Autumn at Oz festival returning in 2026 with immersive Wizard of Oz theme park experience
The Autumn at Oz Festival will return to Beech Mountain, N.C., in fall 2026 on the site of a once-defunct “Wizard of Oz” theme park, Land of Oz.
Autumn at Oz Festival 2026
The Autumn at Oz festival 2026 will return to the Land of Oz in Beech Mountain, continuing its long-running immersive celebration of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Dates for 2026
- Not announced yet
- The event is expected to run across three weekends in September 2026
- Ticket sales are scheduled to begin in June 2026
For context, the festival traditionally operates on Friday–Sunday weekends, which is worth noting for planning purposes, but should not be treated as confirmed until official dates are released.
Part festival, part theatrical experience, Autumn at Oz is located in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The event features live performers portraying characters from “The Wizard of Oz” in sets resembling locations from the story, including the yellow brick road, which guests walk through.
What the festival includes
Autumn at Oz is structured as a walk-through theatrical experience, not a traditional theme park event.
Guests follow Dorothy’s journey step-by-step:
- Begin at Aunt Em and Uncle Henry’s Kansas farmhouse
- Experience a tornado simulation inside the storm cellar
- Walk the Yellow Brick Road (made of 44,000 gold-glazed bricks)
- Encounter live performers portraying:
- Dorothy
- Scarecrow
- Tin Woodman
- Cowardly Lion
- Wicked Witch of the West
- Glinda
- The Wizard
- Conclude in Emerald City with a finale scene
The event features dozens of actors, interactive storytelling, themed food, and merchandise.
Take a look at the video below for our experience during the 2024 Autumn at Oz festival, which was the last time the event was held due to the 2025 cancellation as a result of Hurricane Helene.
The Land of Oz has always held a special place in people’s hearts,” said Page Leidy, whose family owns the park. “It’s more than a theme park, it’s a piece of living history. We’re proud to carry on that legacy and share it with a new generation of guests.”
Tickets for the 2026 Autumn at Oz Festival will be available in June on the event’s website. Guests can purchase a chair-lift ride from Beech Mountain Resort and access to an observation deck separately.
New experience
New for 2026, the Land of Oz will introduce a more intimate, story-driven add-on experience called “Tea with Dorothy and Aunt Em.” Designed as a quieter companion to the larger-scale festival, the experience invites guests to spend time with Dorothy in a Kansas-inspired setting, complete with a live performance featuring familiar characters from her home life.
From there, the story continues with a guided stroll along the Yellow Brick Road, where the tone shifts from warm nostalgia to playful tension, with a few surprise encounters with witches woven into the journey. The offering gives guests a closer, more personal way to step into the world of ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ beyond the main Autumn at Oz experience.
History of the Land of Oz Theme Park
Land of Oz opened in 1970 — with a ceremony attended by Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher — and operated for several years on and off through 1980. After over a decade of being abandoned, the park established the annual Autumn at Oz Festival in 1993.
Courtesy of Land of Oz
Unique among attractions of theme park history, Autumn at Oz provides longtime and new guests alike the chance to visit a closed theme park, repurposed as something new. Though today much of the original infrastructure from Land of Oz is long gone, the Autumn at Oz Festival utilizes park spaces that have been maintained and refurbished over the decades.
Learn more about the park’s history here. Halfway across the globe, a “Wizard of Oz”-themed area at Warner Bros. Movie World in Australia opened in 2024, complete with two roller coasters.
Originally published in 2024 by Blake Taylor, updated for April 2026 by Dani Meyering
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