Yorktown Heights, NY — Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience, a nighttime woodland trail of magical creatures and spell-casting, returns to FDR State Park in Yorktown Heights, about an hour’s drive north of New York City, on Friday, October 16, for the first time since 2022. This year you can conjure a Patronus, and it runs select nights through November 29, with adult tickets from $35.90 for the latest entry times.
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What Is the Harry Potter Forbidden Forest Experience?
It’s a lit walking trail through the woods at night, built around scenes and creatures from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films. Along the way you meet a Hippogriff, unicorns, Nifflers, and more, and at the interactive stops you cast spells and try to conjure a Patronus. You walk it at your own pace, not in a tour group.
Fever and Warner Bros. Discovery say this year’s trail follows a new chronological journey through the films, with new interactive moments and spell-casting. Fever’s ticket page puts numbers on it:
- More than 4,000 lights along the trail
- More than 20 life-sized magical creatures in the trees
- 6 interactive spell moments, plus the Patronus moment
- More than 15 film recreations
- More than 50 food and drink options, including themed treats and drinks
- More than 100 exclusive merchandise items at the on-site shop
When and Where Is the Forbidden Forest Experience in 2026?
It runs select nights from Friday, October 16, through Sunday, November 29, at FDR State Park, 2957 Crompond Road, Yorktown Heights. The calendar has no tickets on October 17, 26, and 27, or on November 3, 10, 11, 17, 18, 23, and 26. Entry times run every 15 minutes, starting between 5:30 and 7:15 p.m. depending on the night, with the last entry between 8:30 and 9:45 p.m. See the calendar and buy tickets on Fever.
Enter through the Taconic State Parkway entrance only. The Route 202 and Crompond Road entrance is closed, so make sure your GPS isn’t routing you there. Parking is $15 if you book it online ahead of time and $20 at the gate.
Without a car, take Metro-North’s Hudson Line from Grand Central, with trains every 15 to 30 minutes, to Peekskill or Croton-Harmon, then a cab or rideshare to the park. Fever puts the whole trip at 75 to 90 minutes.
The experience’s website lists Westchester and Mexico City as on sale this fall, with a waitlist for Jeju Island, South Korea, and marks its earlier U.S. stops, including Chicago, Cincinnati, Austin, and Leesburg, Virginia, as finished.
Harry Potter Forbidden Forest Experience Tickets and Prices
Prices change with your entry time. The earliest entries cost the most and the last entries of the night cost the least. On the calendar, most weeknights start at $36, and October 30 and 31 and most Friday and Saturday nights in November start at $58. These are the four price levels:
| Entry time | Adults | Kids 3 to 16 | Senior, student, military | Deluxe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earliest entries | $69.90 | $55.90 | $59.90 | $103.90 |
| Early entries | $57.90 | $45.90 | $48.90 | $89.90 |
| Later entries | $46.90 | $37.90 | $39.90 | $75.90 |
| Last entries | $35.90 | $28.90 | $30.90 | $62.90 |
Tickets are sold on Fever, and the price for each entry time shows when you pick it.
- Kids 3 to 16 pay the child price, and children under 3 get in free.
- Family bundles for at least 4 people, with no more than 2 adults, run $28.90 to $56.90 a ticket.
- Deluxe tickets add skip-the-line access at select interactive stops, a light-up lanyard, and Deluxe merch: a Stag Patronus tote bag, a notebook, and a magnet. A family Deluxe bundle is $54.90 to $87.90 a ticket.
- There are no booking fees. Refunds and date changes are allowed up to 48 hours before your entry time, and you can transfer tickets for free in the Fever app.
- Opening night is mostly sold out. There’s a box office on site, but it takes cards only, and tickets may be gone by the time you arrive.
How Long Does the Forbidden Forest Experience Take?
Plan on 60 to 90 minutes. The trail itself takes about 45 to 75 minutes to walk, and the rest is time for food, drinks, and the shop. Arrive 15 minutes before your entry time to check in, since latecomers aren’t guaranteed entry.
Is the Forbidden Forest Experience Scary?
Not really. It’s a family experience with no minimum age, but the FAQ says some younger guests may find parts a little spooky, since it’s a dark trail at night with creatures from the films. If you have arachnophobia, tell staff when you arrive and they’ll help you avoid the spider-themed parts. Children 12 and younger must be with an adult.
Forbidden Forest Rules: What to Wear, Rain, Food, and Accessibility
- Dress for a cold night in the woods. The trail is outdoors and mostly unpaved, so wear sturdy shoes and warm layers.
- Rain doesn’t cancel it. Small personal umbrellas are allowed, but golf umbrellas aren’t. If the forecast forces a cancellation, Fever emails ticket holders.
- It’s cashless. Food, drinks, and merchandise are card only, and there are vegan and gluten-free options. You can’t bring your own food or alcohol.
- No pets. Service animals are welcome.
- Accessibility. The trail works for strollers, but the uneven path makes pushing a wheelchair hard. Motorized scooters rent for $15, first come, first served, accessible parking is available, and a guest who needs a support worker gets one free pass for them.
- Photos are fine, but professional cameras, tripods, and selfie sticks aren’t allowed.
- Lights. Some light sequences flash, but there are no strobes, and the effects stay under 5 flashes per second.
Is the Harry Potter Forbidden Forest Experience Worth It?
On Fever, the experience has a 4.6 out of 5 rating from 7,997 reviews. “Very fun, interactives were great, no waiting, sound and lights all great. More interactives and animated creatures would be great. Gift shop needed more variety and clothing sizes,” one visitor wrote in October 2022, during the 2022 Westchester run.
If price matters, a last entry on a weeknight is the cheapest way in, at $35.90 for adults and $28.90 for kids, about half the price of an early entry on Halloween weekend.
More Harry Potter and Halloween Near New York
- The DroneArt Show: Harry Potter puts 1,200 drones over Randall’s Island on October 23 and 24.
- Blood Manor in Tribeca runs October 2 through November 7, with a $350 ticket to work the night as a scare actor.
- Pure Terror Scream Park in Monroe, NY, holds the Guinness World Record for the longest walk-through horror attraction.
- Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle runs select nights at Universal Orlando through November 1.
- Looking for Universal’s Forbidden Forest walk-through? That was part of Universal Fan Fest Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood, which ran from April 23 through May 16.
- For haunted houses around the state, my New York haunted houses guide runs from Blood Manor in Tribeca to Frightworld in Buffalo.
- For haunts across the country, my list of when haunted houses open in 2026 is sorted by opening date.
Last updated: September 30, 2026.
