ValleyScare runs Friday and Saturday nights through October 31 at Valleyfair in Shakopee, Minnesota, with five haunted mazes, four scare zones, and six shows. This year it is a separately ticketed event under the park’s new operator, Enchanted Parks, with every haunted maze included in admission, and it adds an interactive lantern that sets off effects around the park.
ValleyScare 2026 at a Glance
- 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
- 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. This year ValleyScare has a separate ticket, and all five mazes are part of it.
- The interactive lantern. Guests can buy a ValleyScare lantern that triggers 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 joins the five shows that ran last year.
- 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 return 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 come with admission. All four ran in 2025, including Hemlock’s Coven, which was new last 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 this year.
- 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 lights up and gives haptic feedback as you walk the park. According to the park’s 2026 map, it does 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 are sold at the Attitudes, General Store, Northern Lights Novelties, and Plaza Shopper shops, and you keep yours as a souvenir. The park hasn’t posted a price online.
Dates, Hours, and Tickets
ValleyScare runs Fridays and Saturdays from September 19 through October 31, 2026, from 7 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. Friday, September 25 is also a College ID Night. Online prices, 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: the Hero Pass is $85.99 and the Legend Pass, good at all eight Enchanted Parks, is $139.99. Both include the rest of 2026, ValleyScare included.
Rules to Know Before You Go
- 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 runs Saturdays and Sundays through November 1, with trick-or-treating, kid-friendly shows, crafts, and seasonal treats. A Tricks and Treats-only ticket is $37.99 online.
Related Coverage
Enchanted Parks also runs Halloween Haunt at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City and Fright Fest at Mid America Adventure, the former Six Flags St. Louis. See my Mid America Adventure Fright Fest 2026 lineup 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.
