Halloween Horror Nights 2026: Dates, Houses and Ticket Prices

Halloween Horror Nights 2026 runs on select nights through Sunday, November 1, at both US Universal parks. Universal Studios Florida in Orlando has 10 haunted houses across 49 nights that began on August 28, and Universal Studios Hollywood has eight houses plus the Terror Tram across 42 nights that began on September 3. Single-night tickets in October cost $92 to $137 in Orlando and $82 to $109 in Hollywood, and Saturday is the most expensive night at both.

Five houses carry the same titles on both coasts: Stranger Things 5, Sinners, Hellraiser, Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness and Evil Dead Burn. Nearly everything else differs, from the original houses and scare zones to the shows and ticket types, and a Hollywood ticket is not valid in Orlando. Universal does not recommend either event for children under 13. The table compares the two parks, and the sections below cover every remaining night, house and ticket.

Halloween Horror Nights 2026 Dates Left in October

Both events skip some weeknights, and the gaps do not line up. Orlando is dark on six October nights and keeps Monday, October 19 for Premium Scream Night, a separately ticketed upgrade night. Hollywood has no event on Mondays or Tuesdays. These are the event nights left from October 1:

• Universal Orlando: October 1 to 4, 7 to 12, 14 to 18, 21 to 25 and 28 to 31, plus November 1. There is no regular event on October 5, 6, 13, 19 (Premium Scream Night only), 20, 26 or 27.
• Universal Studios Hollywood: October 1 to 4, 7 to 11, 14 to 18, 21 to 25 and 28 to 31, plus November 1. The park is dark for the event on October 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 and 27.

Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31, and both parks run that night, priced near the top of each calendar at $135 in Orlando and $107 in Hollywood. Monday, October 12 is the one date that splits them: Orlando runs it at $96, while Hollywood has no event.

In Orlando the event officially begins at 6:30 p.m., and Universal advises arriving at least an hour before the gates open to get through traffic, parking and security. Closing times vary by night. Standard parking fees apply until 2 a.m. on event dates, and the free self-parking Universal normally offers after 6 p.m. does not apply. Hollywood starts at 7 p.m. each night, and its closing times also vary.

Universal Orlando: 10 Haunted Houses for the 35th Year

Orlando is marking the event’s 35th year. It began in 1991 as Fright Nights, a three-night event with a single haunted house, as Universal Orlando’s opening-night announcement recounts. This year’s theme is the Infernal Carnival of Nightmares, run by two of the event’s recurring characters, Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow. The 10 houses are:

• Stranger Things 5: the final season, with Demogorgons, the Mind Flayer and Vecna loose in Hawkins.
• Sinners: opening night at the Smokestack Twins’ juke joint, crashed by vampires, from the Warner Bros. film.
• Hellraiser: Pinhead and the Cenobites, based on the original film trilogy.
• Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness: a trip aboard the Crazy Train through the heavy metal singer’s world.
• Evil Dead Burn: Deadites take over a family home in this house based on the new film.
• Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control: an original house on the origins of the two icons and the rivalry that ends with them joining forces.
• Cybergoria: an original set thousands of years ahead, where machines built to make people immortal harvest their flesh and swap in synthetic parts.
• H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular!: the creature-feature host returns to WKNB for a final Halloween special.
• MADLANDS: Caged Cannibals: warring cannibal factions hold a defunct zoo in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
• INVASION: Alien Abduction: Grays tear apart a remote homestead in search of test subjects.

The 5-House R.I.P. Tour divides the lineup into two fixed groups. The North Tour covers Sinners, Hellraiser, INVASION, H.R. Bloodengutz and Cybergoria, and the South Tour covers Stranger Things 5, Evil Dead Burn, Ozzy Osbourne, Jack & Oddfellow and MADLANDS.

Orlando Scare Zones, Street Experiences and Shows

Four new scare zones fill the streets. Downtown Clowntown turns the New York area over to clowns, including the Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Art the Clown and returning characters Chance and Eddie Schmidt. Fortnitemares, named for Fortnite’s signature in-game event, drops guests into Freaky Fields with the Battle Bus and familiar characters, plus a few made only for Halloween Horror Nights. In the Infernal Carnival of Nightmares, Jack and Dr. Oddfellow bring back past icons such as The Usher and The Storyteller, and in Sideshow of Decay, Cindy Caine, daughter of The Caretaker, opens a portal for nightmares from earlier years.

Between the zones, zombie carhops take over Mel’s Die-In, an undead DJ runs Club Horror on the San Francisco streets and Chainsaw Hordes roam the park. HamiKuma has its first meet-and-greet, inside the Five & Dime shop. Two shows run: Stranger Things: Return to Hawkins, a new lagoon show that projects scenes from the series onto water screens for its 10th anniversary, and Nightmare Fuel: Blood Noir, a stunt-filled musical set in a vampire city.

Revenge of the Mummy, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, TRANSFORMERS: The Ride-3D and MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack stay open, and Death Eaters roam Diagon Alley. More than 50 themed food and drink items are on sale, including Upside Down Chicken & Waffles, Pinhead’s Skin & Meatballs and Annie’s Juke Joint Catfish & Grits. Universal Orlando hotel guests, Annual and Seasonal Passholders and Universal Rewards cardmembers can also use The Keyholder Bar, which requires event admission and works on a first come, first served basis.

Universal Studios Hollywood: Eight Houses and the Terror Tram

Hollywood’s 42 nights are a record for its event. Five of its houses share titles with Orlando: Stranger Things 5, Sinners, Hellraiser, Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness and Evil Dead Burn. The other three are Hollywood-only. Killer Klowns from Outer Space, based on the MGM cult film, traps guests in a funhouse of murderous clown-like aliens. Killceañera: Music by SLASH is an original house drawn from Latin American myths and legends, in which a birthday girl summons spirits to her quinceañera to punish her bullies; SLASH wrote the score, including a song titled “15 Candles.” Dead, Deader, Deadest is set in the abandoned Deville Family Funeral Home, where a miracle embalming drug raises the dead.

The Terror Tram starring Art the Clown takes guests onto the studio backlot, where Art the Clown hijacks the ride for his own twisted holiday celebration, set to new music by the metal band ICE NINE KILLS. Art also stalks the park itself, and Nikki from the horror film Obsession makes nightly appearances. The scare zones are Fortnitemares, Hackerz (chainsaw killers), El Circo de la Muerte (a 1930s circus that traveled across Mexico), Blood Bog (moss monsters in the bayou) and the returning Murder of Crowz. The Purge: Dangerous Waters stunt show returns to the WaterWorld venue.

Rides open during the event include Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge (7 to 10 p.m.), The Simpsons Ride, Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride, TRANSFORMERS: The Ride-3D, Flight of the Hippogriff and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which closes at 11:15 p.m. SUPER NINTENDO WORLD is open from 7 to 10 p.m. Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is not part of regular admission; it is available with an R.I.P. Tour or a $19.95 add-on for a set time slot.

Orlando or Hollywood: How the Two 2026 Events Differ

Orlando is the larger event this year: two more houses, seven more nights, two shows and five Orlando-only originals in Jack & Oddfellow, Cybergoria, H.R. Bloodengutz, MADLANDS and INVASION. Hollywood answers with the Terror Tram, which has no Orlando equivalent, plus three houses of its own and a lower price on every night of the week. The shared titles include the final season of Stranger Things, a series that holds two places among the most-watched Netflix shows, Sinners, which Universal bills as an Academy Award-winning film, and the Ozzy Osbourne house, a tribute to the heavy metal pioneer.

Express works differently on each coast. In Orlando, Express is an add-on you buy on top of a night’s admission. In Hollywood, the standard Universal Express ticket already includes event admission, and an Express add-on exists separately for guests who hold a ticket. Orlando sells a Scream Early Ticket for daytime park access before the event, while Hollywood covers the same idea with its After 2 pm Day/Night ticket.

Halloween Horror Nights Ticket Prices for Both Parks

Each park prices every night separately. The ranges below are the online single-night prices on each store’s calendar for October 1 to November 1, grouped by day of the week. Both parks charge one price for every guest aged 3 and up.

Moving a visit to midweek is the simplest saving. In the week of Halloween, a Wednesday ticket costs $98 in Orlando against $135 on Saturday, and $87 in Hollywood against $107. For repeat visits and shorter waits, each park also sells passes and extras on top of single nights.

Universal Orlando passes and extras

These are sold on Universal Orlando’s ticket page alongside single-night tickets:

• Frequent Fear Pass, $289.99 plus tax: up to 31 nights. The remaining dates, all Sunday to Thursday nights, are October 1, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 21, 22, 25, 28 and 29 and November 1. The Rush of Fear Pass covered only the first 18 nights, which ended on September 20, and Frequent Fear Plus and Ultimate Frequent Fear passes are also sold.
• Express Pass, from $279.99: one Express entry at all 10 houses and participating rides, $280 to $320 a night in October, with admission sold separately. Fear passes bundled with Express have been discontinued.
• R.I.P. Tour, from $529.99: a guided tour with priority entry to the houses, valet parking, a reception with light appetizers and reserved show seating. Most October dates showed as sold out on October 1.
• 5-House R.I.P. Tour, from $299.99: priority entry to the five houses on the North or South route.
• Scream Early Ticket, from $70: Universal Studios Florida admission from 2 p.m. (enter by 5 p.m.) with at least three houses open early.
• Behind the Screams: Unmasking the Horror Tour: a lights-on daytime tour of three or six houses that needs no park or event ticket.
• Premium Scream Night, October 19: shorter waits, all-you-care-to-enjoy select food and non-alcoholic drinks, a souvenir credential, free self-parking and the only night costumes are allowed. Annual and Seasonal Passholders save $25.

Universal Studios Hollywood tickets and extras

Hollywood’s online store lists these options for the 2026 event:

• General Admission, $82 to $109: buying online saves up to $40 against the front gate on select nights.
• After 2 pm Day/Night, from $122: daytime park admission after 2 p.m., the event and early access. A full 1-Day General Admission plus event ticket starts at $179.
• Universal Express, from $279: event admission plus one express entry per house and participating attraction. Express Unlimited starts at $319 and the After 2 pm Day/Night version at $349; ticket holders can add Express from $190, or Express Select from $65 for one quick entry each to the Terror Tram, The Purge: Dangerous Waters and Killceañera.
• Frequent Fear Pass, $179: up to 35 nights; remaining dates are October 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 11, 14, 15, 18, 21, 22, 25 and 28 to 31, plus November 1. The Ultimate Fear Pass, $299, covers every event night.
• Add-ons: Early Access from $20, a Dining Pass at $59 plus tax ($64.75) for two entrées and four sides, snacks, desserts or drinks, and a daytime Unmasking the Horror Tour of Sinners and Killceañera from $20.
• R.I.P. Tour, from $479: a gourmet meal, unlimited express, priority entry to every house, a VIP trolley to the backlot and valet parking. It showed as sold out online on October 1; the VIP Sales Desk at (818) 622-0251 handles remaining tours.

Getting In Early: Stay & Scream and Early Access

Both parks open some houses before the official start for guests with the right ticket. In Orlando, Stay & Scream lets anyone holding same-day Universal Studios Florida admission (including the Scream Early Ticket or an Annual or Seasonal Pass) and a Halloween Horror Nights ticket for that night stay in the park. A wristband is required, available near Guest Services from park opening and, from 2 p.m., at Hogwarts Express: King’s Cross Station and Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast. It is not offered on Premium Scream Night. The Orlando schedule runs in this order:

1. 2 p.m.: Stranger Things 5, Hellraiser and Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control open.
2. 4 p.m.: queues open for select houses.
3. 5:15 p.m.: more houses begin opening.
4. 6:30 p.m.: the event officially begins and every house is open.

Universal Orlando hotel guests also get a priority event entrance from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. In Hollywood, the After 2 pm Day/Night ticket and the Early Access add-on open Sinners, Hellraiser, Evil Dead Burn, Stranger Things 5 and Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness from 5 p.m. and the Terror Tram from 6:15 p.m. Guests with daytime admission and an event ticket for the same night can show the event ticket at the front-gate turnstiles for a wristband, so they do not have to leave and re-enter.

Age Guidance, Costume Rules and Health Warnings

Universal says the event may be too intense for young children and does not recommend it for anyone under 13 at either park. Hollywood states that there is no minimum age. Costumes and costume masks are banned on regular Orlando nights, so a Halloween costume only works there on Premium Scream Night, and masks stay banned even then. Hollywood allows costumes subject to its costume policy, again without masks.

Universal Studios Hollywood’s event FAQ advises expectant mothers and anyone with heart conditions, abnormal blood pressure, sensitivity to strobe or fog effects, or a fear of enclosed spaces to skip the houses. Hollywood also bans food, drinks, recording, flash photography, flashlights and laser pens inside the houses, and touching a scareactor is prohibited. Both events run rain or shine with no refunds. In Orlando, the Attractions Assistance Pass is fully digital in the Universal Orlando app, and return times appear once the houses open.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Halloween Horror Nights 2026 end?

Both events end on Sunday, November 1, 2026. Orlando began on August 28 and runs 49 nights, and Hollywood began on September 3 and runs 42 nights. Halloween night, Saturday, October 31, is an event night at both parks.

How much are Halloween Horror Nights tickets?

October single-night tickets cost $92 to $137 at Universal Orlando and $82 to $109 at Universal Studios Hollywood, with Saturdays the most expensive at both. Multi-night passes start at $289.99 plus tax for Orlando’s Frequent Fear Pass and $179 for Hollywood’s.

Can kids go to Halloween Horror Nights?

Universal does not recommend either event for children under 13 because it may be too intense. That is guidance rather than a ban in Hollywood, which has no minimum age, and both parks charge the same price for every guest aged 3 and up.

Does one Halloween Horror Nights ticket work at both parks?

No. A Universal Studios Hollywood ticket is valid only in Hollywood, and Orlando sells its own tickets for Universal Studios Florida. The houses, prices and calendars differ even where the titles match.

Related Articles

• How to Carve a Pumpkin: Step by Step, Plus How to Make It Last
• Highest-Grossing Movies of All Time: Top 10 Ranked
• Best Streaming Services in 2026: Top 8 Compared