Amusement Park News

Halloween haunts and harvest festivals have become so popular that many theme parks across the country are starting these attractions early – in fact, some already began in August.

An August start date was part of the Disney strategy at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, where the park has already been offering themed treats, seasonal overlays to existing rides, and spooky fun décor. Next door, Disney's California Adventure is also already presenting themed overlaying décor on rides, turning rides such as “Guardians of the Galaxy” into “Guardians – Monsters After Dark.” In the Plaza de la Familia, a Dia de los Muertos memorial offers a new take on the Disney film Coco, and the opportunity for guests to leave the own memories of those departed.

After hours, a separately ticketed event takes over at California Adventure on selected nights through Halloween night. The after-hours Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party will include themed treat trails, the special Frightfully Fun Parade, and a walk-through experience called the Villains Grove.



In Orlando, the separately ticketed seasonal event running at Walt Disney World is Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party which made its return August 9th. The event, which like those at California Disney parks also runs on select nights through October 31st, includes a fireworks' show with Nightmare Before Christmas hero Jack Skellington as host, and Mickey's Boo-To-You Halloween Parade.



For those seeking something more bone-chilling, there's Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios parks in both Hollywood and Florida. It too began early, starting on August 30th in Florida and September 5th in California. The event runs over 40 selected nights in both locations. Florida's Horror Nights include ten haunted mazes and five scare zones. There are six originally created haunts, including “The Museum: Deadly Exhibit” and “Goblin's Feast,” as well as a sequel haunt experience set in the world of 2018's “Slaughter Sinema 2.”

Eight new haunts will debut in California, such as “Dead Exposure: Death Valley,” which also serves as a sequel to past haunts in both Hollywood and Florida locations, as well as “Monstruos 2: The Nightmares of Latin America,” a sequel to a 2023 attraction.

Also new in both locations are a haunt based on the Ghostbusters films: “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” and a haunt based on the films A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II, which feature audio and special effects designed to recreate the silence necessary to avoid the rampaging blind alien monsters in the films. These haunts make use of American Sign Language (ASL), a first for Halloween Horror Nights.

Other chilling mazes and haunts include “Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines;” “Insidious: The Further;” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Legacy of Leatherface.”


At Sea World, seasonal offerings are on tap both day and night. After dark, there is the separately ticketed intense scares of Howl-O-Scream: SeaWorld, replete with the terrifying antics of Splatz the Clown, a live dance show, and spookily overlaid coasters for riding after dark. During the day, it's the family-friendly SeaWorld Spooktacular, which is included with admission. These special attractions are offered at the Orlando, San Antonio, and San Diego SeaWorld resorts.

Legoland parks in California, Florida, and New York present the return of their family-focused Brick-or-Treat events with LEGO characters, special holiday themed shows, and trick or treating fun, all of which are included with admission to the parks. Guests will also enjoy a 4D film called The Great Monster Chase and take a ride on the Dragon Coaster as it sports a disco-party re-theming that includes a soundtrack set to “Monster Mash”-ing.

Knott's Berry Farm once again transforms to Knott's Scary Farm with haunted houses, mazes, and scary characters roaming about. Knotts Scary Farm is the region's longest-running Halloween scare event, and this year they've added two new mazes as well as a new show experience dedicated to the legacy of Scary Farm legend, “Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.” All in all, there will be 10 mazes, five scare zones, and three scary live shows. New this year will be the terrifying fairy tale of “Eight Fingers Nine: The Boogeyman” maze, and the black widow spider webs of “Widows.” During the day, little kids can experience Halloween themed Harvest fun in Camp Snoopy.

At Six Flags, two different daytime, full family-accessible fall events have already debuted at the California location, Magic Mountain: Kids Boo Fest and the Oktoberfest Food Festival. The latter offers German foods including bratwurst, and a variety of crafts and games. The Boo Fest gives kids and their families games, crafts, and seasonal décor, plus trick or treat trails, and a seasonally decorated kiddie rides area to enjoy. After dark, things get super scary with Six Flags' Fright Fest. New attractions after dark include “Saw: Legacy of Terror,” based on the Saw horror film franchise, a ride based on the Netflix series Stranger Things, and horror film-based rides such as The Nun and The Conjuring themed fear experiences. For those seeking an extra dose of scares, Six Flags is now offering “Fright Fest Extreme” in both its Southern California and New Jersey park locations.  

Edithann Ramey, Six Flags' Chief Marketing Officer, relates that the parks' past Halloween offerings have been so successful in terms of both attendance and spending for guests that the company has invested more heavily in the Halloween seasonal experiences it offers that ever before. She notes that the season has “become a billion-dollar industry in the last five years."

Even smaller parks such as Gilroy Gardens in Northern California's Gilroy, has expanded their Halloween attractions for little kids and families. At Gilroy's “The Great Big BOO!” costume wearing is encouraged for kids, who will enjoy a trick or treat experience, an entertaining live show, and a pumpkin maze as the park transforms itself into greater “BOO Alley.”

A special immersive attraction has even taken hold in the Big Apple at Rockefeller Center with Jimmy Fallon's “Tonightmares” created from the team behind Universal Destinations & Experiences' Halloween Horror Nights. The immersive experience is set to include killer scarecrows, zombies, and a terrifying abandoned gas station in the middle of nowhere.

At Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, during the day a lively Harvest Festival features craftsman from throughout the U.S. demonstrating their skills and showing their wares in the Makers Market. There's the Cowboy Emporium and The Garden of Giants with its mammoth Pumpkin Patch. A master pumpkin carver will shape intricately carved pumpkins live. Thousands of glowing pumpkins are featured in “Rides Into the Night,” during which park guests can enjoy Silver Dollar City rides such as Time Traveler, WildFire, PowderKeg, and Mystic River Falls after dark.



There's even a pumpkin dance party at Wilson's Farm, and Harvest-themed fun foods such as warm apple dumplings.

In Sevierville, Tenn., Dollywood is also home to Harvest-themed family fun, including the “Great Pumpkin LumiNights,” Harvest Festival gospel and bluegrass, a giant glowing owl, and special fall foods, flowers, and multi-colored gourd displays.



Heading north to West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, Kennywood Theme Park offers daytime family fun with harvest-themed décor and treats along with its signature rides, or a choice of scares and screams after dark with six haunted houses. Admission to the scare-tacular evening event is being offered free with the purchase of a park pass for 2025.

Also in the Keystone State, Hershey Park offers 13 sweets stops in its Treatville along with glow dance parties, coaster rides after dark, and the experience of nocturnal animals in the ZooAmerica “Creatures of the Night” attraction.

After dark lights-out rides on Candymonium®, Comet , Lightning Racer®, and Wildcat's Revenge, and an all-day lights-out experience on the park's Laff Trakk ride all offer chilling thrills.

And at Dorney Park near Philadelphia, after dark haunted mazes, scare zones, and frightening live shows are on hand, with the “Steel Yard: Forget Your Fear” attraction offering high level terror after dark in the “abandoned McTavish Steel Factory,” while The Ghost in the Machine provides more spooky chills.

In Iowa, Silverwoods becomes Scarywoods with haunted attractions and monsters on the prowl. The park offers five different haunts including a new maze dubbed “The Swine,” and ten different scare zones including the new “Anarchy.”  “The Swine” offers a twisted tale of three killer pigs, a dark take on the classic kids' tale of Three Little Pigs. The park's public relations manager Sara Meddock, calls this new haunt “so terrifying, you'll never want to eat bacon again.” Also new this year is a Trick or Treat Scare Zone.



Busch Gardens Virginia also features new scares at their Howl-O-Scream® this year, offering five haunted houses, six terror-tories™, and four scary live action shows. Additionally, nine coasters offer a scarier-than-ever ride experience at night. The park's “Clown Town”, home of evil clowns is brand new this year, and the horrifying doctor and his lab at “Monster Manor” are also a new attraction.

Meanwhile, at Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, the new haunted house is “Shadows of Wonderland,” a horror driven nightmare riff on Alice in Wonderland.

Not only did the Halloween season begin early, but it should also be scarier than ever for theme park fans.