Six Flags Entertainment Corporation’s Fright Fest returns for its 34th year in 2026 across the company’s park portfolio. The event runs on select nights at each park, with dates confirmed at several locations and 2026 details pending at others. The unifying framework is largely the same: daytime park operations continue, and at dusk each park transforms into a haunt event with mazes as a separately ticketed Haunted Attractions Pass, scare zones, live shows, and rides in the dark. This guide covers every Six Flags park running Fright Fest in 2026, with dates, ticket structure, and 2026-specific announcements at each park.
What Fright Fest is
Fright Fest is the branded Halloween event of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, the parent company that emerged from the July 2024 merger of legacy Six Flags Entertainment and Cedar Fair. Fright Fest continues to run at the former Six Flags parks. The former Cedar Fair parks under the same corporate umbrella run their own legacy Halloween brands including Halloween Haunt (Kings Island, Kings Dominion, Canada’s Wonderland, and Knott’s Scary Farm at Knott’s Berry Farm), HalloWeekends at Cedar Point, and Scarowinds at Carowinds.
Fright Fest first launched in 1993 and has been presented by SNICKERS since 2021. The event ran as “Fright Fest Extreme” in 2024 before reverting to Fright Fest presented by SNICKERS in 2025.
Common structure across the Fright Fest parks:
- Daytime park operations continue, with the park “turning scary” at dusk.
- Scare zones, live shows, and rides in the dark are included with regular daytime admission or a season pass.
- Haunted mazes are premium attractions that require a separate Haunted Attractions Pass on a per-visit basis. An All-Season Haunted Attractions Pass was introduced in 2025 as a passholder add-on.
- Fright Fest is not recommended for children under 13. Six Flags parks generally apply a chaperone policy after 4 p.m. requiring guests 15 and under to be accompanied by an adult 21 or older.
- Costume and mask policies restrict adult guests from wearing anything that conceals the face.
The 2026 Fright Fest park lineup
Confirmed 2026 dates:
- Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, CA) — September 18 through November 1
- Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, NJ) — September 18 through November 1
- Six Flags Great America (Gurnee, IL) — September 19 through November 1, coinciding with the park’s 50th anniversary
- Six Flags Fiesta Texas (San Antonio, TX) — September 11 through November 1
- Six Flags Over Texas (Arlington, TX) — September 12 through November 1
- Six Flags Over Georgia (Austell, GA) — September 12 through November 1
- Six Flags New England (Agawam, MA) — September 26 through November 1
- Six Flags Darien Lake (Corfu, NY) — September 19, 26 and October 3, 10, and 11 (five nights only)
- Six Flags Frontier City (Oklahoma City, OK) — September 26 through October 31
Pages still showing 2025 dates as of mid-July 2026 (2026 dates expected imminently):
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Vallejo, CA)
- Six Flags Mexico (Mexico City) — event is branded Festival del Terror
Fright Fest branded through 2026 under new operators after the EPR Properties sale:
- Six Flags St. Louis (Eureka, MO) — September 12 through November 1. Now operated by Enchanted Parks.
- Six Flags Great Escape (Queensbury, NY) — dates pending. Now operated by Enchanted Parks.
- La Ronde (Montreal, QC) — weekends October 3 through 25, plus October 30 through November 1. Now operated by La Ronde Operations, Inc. Event is branded Fright Fest presented by FIZZ at this location.
Permanently closed after the 2025 season:
- Six Flags America (Bowie, MD) — final day November 2, 2025, after 50 years. The 500-acre property is being marketed for redevelopment.
Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, CA)
The flagship Fright Fest, and by far the largest event on the Fright Fest calendar.
Dates: Select nights, September 18 through November 1, 2026 (33rd year at Six Flags Magic Mountain).
2026 lineup: The full 2026 maze, scare zone, and show lineup has not been announced. Based on the reveal pattern of the last three years, Six Flags Magic Mountain is expected to reveal its 2026 lineup at Midsummer Scream on August 7 through 9, 2026, with a press release in the days beforehand.
2025 baseline: 8 mazes (Carnage, SAW: Legacy of Terror, The Conjuring Universe, Trick ‘r Treat, Condemned, Truth or Dare, Vault 666 Unlocked, Willoughby’s Resurrected), 9 scare zones, 3 shows including Margo Rita’s Monster Ball.
Full HAN coverage: Fright Fest 2026 at Six Flags Magic Mountain: Everything We Know So Far.
Six Flags Great America (Gurnee, IL)
Dates: Select nights, September 19 through November 1, 2026. Six Flags Great America is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026. Concurrent daytime programming includes Tricks and Treats (Saturdays and Sundays, September 19 through November 1) and Oktoberfest on select dates.
2025 baseline: The 2025 event ran IP-driven mazes including The Conjuring Universe, SAW: Legacy of Terror, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, plus seven scare zones. The park has historically been associated with the “Love at First Fright” show.
Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, NJ)
Dates: Select nights, September 18 through November 1, 2026. Kids Boo Fest and Oktoberfest run as concurrent daytime programming September 19 through November 1.
Dead Man’s Party returns for 2026: Great Adventure announced on April 30, 2026 that the live music, dance, and pyrotechnic production Dead Man’s Party will return to Fright Fest 2026 after a one-year absence. The show has run annually at the park since 1999 and marks its 25th year in 2026. Six Flags describes the show as “designed to be more fun than frightening,” positioning it for guests who skip the haunted houses and scare zones.
Historical note: Great Adventure is the origin site of the modern Fright Fest concept. The Halloween event at the park traces back to the early 1990s, before the Fright Fest brand launched chain-wide in 1993.
Six Flags Over Georgia (Austell, GA)
Dates: Select nights, September 12 through November 1, 2026, weekends.
2026 lineup: Not yet released.
2026 daytime addition: The park is running Tricks and Treats, a new family daytime event, on the same weekend dates. Both Fright Fest at night and Tricks and Treats during the day are confirmed for the September 12 through November 1 window.
Ticket note: Six Flags Over Georgia explicitly flags that “Haunted Mazes are premium attractions and not included with general admission. A Haunted Attractions Pass is required for entry.”
Six Flags Fiesta Texas (San Antonio, TX)
Dates: Select nights, September 11 through November 1, 2026. Fright Fest debuted at Fiesta Texas in 1996. Concurrent daytime programming includes Oktoberfest (Saturdays and Sundays, September 12 through October 31) and Kids Tricks and Treats (Saturdays and Sundays, September 12 through November 1).
Typical footprint: Fiesta Texas has historically run Fright Fest as a large-scale event with multiple mazes and scare zones. The 2025 event featured six haunted houses including SAW: Legacy of Terror and Cinema Slasher, along with the new Crossroads country show and the returning Monster Mash Bash, capped by the Frightful Finale fireworks.
Chaperone policy: Guests 17 and younger must be accompanied by a chaperone 21 or older beginning at 6 p.m. daily, with a limit of one chaperone per 10 guests.
Six Flags Over Texas (Arlington, TX)
Dates: September 12 through November 1, 2026. Six Flags Over Texas’ 65th anniversary season. The park has said “NEW Fright Fest exclusive entertainment will be offered on select days this fall.” Halloween programming at Over Texas dates back to a 1973 parade, with annual Fright Nights debuting in 1988 and the Fright Fest brand launching there in 1992.
Six Flags New England (Agawam, MA)
Dates: September 26 through November 1, 2026.
2026 lineup: The maze lineup for 2026 has not been fully announced. The park has published Terror Tales and Midnight Mansion as returning premium haunted mazes.
Family alternative: New England runs Kids Boo Fest as a family-friendly daytime alternative to Fright Fest at night, for guests bringing younger children who cannot attend the after-dark event.
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Vallejo, CA)
2026 status: A Fright Fest page exists at the park, but the public events calendar as of mid-July 2026 lists only daytime Tricks and Treats and Oktoberfest running Saturdays and Sundays from September 19 through November 1. Fright Fest 2026 dates have not yet been posted.
Six Flags Darien Lake (Corfu, NY)
Dates: September 19, September 26, October 3, October 10, and October 11, 2026 only. Five event nights. The smallest Fright Fest calendar in the Six Flags portfolio, reflecting the property’s water park and camping focus.
2026 lineup: Not yet released.
Six Flags Frontier City (Oklahoma City, OK)
Dates: Select nights, September 26 through October 31, 2026.
2026 status: Full lineup, pricing, and event details had not been posted to the official page as of mid-July 2026.
Six Flags Great Escape (Queensbury, NY) — Enchanted Parks operated
2026 status: Dates have not yet been formally announced. Marketed as “Upstate New York’s largest Halloween event.” The 2025 event ran weekends late September through late October with a 5 p.m. “Fright by Night” transition each event day.
Operator change: Sold to EPR Properties as part of the seven-park April 2026 transaction; now operated by Enchanted Parks. The park retains Six Flags branding through the 2026 season and is expected to rebrand as “Great Escape by Enchanted Parks” for 2027.
Six Flags St. Louis (Eureka, MO) — Enchanted Parks operated
Dates: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, September 12 through November 1, 2026. St. Louis’ 38th Fright Fest.
Operator change: Sold to EPR Properties on April 6, 2026 and now operated by Enchanted Parks. The park retains Six Flags and Fright Fest branding through the 2026 season. Enchanted Parks CEO James Harhi has confirmed the park will rebrand as “Mid-America by Enchanted Parks” for 2027 as an homage to its original name Six Flags Over Mid-America.
La Ronde (Montreal, QC) — La Ronde Operations, Inc. operated
Dates: Weekends October 3 through October 25, plus October 30 through November 1, 2026.
Branding: The event is branded Fright Fest presented by FIZZ at La Ronde, differentiating it from the SNICKERS-presented US events.
Operator change: Sold to EPR Properties as part of the seven-park April 2026 transaction; now operated by La Ronde Operations, Inc. under Kieran Burke, the former Six Flags CEO who originally built and named the Six Flags chain. La Ronde retains Six Flags branding through the 2026 season.
Six Flags Mexico (Mexico City) — Festival del Terror
Six Flags Mexico runs a Halloween-season event branded Festival del Terror. 2026 dates and lineup have not yet been posted to the official page. In 2025, Six Flags Mexico was slated to debut “No Me Sigas,” a maze based on Blumhouse’s first Spanish-language original horror film shot in Mexico City. Whether the maze carries over to 2026 has not been confirmed.
Ticket structure across the Fright Fest parks
Fright Fest uses a shared ticket model across all parks:
- Daily Admission (or a Season Pass) covers entry to the park during daytime hours and after the park “turns scary” at dusk. Scare zones, live shows, and rides in the dark are included.
- Haunted Attractions Pass (single-visit) is required for maze access on a given night. Prices are set by each park and use dynamic pricing loaded inside the ticketing widget.
- Haunted Attractions Express Pass (single-visit) adds priority maze entry.
- All-Season Haunted Attractions Pass was introduced in 2025 as a season-long maze add-on for passholders. This product aligned the Fright Fest ticket structure with the Halloween Haunt / HalloWeekends model at the former Cedar Fair parks under the same corporate umbrella.
- Fright Fest Haunted Attractions Bundle combines a daily admission and a Haunted Attractions Pass for non-passholders.
- V.I.SCREAM VIP Tour is available at select parks, including Six Flags Magic Mountain, and offers unlimited priority maze access, priority rides, VIP parking, and exclusive food and beverage.
Chain-wide 2025 Haunted Attractions Pass pricing ran from approximately $10 to $30 at legacy Six Flags parks, though Six Flags Magic Mountain typically prices above that range. 2026 pricing has not been released.
Corporate context: Six Flags is investing more in seasonal
Two 2026 developments matter for how Fright Fest sits inside the wider Six Flags business.
Reilly’s live-entertainment expansion. Under CEO John Reilly, Six Flags is doubling down on live entertainment and family-friendly programming as a return-visit strategy tied to the company’s regional pass base. Q1 2026 attendance grew 4 percent, revenue grew 12 percent, and per-capita spending grew 6 percent, with the active pass base at approximately 5 million. Reilly’s playbook is to give passholders more reasons to come back, especially the family-side and live-entertainment programming that broadens beyond core thrill guests. The Dead Man’s Party return at Great Adventure is the first Fright Fest 2026 example. Holiday in the Park is being rebuilt at Great Adventure and Six Flags Over Georgia with immersive themed lands as the first phase of a multi-year investment, following the 2025 event’s cancellation at both properties.
The 2026 park sale. Six Flags sold seven parks to EPR Properties for $331 million in March 2026. Six of the seven parks (Valleyfair, Worlds of Fun, Michigan’s Adventure, Schlitterbahn Waterpark Galveston, Six Flags St. Louis, and Six Flags Great Escape) will operate under a new regional chain called Enchanted Parks. La Ronde will operate under La Ronde Operations, Inc., which is owned by Kieran Burke, the former Six Flags CEO who originally built and named the Six Flags chain. Fright Fest at Six Flags St. Louis and Fright Fest at La Ronde will run in 2026 under the Six Flags brand per a licensing arrangement, then future seasons will be determined by the new operators. Six Flags Entertainment Corporation now operates 34 parks across North America and is using sale proceeds to reduce debt as the company focuses capital and leadership on the parks that generate the strongest returns.
Combined, both developments signal Six Flags is concentrating investment on fewer parks and adding more seasonal programming (live entertainment, family daytime events, and rebuilt holiday overlays) at the parks it retains.
What to watch for the rest of 2026
- Midsummer Scream 2026 (August 7 through 9, Long Beach): Six Flags Magic Mountain has a confirmed panel spot. The 2026 SFMM lineup is expected to be revealed at or around the convention weekend, with a press release in early August.
- Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Great Adventure, Over Texas, Discovery Kingdom: All four are expected to update their event pages with 2026 dates in the coming weeks. HAN will update this guide as they post.
- Enchanted Parks / La Ronde Operations 2027 branding: Six Flags St. Louis will rebrand to “Mid-America by Enchanted Parks” per Enchanted Parks CEO James Harhi. Whether the Fright Fest branding continues into 2027 at either transferred park will be determined by their new operators.
Prior HAN and SES Six Flags coverage
- Fright Fest 2026 at Six Flags Magic Mountain: Everything We Know So Far
- The Conjuring: Beyond Fear Returns to Four Six Flags Parks This Fall
- Dead Man’s Party Returns to Six Flags Great Adventure for Fright Fest 2026 (SES)
- Six Flags Q1 Revenue Up 12% as Reilly Doubles Down on Pass Strategy (SES)
- Six Flags Sells Seven Parks to EPR Properties for $331 Million (SES)
- Six Flags Reimagines Holiday in the Park with Themed Lands (SES)
- Knott’s Scary Farm 2026 Guide: Dates, Tickets, and Everything We Know So Far
