ValleyScare is over for 2026, and Valleyfair has not posted 2027 dates. Its ValleyScare page still shows the 2026 season, Friday and Saturday nights from September 19 through October 31, and its home page is selling 2027 season passes that include the rest of 2026.
The 2026 event at Valleyfair in Shakopee, Minnesota, had five haunted mazes, four scare zones and six shows. It was a separately ticketed event under the park’s new operator, Enchanted Parks, with every haunted maze included in admission, and it added an interactive lantern that set off effects around the park. This page keeps the 2026 lineup as the record, and I update it when Valleyfair posts 2027 dates.
ValleyScare 2026 at a Glance
- 2027: dates not posted as of November 4, 2026
- Dates: Fridays and Saturdays, September 19 through October 31, 2026
- Hours: 7 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
- Haunted mazes: five, all included with ValleyScare admission
- Scare zones: four
- Shows: six
- 2026 tickets: $49.99 online for ValleyScare only, $89 at the gate
- Ages: guests 17 and younger need a chaperone who is at least 21, and the park says the event may not be suitable for younger guests
What’s New for 2026
- A separate ticket, with the mazes included. In 2025, ValleyScare came with regular park admission, and the haunted mazes needed a Haunted Attractions Pass from $15. In 2026 ValleyScare had a separate ticket, and all five mazes were part of it.
- The interactive lantern. Guests could buy a ValleyScare lantern that triggered lights, fog, and sounds at marked spots around the park. More on how it works below.
- Seeded and Scorned. A new show on the Plaza Stage joined the five shows that ran in 2025.
- A new operator. Six Flags sold Valleyfair to EPR Properties in April, and the park is now run by Enchanted Parks, which operates eight properties. ValleyScare is included with Enchanted Parks Legend and Hero Passes, Six Flags Gold and Prestige Passes bought before April 6, and Six Flags Memberships.
In 2022, Valleyfair replaced ValleyScare with the family event Tricks and Treats, as I covered in Two Theme Parks Transition Away From Scary for Halloween. ValleyScare has since come back, and it ran alongside Tricks and Treats in 2025.
The Five Haunted Mazes
All five mazes returned from 2025.
- Berserkers: Valkyries’ Vengeance (behind High Roller): a Norse nightmare where Valkyries fight through haunted wilderness, ancient ruins, and monster-infested caves against an undead Viking horde.
- Cryptidland (near Midway Games): a roadside attraction where ancient secrets awaken cryptids and beasts.
- Mr. Cleaver’s Bloodshed (near Mad Mouse): a high-intensity slaughterhouse where visitors become the victims.
- The Chateau: 7 Deadly Scares (the Chateau): an old chateau where the Seven Deadly Sins become living nightmares.
- Undertakers (behind High Roller): a mortuary haunted by lost souls, with the Undertaker’s secrets inside.
The Four Scare Zones
The scare zones came with admission. All four also ran in 2025, including Hemlock’s Coven, which was new that year.
- CarnEVIL: Midway of Mayhem (Planet Snoopy): a fog-covered cursed carnival run by grotesque clowns
- Signal Zero (near The Wave): a post-apocalyptic wasteland where a signal draws survivors toward savage gangs
- Hemlock’s Coven (near Mad Mouse): dark magic users plotting on cursed land
- Blood on the Boundary Waters (behind High Roller): an isolated town where a fungal outbreak turns people into swamp beasts
Shows and Entertainment
- The Awakening: 6:50 p.m., Superior Stage. The monsters emerge as darkness spreads across the park.
- Hell On Wheels: 7:15 p.m., Superior Stage. A musical with a gang of outlaw bikers.
- Black Widow: 7:45 p.m., Superior Stage. A light-up hoop and dance act.
- Hide and Seek: 8:15 p.m., Superior Stage. Song, dance, and effects.
- Seeded and Scorned: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., Plaza Stage. Comedy with a spooky edge, new in 2026.
- Dragons Fire Theater: 8, 9, 10, and 11 p.m., Gazebo Stage. Fire juggling and fire breathing on the midway.
How the Interactive Lantern Works
The ValleyScare lantern lit up and gave haptic feedback as guests walked the park. According to the park’s 2026 map, it did four things:
- When the Lantern Burns: the Gravedigger’s lantern glows during select live shows.
- Awaken the Scene: at designated spots, press the lantern’s button and the lights shift, fog rolls in, and sounds play.
- Signal in the Shadows: a signal wakes the lantern and makes it glow in the scare zones.
- Lantern tagging: guests can tag each other’s lanterns, which flash green or red.
Lanterns were sold at the Attitudes, General Store, Northern Lights Novelties, and Plaza Shopper shops, and guests kept theirs as a souvenir. The park didn’t post a price online.
2026 Dates, Hours, and Tickets
ValleyScare ran Fridays and Saturdays from September 19 through October 31, 2026, from 7 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. Online prices on October 11, which the park says may vary by date:
- ValleyScare only: $49.99, including all haunted mazes and parking ($89 at the gate)
- Tricks and Treats plus ValleyScare combo: $74.99 for the full day and night ($109 at the gate)
- Fright Lane: $64.99 for priority access on select rides and one priority entry to each maze, with admission sold separately
- Fright Lane Plus: $94.99 for unlimited priority entry to every maze, with admission sold separately
- 2027 season passes: on October 11 the Hero Pass was $85.99 and the Legend Pass, good at all eight Enchanted Parks, was $139.99.
The 2026 Rules
- Chaperones: every guest 17 or younger must be with a chaperone who is at least 21, and one chaperone can bring up to five minors. Chaperones need a physical government photo ID, and digital IDs aren’t accepted.
- No re-entry: guests who leave during ValleyScare can’t come back in.
- Bags: only clear plastic bags smaller than 12 by 12 by 6 inches, or small wristlets and clutches, are allowed.
- Saturday transition: on Saturdays, Tricks and Treats closes at 5:30 p.m., everyone exits the park, and ValleyScare ticket holders re-enter through the Steel Venom gates.
Tricks and Treats for Younger Kids
For families with younger children, Valleyfair’s daytime Tricks and Treats ran Saturdays and Sundays through November 1, 2026, with trick-or-treating, kid-friendly shows, crafts, and seasonal treats. A Tricks and Treats-only ticket was $37.99 online.
Related Coverage
Enchanted Parks also ran Halloween Haunt at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City and Fright Fest at Mid America Adventure, the former Six Flags St. Louis, in 2026. See my Mid America Adventure Fright Fest page and my Fright Fest guide to every park, which covers the Six Flags sale to EPR Properties. All six parks’ Halloween events are in my Enchanted Parks Halloween roundup.
