Knott’s Scary Farm announces 2026 mazes, scare zones and shows
Knott’s Scary Farm has revealed its 2026 lineup, including two original haunted mazes filled with murderous cartoons and an ancient evil. Southern California’s longest-running theme park Halloween event returns to Knott’s Berry Farm on select nights from Sept. 17 through Oct. 31.
Now entering its 53rd season, Knott’s Scary Farm will feature 10 haunted mazes, five scare zones, three live shows and more than 1,000 monsters roaming the park’s fog-filled streets. The separately ticketed event is recommended for guests ages 13 and older.
Now entering its 53rd season, Knott’s Scary Farm will once again transform the entire theme park into a night of immersive horror, featuring 10 haunted mazes, five scare zones, three live shows, and more than 1,000 monsters roaming the fog-filled streets. The event is recommended for guests ages 13 and older, and all guests, regardless of age, must purchase separate event admission.
Knott’s Scary Farm lineup
Knott’s Scary Farm 2026 lineup
Two new haunted mazes, “Inked” and “Unearthed,” headline the 2026 Knott’s Scary Farm lineup. Returning experiences include “Widows,” “Eight Fingers Nine: The Boogeyman” and “Chilling Chambers,” along with established scare zones Ghost Town Streets, CarnEVIL and Forsaken Lake.
Three shows have also been confirmed: “Occultum,” “The Hanging” and “Voodoo: Bayou’s Edge.”
New Knott’s Scary Farm mazes
Inked
“Inked” follows Mortimer Morbid, a washed-up 1930s cartoonist and former head of Morbid Studios. After discovering that blood can transform ink drawings into living creatures, Morbid attempts to produce one final Halloween special.
Instead, he unleashes a legion of murderous cartoon characters determined to pull their victims into a twisted animated world.
The character’s name carries a notable Disney connection: Mortimer was Walt Disney’s original proposed name for Mickey Mouse. Knott’s has not identified Disney as an inspiration, but the maze’s 1930s animation setting and black-and-white cartoon imagery invite comparisons to the company’s early history.
Read more in our dedicated coverage of “Inked.”
Unearthed
“Unearthed” places guests on a search-and-rescue team investigating a devastated excavation base several days after it transmitted a distress signal.
Ancient tablets discovered at the site have awakened a malevolent force from a forgotten age, leaving the team to confront the evil released by the excavation.
Returning Knott’s Scary Farm mazes
Returning haunted mazes announced for 2026 include:
- Widows: Spider-possessed residents have taken over a convalescent home and are preparing a place for their next victims.
- Eight Fingers Nine: The Boogeyman: A colonial township is placed under siege by an ancient, hungry creature in this dark fairy tale.
- Chilling Chambers: The maze resurrects characters and experiences from more than 50 years of Knott’s Scary Farm history.
“Chilling Chambers” will return for its final season in 2026.
Knott’s Scary Farm scare zones
Knott’s Scary Farm’s monsters will also occupy scare zones spread throughout the park. Confirmed returning areas include:
- CarnEVIL: Mesmer presides over an increasingly sinister circus where the sideshow has become the main event.
- Ghost Town Streets: The original Knott’s Scary Farm scare zone returns with fog, roaming monsters and the event’s legendary Sliders.
- Forsaken Lake: Gothic, waterlogged creatures emerge from beneath Silver Bullet as dark waters overtake the surrounding area.
Knott’s Scary Farm shows
Occultum
This new Calico show will feature dark magic, illusions and sleight of hand curated by the Magic Castle.
The Hanging
“The Hanging” returns to Calico with the Lawman and Hangman confronting the year’s most notorious villains in a comedy stunt show and “all-out bloodfest.”
Voodoo: Bayou’s Edge
The new “Voodoo: Bayou’s Edge” follows Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen, as she leads audiences into the court of Baron Samedi, Lwa of the dead.
Courtesy of Six Flags
The fog rolls in at Knott’s Berry Farm on Sept. 17, when another season of nightmares begins. We’ll update this guide as additional Knott’s Scary Farm details are announced.
2026 tickets and dates
Experience Knott’s Scary Farm on the following 2026 dates.
- Sept. 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 27
- Oct. 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 31
Tickets are $110 at the gate, but range from $65 to $89, with parking starting at $45.
Knott’s Berry Farm’s chaperone policy will be in effect for all Knott’s Scary Farm event nights, and a bag policy will also be implemented. Guests may bring either a clear plastic bag no larger than 12″ x 12″ x 6″ or a non-clear wristlet or clutch no larger than 5″ x 8″ x 2″. All bags are subject to search before entry.
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