Shocktober Fest, the Halloween attraction that started as a single haunted house on a West Sussex farm in 1996, turns 30 this year, and it is marking the anniversary with four new experiences. The Halloween event located at Tulleys Farm near Crawley runs 26 nights, from October 2 to November 1, with tickets starting at £42.95.
The four are a large live show and three new walkthrough haunts. House of Hades, which the event bills as among its largest live productions, features the performance group The Fuel Girls. The three walkthroughs are The Cellar Returns, set in tunnels beneath a house, and two connected attractions, Appleton County Farm and Appleton Saw Mill. The Doom Town area also adds a new Ross Records scene, created with Celebrity Gogglebox star Honey Ross, and the haunted Greggs shop that debuted last year returns.
Four new experiences for 2026
The anniversary adds four new experiences: a large live show and three new walkthrough haunts.
- House of Hades: billed as among the largest live productions in Shocktober Fest’s history, starring The Fuel Girls, an international performance group whose fire, aerial, dance, and stage work has appeared at events including Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights.
- The Cellar Returns: a walkthrough that takes guests beneath a house into a network of tunnels and underground chambers.
- Appleton County Farm and Appleton Saw Mill: two connected attractions that tell the story of the fictional Appleton family across two different locations.
The Doom Town area also expands with Ross Records, a retro record shop created with writer, podcaster, and Celebrity Gogglebox star Honey Ross.
Honey Ross, a long-time visitor to the event, worked with the team on the new scene. “I’ve been coming to Tulleys every year for as long as I can remember and it’s always held a very special place in my heart,” she said. “Halloween is my absolute favourite time of year, so it’s an absolute dream to get to collaborate with these horror experts to make something truly immersive.”
The haunted Greggs shop that opened inside Doom Town last year also returns. Alongside the new builds, the event keeps its established lineup of walkthrough haunts, live entertainment, roaming performers, live music, DJs, street food, bars, and fairground rides.
From one haunted house to a 30-year run
Shocktober Fest opened at Tulleys Farm in 1996 and has welcomed more than two million visitors over three decades, growing from that first haunted house into a month-long Halloween event. When the ScareTrack team reviewed it on our podcast in 2019, the season ran 18 nights. This year it runs 26.
“Thirty years ago, we set out to create a Halloween experience unlike anything the UK had seen before,” owner Stuart Beare said. “This is the biggest and most ambitious event we have produced in our 30-year history. We are still finding new ways to surprise our guests and we cannot wait to welcome them back this October.”
The site is a fourth-generation family farm run by the Beare family, and it hosts several seasonal events beyond the haunt, including the Tulleys Pumpkin Festival, a Christmas light festival, a tulip festival, and an escape-room business.
Dates, times, and tickets
Shocktober Fest runs on 26 selected nights from October 2 to November 1, 2026, at Tulleys Farm, Turners Hill Road, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 4PE. Gates open at 4:30 p.m., parking is free, and tickets start at £42.95 through ShocktoberFest.co.uk.
For opening dates at haunts across the season, see our guide to when haunted houses open.
