When Do Haunted Houses Open in 2026?

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HAN 2026 guide card: When Do Haunted Houses Open, with a clown scare actor holding a megaphone

Most haunted houses open between September 11 and the first weekend of October 2026. Theme park events start much earlier, with Disneyland’s Halloween season beginning August 18 and Halloween Horror Nights Orlando opening August 28, the earliest start in its history. And the season no longer ends on Halloween: several of the country’s biggest independent haunts now run into mid-November. This page lists confirmed 2026 dates, sorted by opening week, and is updated as haunts announce. Each linked event has a full guide with dates, tickets, and lineup.

August: The Season Starts

Opens Event Location Runs through
Aug 7 Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (8 dates already sold out) Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Orlando Oct 31
Aug 18 Oogie Boogie Bash Disney California Adventure, Anaheim Oct 31
Aug 21 Halloween Time at Disneyland Disneyland Resort, Anaheim Oct 31
Aug 28 Halloween Horror Nights 35 Universal Studios Florida, Orlando Nov 1
Aug 29 SCREAM-A-GEDDON Dade City, FL Nov 1

Hellbilly Hollow in Vincent, Alabama runs a two-night, 18-and-over Hell Night event on August 14 and 15, ahead of its regular September 19 season opening.

The September 11 and 12 Wave

Opens Event Location Runs through
Sept 3 Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood Nov 1
Sept 5 Ocean Park Halloween Fest (haunted houses on select October dates) Ocean Park, Hong Kong Nov 1
Sept 11 Halloween Horror Nights Japan Universal Studios Japan, Osaka Nov 8
Sept 11 Shocktoberfest Reading, PA Nov 7 (Day of the Dead Nov 1)
Sept 11 Howl-O-Scream Orlando SeaWorld Orlando Oct 31
Sept 11 Howl-O-Scream San Diego SeaWorld San Diego Oct 31
Sept 11 Howl-O-Scream Williamsburg Busch Gardens Williamsburg Nov 1
Sept 11 Howl-O-Scream San Antonio SeaWorld San Antonio Nov 1
Sept 11 Field of Screams Mountville, PA Nov 7 (Extreme Blackout Nov 13)
Sept 11 Woods of Terror Greensboro, NC Nov 7
Sept 11 Hundred Acres Manor Pittsburgh, PA Nov 1
Sept 11 13th Floor Haunted House Denver Denver, CO Nov 14
Sept 11 The Dent Schoolhouse Cincinnati, OH Oct 31 (Lights Out Nov 7, Slasher Night Nov 13)
Sept 11 Niles Scream Park Niles, MI Nov 1 (Blackout Nov 6 and 7)
Sept 12 House of Torment Austin, TX Nov 8
Sept 12 Kennywood Phantom Fall Fest West Mifflin, PA Nov 1
Sept 12 Nashville Nightmare Nashville, TN Nov 13
Sept 12 The Devils Attic Louisville, KY Oct 31
Sept 12 13th Floor Chicago Chicago, IL Nov 8
Sept 12 Dark Nights at Hersheypark Hersheypark, Hershey, PA Nov 1
Sept 12 13th Floor San Antonio San Antonio, TX Nov 8
Sept 12 13th Floor Houston Houston, TX Nov 13
Sept 12 13th Floor Jacksonville Jacksonville, FL Nov 7

Mid September

Opens Event Location Runs through
Sept 14 Dollywood Harvest Festival (family event, Great Pumpkin LumiNights) Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, TN Oct 31
Sept 16 Disney Halloween Tokyo Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea Oct 31 (DisneySea Coco event through Nov 2)
Sept 17 Knott’s Scary Farm Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park Oct 31
Sept 17 Delusion: Den of the Mosquito Beckett Mansion, Los Angeles Nov 8
Sept 18 Six Flags Fright Fest Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia Nov 1
Sept 18 Queen Mary Dark Harbor The Queen Mary, Long Beach Nov 1
Sept 18 Los Angeles Haunted Hayride Griffith Park, Los Angeles Nov 1
Sept 18 Halloween Haunt at Dorney Park Dorney Park, Allentown, PA Oct 31
Sept 18 Festival Fright Nights Winchester Mystery House, San Jose Nov 1
Sept 18 Fear Factory Salt Lake City, UT Nov 1
Sept 18 Terror Manor Roanoke City, VA Oct 31 (Blackout Nov 6 and 7)
Sept 18 Netherworld Haunted House Stone Mountain, GA Nov 7
Sept 19 Hellbilly Hollow Vincent, AL Nov 2
Sept 19 Dark Hour Haunted House Plano, TX Nov 13
Sept 19 Tulleys Pumpkin Festival Crawley, West Sussex, UK Oct 31
Sept 19 LEGOLAND Brick-or-Treat LEGOLAND California, Carlsbad Nov 1
Sept 19 Six Flags Fright Fest Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, IL Nov 1
Sept 19 Reapers Revenge Blakely, PA Nov 1
Sept 19 Fear Farm Phoenix, AZ Nov 14
Sept 19 13th Floor Phoenix Phoenix, AZ Nov 1
Sept 19 Terror on the Fox Green Bay, WI Nov 1
Sept 19 New Orleans Nightmare New Orleans, LA Nov 1
Sept 19 Wiard’s Orchards’ Night Terrors Ypsilanti, MI Nov 1
Sept 19 Akron Haunted Schoolhouse Akron, OH Nov 13

Late September

Opens Event Location Runs through
Sept 25 Halloween Horror Nights 14 Universal Studios Singapore Nov 1
Sept 25 The Haunted Trail of Balboa Park Balboa Park, San Diego Nov 1
Sept 25 Pennhurst Asylum Spring City, PA Oct 31 (Blackout Nov 6 and 7)
Sept 25 Terror in the Corn Erie, CO Oct 31
Sept 25 Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail Plant City, FL Nov 1
Sept 25 Dark Prison Carson City, NV Nov 1
Sept 25 The Haunted Farm Hendersonville, NC Oct 31
Sept 25 Cinema of Horrors Kelso, WA Nov 1
Sept 25 Creepy Hollow Haunted House Rosharon, TX Oct 31 (Lights Out with Krampus Nov 6 and 7)
Sept 25 Haunted Hunt Club Farm Virginia Beach, VA Oct 31
Sept 25 Field of Screams MT Victor, MT Oct 31
Sept 26 Phobia Haunted Houses Houston + Kemah, TX Nov 7
Sept 26 Frightmare Farms Palermo, NY Oct 24
Sept 26 Headless Horseman Haunted Attractions Ulster Park, NY TBA
Sept 26 Fright Nights WV Daniels, WV Late October
Sept 26 Disney Halloween Festival Disneyland Paris Nov 1
Sept 26 Alton Towers Scarefest (UK, new maze Final Exhibit) Alton Towers, Staffordshire, UK Nov 1

October

Opens Event Location Runs through
Oct 1 Dread Hollow Chattanooga, TN Oct 31 (Blackout Nov 1)
Oct 1 Terror Vault San Francisco, CA Nov 1
Oct 1 Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular + Pumpkins at Kentucky Kingdom Kentucky Kingdom, Louisville, KY Nov 1
Oct 2 Pirates of Emerson Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton Nov 1
Oct 2 Carved at Descanso Gardens Descanso Gardens, La Cañada Flintridge Nov 1
Oct 2 The Haunted Car Wash Four Southern California locations Oct 31
Oct 2 Heartstoppers Haunted House Rancho Cordova, Sacramento Nov 1
Oct 2 Black Water Grave Bartow, FL Oct 31
Oct 2 Hobb’s Grove Sanger, CA Oct 31 (Thursdays through Sundays)
Oct 2 Aura Haunted House Bartonville, IL Nov 1 (Blackout Oct 30 – Nov 1)
Oct 2 Halloween Nights of Eastern State Penitentiary Philadelphia, PA Nov 7
Oct 2 Milltown Haunt Lovettsville, VA Nov 1
Oct 2 Wild Waves Fright Fest Wild Waves, Federal Way, WA Nov 1 (park closes permanently)
Oct 3 Realm of Terror Round Lake Beach, IL TBA
Oct 9 Spook Hollow Marquette Heights, IL Oct 30
Oct 29 Wicked Lit Chance Theater, Anaheim Nov 2

November: The Season Doesn’t End on Halloween

The biggest independent haunts increasingly run past Halloween, and the industry itself keeps going after the public season winds down.

  • Fear Farm (Phoenix, AZ) and 13th Floor Haunted House Denver both run through November 14, the latest closes on this list.
  • Nashville Nightmare, 13th Floor Houston, and Akron Haunted Schoolhouse run through November 13.
  • Field of Screams holds its Extreme Blackout event November 13 and the Zombie Fun Run November 14, after its regular season ends November 7.
  • Netherworld (Stone Mountain, GA) runs through November 7 for its 30th Season of Screams, with Curse of the Collector and Beyond Oblivion: Legacy of Evil as its two houses.
  • Wild Waves Fright Fest (Federal Way, WA) ends November 1, which is also the last day the park ever operates.
  • House of Torment (Austin) runs through November 8, and Woods of Terror (Greensboro) through November 7.
  • Legendary Haunt Tour, the industry’s post-season tour event, runs November 5 to 7, 2026 in North Carolina, visiting Woods of Terror, Kersey Valley Spookywoods, and Lake Hickory Haunts.

Also running the full month: ScareHouse’s Halloween Hangout takes over The Plaza at North Shore in Pittsburgh October 1 through 31. There is no traditional haunted attraction in year one, but ScareHouse Haunt Nights, movie nights, a community trick-or-treat, and a charity pumpkin patch run across the month.

Dates Coming

These major haunts have not yet posted 2026 dates. We add each one to the tables above as its dates land.

Event Location 2026 Dates
Hong Kong Disneyland Halloween Hong Kong TBA (2025 ran Sept 19 – Nov 2)
Shanghai Disneyland Halloween Shanghai TBA (2025 ran Oct 4 – Nov 1)
Nights of the Jack Calabasas, CA TBA
Field of Horrors Troy (Brunswick), NY Targeting September, dates TBA after July fire

When Do Haunted Houses Open FAQ

When do most haunted houses open in 2026?
The busiest opening window is September 11 through October 2. Theme park events open first and most regional and independent haunts follow from mid-September, with one notable exception: SCREAM-A-GEDDON opens August 29 in Dade City, Florida, the earliest independent haunt on this list. The season runs through Halloween and beyond.

What is the earliest Halloween event in 2026?
Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure opens August 18, followed by Halloween Time at Disneyland on August 21 and Halloween Horror Nights Orlando on August 28, its earliest start ever.

Which haunted houses stay open after Halloween?
More than you’d think. Fear Farm and 13th Floor Denver run to November 14, Nashville Nightmare, 13th Floor Houston, and Akron Haunted Schoolhouse to November 13, House of Torment to November 8, and Woods of Terror and Field of Screams to November 7, with Field of Screams adding special events on November 13 and 14. Most theme park events end October 31 or November 1.

Want to be on the other side of the mask? See how to become a scare actor. Updated August 11, 2026. Dates are added as events announce them. See our destination guides for full lineups: Halloween Horror Nights (all parks) and Haunted Houses in California.


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Philip Hernandez

Philip Hernandez is editor of Haunted Attraction Network and Seasonal Entertainment Source. He’s covered themed entertainment for decades through HAN, Green Tagged podcast, and is a regular contributor to InPark Magazine, Attractions Magazine, and InterPark Magazine. Philip produces the annual OSCARES Halloween Industry Awards and serves on the IAAPA Brass Ring Live Entertainment Task Force.

View all posts by Philip Hernandez

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