California’s Halloween season stands out for its variety: every major theme park runs a Halloween event, professional haunts operate from San Diego to Sacramento, and the state’s home-haunt scene is the largest in the country. The season also starts early, with the first ticketed event opening August 18. This guide covers the multi-day, ticketed Halloween events operating in commercial spaces across California in 2026. Single-day events and home haunts are not listed. Family and community Halloween events have their own section near the end. Every event links to our full guide, where you will find current prices, lineups, and updates.
Planning by date? See when every haunted house opens in 2026.
City guides: Los Angeles | San Diego | Bay Area
Southern California at a Glance
| Event | Location | 2026 Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Oogie Boogie Bash | Disney California Adventure, Anaheim | Aug 18 – Oct 31 |
| Halloween Time at Disneyland | Disneyland Resort, Anaheim | Aug 21 – Oct 31 |
| Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood | Universal Studios Hollywood | Sept 3 – Nov 1 |
| Howl-O-Scream San Diego | SeaWorld San Diego | Sept 11 – Oct 31 |
| Knott’s Scary Farm | Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park | Sept 17 – Oct 31 |
| Delusion: Den of the Mosquito | Beckett Mansion, Los Angeles | Sept 17 – Nov 8 |
| Six Flags Fright Fest | Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia | Sept 18 – Nov 1 |
| Queen Mary Dark Harbor | The Queen Mary, Long Beach | Sept 18 – Nov 1 |
| Los Angeles Haunted Hayride | Griffith Park, Los Angeles | Sept 18 – Nov 1 |
| Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns | South Coast Botanic Garden, Palos Verdes | Sept 18 – Nov 1 |
| LEGOLAND Brick-or-Treat | LEGOLAND California, Carlsbad | Sept 19 – Nov 1 |
| Through the Veil | Heritage Square Museum, LA + Broken Spirits, Anaheim | Sept 19, 26, 30 |
| The Haunted Trail of Balboa Park | Balboa Park, San Diego | Sept 25 – Nov 1 |
| Reign of Terror Haunted House | Thousand Oaks, Conejo Valley | Sept 25 – Nov 2 |
| Carved at Descanso Gardens | Descanso Gardens, La Cañada Flintridge | Oct 2 – Nov 1 |
| Black Casket | Yucaipa | Oct 2 – TBD |
| The Haunted Car Wash | Orange County, Los Angeles, Inland Empire, San Diego | Oct 2 – Oct 31 |
| The Hollow at Live Oak Canyon | Redlands, Inland Empire | Oct 2 – Oct 31 |
| Urban Death Tour of Terror “Ultra” | Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre, North Hollywood | Oct 9 – Nov 1 |
| Haunted Little Tokyo | Little Tokyo, Downtown Los Angeles | Oct 24 – Oct 31 |
| Wicked Lit | Chance Theater, Anaheim | Oct 29 – Nov 2 |
| Nights of the Jack | Calabasas | TBD |
Northern California at a Glance
| Event | Location | 2026 Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Festival Fright Nights | Winchester Mystery House, San Jose | Sept 18 – Nov 1 |
| The Great Big BOO at Gilroy Gardens (family, not scary) | Gilroy Gardens, Gilroy | Sept 25 – Nov 1 |
| Terror Vault | The San Francisco Mint, San Francisco | Oct 1 – Nov 1 |
| Heartstoppers Haunted House | Rancho Cordova, Sacramento area | Oct 2 – Nov 1 |
| Pirates of Emerson | Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton | Oct 2 – Nov 1 |
| Hobb’s Grove | Sanger, Fresno area | Oct 2 – 31 |
Southern California Haunted Houses
Oogie Boogie Bash
Oogie Boogie Bash returns to Disney California Adventure on a record 33 nights from August 18 through October 31, 2026.
| Dates | 33 select nights, Aug 18 – Oct 31 |
| Location | Disney California Adventure, Anaheim |
| Tickets | $139 to $199, separate ticket (details) |
| New for 2026 | Madame Leota’s Swinging Wake street party, Yzma’s first US face-character appearance, record 33 nights |
Halloween Time at Disneyland
Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort runs August 21 through October 31, 2026, across both parks.
| Dates | Aug 21 – Oct 31 (Plaza de la Familia through Nov 2) |
| Location | Disneyland Resort, Anaheim |
| Tickets | Included with park admission (details) |
| New for 2026 | Madame Leota’s Swinging Wake street party replaces the Frightfully Fun Parade |
Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood is running its 2026 Halloween Horror Nights over 42 select nights from September 3 through November 1.
| Dates | 42 select nights, Sept 3 – Nov 1 |
| Location | Universal Studios Hollywood |
| Houses | 4 announced so far: Sinners, Stranger Things 5, Hellraiser, Evil Dead Burn |
| Tickets | On sale now (see our HHN tickets guide) |
| New for 2026 | The event’s first-ever Hellraiser house, plus Evil Dead Burn tied to the sixth Evil Dead film, and a new Fortnitemares scare zone (Freaky Fields) shared with Orlando |
Howl-O-Scream San Diego
SeaWorld San Diego has confirmed Howl-O-Scream will return on select nights from September 11 through October 31, 2026. It is one of five Howl-O-Scream parks nationwide, with the dates, hours, and tickets for all of them in our Howl-O-Scream 2026 all-locations guide.
| Dates | Select nights, Sept 11 – Oct 31 |
| Location | SeaWorld San Diego |
| Lineup | 6 haunted houses, 5 scare zones, 3 vile vignettes, 1 show, 11 bars and speakeasies |
| Tickets | From $41.99 single night (details) |
| New for 2026 | Area 64: MOTHERSHIP house with an 80-foot facade, three all-new scare zones |
Knott’s Scary Farm
Knott’s Scary Farm, running since 1973, is open on 26 select nights through Halloween. Watch our full 2026 walkthrough, and find the event map, hours, and every maze in our Knott’s Scary Farm guide.
| Dates | 26 select nights, Sept 17 – Oct 31 |
| Location | Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park |
| Lineup | 10 mazes, 5 scare zones, 3 shows |
| Tickets | From $69 online (details) |
| New for 2026 | Inked and Unearthed mazes, the shows Occultum and Voodoo: Bayou’s Edge, and a reimagined CarnEVIL scare zone |
Six Flags Fright Fest
Fright Fest presented by SNICKERS returns to Six Flags Magic Mountain for its 33rd year on select nights from September 18 through November 1. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, which ran Fright Fest in prior years, is not listing it on its 2026 events calendar (see our update on the 2026 changes).
| Dates | Select nights, Sept 18 – Nov 1 |
| Location | Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia |
| Tickets | Mazes are a paid add-on; 2026 pricing TBA (details) |
| New for 2026 | Lineup reveal expected at Midsummer Scream, Aug 7 to 9 |
Queen Mary Dark Harbor
Queen Mary Dark Harbor returns for its 2026 Halloween season on select nights from September 18 through November 1.
| Dates | Select nights, Sept 18 – Nov 1 |
| Location | The Queen Mary, Long Beach |
| Tickets | Discount presale open, online only (details) |
| New for 2026 | Six mazes announced, two reimagined, plus two new rides and four new speakeasies. Discount presale open |
Los Angeles Haunted Hayride
Los Angeles Haunted Hayride returns to Griffith Park on select nights from September 18 through November 1, 2026.
| Dates | Select nights, Sept 18 – Nov 1 |
| Location | Griffith Park’s Old Zoo, Los Angeles |
| Tickets | Discount presale open (details) |
| New for 2026 | Fallen Angel 1980s rock maze, Elvira’s Trick or Treat Mayhem returns, first-ever alcohol in Midnight Falls |
LEGOLAND Brick-or-Treat
LEGOLAND California’s Brick-or-Treat returns for the 2026 Halloween season on 12 select dates from September 19 through November 1.
| Dates | 12 select dates, Sept 19 – Nov 1 |
| Location | LEGOLAND California, Carlsbad |
| Tickets | Included with park admission on event dates (details) |
| New for 2026 | Brick or Treat Street, a walkthrough of six LEGO monster homes with a new Halloween light trail |
The Haunted Trail of Balboa Park
The Haunted Trail of Balboa Park returns to Marston Point for its 27th year on select nights from September 25 through November 1.
| Dates | Select nights, Sept 25 – Nov 1 |
| Location | Marston Point, Balboa Park, San Diego |
| Lineup | Mile-long trail plus the 3,500-square-foot eXperiment Maze and the free Dark Carnival scare zone |
| Tickets | From $34.99 timed GA, $49.99 Fast Pass (details) |
| New for 2026 | The free-entry Dark Carnival returns for its second year, expanded |
Carved at Descanso Gardens
Carved, the nighttime jack-o’-lantern and light installation at Descanso Gardens, returns October 2 through November 1, nightly from 6 to 10 p.m.
| Dates | Nightly, Oct 2 – Nov 1 |
| Location | Descanso Gardens, La Cañada Flintridge |
| Tickets | Non-member adults from $29 (details) |
| New for 2026 | Alexander Reichstein sculptures in his US debut, new Anytime Tickets, Halloween-night trick-or-treating |
Black Casket
Black Casket Productions, the Inland Empire haunted attraction known for changing its theme every year, enters its fourth season with Cannibal Creek.
| Dates | Oct 2 – TBD |
| Location | Yucaipa |
| Tickets | On sale Aug 22 (details) |
| New for 2026 | All-new Cannibal Creek theme |
The Haunted Car Wash
The Haunted Car Wash returns for its sixth season this October, expanding to four Southern California regions.
| Dates | Oct 2 – Oct 31 |
| Location | Orange County, Los Angeles, Inland Empire, San Diego |
| Tickets | $25 per vehicle (details) |
| New for 2026 | Largest footprint in its six-year history, new lower price |
The Hollow at Live Oak Canyon
Live Oak Canyon in Redlands debuts its first-ever haunted maze in 45 years, opening weekends October 2 through October 31, 2026. Haunt supervisor Philip-Blaine Adsit brings credentials from Knott’s Scary Farm, Sinister Pointe, and 17th Door.
| Dates | Weekends, Oct 2 – Oct 31, plus select weeknights TBD |
| Location | Live Oak Canyon, Redlands, CA |
| Hours | 7 p.m. to midnight (last entry 11 p.m.) |
| Tickets | Farm admission + separate maze ticket at the gate; cash or card (details) |
| New for 2026 | First-ever haunted maze at Live Oak Canyon, recommended 16+ |
Wicked Lit
Wicked Lit returns for its first season since 2017 with 10 performances from October 29 through November 2.
| Dates | 10 performances, Oct 29 – Nov 2 |
| Location | Chance Theater, Anaheim |
| Tickets | On sale Aug 1 (details) |
| New for 2026 | First season in eight years, two plays: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Las Lloronas |
Delusion: Den of the Mosquito
Delusion returns to the Beckett Mansion in West Adams, Los Angeles, the building where the series staged its first show in 2011 and the Neil Patrick Harris co-production in 2012. The 2026 play, Den of the Mosquito, is set in a 1920s New Orleans brothel; guests play agents of a secret organization investigating supernatural threats. Delusion is billing it as its longest and most interactive show to date at a full 50 minutes, with split paths, extremely limited availability, and the return of the Play Your Part VIP option, now named The Leech.
Tickets are on sale now. Every 2026 show is 18 and over only, running select nights from September 17 through November 8 at a flat $143 (including $13 fees). Several Saturdays, including October 3, 10, and 17, are already sold out. Full details in our Delusion 2026 coverage.
Through the Veil
Through the Veil is an immersive theatrical séance from Stage Fright Theater Co. that seats about eight guests at a candlelit table for a 30-to-45-minute sitting led by the host character Ambrose T. Attaway. The audience’s choices steer a story built on historic true crimes, so no two séances play out the same way. It runs at Heritage Square Museum in Los Angeles on September 19 and 26, and at Broken Spirits in Anaheim on September 30, with sittings at 7, 8, and 9 p.m. Tickets are through Stage Fright Theater Co. See our full Through the Veil coverage.
Nights of the Jack
Nights of the Jack (Calabasas) has not announced 2026 plans. We will add it to this guide when dates land.
Not a haunted house: Davis also throws the free, all-ages Zombie Bike Parade Halloweekend Festival on Halloween, October 31, at Community Park, just west of Sacramento. It is a community Halloween festival with a costumed bike parade, a BMX stunt show, and a skydiving-zombie finale, and it benefits NorCal Trykers.
Reign of Terror Haunted House
Reign of Terror in Thousand Oaks opens its 2026 season on September 25, adding two new sections, Backwoods and The Blue Bayou Hotel, plus a reimagined Funhouse. The indoor walk-through covers 145 rooms across 35,000 square feet and runs 18 nights through early November.
| Dates | Select nights, Sept 25 to Nov 2, 2026 |
| Location | 285 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks (Janss Marketplace) |
| Tickets | General admission from $39.99; Immediate Access (skip the line) $64.99 to $74.99 |
| New for 2026 | Two new sections, Backwoods and The Blue Bayou Hotel, plus a rebuilt Funhouse |
| Ages | Recommended for ages 13 and up |
Northern California Haunted Houses
Festival Fright Nights
Festival Fright Nights returns to the Winchester Mystery House on select nights from September 18 through November 1, and it is dropping last year’s linear haunt for an open festival format, adding a new haunted house, The House of Spirits, and a 1926 estate-wide mystery.
| Dates | Select nights, Sept 18 – Nov 1 |
| Location | Winchester Mystery House, San Jose |
| Tickets | Discount presale open (details) |
| New for 2026 | Open festival format, new House of Spirits haunt, 1926 estate-wide mystery |
Terror Vault
Terror Vault returns to The San Francisco Mint in 2026 with a new production titled Slashed: Return to Hellville.
| Dates | Oct 1 – Nov 1 |
| Location | The San Francisco Mint, San Francisco |
| Tickets | GA $64.42–$90.30 (details) |
| New for 2026 | All-new 1980s-slasher theme |
Heartstoppers Haunted House
Sacramento’s Heartstoppers Haunts is entering its 18th season with a new exclusive VIP experience and a new stage show.
| Dates | 13 select nights, Oct 2 – Nov 1 |
| Location | Rancho Cordova, Sacramento area |
| Lineup | 4 haunted houses plus the new hourly Redemption! stage show |
| Tickets | On sale Sept 5 (details) |
| New for 2026 | Frightfully Fancy Club VIP experience, new stage show, new scenes in all four haunts |
Pirates of Emerson
Pirates of Emerson returns to the Alameda County Fairgrounds on select nights from October 2 through November 1 for its 36th season.
| Dates | Select nights, Oct 2 – Nov 1 |
| Location | Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton |
| Lineup | 4 walk-through haunted houses on six acres, plus Frightmares & Oddities and live bands |
| Tickets | From $38 (details) |
| New for 2026 | Midway games now included with every ticket tier |
Hobb’s Grove
Hobb’s Grove, an HAA-certified Top Haunt in Sanger, runs Thursdays through Sundays from October 2 through October 31.
| Dates | Thursdays–Sundays, Oct 2 – 31 |
| Location | Sanger, Fresno area |
| Tickets | hobbsgrove.com |
The Great Big BOO at Gilroy Gardens
The Great Big BOO returns to Gilroy Gardens in the South Bay on select nights from September 25 through November 1, 2026. This one is a family event rather than a haunt: BOO Trail trick-or-treating, a sing-and-dance-along musical, rides lit up after dark, and a new interactive Pumpkin Wand puzzle where kids “save Halloween” from Wendella the Witch. Fridays 5 to 10 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 1 to 9 p.m. (closed October 10), with opening-weekend resident discounts.
Family and Community Halloween Events
Haunted Little Tokyo
Haunted Little Tokyo is a Halloween season put on by the Little Tokyo neighborhood in downtown Los Angeles, with ghost tours led by the Little Tokyo Historical Society, a free family scavenger hunt, and a 21+ block party at a secret location shared with guests who RSVP. In 2026 the block party is on Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31, and the RSVP opens closer to the event.
| Dates | Oct 24 to Oct 31, 2026 (block party Oct 31, 6 to 11:59 p.m.) |
| Location | Little Tokyo, downtown Los Angeles (block party at a secret location) |
| Cost | Scavenger hunt free, ghost tours $25, block party by RSVP |
| Ages | Block party 21+, scavenger hunt all ages |
Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns
Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns returns to the South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes on select nights from September 18 through November 1, 2026. This one is family-friendly and not a scare event: a mile-long illuminated trail lined with more than 10,000 hand-carved pumpkins, with larger-than-life displays, s’mores stations, and a kids’ fun zone. New scenes this year include a whimsical circus, a Dia de los Muertos tribute, and an undersea section. Tickets start at $29.99 for adults and $24.99 for kids at magicofthejackolanterns.com. The event is run by Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group.
California Haunted House FAQ
When do haunted houses open in California in 2026?
The earliest events start in mid-August: Oogie Boogie Bash on August 18 and Halloween Time at Disneyland on August 21. Most major haunts open between September 11 and September 25, and nearly everything runs through November 1.
Which California haunted houses are family-friendly?
Carved at Descanso Gardens has no scare actors at all, Brick-or-Treat at LEGOLAND is built for young kids, Halloween Time at Disneyland is all-ages during the day, and The Haunted Car Wash scares the whole family from inside the car. In the South Bay, Gilroy Gardens’ The Great Big BOO is a not-scary, all-ages event with trick-or-treating and a sing-along musical.
What is new to California for 2026?
Hellraiser debuts at Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood, Knott’s Scary Farm adds the Inked and Unearthed mazes, Wicked Lit returns after eight years, SeaWorld adds the Area 64: MOTHERSHIP house, and the Haunted Car Wash grows to its largest footprint in six seasons.
Which 2026 lineups have been revealed?
The LA Haunted Hayride, Six Flags Fright Fest, and Festival Fright Nights all revealed their 2026 lineups at Midsummer Scream in early August. Knott’s named its full Scary Farm lineup at Nightmares Revealed on August 18 and confirmed it in an August 20 release.
Updated September 13, 2026. Want to work at one of these haunts? See how to become a scare actor.
