TL;DR: Scarefest is Alton Towers Resort’s Halloween event, running from 26 September to 1 November 2026. It brings family walkthroughs and scare attractions for thrillseekers, including the new Final Exhibit. The Thrills Combo gives single-use access to four thrill mazes. Book through the official Scarefest page, choosing experiences to suit your family.
| Dates | Where | Price | Best for | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 September to 1 November 2026 | Alton Towers Resort, Farley Lane, Alton, Staffordshire, ST10 4DB | Thrills Combo (single-use access to four Thrill Mazes): Early Entry (before 5pm): £43 (or £34.40 for passholders). Late Entry (after 5pm): £4 | All ages | Book in advance through the official Alton Towers Resort website. |
When is Scarefest 2026 at Alton Towers Resort?
Scarefest runs from Saturday 26 September to Sunday 1 November 2026. The new scare maze, Final Exhibit, made its debut at the start of that event period.
For families, that gives you an autumn window to plan around school commitments and your children’s appetite for scares. Start by choosing the experiences everyone wants to try, then pick your visit date.
Before booking, check the available dates, opening hours and entry arrangements for your chosen attractions. Keep the details together with your booking so the adult organising the day can find them easily.
If your group has different preferences, make separate family and thrillseeker wish lists. Trick O’ Treat Town and Amigos in the Afterlife offer family experiences, while Final Exhibit and the returning thrill mazes have more threatening storylines.
Where is Alton Towers Resort’s Halloween event?
Scarefest takes place at Alton Towers Resort, Farley Lane, Alton, Staffordshire, ST10 4DB. Its lineup brings together scare mazes, family walkthroughs and outdoor scare zones, so plan your route around the experiences you have chosen.
If you are choosing a Halloween event within reach of home, compare the outward journey with the return trip. Decide who will drive, or work out your return transport, before settling on your visit date.
Once you arrive, use the resort map to locate your booked experiences and agree a meeting point. This is especially useful if some adults want thrill mazes while others stay with children.
For a day combining Halloween activities with rides, our Alton Towers ride guide can help with your wider planning. Keep your family’s priority experiences together on one list, rather than trying to fit in every attraction.
What Halloween events for kids are at Scarefest 2026?
Trick O’ Treat Town and Amigos in the Afterlife return for Scarefest 2026. These are the family-focused experiences to explore when choosing Halloween events for kids, with door-knocking adventures and a colourful spirit-world quest.
Trick O’ Treat Town
Trick O’ Treat Town is a spooky walkthrough for younger thrillseekers. Visitors knock on doors along Spooky Avenue and continue into the Witchy Woods.
The door-knocking theme gives you something concrete to explain before your visit. Talk through the idea with your child and let them tell you which parts sound fun or worrying.
For a child who likes Halloween but feels cautious about unfamiliar characters, agree how they can ask for a pause. Keeping that conversation simple helps them express themselves without feeling they have to impress anyone.
Amigos in the Afterlife
Amigos in the Afterlife takes families into a world of colour and festivity. Cheerful spirits guide visitors on a quest to find their way back to the land of the living.
You can introduce it as a story-led adventure involving helpful spirits. However, let your child’s response to the theme guide your choice, rather than using another child’s enthusiasm as the deciding factor.
Check the age guidance, accessibility information and entry conditions for each family experience before booking. Then give children a short description of the options, so they can help choose their day.
What is new at Scarefest 2026, and which scare mazes are returning?
Final Exhibit is the new scare maze for 2026. Compound, The Edge of the Forest and Altonville Mine Tours: Tiny’s Revenge also return, alongside the outdoor scare zones Dark Hollow and Burial Ground.
New for 2026: Final Exhibit
Final Exhibit begins as an exhibition of newly discovered Alton Towers artefacts. The story then draws visitors into the hidden archive of the Curator, a figure obsessed with preserving the past.
Inside, guests encounter the Archivists, a silent workforce of hypnotised servants. They carry out the Curator’s orders and search for new additions to his collection.
The collection, however, contains more than objects. In the maze’s storyline, visitors who fail to escape become living exhibits, trapped within the archive.
That story gives families a useful way to discuss the attraction before buying. Explain the trapped-in-an-archive theme plainly, especially if anyone in your group finds captivity stories unsettling.
Returning thrill mazes
Compound takes guests into a secretive scientific facility. There, visitors become unwilling participants in a twisted experiment.
Meanwhile, The Edge of the Forest centres on an eerie woodland setting. Lost souls warn visitors about the Leshwall, a sinister spirit said to infiltrate the minds of those who cross its path.
Altonville Mine Tours: Tiny’s Revenge returns to the abandoned Altonville Mines. Tiny, a former resident who has evaded justice, still haunts their dark depths.
Use those storylines to help each person make their own choice. Scientific experiments, supernatural forests and a haunted mine may appeal very differently to members of the same family.
If someone decides to sit out a maze, agree who will stay with them and where the group will reunite. Make that plan before joining a queue, rather than asking for a decision under pressure.
Returning scare zones
Dark Hollow is a free-flowing outdoor scare zone extending the world of the Dark Forest. Its theme centres on a haunting presence that watches visitors and draws them further into the shadows.
Burial Ground introduces the Unchosen, a cult of outcasts rejected by the Wicker Man. They inhabit a world between the living and the dead, following their own rules.
When planning a family route, treat these zones as scare experiences in their own right. Explain their themes to children and choose your route with everyone’s comfort in mind.
Check the individual attraction guidance before deciding which mazes and zones suit your group. A shared interest in Halloween is a starting point, but each person should feel comfortable with their own choices.
Can we visit Scarefest 2026 during Halloween half term?
Scarefest’s event period runs through October and ends on Sunday 1 November 2026. To plan a Halloween half term visit, match your school’s holiday dates with the event’s booking calendar.
Choose your family’s main reason for going before building the rest of the day. For example, you might focus on Trick O’ Treat Town and Amigos in the Afterlife, or plan around the thrill mazes.
For mixed groups, divide responsibilities before you book. One adult could accompany willing maze-goers while another stays with children who prefer the family experiences, subject to each attraction’s entry requirements.
Also leave room in your plan for food, toilet stops and a break from Halloween activities. Put these between your chosen experiences rather than filling every gap with another attraction.
If you are travelling with another household, share the booking details and chosen date before anyone pays. That keeps the group working from the same plan.
Do Scarefest 2026 mazes need separate tickets?
The Thrills Combo provides single-use access to four thrill mazes. When booking, check how your chosen package combines resort admission with maze entry, and whether your selected family experiences need additional tickets.
Single-use access means planning around one entry to each included maze. Choose who wants the thrill experiences first, then match tickets to those people rather than buying the same options for everyone.
For a family-focused visit, put Trick O’ Treat Town and Amigos in the Afterlife on your booking checklist. Keep them alongside your admission choice so you can review the whole purchase before paying.
If you are comparing this visit with another day out, our UK theme park ticket guide offers a broader starting point. Compare the total for your own group, including the experiences each person actually wants.
Save your confirmation and any entry instructions somewhere easy to reach on your phone. Share a copy with another adult in your group as a practical backup.
What should families check and pack before visiting Scarefest 2026?
Before you go, check your visit date, opening hours, ticket inclusions, attraction restrictions, accessibility arrangements and the weather forecast. Keep any experience-specific instructions with your booking confirmation.
Dark Hollow is outdoors, so prepare for outdoor conditions as well as the attractions you have booked. Choose clothing and footwear for walking between experiences, with an extra layer available when needed.
- Pack a waterproof layer that leaves your hands free while walking with children.
- Choose comfortable shoes with grip for moving around the resort.
- Bring a spare layer for each child and keep it accessible in your bag.
- Charge your phone and bring a power bank for tickets, maps and group messages.
- Save booking confirmations and any entry instructions for offline access.
- Carry essential medication where the responsible adult can reach it easily.
- Give children a contact number to carry in case your group becomes separated.
Agree a family comfort plan
Talk through your chosen attractions before arriving. The cheerful spirits of Amigos in the Afterlife and the Curator’s archive in Final Exhibit offer very different stories, so describe each one separately.
Then agree a simple way for anyone to say they want to skip an experience. Keep that choice free from teasing, and decide which adult will stay with a child who changes their mind.
Finally, arrange a meeting point for any planned group splits and share it with every adult. Keep your priority attractions on a short list, leaving enough flexibility to follow your children’s energy and confidence.
Frequently asked questions
What are the dates for Scarefest 2026 at Alton Towers Resort?
Scarefest 2026 at Alton Towers Resort runs from Saturday 26 September to Sunday 1 November 2026. This period includes the Halloween half term, offering a window for families to plan their visit.
What is new at Scarefest 2026?
The new scare maze for 2026 is Final Exhibit. This attraction draws visitors into the hidden archive of a Curator, where they might become living exhibits themselves. It joins other returning thrill mazes.
Are there family-friendly activities at Scarefest 2026?
Yes, family-focused experiences include Trick O’ Treat Town and Amigos in the Afterlife. Trick O’ Treat Town is a spooky walkthrough with door-knocking, while Amigos in the Afterlife is a colourful quest with cheerful spirits.
How much does the Thrills Combo cost for Scarefest 2026?
The Thrills Combo, which provides single-use access to four thrill mazes, costs £43 for Early Entry (before 5pm). Passholders can get Early Entry for £34.40. Late Entry (after 5pm) costs £4.
Do Scarefest 2026 mazes require separate tickets?
Yes, access to the thrill mazes generally requires separate tickets or a package. The Thrills Combo gives single-use access to four thrill mazes. It is important to check how your chosen package combines resort admission with maze entry when booking.