Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
Halloween is on the horizon, but if you are visiting a U.S. theme park anytime between now and All Hallows’ Eve, it’s already here.
At Disney World, Legoland and several other U.S. theme parks, characters swap their usual garb for spooky costumes. Jack-o’-lanterns are being placed in every available corner, and, at some parks, chainsaw-wielding maniacs are practicing their best sneak attacks.
Don’t worry — it’s not all haunted houses and things that go bump in the night. Below, we’ve rounded up the Halloween tricks and treats happening at major theme parks across the U.S.
Walt Disney World
During the day, you can get into the Halloween spirit among Mickey pumpkins and fall wreaths lining Magic Kingdom’s Main Street, U.S.A., but the real frightful fun takes place in the evening during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
Guests can wear costumes (Mickey and his friends will be in their costumes, too); watch a Halloween-themed parade, stage show and fireworks; trick-or-treat through the park; dine on themed treats; and enjoy attractions like Mad Tea Party and Space Mountain with spooky Halloween overlays. You can also meet rare characters not at the park during the day, such as the Seven Dwarfs and Jack and Sally from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
The party takes place on select nights between Aug. 9 and Oct. 31 and requires a separate ticket. Although the party starts at 7 p.m., guests can enter the park as early as 4 p.m. to sneak in a few rides before the Halloween happenings officially begin.
Legoland
Legoland parks in Florida, California and New York celebrate Halloween with festivities that cater to preschoolers and their families. The best part: It’s all included with your regular admission ticket.
During Brick-or-Treat, kids can trick-or-treat throughout the park, join a monster dance party, dine on themed treats and ride The Dragon coaster with a monster music soundtrack.
The offerings at each park are slightly different. For example, Legoland Florida debuted a new “Monster Skytacular” show with drones and fireworks this year, and Legoland California’s Brick-or-Treat event added an interactive “prehistoric pumpkin patch” walkthrough.
In Florida and California, Brick-or-Treat takes place on Saturdays and Sundays in October through Oct. 27. In New York, you can visit Brick-or-Treat every day in October.
Universal Orlando Resort
With 10 haunted houses and five outdoor scare zones, Universal Orlando Resort’s Halloween Horror Nights is not for the faint of heart. In fact, the event is not recommended for kids under the age of 13. There’s a mix of well-known hits like ”Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” and “Insidious” — both of which have houses this year — and original concepts like Slaughter Sinema 2, where horror films come to life.
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If you need easing in gently, you can take a lights-on “Behind the Screams” tour of the houses during the day and shop for Halloween souvenirs and treats in the seasonal Tribute Store. Just make your way to the park exit before the event begins if you don’t want to come face-to-face with the ghouls and goblins who take over the streets after nightfall.
The event runs on select nights between Aug. 30 and Nov. 3, and a separate ticket is required. To maximize your time at the event, you can also purchase a Halloween Horror Nights Express pass to skip the line, go on an “R.I.P. Tour,” or purchase a “Stay and Scream” pass that will get you into the park before the gates open to other guests. If you have a daytime ticket or annual pass, you can also get early access to the park and be among the first in line when the haunted houses open for the night.
Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood also hosts a version of Halloween Horror Nights that differs somewhat from the event in Orlando, and the houses available at both locations have distinct differences. Hollywood features multiple houses you won’t find in Orlando, including one themed to “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and an original house called “Dead Exposure: Death Valley” with entirely too many radioactive zombies.
Also unique to Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights event is the “Terror Tram” — a spine-tingling version of the park’s signature Studio Tour — and a show called “The Purge: Dangerous Waters” that is held at the location of the “WaterWorld” stunt show.
The event runs select nights from Sept. 5 through Nov. 3; a separate ticket is required. In addition to the Universal Express pass and R.I.P Tour, guests can maximize their time with a special “Halloween Horror Nights After 2 p.m.” pass that gets you into the park anytime after 2 p.m. and lets you stay into the night or an Early Access Ticket that can get you into select houses up to 1 1/2 hours before the official start of the event.
Disneyland
Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort spans both theme parks and includes daytime and nighttime events, which is a good thing because the after-hours Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure sells out almost as soon as tickets go on sale.
While this year’s Oogie Boogie Bash is sold out, if you were lucky enough to snag a ticket or hope to go next year, the event puts Disney’s infamous villains front and center. The immersive trick-or-treat trail through Disney California Adventure has stops themed to characters like Dr. Facilier from “The Princess and the Frog,” Cruella de Vil from “101 Dalmations” and, of course, Oogie Boogie from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” There’s also a parade, a stage show with Mickey and Minnie, and more.
Even without party tickets, you can still enjoy Halloween fun at Disneyland. Mickey, Minnie and all of their friends are dressed up in costumes, and there’s a “spook-tacular” fireworks show on select nights.
Also, Frontierland plays host to a Dia de los Muertos celebration, and the Haunted Mansion gets a “The Nightmare Before Christmas” makeover. During daytime hours at Disney California Adventure, you can check out the “Radiator Screams” makeover of the “Cars”-themed Radiator Springs area, visit with characters from “Coco” at Paradise Gardens and experience a “Monsters After Dark” overlay of Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout.
SeaWorld and Busch Gardens
SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio and Busch Gardens locations in Williamsburg, Virginia, and Tampa Bay, Florida, throw two very different Halloween parties: the family-friendly daytime Spooktacular and the more sinister Howl-O-Scream when the sky turns dark.
Spooktacular festivities include a trick-or-treat trail, dance party, costume contest, and character meet-and-greets. Howl-O-Scream has terrifying haunted houses, outdoor scare zones, live entertainment and even roaming scare-actors who could pop up anywhere in the park.
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Spooktacular is included with park admission, but Howl-O-Scream requires a separate ticket. Both events run on select nights in September and October.
Dollywood
Halloween time at Dollywood means colorful leaves, fall-flavored treats and lots of pumpkins. More than 12,000 illuminated pumpkins light up the park during Great Pumpkin LumiNights, part of Dollywood’s annual Harvest Festival. This year, it will run through Oct. 28.
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Some of the pumpkins are used to form larger-than-life sculptures like Dolly’s guitar, a giant spider and a 40-foot-tall pumpkin tree, while others are intricately carved to resemble butterflies, frogs and other critters.
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The event also features apple-, pumpkin- and maple-infused treats, along with country-cooking favorites like smoked sausage macaroni and cheese and a pulled pork sandwich with pumpkin barbecue sauce.
Dollywood’s Harvest Festival is included with regular park admission.
Holiday World
With lands dedicated to many major holidays — including Halloween — Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana, technically celebrates spooky season all year long. But, it appropriately amps things up during Happy Halloween Weekends in September and October.
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This family-focused event has trick-or-treating, G-rated haunted houses, corn mazes, hayrides, live entertainment and other ghoulish delights. In recent years, the park has added a Halloween-themed drone show called “Halloween in the Sky” on select nights during the event.
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Happy Halloween Weekends admission is included with your regular daytime ticket purchase.
Silver Dollar City
Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, forgoes the scary haunted houses and gory creatures for a Harvest Festival with craftsmen who make everything from moccasins to hand-painted turkey feathers, chuck wagon cooking demonstrations, pumpkin-spice everything and giant pumpkins that weigh as much as 1,400 pounds (that’s a lot of pie).
When sunlight turns to twilight, thousands of illuminated pumpkins will set the park aglow during Pumpkins in the City. Select rides stay open into the evening hours for a thrilling nighttime experience. You can also observe a master pumpkin carver create gourd-geous designs right before your eyes.
All Harvest Festival activities are included with regular Silver Dollar City admission, and the event runs through Oct. 26.
Knott’s Berry Farm
On select nights between Sept. 19 and Nov. 2, California’s Knott’s Berry Farm becomes Knott’s Scary Farm, with original haunted houses like the creepy, crawly “Widows” and “Eight Fingers Nine: The Boogeyman,” outdoor scare zones, a show with death-defying carnival acts, and a tribute to the scream queen herself, Elvira.
The most unusual offering at Knott’s Scary Farm is the “Halloween Hootenanny” overlay of the Timber Mountain Log Ride. We don’t want to spoil it, but you will definitely be in for a few spooky surprises before you splash down.
Because of the event’s frightening nature, Knott’s Scary Farm is not recommended for children under 13 years of age. This is a separately ticketed event with plenty of fun add-ons, like a “Boo-fet” meal with monster photo opportunities, a lights-on tour and a “Very Important Monster” tour with skip-the-line access and other perks.
Kids can still get in on the spooky fun, though, during Knott’s Spooky Farm. The event takes place during regular park hours on Thursdays from Sept. 26 through Oct. 31, plus Columbus Day. Kids and their families can trick-or-treat, play games, listen to spooky stories, visit a pumpkin patch and more.
Six Flags
Six Flags locations across the country mark the start of the spooky season with haunted houses, open-air scare zones and thrill rides in the dark during Fright Fest. The event takes place on select nights in September and October.
Most locations also host a family-friendly Kids Boo Fest during the day with costumes and trick-or-treating in a more-silly-than-spooky atmosphere. Admission to Kids Boo Fest is included with park admission, but Fright Fest is a separately ticketed event.
Hersheypark
An oversized Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup with vampire teeth doesn’t exactly scream “scary,” but it perfectly embodies Hersheypark’s sweet and spooky Hersheypark Halloween event. There’s a dance party with Hersheypark characters, trick-or-treating and, at night, lights-out coaster rides.
If you are looking for something on the scary side, Hersheypark also offers Dark Nights, with five haunted houses and three outdoor scare zones. If you want to visit during Halloween, Hersheypark has tickets that allow you to ride all day and stay into the evening for Dark Nights, or you can save with an “After Dark” ticket that grants access to the park after 5:30 p.m.
Both events take place on weekends between Sept. 13 and Nov. 3 and on Halloween night. Hersheypark Halloween takes place from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays, 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays, and 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. Dark Nights begins each night during the event at 6 p.m. and ends one hour after the park closes.
Bottom line
Whether you are in the mood for sweet treats or devilish dismay, there is definitely a theme park with your type of Halloween event lined up for the fall season. Some even have both, with separate offerings for daywalkers and night dwellers.
Most require a separate ticket, so if you plan to attend, be sure you have the ticket you need for the type of frights you want.
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