West Mifflin, PA — Kennywood’s Phantom Fall Fest returns on select dates from September 12 through November 1, 2026. By day the event stays family-friendly, with rides and fall food under the foliage. After dark, the Phantom takes over with seven haunts and four scare zones, the after-dark event long known as Phantom Fright Nights. This guide tracks the dates, lineup, tickets, and what is new.
Dates and Hours
Phantom Fall Fest runs select dates from September 12 through November 1, 2026, at Kennywood in West Mifflin, outside Pittsburgh. Hours run 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays, noon to 11 p.m. on Saturdays, and noon to 10 p.m. on Sundays. Saturday and Sunday afternoons are built for all ages. After 6 p.m. the scares start, and Kennywood advises parental discretion for the nighttime event.
Phantom Fright Nights: The Seven Haunts
The after-dark haunts, long branded Phantom Fright Nights, are the heart of the event. Seven walk-through haunts run in 2026, all included with admission:
- Ghostwood Estate: Open House (new for 2026). Kennywood turns its year-round interactive dark ride into a walk-through haunt. On the ride, guests roll through an eight-room estate in a buggy and blast spirits with a ghost blaster. For the Open House, the buggy and blaster are gone. Guests explore the same eight rooms on foot, guided by a single flashlight, while live scare-actors join the mansion’s animatronic spirits.
- Detached. A puppet master picks parts for his marionettes from the guests who enter his toy shop of deranged dolls.
- mALICE in Wonderland Unleashed. A dark, twisted trip through Alice’s memories of Wonderland, expanded to nearly twice its former length.
- Shady Grove. Shady Grove Memorial Hospital, where an evil doctor collects specimens.
- Dark Shadows. A pitch-black walk where shadow figures play games with your mind.
- Voodoo Bayou. A swamp excursion through creatures and voodoo priestesses who raise the dead.
- Kennyville Cemetery. Kennywood’s most haunted grounds, where zombies rise from their graves.
The Four Scare Zones
Four outdoor scare zones spread across the midways, also included with admission:
- Fear Fest, a carnival of demented clowns.
- Dead Light District, a zombie apocalypse across the cityscape park.
- Hellbilly Hollow, a cannibal farm hidden in the cornstalks.
- The Welcoming, a fog-filled tunnel with a rotating cast of dark figures.
New for 2026 by Day
Two new daytime experiences run every Saturday and Sunday starting September 19. Trick-or-Treating in Ghostwood Estate opens Lord Kenneth Ghostwood’s estate during the day for a lighter, all-ages walk with the lights on to meet spirits and collect candy. It is the same estate that becomes the Ghostwood Estate: Open House haunt after 6 p.m., when the scares take over for older guests. The Fall Fest Tasting Experience adds a new fall menu around the Lagoon, with dishes like a potato kielbasa skillet, smoked sausage mac and cheese, and maple cinnamon sweet potato fries, plus seasonal drinks and a new Fall Fest Tasting Card that lets guests mix and match samples.
By day, the park also runs more than 30 rides and coasters under the fall foliage, from the Jack Rabbit to Kiddieland, along with shows and character meets.
Night Rides
When the fog rolls in, Kennywood runs its biggest rides in the dark. The Steel Curtain, Black Widow, and Exterminator join the Phantom’s Revenge for night rides that pair the coasters with the scares.
Tickets and Passes
Dated Phantom Fall Fest admission is regularly $74.99 and drops as low as $37.49 on select dates, with date-based pricing that rewards booking a specific day. Admission covers more than 30 rides, all seven haunts, and all four scare zones, and every ticket carries a Rainy Day Guarantee for a free return visit if the weather interferes. A senior discount is available in store.
Season passholders on 2026 and 2027 Gold and Platinum passes get unlimited Phantom Fall Fest admission, and Kennywood is selling 2027 passes that include the rest of the 2026 season. A paid Speedy Pass is available to cut wait times on select rides and haunts.
Good to Know
Kennywood runs an adult chaperone policy during Phantom Fall Fest: guests 17 and under must be with an adult at least 21, who needs valid ID. Children 12 and under may wear costumes, but guests over 12 may not. All haunts are wheelchair accessible, though guests on motorized scooters transfer to a provided wheelchair at each haunt entrance, and a few haunts have uneven terrain.
Event Details
- Event: Kennywood Phantom Fall Fest 2026
- Location: Kennywood, 4800 Kennywood Boulevard, West Mifflin, PA 15122
- Dates: Select dates, September 12 through November 1, 2026
- Hours: Fridays 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturdays noon to 11 p.m., Sundays noon to 10 p.m.
- Tickets: kennywood.com
