Here’s How Theme Parks Will Celebrate Halloween in 2026

With Halloween festivities starting as early as the summer months at many U.S. theme parks, most seasonal celebrations have become equal parts sunny and spooky, as ghosts and ghouls share the spotlight with sunscreen and slushies.

Here’s a roundup of all the 2026 theme park Halloween celebrations, from not-so-scary family fun to fright-filled nights for the older crowd.

Halloween Time at Disneyland

Family-friendly Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort takes place daily from Aug. 21 through Oct. 31, with the Dia de los Muertos celebration at Plaza de la Familia in California Adventure continuing through Nov. 2. Halloween Time — including the Halloween Screams fireworks spectacular — is included with admission.

Seasonal attraction overlays include Haunted Mansion Holiday, featuring characters from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” At California Adventure, the residents of Cars Land celebrate Haul-O-Ween with Mater's Graveyard JamBOOree and Luigi's Honkin' Haul-O-Ween, while in Avengers Campus, Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission Breakout transforms into Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark.

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The separately ticketed after-hours Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party at California Adventure takes place from 6-11 p.m. on select dates from Aug. 18 through Oct. 31. Partygoers can enter California Adventure at 3 p.m. Admission tickets and park reservations are required to enter earlier.

New this year is Madame Leota’s Swinging Wake – A Haunted Mansion Street Party, which will fill the streets of California Adventure with spooky music, ghostly dancers and spirited characters from the beloved attraction.

Returning for another year are the Villains Grove walk-through experience in Redwood Creek Challenge Trail and the immersive Treat Trails hosted by beloved Disney baddies. The roster varies from year to year, but past trails have featured icons Maleficent and Cruella de Vil, as well as niche characters such as Judge Doom from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and Yokai from “Big Hero Six.”

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Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

At Walt Disney World, the Halloween celebration is centered around Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, a separately ticketed after-hours event, which runs from 7 p.m. to midnight on select nights from Aug. 7 to Oct. 31. Clients can enter Magic Kingdom Park at 4 p.m.; admission tickets are required to enter earlier.

Returning favorites include the Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade, Disney’s Not-So-Spooky fireworks spectacular and the musical Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular stage show. New this year is an “ever-changing masquerade” with Lilo, Stitch and Angel in Tomorrowland.

Advisors should note that Oogie Boogie Bash and Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party are the only times adults can wear costumes at Disney parks (Disneyland and Disney World costume policies apply).

Brick-or-Treat at Legoland Parks

The annual Brick-or-Treat celebration takes place on select dates from Sept. 5 through Oct. 31 at Legoland Florida Resort and Sept. 19 through Nov. 1 at Legoland California Resort. Dates have not been announced for Legoland New York Resort. Brick-or-Treat is included with park admission.

This year, Legoland Florida is getting ready for its biggest family-friendly Halloween season yet, with the return of exclusive seasonal Lego characters and the Monster Skytacular drone show, along with an all-new trick-or-treat trail and glowing Halloween light experience.

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Families celebrating in California can join the Zombie Cheer Crew, party at the Monster Rock Off and take selfies with the new 17-foot-tall Lego Halloween Tree made of nearly 681,000 Lego bricks.

Halloween at SeaWorld Parks

SeaWorld hosts kid-friendly Halloween festivities by day, and not-so-kid-friendly Halloween haunts at night.

The daytime Halloween Spooktacular is on select dates from Aug. 29 through Nov. 1 at SeaWorld Orlando, from Sept. 11 through Nov. 1 at SeaWorld San Diego and from Sept. 10 through Nov. 1 at SeaWorld San Antonio.

The not-so-scary Halloween experience offers trick-or-treating, kid-friendly Halloween shows and characters. Throughout Halloween Spooktacular in San Antonio and from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 in San Diego, clients can also celebrate the unique cultural traditions of Dia de los Muertos.

The separately ticketed Howl-O-Scream runs on select dates from Sept. 18 through Oct. 31 at SeaWorld Orlando and Sept. 11 through Oct. 31 at SeaWorld San Diego and SeaWorld San Antonio.

Orlando's after-hours haunt includes five haunted houses — four with all-new storylines — plus six scare zones: four all-new experiences and two returning fan-favorites. And with two roaming hordes, clients won't know when or where the terror will strike.

A sinister nightfall descends on SeaWorld San Diego with all-new angry haunts, new scare zones and Twisted Vile Vignettes. The event also features six themed bars, five speakeasies and the return of the Monster Stomp live show.

But don't sleep on San Antonio, where Howl-O-Scream takes over the entire park with haunted houses, scare zones, sinister shows and unspeakable horror lurking in every dark corner, including on SeaWorld's already pulse-pounding thrill rides.

Howl-O-Scream is not recommended for kids under 13; costumes are not permitted.

SeaWorld also hosts the Howl-O-Sprint 5K Run in Orlando on Sept. 18, with relentless creatures stalking every step along the 3.1-mile course (not intended for kids).

At SeaWorld San Diego, the Howl-O-Sprint 5K Run on Oct. 18 features Halloween surprises and themed photo ops along the route. Returning for a third year, the Kids Fun Run allows little clients to join in — and Halloween costumes are encouraged.

Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights

The separately ticketed Halloween Horror Nights take place on select nights from Aug. 28 through Nov. 1 at Universal Studios Florida and Sept. 3 through Nov. 1 at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Both parks offer sinister scare zones and haunted houses themed to iconic franchises or characters, with each coast also offering a different collection of original horror stories. Hollywood also has the exclusive Terror Tram, which takes place on the Universal Studios backlot.

Making its Horror Nights debut on both coasts is the Oscar-winning supernatural horror film, "Sinners." Guests will be transported back to the 1930s Mississippi Delta, where they'll be caught in a deadly struggle between twin brothers Smoke and Stack and a band of bloodthirsty vampires.

Halloween Horror Nights also returns to the Upside Down for the fourth time with all-new haunted houses in California and Florida featuring characters and moments from the fifth and final season of "Stranger Things." Clients will revisit the Wheeler House and Hawkins Lab, and venture into the haunting realms of the Abyss, where demogorgons and other sinister creatures, including Vecna himself, await.

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The forces of horror collide in Florida as two previous event icons, Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow, have been reunited for Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control, an all-new haunted house that explores the origins of the deadly duo.

Another previous character is resurrected in Florida for H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular, featuring the return of the fan-favorite creature feature host who debuted in 2011. The all-new haunted house picks up after H.R.'s descent into violent madness following the cancellation of his TV show — featured in a 2021 house — as he returns for a final Halloween Special "of gruesome proportions."

Premium Scream Nights on Aug. 27 and Oct. 19 in Orlando allow clients to experience all the Halloween horror with shorter wait times, all-you-care-to-eat food and non-alcoholic beverages, plus the only opportunity to wear costumes during Halloween Horror Nights (Universal’s costume policy applies).

Guided R.I.P. tours on both coasts provide expedited access to haunted houses and shows. Behind the Screams: Unmasking the Horror Tours in Orlando offer scaredy-cats a lights-on look at several haunted houses. 

Halloween Horror Nights is not recommended for kids under 13; costumes are not permitted.