Theme Park Spot

Fall Events at America's Top Theme Parks, 2026

By Theme Park Spot · Last reviewed November 11, 2026

An illustration of a theme park midway at dusk decorated for Halloween, with jack-o'-lanterns, a lit castle and a Ferris wheel
AI-generated illustration.

Fall 2026 brought the usual mix of after-dark haunts, family trick-or-treat events and harvest festivals to US theme parks. The earliest event below, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom, began on August 7, and most closed on Halloween or on Sunday, November 1. Many parks kept daytime activities aimed at families and saved the haunted houses and scare zones for the evening, often behind a separate ticket or pass.

USA Today 10Best readers voted Hallo-Fun at Knoebels the best theme park Halloween event of 2026, ahead of Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld Orlando and Happy Halloween Weekends at Holiday World.

Most of these events have ended for the year, and parks usually announce the next season's dates in late spring or summer. For what is coming up now, see our guide to holiday events at the big parks, from Thanksgiving through New Year's.

Fall 2026 at a glance

14 events, earliest first. Most run on select days only, so check the park's calendar before you go.

EventParkDatesStatus
Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Magic Kingdom
Lake Buena Vista, Florida		 Aug 7 – Oct 31, 2026
EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival EPCOT
Lake Buena Vista, Florida		 Aug 27 – Nov 21, 2026
Halloween Horror Nights Universal Studios Florida
Orlando, Florida		 Aug 28 – Nov 1, 2026
Harvest Festival and Pumpkins In The City Silver Dollar City
Branson, Missouri		 Sep 11 – Oct 31, 2026
Howl-O-Scream Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia		 Sep 11 – Nov 1, 2026
Howl-O-Scream SeaWorld Orlando
Orlando, Florida		 Sep 11 – Oct 31, 2026
Hersheypark Halloween Hersheypark
Hershey, Pennsylvania		 Sep 12 – Nov 1, 2026
Phantom Fall Fest Kennywood
West Mifflin, Pennsylvania		 Sep 12 – Nov 1, 2026
Harvest Festival with Great Pumpkin LumiNights Dollywood
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee		 Sep 14 – Oct 31, 2026
HalloWeekends Cedar Point
Sandusky, Ohio		 Sep 17 – Nov 1, 2026
Knott's Scary Farm Knott’s Berry Farm
Buena Park, California		 Sep 17 – Oct 31, 2026
Fright Fest Six Flags Magic Mountain
Valencia, California		 Sep 18 – Nov 1, 2026
Happy Halloween Weekends Holiday World
Santa Claus, Indiana		 Sep 19 – Nov 1, 2026
Hallo-Fun Knoebels Amusement Resort
Elysburg, Pennsylvania		 Oct 9 – Nov 1, 2026

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Magic Kingdom (Lake Buena Vista, Florida) · Aug 7 – Oct 31, 2026 · Select nights; separate ticket

This separately ticketed evening party took over Magic Kingdom on select nights from early August through Halloween. Guests of every age could trick-or-treat at more than a dozen candy stops, and Disney gave a treat bag to each guest. Entertainment included Mickey's Boo-To-You Halloween Parade, the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular stage show with the Sanderson Sisters, and Disney's Not-So-Spooky Spectacular, a castle projection and fireworks show. New for 2026 was a Stitch dance party with Lilo and Angel. The Cadaver Dans returned, characters greeted guests in Halloween costumes, and some rides received Halloween overlays.

Official event page

EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival

EPCOT (Lake Buena Vista, Florida) · Aug 27 – Nov 21, 2026 · Daily; included with EPCOT admission; some marketplaces opened in phases

The festival placed Global Marketplaces, small booths selling food and drink from around the world, across EPCOT, and it was included with regular park admission. Disney marked 30 years of the festival by bringing back or reworking 30 dishes from earlier editions, among them a potato pierogi first served in 1996. The Eat to the Beat concert series returned to the America Gardens Theatre with several shows on most days. Other features included Emile's Fromage Montage, a passport-stamp trail for cheese dishes, the Remy's Hide & Squeak scavenger hunt, and a cheese-themed exhibit at CommuniCore Hall that opened September 18.

Official event page

Halloween Horror Nights

Universal Studios Florida (Orlando, Florida) · Aug 28 – Nov 1, 2026 · 48 select nights; separate ticket; extra Premium Scream Nights on Aug. 27 and Oct. 19

Universal's 35th Halloween Horror Nights ran at Universal Studios Florida under the theme Infernal Carnival of Nightmares, which brought together the event's longtime icons, Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow. Ten haunted houses mixed film and TV titles (Sinners, Hellraiser, Evil Dead Burn and Stranger Things 5), a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, and original stories such as Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control, Cybergoria and INVASION: Alien Abduction. Scare zones included Downtown Clowntown and Fortnitemares, the event's first zone based on Fortnite. The live shows were A Rockin' Stranger Things Rewind and A New Nightmare Begins.

Official event page · Our guide: Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios 2024

Harvest Festival and Pumpkins In The City

Silver Dollar City (Branson, Missouri) · Sep 11 – Oct 31, 2026 · Park operating days; Pumpkins In The City evenings began Sept. 18

Silver Dollar City paired a daytime crafts festival with an evening pumpkin event. During Craft Days, visiting artisans from around the country showed heritage crafts, fine art, home goods and fiber arts alongside the park's own resident craftsmen. Harvest Festival decorated the park with more than 20,000 pumpkins in displays and photo spots. From September 18, Pumpkins In The City kept the park open into the evening, with family dance parties in the newly expanded Plaza starting at 5:30 p.m.

Official event page

Howl-O-Scream

Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, Virginia) · Sep 11 – Nov 1, 2026 · Select nights from 6 p.m.; the new Fright at the Museum house opened Sept. 25

Howl-O-Scream filled Busch Gardens Williamsburg with five haunted houses on select nights. Two houses were new: Anaconda: Dead on Arrival, based on the Anaconda films, and Fright at the Museum. Returning houses included Clown Town and Bloodshot. Five terror-tories, the park's name for scare zones, included the new Viper Valley and Witch's Way, and the show lineup added Undead Diva alongside returning shows such as Monster Stomp on Ripper Row. Guests 15 and younger needed a chaperone aged 21 or older after 4 p.m. on event days. In the daytime, Halloween Spooktacular offered Sesame Street activities, a hay maze and a trick-or-treat trail for children.

Official event page · Our guide: Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens 2024

Howl-O-Scream

SeaWorld Orlando (Orlando, Florida) · Sep 11 – Oct 31, 2026 · Select nights; for mature audiences

SeaWorld Orlando aimed its evening haunt at adults, warning of blood, gore and violence, and did not allow costumes. The 2026 edition had five haunted houses: the new I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Final Catch, based on the horror film series, plus Dark Net, Everything Must Stay, Raveyard and Crawlspace. Six scare zones, among them Nekrosis and Trailer Park Tragedy, spread through the park. Five themed bars, such as Byte Bar and Larva Lounge, served drinks, and two shows, Throttle and Monster Stomp, were staged. Thrill rides also operated after dark.

Official event page

Hersheypark Halloween

Hersheypark (Hershey, Pennsylvania) · Sep 12 – Nov 1, 2026 · Eight weekends: Saturdays and Sundays, plus Fridays from Sept. 18; Dark Nights haunt in the evening

Hersheypark Halloween ran for eight weekends at Hersheypark with about 50 rides open. Children 12 and under could follow a 14-stop trick-or-treat trail, Hershey characters greeted guests in costume, and Laff Trakk ran with the lights out. New for 2026 were the Avenue of the Afterlife area and Monster Meet & Shriek at the Chevrolet Music Box Theatre. From 6 p.m., Dark Nights, marking its fifth anniversary, added five haunted houses and five scare zones, including the new Reese's Depot of Doom. At ZooAmerica, Creatures of the Night flashlight tours ran on three weekends starting October 16.

Official event page · Our guide: Hersheypark in the Dark 2024

Phantom Fall Fest

Kennywood (West Mifflin, Pennsylvania) · Sep 12 – Nov 1, 2026 · Select Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; daytime family activities from Sept. 19

After 6 p.m., Kennywood ran seven haunted houses and four outdoor scare zones: Fear Fest, Dead Light District, Hellbilly Hollow and The Welcoming. The new haunt, Ghostwood Estate: Open House, turned the park's Ghostwood Estate dark ride into a walk-through. On weekend afternoons from September 19, the same house opened with the lights on for trick-or-treating with costumed characters, and a new Fall Fest Tasting Experience served seasonal dishes such as a potato kielbasa skillet around the lagoon. Rides including Phantom's Revenge, Steel Curtain and Jack Rabbit operated during the event.

Official event page

Harvest Festival with Great Pumpkin LumiNights

Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee) · Sep 14 – Oct 31, 2026 · Park operating days; Harvey's Boo Bash on Oct. 16, 23 and 30 needed a separate ticket

Dollywood's Harvest Festival ran from mid-September through Halloween. After dark, Great Pumpkin LumiNights lit the park with thousands of carved pumpkins and ride-themed pumpkin displays, with character meet-and-greets. The festival scheduled more than 700 live performances, with gospel, bluegrass and country acts such as Gold City, The Isaacs, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage and The Grascals. New this year were nightly LumiNights Dance Parties and an Apple Market by the Dollywood Express depot. On October 16, 23 and 30, the park added Harvey's Boo Bash, a separately ticketed Halloween party that ran from 9 p.m. to midnight after regular closing.

Official event page · Our guide: Fall Events at Dollywood in 2024

HalloWeekends

Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio) · Sep 17 – Nov 1, 2026 · Select days and nights; a Scream Peek preview weekend (Sept. 10-13) is not counted

HalloWeekends ran on select days and nights at Cedar Point. The new indoor maze, DIABLO: The Infernal Path, was based on the Diablo video games and built near Steel Vengeance in Frontier Town, and a new outdoor haunt, Crystal Rock Massacre, was set at a summer camp. Indoor mazes required a Haunted Attractions Pass, and The Conjuring: Beyond Fear needed its own ticket. Families had more than 20 daytime activities, including a trick-or-treat trail, pumpkin decorating, hay and corn mazes and PEANUTS characters. Several rides took seasonal names, such as GateKreeper for GateKeeper and Boo Streak for Blue Streak.

Official event page · Our guide: HalloWeekends at Cedar Point 2024

Knott's Scary Farm

Knott’s Berry Farm (Buena Park, California) · Sep 17 – Oct 31, 2026 · Select nights; separate ticket

Knott's Scary Farm was a separately ticketed evening event at Knott's Berry Farm, and its admission covered the mazes, scare zones and shows. The 2026 lineup had ten mazes, two of them new: Inked, set in a 1930s cartoon studio whose characters turn on visitors, and Unearthed, set at an excavation site where something ancient has woken. Returning mazes included The Zoo, Room 13 and Cinema Slasher. Five scare zones, among them Ghost Town Streets and CarnEVIL, came back, and two new shows debuted: Occultum, a magic show with Magic Castle performers in the Bird Cage Theatre, and Voodoo: Bayou's Edge.

Official event page

Fright Fest

Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, California) · Sep 18 – Nov 1, 2026 · Select nights; mazes needed a Haunted Attractions Pass

Fright Fest ran on select nights at Six Flags Magic Mountain, which said the event was not recommended for children under 13. Haunted mazes required a Haunted Attractions Pass on top of park admission. The 2026 lineup included mazes based on The Conjuring films, Final Destination and Trick 'r Treat, the new Wolves' Blood, and returning mazes such as Carnage and Vault: 666 Unlocked. Seven scare zones, among them Devil's Triangle and Underworlds of Oz, spread across the park, and shows included the new Nytewalkers and Sliders of the Night: Dreams of the Damned.

Official event page

Happy Halloween Weekends

Holiday World (Santa Claus, Indiana) · Sep 19 – Nov 1, 2026 · Saturdays and Sundays

Holiday World kept the dinosaur theme it introduced in 2025. A hayride carried guests to a 12-acre corn maze with about two dozen life-size dinosaurs, several of them animatronic, and Saturday nights ended with Dinos Soar in the Sky, a 500-drone show that rotated among three versions. Children 12 and under could collect candy on the Trick-or-Treat Trail, and walk-throughs included Kitty's 3D Candy Farm and Carnival Chaos, a strobe-lit maze for older children and adults. New entertainment included Ghouling Pianos, the stage show Halloween High School and a DJ dance party before the drone show. The park's rides also operated.

Official event page

Hallo-Fun

Knoebels Amusement Resort (Elysburg, Pennsylvania) · Oct 9 – Nov 1, 2026 · Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays for four weekends

Knoebels Amusement Resort ran Hallo-Fun over four weekends with more than 50 rides open. Halloween versions of rides included the Haunted Antique Cars, the Pioneer Train's Halloween Express and the Panther Cars on a Halloween-themed track. The Time Machine Theatre staged marionette shows with Halloween stories, the Pumpkin King returned in a circus-themed Fright Show, and Ghosts & Gourds, a music and light show at the Chalet, ran every half hour on Friday and Saturday nights. Weekend mornings offered cookie decorating, treat-bag coloring and pumpkin painting, children could follow a free scavenger hunt, and Kreeper's Kitchen opened as a new food stop in Pavilion J.

Official event page

Parks in this guide

Sources