Thirty-five years in, Halloween Horror Nights is still the thing the rest of the country flies to Orlando for, and 2026 is the biggest version Universal has ever staged. The run opens August 28 and doesn’t close until November 1, spanning 48 select nights under the banner “Infernal Carnival of Nightmares” — with icons Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow sharing top billing for the first time.
Ten haunted houses are planned. Nine are announced: Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control, Sinners, Stranger Things (Season 5), H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular!, MADLANDS: Caged Cannibals, Cybergoria, INVASION: Alien Abduction, Evil Dead Burn, and — the one long-time fans have been asking about for a decade — the first-ever Hellraiser house, with Doug Bradley back as Pinhead.
Outside the houses, scare zones include Infernal Carnival of Nightmares, Sideshow of Decay, Downtown Clown Town (Killer Klowns plus Art the Clown) and Fortnitemares, alongside two live shows: the Nightmare Fuel: Blood Noir stunt spectacular and Stranger Things: Return to Hawkins on the lagoon.
Single nights run roughly $88–$130 before tax depending on the date. If you’re going more than twice, the multi-night passes are the move: Rush of Fear from $229.99 covers up to 18 nights in the opening stretch, Frequent Fear from $274.99 covers up to 31. Express Passes, R.I.P. tours, the Behind the Screams walkthrough and 2 p.m. Scream Early entry are all available on top.
Night-by-night dates shift, so check Universal’s calendar before you book.