Buena Park, CA — Knott’s Scary Farm returns for its 53rd season, the longest-running theme park Halloween event in Southern California. The 2026 event runs 26 select nights from September 17 through October 31 with 10 mazes, five scare zones, and three shows across the transformed Knott’s Berry Farm property. Tickets went on sale July 10. The full maze and show lineup is under embargo until Knott’s Nightmares Revealed preview event on August 18. This guide will be updated as details drop.
What is confirmed for 2026
- Dates: 26 select nights, September 17 through October 31, 2026. Operating Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through the run.
- Full 2026 nights: September 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 27. October 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 31.
- Hours: 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursdays and Sundays. 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
- Structure: 10 mazes, 5 scare zones, 3 shows, 1,000+ monsters in costume across the park.
- Age recommendation: Not recommended for children under 13. Guests 15 and under require a chaperone 21 or older.
- Anniversary: 53rd season. Knott’s Scary Farm debuted in 1973 as Knott’s Halloween Haunt, predating Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights and Disney’s Oogie Boogie Bash.
The 2026 maze lineup: eight expected returning, two unannounced
Knott’s confirmed that two 2025 mazes are retired after last season: The Grimoire and Mesmer: Sideshow of the Mind. Following the event’s steady two-mazes-out-two-mazes-in cadence over the past several years, that means eight of the 2025 mazes should return for 2026, with two new mazes taking the former Grimoire and Mesmer footprints.
Expected returning for 2026 based on the 2025 lineup:
- Origins: The Curse of Calico (debuted 2019)
- Cinema Slasher (debuted 2023)
- The Chilling Chambers (debuted 2023)
- Room 13 (debuted 2023)
- Eight Fingers Nine: The Boogeyman (debuted 2024)
- Widows (debuted 2024)
- The Zoo (debuted 2025)
- Mary: The Haunting of Worth Home (debuted 2025)
Two new-for-2026 mazes are expected to fill the retired slots. Fan reports indicate exterior construction on the former Grimoire site (Mystery Lodge area) and the former Mesmer site (behind Xcelerator) since the spring. Names, themes, and full details will be revealed at Nightmares Revealed on August 18.
Knott’s has also not confirmed whether any 2025 maze other than Grimoire and Mesmer will retire this year. Fan speculation has centered on Origins, which at seven years running would be the oldest maze in the lineup, but there is no operator confirmation. If a third retirement is announced, the count would flip to three new mazes and seven returning.
What Knott’s has not yet announced for 2026
- The names and themes of the two (or more) new mazes.
- The full scare zone lineup, including any new zones for 2026. Five zones are confirmed to be running, but names are not yet public.
- The three shows for 2026. Fan speculation has floated a possible new theater show, but there is no operator confirmation.
- Themed food and beverage items for the season.
- Exclusive merchandise details.
All of these are expected to be revealed at Nightmares Revealed on August 18.
Watch the 2025 walkthrough
Here is HAN’s walkthrough of the 2025 Knott’s Scary Farm event:
Tickets and pricing
Tickets are online-only through knottsscaryfarm.com. Gate pricing runs substantially higher than online rates. Prices vary by night, with Thursdays and Sundays cheaper than Fridays and Saturdays. Late-October dates and Halloween itself are the priciest.
Available 2026 ticket tiers:
- Single-night admission: from $65 online for general admission, from $55 for passholders. Gate price up to $110.
- Scary Farm 2026 Season Pass: $164 (or $155 for Knott’s Berry Farm passholders and members). Includes admission on every event night.
- Fright & Fast Lane: from $139 online. Adds priority maze access and Fast Lane ride boarding. Admission is not included.
- Admission + Meal Bundle: from $80.
- Ultimate Bundle: from $200. Combines admission, Fright & Fast Lane, dining, and parking.
- Boo-fet: from $49. All-you-can-eat pre-event dining plus early entry to select mazes.
- Parking: from $45.
Tickets are non-refundable. Advance purchase is strongly recommended.
The Boo-fet: my recommendation
If you plan to attend Knott’s Scary Farm, add the Boo-fet. Knott’s has been known for its food since it started as a boysenberry stand, and the Boo-fet keeps that tradition going. It is a strong value on its own, and it gets you into the park before the general 7 p.m. opening so you can hit select mazes with the shortest lines of the night. On a hard-ticket event that runs to 2 a.m., that early-entry window is genuinely useful for planning.
Ghost Town Streets
Whatever the 2026 maze lineup ends up being, do not miss Ghost Town Streets. It is the original Knott’s Scary Farm scare zone, running every year since the event’s 1973 debut, and it is the closest thing the event has to a permanent institution. The zone takes over the park’s Ghost Town section every night of the season with roaming monsters, atmospheric fog, and lighting-design work that reads as the DNA of the whole event.
Nightmares Revealed: when the full lineup drops
Knott’s Nightmares Revealed preview event happens Tuesday, August 18, 2026, from 7 to 10 p.m. PT at Knott’s Berry Farm. This is where every maze, show, and scare zone gets named and previewed. Format includes a creative-team panel, a lights-on walkthrough of a maze, costume and makeup demonstrations, monster encounters in Ghost Town, night rides on Silver Bullet and Sierra Sidewinder, and access to the Legacy Store.
Preview event tickets went on sale June 19 and sold out within an hour. The main presentation is livestreamed on Knott’s Berry Farm’s YouTube channel for anyone who wants to watch from home. This guide will be updated with the confirmed maze names, show details, and any additional 2026 news within hours of the preview.
Midsummer Scream Knott’s panel
Knott’s Scary Farm holds a panel at Midsummer Scream, the Southern California haunt convention, on Saturday, August 8, 2026 at the Long Beach Convention Center. Historically the MSS panel teases new content and confirms retirements but stops short of naming full mazes, which is saved for Nightmares Revealed. Watch for a possible Origins retirement announcement or the second maze retirement confirmation there.
Planning tips
Book cheaper nights. Thursdays and Sundays are consistently the cheapest and the least crowded. Peak-weekend dates in mid to late October run substantially higher and are the first to sell out.
Prioritize new mazes first. New mazes always draw the longest lines of the night. On any given event night, hit the two new-for-2026 mazes as soon as you enter the park.
Fright & Fast Lane is highest value on Fridays and Saturdays. On Thursdays and Sundays with lower crowds, standby waits stay manageable and the add-on cost is harder to justify.
Boo-fet early entry gets you into select mazes before general opening. Combined with the food value, it is Knott’s Scary Farm’s best add-on.
Ghost Town Streets during entertainment blocks. The scare zone thins out when one of the three shows starts. Time your Ghost Town monster encounters accordingly if you want longer improvised interactions.
Photography and filming inside mazes are not permitted. Monsters cannot follow guests into stores, restaurants, or ride queues, which is the standard “safe zone” convention that hard-ticket haunt events use.
Event details
- Event: Knott’s Scary Farm 2026, 53rd season
- Location: Knott’s Berry Farm, 8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90620
- Dates: September 17 through October 31, 2026, on 26 select nights
- Hours: 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursdays and Sundays. 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
- Age recommendation: 13 and up. Chaperone required for guests 15 and under.
- Tickets: knottsscaryfarm.com, starting at $55 for passholders and $65 for general admission online.
- Nightmares Revealed preview: August 18, 2026, 7 to 10 p.m. PT (livestreamed on Knott’s Berry Farm YouTube).
HAN prior Knott’s Scary Farm coverage
- Knott’s Scary Farm 2024, Two New Mazes Unveiled
- [Knott’s Scary Farm Celebrates 50 Years of Never-Ending Nightmares](https://hauntedattractionnetwork.com/knotts-scary-farm-celebrates-50-years
