Go · Theme parksNo. 7275 · The 2026 edition
Theme park Halloween events in 2026, compared.
Halloween Horror Nights, Knott's Scary Farm, Cedar Point, Dollywood and LEGOLAND are among 15 major US theme park Halloween events compared for 2026 by dates, starting prices and age guidance.
Here are 15 major US theme park Halloween events for 2026, sorted into the ones built to scare and the family-friendly ones, with each event's dates, starting price and age guidance. We checked dates and prices against the official pages on October 5, 2026, but prices vary by night, many exclude tax and fees, and events sell out (both Disney parties here already have), so confirm on the official event page each card links to before you buy.
This list is for anyone choosing between a night of screams and a pumpkin festival, and it isn't a ranking: the two groups are the only sorting. Among the scare events, Universal's two Halloween Horror Nights, Knott's Scary Farm and Howl-O-Scream at three of its parks sell separate tickets, with starting prices from $45.99 to $94.99. Six Flags, Kings Island and Carowinds include the scare zones and shows with park admission and charge extra for the haunted mazes. In the family group, Cedar Point, Hersheypark and Kennywood also run haunts after dark, so read their age notes.
Fifteen events in two groups
Built to scare: haunted houses, mazes and scare zones
- Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando — Universal Orlando's after-dark haunt is in its 35th year, with ten haunted houses, including ones built around Ozzy Osbourne and Evil Dead Burn, plus scare zones and live shows. Select nights Aug. 28 to Nov. 1, 2026, on a separate ticket: single nights from $94.99 plus tax on the remaining October nights. Not recommended for children under 13. Tickets and dates
- Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood — Eight haunted houses, including ones based on Stranger Things 5, Sinners and Hellraiser, plus a Terror Tram starring Art the Clown. It runs select nights Sept. 3 to Nov. 1, 2026, on a separate ticket from $84.00 per person for general admission; daytime park admission is not included. The park does not recommend it for children under 13. Tickets and dates
- Knott's Scary Farm — Knott's Berry Farm turns into an after-dark scare park, with 10 haunted mazes (two new this year), five scare zones, three shows and more than a thousand roaming monsters. The ticket is separate, from $65 per person online (taxes may apply), for select nights Sept. 17 to Oct. 31, 2026. Knott's says it is not recommended for children under 13. Tickets and dates
- Six Flags Fright Fest — Fright Fest adds scare zones and live shows to Six Flags parks after dark, included with park admission on event nights, while haunted mazes cost extra. At the four parks we checked, online tickets start at $45 and admission-plus-maze bundles at $74 (Magic Mountain), $75 (Great America and Over Texas) or $80 (Great Adventure). Dates are select nights from Sept. 11 (Over Texas), Sept. 18 (Magic Mountain, Great Adventure) or Sept. 19 (Great America) through Nov. 1, 2026. Not recommended for children under 13, and every guest needs their own paid ticket or pass. Tickets and dates
- Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens and SeaWorld — SeaWorld and Busch Gardens parks turn into after-dark haunts with haunted houses, scare zones, shows and night rides. Select nights run Sept. 11 to Oct. 31, 2026 (to Nov. 1 at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and SeaWorld San Antonio, where the event comes with park admission); elsewhere it is a separate ticket, with single nights from $47.99 at SeaWorld Orlando (offer ends Oct. 11), $48.99 at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and $45.99 at SeaWorld San Diego. Intended for a mature audience, with intense adult content such as violence, gore and blood. Tickets and dates
- Halloween Haunt at Kings Island — At Kings Island's after-dark haunt, scare zones and live shows come with park admission (online tickets from $49), while the haunted mazes cost extra; a bundle of admission plus mazes is as low as $64. It runs select nights Sept. 25 to Oct. 31, 2026, with a new Friday the 13th maze, Jason: Blood Reign, and is not recommended for children under 13. Tickets and dates
- SCarowinds at Carowinds — Jason: Blood Reign is new at Carowinds, where scare zones, shows and haunted mazes run after dark. The park's current calendar lists select nights Sept. 11 to Nov. 7, 2026, though an earlier official guide said Nov. 1. The event comes with park admission (online tickets from $45), but the mazes cost extra: a Haunted Attractions Pass from $10 (admission not included) or a bundle with admission from $55, plus fees and tax. Not recommended for children under 13. Tickets and dates
Family-friendly, with a few haunts after dark
- Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World — Costumes are welcome at this after-hours Magic Kingdom party, with trick-or-treating, a Halloween parade and, new for 2026, a Stitch-hosted masquerade in Tomorrowland. The party runs select nights Aug. 7 to Oct. 31, 2026, on its own ticket, which Walt Disney World's April announcement put at $119 to $229 per person plus tax, depending on the date. Every 2026 date is sold out. Tickets and dates
- Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure — Disney bills this after-hours party as family-friendly, with villain-themed trick-or-treat trails, a Villains Grove walk-through and a Haunted Mansion street party. The 33 select nights, Aug. 18 to Oct. 31, 2026, need a separate ticket from $139 per guest (required for ages 3 and up), and all 2026 tickets are sold out. Tickets and dates
- HalloWeekends at Cedar Point — A family event by day and a full haunt by night, with scare zones, live shows and haunted mazes headlined this year by the new Diablo: The Infernal Path. Select days and nights Sept. 17 to Nov. 1, 2026, included with park admission (online tickets from $55); the mazes need a separate Haunted Attractions Pass from $15 per night, plus fees and tax. The park says select areas may be too intense for young children after 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets and dates
- Harvest Festival and Great Pumpkin LumiNights at Dollywood — Think fall festival, not scare event: Southern gospel, bluegrass and country music by day, then Great Pumpkin LumiNights after dark, with thousands of glowing pumpkins and a 40-foot pumpkin tree. The festival runs Sept. 14 to Oct. 31, 2026, included with park admission (1-day adult tickets from $94.99 plus tax), and there are no scares. New this year, Harvey's Boo Bash on Oct. 16, 23 and 30 is a separate $129.99 plus tax ticket, listed as All Ages (4+). Tickets and dates
- Hersheypark Halloween and Dark Nights — Weekends only: trick-or-treating and daytime fun come first, then Dark Nights from 6 p.m. add a full haunt, with five haunted houses and five scare zones included in the ticket. The 2026 run is Sept. 12 to Nov. 1, with an After Dark ticket (enter after 5 p.m.) at $39.99 and a 1-Day Halloween Ticket at $56.99, plus taxes and fees. Some haunted-house content may be too intense for children younger than 13, so the park advises parental discretion. Tickets and dates
- Brick or Treat at LEGOLAND — A not-too-scary LEGO Halloween in regular park hours, with trick-or-treating, monster meet-and-greets, shows, costume contests and the new Brick or Treat Street, a walkthrough of six life-size LEGO monster homes. Included with admission on 12 select dates at LEGOLAND California and 18 at LEGOLAND Florida, Sept. 19 to Nov. 1, 2026; event pages list tickets from $39 for kids and from $89 (California) or $79 (Florida) for adults. Designed for families with children ages 2 to 12. Tickets and dates
- Phantom Fall Fest at Kennywood — Two Halloweens in one: family-friendly trick-or-treating, fall food and rides on weekend afternoons, then seven haunted houses and four scare zones after 6 p.m. Dates are select Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 12 to Nov. 1, 2026, with the haunts included in admission and dated tickets from $37.49 for a limited time (regular $74.99). The park says afternoons suit all ages, advises parental discretion after 6 p.m. and requires guests 17 and under to have a chaperone 21 or older. Tickets and dates
- Harvest Festival at Silver Dollar City — A craft-and-pumpkin festival in the Ozarks' 1880s-themed park, with visiting artisans by day and more than 20,000 pumpkins aglow at night. You can catch it Sept. 11 to Oct. 31, 2026, with no separate festival ticket; one-day park tickets are as low as $85 online (bought 24 hours ahead) or $95 for any day, plus tax. All ages, no scares, and children 3 and under are free. Tickets and dates
In October, a theme park can be a pumpkin patch at noon and a haunted house after dark, and the fine print tells you which.
Choose by who is coming, then check the date. With kids under 13, start in the family group: LEGOLAND is billed as not-too-scary, Dollywood's festival and Silver Dollar City have no scares, and Cedar Point, Hersheypark and Kennywood need a look at their age notes before you stay past dark. Leave the costumes at home for Universal Orlando's Horror Nights (no costumes or costume masks) and Howl-O-Scream (no costumes), and note that Knott's, Kings Island and Carowinds say every guest, regardless of age, needs their own paid ticket. With teens, check the chaperone rules at Kennywood and Carowinds. More Field Notes are one click away.