Alton Towers is betting that Halloween guests will pay to sit inside the scare instead of walking past it. New for Scarefest 2026, Dine with the Dead is the resort’s first immersive Halloween dining experience, a ticketed dinner party that writes guests into the story as the Vile family celebrates 300 years of “toxic matrimony.” It runs on selected dates from September 26 through November 1, 2026, with tickets starting at £69 per person.
You are a guest of the Vile family
You have been invited to celebrate 300 years of “toxic matrimony” with Lord Vincent and Lady Lucinda Vile. What begins as an elegant reception turns darker as you meet the family and their stranger acquaintances, with twisted performances, eerie encounters, and specialist live entertainment happening right around your table. The pitch is that you are not just watching the night unfold. You are part of a twisted family tradition.
How the night works
The experience comes in three parts, each meant to be more unsettling than the last: a cocktail party, a three-course banquet, and an after-party where haunting beats and devilish dancing keep the room going. There is one important catch on the format. The after-party is included with evening performances only. Alton Towers also runs matinee performances on selected dates, and those do not include the after-party.
Prices, tiers, and who can go
Matinee tickets start at £69 per person and evening tickets start at £99, with the after-party rolled into the evening seatings. The matinee is sold in three tiers based on where you sit:
- The locally sourced (£69): a view from the outer edge
- The preferred cut (£99): a premium table surrounding the central stage
- The Vile family table (£149): a seat among the aristocracy, closest to the action
Evening performances use the same tiered layout, starting at £99. On the age policy, guests must be 14 or older, and anyone under 18 has to be accompanied by a parent or guardian aged 18 or over. That makes this one of the more adult ways to do Scarefest, which is otherwise built for families.
Do you need a park ticket to go?
Dine with the Dead is booked as a separate ticketed experience, and the £69 to £149 prices are for the dinner itself rather than a regular day in the park. Alton Towers has not spelled out whether you also need separate park admission to attend, so if you are planning this as a standalone evening rather than part of a full day at the resort, confirm that at booking before you travel.
Part of a bigger shift at Halloween
Dine with the Dead sits at the meeting point of two things we track closely. The first is the move from watching a show to being inside it. Guest-as-participant formats are spreading, and this is the Merlin, theme-park-scale version of what independent haunts like Scarehouse Windsor’s Dining in Fear have been building. The second is food turning into a reason to visit rather than a break between attractions, the “food gap” we broke down in our 2026 Halloween trends report and the same logic behind the elaborate menus at Halloween Horror Nights.
It is also an upcharge play, the kind of premium add-on we weighed when we asked whether HHN’s Premium Scream Night is worth it. A £149 top tier is a big ask on top of a park visit, but it fits what the Treatonomics research keeps finding: guests will pay for memorable over cheap. Dine with the Dead is part of the wider Alton Towers Scarefest 2026 event, so check that guide for the new maze, dates, and the rest of the lineup.
Frequently asked questions
What is Dine with the Dead? Alton Towers’ first immersive Halloween dining experience, new for Scarefest 2026, where guests are seated inside a story hosted by the Vile family across a cocktail party, a three-course meal, and an after-party.
When does it run and how much is it? On selected dates from September 26 through November 1, 2026. Matinee tickets start at £69 per person and evening tickets start at £99, with three seating tiers up to £149.
Do you need park admission too? The ticket covers the dining experience itself. Alton Towers has not stated whether separate park admission is also required, so confirm that at booking.
Is there an age limit? Yes. Guests must be 14 or older, and those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian aged 18 or over.
Do matinees include the after-party? No. The after-party is included with evening performances only.
