Long Beach, CA — The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor is entering its 13th year with 13 icons roaming the ship, and it plans to kill one of them off in front of live audiences this season. The producers detailed the 2026 lineup at their Midsummer Scream panel, led by a new World War II maze and the promise that one icon will not survive the run.
Dark Harbor runs select nights from September 18 through November 1 at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, and our Queen Mary Dark Harbor 2026 guide tracks the full lineup, tickets, and add-ons. Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group produces the event.
A 13th Year, and a Murdered Icon
The milestone shaped the reveal. “For the first time there will be thirteen icons roaming the ship,” said Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group CEO Chris Stafford, who framed the 13 icons in the 13th year as a coincidence the team embraced once they counted.
The panel also had a twist. One of those 13 icons will be killed off in front of guests during the 2026 run, a live death staged night after night. “One of them will be murdered right in front of your eyes!” said Amy Hollaman, the event’s director of Halloween attractions. “This year we kill an icon.” Dark Harbor is keeping the victim’s identity secret, so fans have to attend to learn who dies.
Shipwrecked Brings the Queen Mary’s War History Aboard
The new maze, Shipwrecked, is built on the Queen Mary’s real World War II service, when the gray-painted liner ferried troops across the Atlantic and earned the nickname “the Gray Ghost.” Hollaman told the story from the stage: the ship sailed under orders never to stop, and one foggy night a submarine crossed her path. The man responsible for the crossing, a new icon called The Commander, refused to slow down. He ordered the crew to brace for impact, and the Queen Mary sliced through the submarine, sending hundreds of sailors to their deaths.
Now those drowned sailors rise aboard the ship for revenge. Unlike the friendly Captain who starts the party, The Commander keeps the ship silent when enemies are near. Dark Harbor says the maze uses new technology, built with technical director Kip Polley, to recreate the collision.
Feast Retires, and Its Chef Moves to Cell Block 13
One returning maze is gone. Feast, the maze built around a cannibal chef, ran for the last time in 2025. “Feast Final Cut was my highlight from last year,” Hollaman said of the maze’s final run.
The maze is retired, but its central character survives. During the spring off-season event Dark Masquerade, guests decided the Chef’s fate, and he was hauled away. “He’s getting locked up this year in cell block thirteen, and the chef lives on,” Hollaman said. Cell Block 13 folds into the returning Breakout: Maximum Security, the seaside-prison maze built around Samuel the Savage, the killer from stateroom B340.
The Returning Mazes Evolve
The rest of the lineup carries new chapters. Lullaby follows Scary Mary, the girl who drowned in the ship’s first-class swimming pool, and this year her story adds a possessed teddy bear that drowned with her and crossed the vortex to haunt her. “The teddy bear itself is possessed,” Hollaman said, and it whispers demonic thoughts to Mary as guests move through an all-new path and finale.
Infirmary: The Siren’s Song continues the story of Graceful Gale and the surgeon Dr. Edwin Masters, giving Gale more control and a new finale. And Voodoo: The Queen’s Curse returns after debuting last year, following a Voodoo Priestess who hexed a crew of sailors, commandeered a ship, and crashed it in Long Beach to raise the Queen Mary’s dead. General manager Star Romano said the casting was deliberate. “We knew we wanted to reimagine her as the Voodoo Priestess as a strong Black woman, a powerful Black woman with a commanding presence,” Romano said, describing a character built to feel authentic rather than a caricature.
New Rides, Shows, and Speakeasies
Beyond the mazes, the Ringmaster’s carnival grows darker with a new crew of punk anarchy clowns in Big Top Terror: Carnival of Chaos, plus two new rides: a spinning Alien Abduction and neon Blacklight Bumper Cars. A new nighttime event, The Harbor Awakens, sends the icons and a cast of stiltwalkers and dancers through the event, and a new slider show, Slider Showdown: Clash of the Realms, joins the returning Maiden Voyage launch party, fire shows, and Final Voyage dance party.
Dark Harbor also added new story-driven speakeasies with collectible tokens, opened a year-round escape room on the ship, and added food including smash burgers, hot chicken, and boozy Dole Whip.
Dates, Tickets, and the Full Guide
The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor runs select nights from September 18 through November 1. A discount presale is open, and the event says tickets are almost sold out. For the full lineup, add-ons, and ticket details, see our Queen Mary Dark Harbor 2026 guide, and tickets are available on the official Dark Harbor site.
