp-lit corridors, creepy nooks, and squeaky staircases while there is still light in the sky. You may traipse through all fifty-seven rooms, from lofty tower lookouts to deep dark crypts, and even enjoy an incomparable view of the Carpathians from the terrace as the sun makes its final descent. But once darkness comes, retreat inside. Unexpected guests have been known to come knocking in the moonlit hours.
A secret passage on the first floor leads to the grand dining room where an intimate candlelit dinner will await, prepared exactly as described in Bram Stoker’s novel. Following the hearty, blood-enriching meal, you will be left to sleep in luxurious velvet-trimmed coffins in the seclusion of the Count’s crypt.
Fall asleep to the creaks and whispers of the Transylvanian night, and the sound of wolves roaming outside the castle walls.
“Listen to them, children of the night, what music they make…”
The Entry:
Your dark imagination and deep knowledge of vampires will prepare you well to answer this simple question: What would you say to the Count if you were to come face-to-fang with him in his own castle? Show us your vampiric wit by 11:59 p.m. CET on 26th October 2016 and you could be sleeping in his crypt as the witching hour approaches.
Not a local in Transylvania? No worries. Winners will be flown in from anywhere in the world.
Guest Access:
You and your guest should be over 18 years old. You must be available to spend the night on 31st October – 1st November 2016.
Enter freely, go safely, and leave some of the happiness you bring.
Other Things to Note:
Submissions should be between 50-550 characters in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian or Portuguese and 100-300 characters in Chinese (Simplified or Traditional), Japanese or Korean. Please read the full contest rules under “House Rules” below.
House Rules:
• No garlic or garlic-scented items allowed
• You are kindly requested to leave your silver jewellry at home
• Do not cross the cutlery. In fact, please refrain from placing anything in a
• Cross formation
• Beware of the bats in the castle tower
• Please close all curtains before sunrise
• The count is not a fan of mirror selfies
Categorized:News
