Most haunted houses opened between September 11 and the first weekend of October 2026. Theme park events started 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. 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 (all dates 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 ran 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 10 | The Horrorland | Jungle Island, Miami, FL | 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 | 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 11 | Six Flags Fright Fest | Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, TX | Nov 1 |
| Sept 11 | Zombie Invasion at Rocky Top Mountain Coaster (haunted mountain coaster, 36 nights) | Pigeon Forge, TN | Oct 31 |
| Sept 11 | Howl-O-Scream (Busch Gardens Tampa) | Tampa, FL | Oct 31 |
| Sept 11 | Howl-O-Scream (SeaWorld San Antonio) | San Antonio, TX | Nov 1 |
| Sept 11 | Fright Fest (Six Flags Fiesta Texas) | San Antonio, TX | Nov 1 |
| Sept 11 | Hotel of Terror and Dungeons of Doom (Hotel of Terror is in its last season) | Springfield, MO | Oct 31 |
| 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 |
| Sept 12 | Six Flags St. Louis Fright Fest | Six Flags St. Louis, Eureka, MO (now Mid America Adventure) | Nov 1 |
| Sept 12 | Fright Fest (Six Flags Over Georgia) | Austell, GA | Nov 1 |
| Sept 12 | The Hollow Awakens | Lakewood Center, Lakewood, CA | Nov 1 |
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 | Nightmare on 13th | Salt Lake City, UT | Oct 31 (plus Nov 13) |
| Sept 18 | Terror on the Coast (40,000-sq-ft warehouse haunt) | Gulfport, MS | Oct 31 |
| Sept 18 | The Queen Mary’s 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 | Halloween Haunt at Kings Dominion | Kings Dominion, Doswell, VA | Nov 1 |
| Sept 18 | Disney Halloween Time | Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong Kong | Nov 1 |
| 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 18 | Six Flags Fright Fest | Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, NJ | Nov 1 |
| Sept 18 | Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns | South Coast Botanic Garden, Palos Verdes | Nov 1 |
| Sept 18 | The Nightmare Factory | Wabash, IN | Oct 31 |
| Sept 18 | Erebus Haunted Attraction (Primordium) | Pontiac, MI | Nov 1 |
| Sept 18 | Eulogy Collective: Shades of Hell | Anaheim, CA | Nov 1 |
| Sept 18 | Pure Terror Scream Park | Monroe, NY | Nov 1 |
| Sept 18 | Spooky World Presents Nightmare New England (new fifth haunt, Petrified) | Mel’s Funway Park, Litchfield, NH | Nov 1 |
| 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 | PortAventura World Halloween | PortAventura World, Salou, Spain | Nov 15 |
| Sept 19 | Through the Veil (immersive séance) | Heritage Square Museum, LA + Broken Spirits, Anaheim | Sept 30 |
| 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 |
| Sept 19 | ValleyScare | Valleyfair, Shakopee, MN | Oct 31 |
| Sept 19 | Worlds of Fun Halloween Haunt | Worlds of Fun, Kansas City, MO | Oct 31 |
| Sept 19 | The Darkness | St. Louis, MO | Nov 13 |
Not running in 2026: Six Flags Darien Lake in Corfu, New York is not holding Fright Fest this year. Its events calendar lists Kids Boo Fest on weekends from September 19 through October 11. See my report on Darien Lake dropping Fright Fest.
Late September
| Opens | Event | Location | Runs through |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 25 | Reign of Terror Haunted House | Thousand Oaks, CA | Nov 1 |
| Sept 25 | Castle Dark | Castle Park, Riverside, CA | Nov 1 |
| 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 25 | Cutting Edge Haunted House | Fort Worth, TX | Oct 31 (plus Nov 7 and Nov 13) |
| Sept 25 | The Bates Motel & Haunted Hayride | Glen Mills, PA (Philadelphia) | Nov 1 |
| Sept 25 | Lake Joy Trails of Terror | Kathleen, GA | Oct 31 (Terror Campout Nov 13) |
| Sept 25 | Twin Cities Fear Fest | Mall of America, Bloomington, MN | Nov 1 |
| Sept 25 | Portals of Fear | West Mifflin, PA | Oct 31 |
| Sept 25 | Tweetsie Railroad Ghost Train | Blowing Rock, NC | Oct 31 |
| Sept 25 | The Great Big BOO at Gilroy Gardens (family event) | Gilroy, CA | Nov 1 |
| Sept 25 | Frightworld (new house: Hallow Grounds) | Buffalo, NY | Nov 7 |
| Sept 25 | Blood Prison | Mansfield, OH | Nov 1 |
| Sept 25 | Hush Haunted Attraction | Westland, MI | Nov 7 |
| Sept 25 | The 17th Door | Buena Park, CA | Nov 1 |
| Sept 25 | Nights of the Jack | Calabasas, CA | Nov 1 |
| Sept 25 | Creepyworld | Fenton, MO | Nov 13 |
| Sept 25 | Cox Farms Fields of Fear | Centreville, VA | Nov 7 |
| Sept 26 | Halloween Horror Festival (Jason Universe) | Movie Park Germany, Bottrop | Nov 8 |
| 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 | Oct 31 |
| 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 |
| Sept 26 | Six Flags Fright Fest | Six Flags New England, Agawam, MA | Nov 1 |
| Sept 26 | Six Flags Fright Fest | Six Flags Frontier City, Oklahoma City, OK | Oct 31 |
| Sept 26 | The Buford Trail of Terror | Lanier Islands, Buford, GA | Nov 7 |
| Sept 26 | Field of Horrors (reopened after the July fire) | Troy, NY | Nov 7 |
| Sept 26 | The Fear PDX | Portland, OR | Nov 7 |
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 1 | The Haunting on Spring Mountain | The Sand Dollar Lounge, Las Vegas, NV | Oct 31 |
| 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 | Black Casket (Cannibal Creek) | Yucaipa, CA | 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 | Field of Screams Branson | Branson, MO | Oct 31 (plus Nov 6, 7, 13 and 14) |
| 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 7 |
| Oct 2 | Wild Waves Fright Fest | Wild Waves, Federal Way, WA | Nov 1 (park closes permanently) |
| Oct 2 | Thorpe Park Fright Nights (UK, new maze Tenement) | Thorpe Park, Surrey, UK | Nov 1 |
| Oct 2 | Shocktober Fest (Tulleys Farm, UK, 30th anniversary) | Crawley, West Sussex, UK | Nov 1 |
| Oct 2 | Edge of Hell and The Beast (13 select nights, season moved out of September for heat) | West Bottoms, Kansas City, MO | Oct 31 (Thu-Sat from Oct 15) |
| Oct 2 | A Petrified Forest (Chaos Reigns, five new attractions, from $38) | Altamonte Springs, FL | Oct 31 |
| Oct 2 | Nightmare Acres | South Windsor, CT | Oct 30 |
| Oct 2 | Wentz Brothers’ Festival of Fears | Holt, FL | Oct 31 (Nov 13 event) |
| Oct 2 | Blood Manor | Tribeca, New York, NY | Nov 7 |
| Oct 2 | Nightmare Wharf (first season, partly aboard the USS Little Rock) | Buffalo Naval Park, Buffalo, NY | Nov 1 |
| Oct 2 | The Hollow at Live Oak Canyon (first season) | Redlands, CA | Oct 31 |
| Oct 2 | Psycho Circus at Horror House Nights | Haines City, FL | Nov 1 |
| Oct 2 | Fear Forest | Harrisonburg, VA | Oct 31 |
| Oct 3 | Realm of Terror | Round Lake Beach, IL | Oct 31 |
| Oct 3 | Toverland Halloween Nights (Netherlands, new 7-hectare corn maze Entwined) | Toverland, Sevenum, Netherlands | Nov 7 (Halloween Days to Nov 8) |
| Oct 3 | Fright Nights at Warner Bros. Movie World (Australia, nine nights) | Warner Bros. Movie World, Gold Coast, Australia | Oct 31 |
| Oct 3 | Workhouse Haunt: Dark Encounters | Lorton, VA | Oct 30 |
| Oct 3 | Creepy Hollow Scream Park | Glen Allen, VA | Oct 31 |
| Oct 4 | Shanghai Disneyland Halloween | Shanghai, China | Nov 1 |
| Oct 8 | Beetle House LA (retro Halloween party pop-up) | Commerce, CA | Nov 7 |
| Oct 8 | The Black Cat Hotel (immersive theater, vampire story) | San Francisco, CA | Oct 31 |
| Oct 9 | Spook Hollow | Marquette Heights, IL | Oct 30 |
| Oct 9 | Terror on the Timber Farm | Yulee, FL | Nov 1 |
| Oct 9 | Heritage Square Museum Halloween (Boo-ze, Bites & Frights and more) | Los Angeles, CA | Oct 31 |
| Oct 9 | Urban Death Tour of Terror “Ultra” | North Hollywood, CA | Nov 1 |
| Oct 9 | Scaremare | Lynchburg, VA | Oct 30 |
| Oct 14 | Mary and Margo’s Halloween Sideshow of Madness | Zombie Joe’s, North Hollywood, CA | Oct 29 |
| Oct 16 | Everhaunt | Angola, NY | Oct 30 |
| Oct 16 | Halls of Hysteria | Fredericksburg, VA | Oct 31 |
| Oct 29 | Wicked Lit | Chance Theater, Anaheim | Nov 2 |
| Oct 30 | The Dark Wedding (immersive theater at Clifton’s) | Los Angeles, CA | Nov 1 |
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 among the U.S. events 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.
When Do Haunted Houses Open FAQ
When do most haunted houses open in 2026?
The busiest opening window was September 11 through October 2. Theme park events opened first and most regional and independent haunts followed 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?
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom opened August 7. Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure followed on August 18, 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 October 8, 2026. See my destination guides for full lineups: Halloween Horror Nights (all parks) and Haunted Houses in California.
Get opening dates and ticket alerts
The weekly Haunted Attraction Network newsletter: haunt opening dates, ticket alerts, and industry news every Monday. More about the newsletter.
