The 2026 season is unusually long. Alton Towers Scarefest and Psycho Path both open in the last week of September, and several attractions run right through to 1 November. That gives you five weekends rather than the usual three, and it is worth using them — the Halloween weekend itself sells out at every major site, often weeks ahead.
Here is what we would actually book, drawn from our full UK directory.
The big three
Tulleys Shocktober Fest — Crawley, West Sussex. 3 October to 1 November, from £42.95. Europe's largest scream park, in its 28th year, and still the benchmark. Multiple large-scale attractions including the Horrorwood Hayride and the long-running Creepy Cottage, plus street theatre, bars, food and live music. It is a festival that happens to terrify you rather than a queue for a maze. 15+.
Thorpe Park Fright Nights — Chertsey, Surrey. 2 October to 1 November, from £39. Twenty-five years of it this season. Mazes including DeadBeat, Stitches and Trailers, plus a new one for the anniversary — and 25 rides running after dark. Stealth and Nemesis Inferno in the black are worth the entry on their own. Mazes are a separate package from park entry, so check which ticket you are buying. 13+ for the scare attractions.
Alton Towers Scarefest — Staffordshire. 26 September to 1 November. The longest season in the country. Family Halloween by day, ticketed scare mazes by night, and The Smiler, Nemesis Reborn and Wicker Man running in the dark. The best option if you need one day out to cover both a nervous eight-year-old and a bored fifteen-year-old.
If you want to be genuinely frightened
Farmaggedon — Ormskirk, Lancashire. From 27 September. Voted into the world's top 25 haunts. Five scare houses — Contagion, Meat Locker, Beast of Terror, The Maze of Death and The Facility — with a reputation for pushing harder than most UK attractions. Take the 15+ guidance seriously.
Psycho Path — Burnopfield, County Durham. From 26 September. Eleven haunted attractions in 2026, which is simply more than anywhere else. Plan for a long night and arrive early on busy dates.
FEAR at Avon Valley — Keynsham, near Bristol. From 9 October, twelve nights only. Five scare attractions and three extended experiences, including Brave It Alone, which sends you through on your own. The short season means dates vanish quickly. 16+.
Xtreme Scream Park — Melton Mowbray. From £62. Seven long, heavily-detailed mazes and street theatre that is among the best in the country. Built on maze length and set design rather than jump scares.
Away from the scream parks
Scaresville — Kentwell Hall, Suffolk. 15 October to 1 November. Not a maze — an entire Tudor estate turned into a haunted village, with around 250 actors. An hour of continuous performance across houses, woodland and open farmland. Dress for a Suffolk field at night.
Crumlin Road Gaol — Belfast. A real Victorian prison that held inmates until 1996. The wings, cells and tunnel to the courthouse need no set dressing.
Beamish — County Durham. 27, 29 and 31 October only. The open-air museum's period streets after dark. Three dates, and they go.
Best value
Journey to Hell at Blackpool Pleasure Beach has been rebuilt for 2026 as a twelve-hour day-and-night event, 10am to 10pm on one ticket, 17–31 October. Full day including all mazes from £57, night only from £50. For a family that wants a full theme park day and serious scares after six, nothing else comes close on value.
Book early, and check before you travel
Every organiser changes dates and prices. Everything above is what we hold as of publication, and our listings are kept current — but confirm with the venue before you travel, particularly for half term and the Halloween weekend.
Start with the full directory, or find what is close to you on the map.