Thorpe Park Fright Nights: Tickets, Scare Mazes and Dates
Fright Nights turns Thorpe Park into a scare event after dark with mazes, scare zones and night rides. Here are the 2026 dates, ticket options and maze packages.
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Fright Nights turns Thorpe Park into a Halloween event after dark, with scare mazes, scare zones, live shows and the park's headline coasters running into the evening. The scare attractions are recommended for ages 13 and over, so families with younger children need to think about who goes into the mazes and who sticks to the rides.
The 2026 event runs through selected dates from 2 to 4 and 9 to 11 October, and from 15 October to 1 November, under the banner 25 Years of Fear. A standard Fright Nights day ticket covers park entry from 10am to 9pm, more than 25 rides and attractions, the scare zones and shows, but not the scare mazes themselves.
Booking online in advance is cheaper than paying on the day, and Thorpe Park expects popular dates to sell out. The park also pairs the event with overnight stays and maze packages, which change what a visit actually costs, so it pays to separate park entry from maze add-ons: Fright Nights maze packages and add-ons are sold separately and do not include park entry, and you need a valid Fright Nights ticket to get in.
What Fright Nights is and who it suits
Fright Nights is billed as Europe's award-winning theme park scare event, built around scare mazes, scare zones and shows layered onto the park's thrill rides. It suits teenagers and adults who want horror-themed walkthroughs and night rides rather than a family-friendly Halloween trail. The mazes lean on jump scares and intense theming, with Thorpe Park recommending the scare attractions for guests aged 13 and over.
The park also publishes a sensory guide for neurodivergent guests, setting out where the five senses are engaged across the mazes, shows and zones. That makes it easier to judge whether a scare zone is manageable for a nervous teenager before you commit to maze tickets.
For the rides side of the day, the Thorpe Park guide covers the full coaster line-up and how the park is laid out, which helps you plan whether to use daylight hours for big rides and save the mazes for after dark.
Fright Nights dates for the season
The 2026 Fright Nights calendar covers 2 to 4 October and 9 to 11 October, then a longer run from 15 October to 1 November. Those blocks include weekends and the October half-term stretch, so the later dates are the ones to book first if you need school-holiday availability.
Event days run 10am to 9pm, which gives a long window to ride in daylight and again once darkness falls. Not every date in the wider autumn season is a Fright Nights date, so match your trip to the event listing rather than assuming a standard day ticket covers the evening programme.
If your dates are flexible, midweek slots in early October usually sit outside half-term demand, while the 15 October to 1 November stretch overlaps school holidays. Thorpe Park states that popular dates are expected to sell out, which is the strongest argument for booking entry and mazes together as soon as your date is fixed.
Day ticket versus Fright Nights entry
One Fright Nights day ticket covers park entry from 10am to 9pm, over 25 rides and attractions, the scare zones and shows, and the park's return guarantee cover, but not the scare mazes. Online prices start from £39 per person against a £66 walk-up price, a saving of up to £27.
That ticket is the right buy if you want the atmosphere, the night rides and the free scare zones without paying extra for walkthrough attractions. It is also the base product you need before adding any maze package, because maze products do not include park entry.
For a wider comparison of day tickets, annual passes and add-ons outside the Halloween window, the Thorpe Park tickets page sets out the standard options.
Entry plus scare maze packages explained
The simplest way to combine everything is the Fright Nights entry plus scare mazes ticket, which bundles park entry with access to four mazes: DeadBeat, Stitches, Trailers and Survival Games. Online prices start from £71 per person against a £98 walk-up price, again saving up to £27.
The most common booking mistake is assuming this bundle covers every maze. Tenement, the new maze for 2026, is not included and needs a separate ticket, so a group that wants the full set should budget for an add-on.
The maze-only version of this bundle is the Fearsome Four package, which gives access to the same four mazes from £32 per person without park entry. Buy it only if you already hold a Fright Nights ticket or an Annual Pass reservation for that date.
Buying mazes separately: one-shot tickets and arrival time rules
Individual maze entry is sold as one-shot tickets from £8 per person, covering a single entry to a maze of your choice. One-shots are available for all five mazes, including Tenement, and come in afternoon and evening slots. This suits groups who want to try one or two mazes rather than commit to a package.
Timing is strict. For individual maze tickets you must arrive at the time shown on your ticket, with a 15-minute grace period; arrive later and you will not be admitted, with no refund. Package holders must complete every included maze within their booked time window, plus the same 15-minute grace period, or unused entries become invalid.
In practice that means building your ride plans around your maze slots rather than the other way round, and leaving enough time inside a package window to walk between mazes and queue. Pre-booking is the way to guarantee entry to a specific maze on a specific date.
The Phantom Five VIP maze experience
Phantom Five is the VIP option, giving single priority access to all five scare mazes for £110 per person, or £99 for Annual Passholders. It is sold with a choice of time slots, 15:00 to 17:30 or 18:00 to 20:30, and park entry is not included.
This is the package for a group that wants every maze, including Tenement, without coordinating four separate bookings and a one-shot add-on. The afternoon slot also lets you clear the mazes before the park gets dark and then spend the evening on night rides.
Thorpe Park also sells separate Fright Nights VIP experiences for guests who want extra perks and less waiting beyond the maze access itself. Compare the inclusions on the event page before choosing between Phantom Five and a broader VIP product.
Scare mazes in the line-up
Five mazes make up the 2026 line-up. Tenement is new, set in an abandoned senior living complex where guests play emergency electricians restoring power. Trailers reimagines horror films as a screening experience, including a new show called Blood Red Roses.
DeadBeat is a midnight party venue with a dance-or-die premise, Stitches puts guests inside a toymaker's workshop, and Survival Games returns with contestants exposed to a bio-engineered chemical. Each is a walkthrough attraction with live performers rather than a ride, so expect tight spaces and sustained scares.
If you are choosing only one maze, Tenement is the one that cannot be bought as part of the standard four-maze bundle, while the other four are the ones included in the entry plus mazes ticket. Groups splitting up can pair a package for the main group with one-shots for anyone who wants just the new maze.
Scare zones and shows around the park
Scare zones and shows are included with standard Fright Nights entry and run across the park as darkness falls. The 2026 line-up includes Rebel Ball, a Fanta-sponsored party hub with music, dance and fire performances, and The Crows, whose rituals spread out from Mawkin Meadow.
Elsewhere you will find Lucifer's Lair in an underworld theme, Creature Campus: Reunion Reckoning bringing back the supernatural schoolkids, and Purgatory Town turning Big Easy Boulevard into a voodoo celebration. These are free-roaming experiences rather than timed tickets, so you can dip in and out between rides.
The Conjuring 4D Experience is a separate 4D cinema attraction based on the film series, recommended for ages 15 and over. That age guidance applies to this attraction rather than to the coasters, so families with younger teenagers can still split up around it.
Night rides on the coasters
Rides in the dark are the other half of Fright Nights, and the park keeps a large coaster line-up running into the evening. Hyperia, described by Thorpe Park as the UK's tallest rollercoaster, and SAW – The Ride, billed as the world's first horror movie-themed coaster, are the headline night rides.
Thorpe Park also names Stealth and Nemesis Inferno among the rides to take on after dark. Ride the biggest coasters in daylight first so a closure or long queue does not cost you the chance, then return for the night atmosphere once the scare zones open.
For detail on the individual coasters, the Hyperia at Thorpe Park page and the Nemesis Inferno at Thorpe Park page cover each ride in turn, while Thorpe Park rides gives the wider line-up.
Tickets and maze pricing: online versus walk-up
Across the board, booking online beats the walk-up price. Entry alone starts from £39 online versus £66 on the day, entry plus four mazes starts from £71 versus £98, and the saving is up to £27 either way.
Maze add-ons stack on top: the Fearsome Four package from £32 per person, one-shots from £8 per person and Phantom Five at £110 per person, or £99 for Annual Passholders. A couple doing entry plus four mazes and a one-shot each is paying for park entry, a package and an extra maze, so add those up before deciding whether Phantom Five is better value.
Prices are published as starting figures and vary by date, so the exact amount for your day appears at checkout. Set a budget per person for entry plus mazes before you browse, then check the figure for your chosen date.
Fright Nights short breaks at the Thorpe Shark Cabins
Fright Nights short breaks bundle two-day park entry, an overnight stay at the Thorpe Shark Cabins or a nearby Surrey hotel, and a buffet breakfast, from £109 per person based on four sharing. That structure suits anyone travelling a distance who wants the evening programme without a late drive home.
Staying in the Thorpe Shark Cabins adds ride-themed rooms, the first hour of Fastrack on day two, free car parking worth £12 and 10% off snacks and merchandise. Day two of the break gives you a second day on the coasters, which is the main reason to choose this over a single Fright Nights ticket.
If you already hold event tickets or an Annual Pass booking, Thorpe Park sells a bed and breakfast stay separately so you can add a room without duplicating entry.
Fright Nights themed cabins and what the extra maze entry covers
New for 2026, the Fright Nights themed cabins add one-shot entry to each of the five mazes on top of the usual short break benefits. That extra is exclusive to the themed rooms, so it is the only way to get all five mazes bundled with an overnight stay.
The maths works best for a group of four sharing, since the from price is quoted on that basis, and for anyone who wants both days in the park plus every maze. A couple comparing it with separate entry, mazes and a hotel room should price both routes for their own dates.
Breakfast is included in the package, which removes one meal from the budget and makes the early start on day two easier.
Fright Nights with older children and teenagers
The 13 and over guidance on the scare attractions is the key planning line for families. Teenagers who are comfortable with jump scares can do the mazes while younger siblings stay with the free scare zones and shows, which are included in entry and easier to leave if someone has had enough. Families weighing a more gentle Halloween outing can use the Chessington World of Adventures guide to compare its options with Thorpe Park's scare mazes.
For a first visit, buy entry without mazes, sample the atmosphere after dark and let the teenager decide whether to add a one-shot maze on the night. That avoids paying for a four-maze package nobody finishes, and one-shots are available for individual mazes including Tenement.
The separate Conjuring 4D Experience carries a 15 and over recommendation, so it is one for older teenagers rather than the whole group.
Accessibility and the Ride Access Pass for scare mazes
For 2026 Thorpe Park is trialling a new Ride Access Pass process for the scare mazes. Guests with a valid Nimbus ID collect an exclusive maze timecard from Guest Services by showing a valid Ride Access Pass, then enter through the Fastrack or accessibility queue, where an attendant marks a return time.
The system effectively acts as a virtual queue, so you can use the park between mazes instead of standing in line. Collect the timecard early in the day, since Guest Services is the only place that issues it.
A sensory guide for neurodivergent guests is also available, covering the senses engaged in each maze, show and zone. Reading it before booking helps match the event to who is in your group.
Practical rules: filming, maze timing and Annual Passholders
Filming inside the scare mazes is banned, including phones, GoPros, smart glasses and cameras, unless Thorpe Park has given written permission in advance. Guests who ignore the rule can be removed from the attraction, so leave devices away for the walkthrough and film the scare zones instead.
Merlin Annual Passholders should pre-book entry on the Passholder Hub before buying any maze product, since maze packages do not include park entry. Gold and Platinum passholders can then buy discounted maze packages through the Passholder Hub of Fear, which is cheaper than the standard package price.
For standard park days outside the event, the Thorpe Park opening times page shows how the calendar works across the season.
Plan Your Fright Nights Visit
Decide first whether you want the atmosphere or the mazes. Entry alone from £39 online covers the scare zones, shows and night rides, while entry plus four mazes from £71 adds DeadBeat, Stitches, Trailers and Survival Games, and a one-shot from £8 covers Tenement.
If you want every maze in one booking, Phantom Five at £110 per person is the simplest route, and a themed cabin break from £109 per person adds two days of entry and one-shot entry to all five mazes. Match the maze slot to your ride plans and arrive within the 15-minute grace period.
Book as soon as your date is fixed, because popular nights are expected to sell out. The official Fright Nights page carries the live calendar, prices and maze availability for each date.
Explore more Thorpe Park guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What dates are Thorpe Park Fright Nights in 2026?
The 2026 event runs on 2 to 4 October and 9 to 11 October, then from 15 October to 1 November. Event days run 10am to 9pm. Not every autumn date is a Fright Nights date, so match your trip to the official event listing.
Is Fright Nights included in a Thorpe Park day ticket?
Yes, up to a point. A Fright Nights day ticket covers park entry from 10am to 9pm, the rides, the scare zones and the shows, but the scare mazes are not included. Mazes are sold as packages or individual one-shot tickets on top of entry.
How much does Thorpe Park Fright Nights cost?
It depends on the date and what you add. Online booking undercuts the walk-up price, entry plus mazes costs more than entry alone, and the individual maze products are priced separately again. Current figures for each date and package are listed on the official Fright Nights ticket pages and the scare maze booking page.
Do you need separate tickets for the scare mazes?
Yes. The four-maze bundle covers DeadBeat, Stitches, Trailers and Survival Games, while Tenement, the new 2026 maze, needs a separate ticket or a Phantom Five VIP booking. One-shot tickets cover single entry to any one maze.
What age is Fright Nights suitable for?
Thorpe Park recommends the scare attractions for ages 13 and over. The Conjuring 4D Experience carries its own 15 and over recommendation. Younger children can still enjoy the scare zones and shows, which are included with standard entry.
What happens if you arrive late for a scare maze?
Individual maze tickets have a 15-minute grace period after the printed time, and late arrivals are not admitted with no refund. Package holders must complete all included mazes within their booked window plus 15 minutes, or unused entries become invalid.
Can you stay overnight for Fright Nights?
Yes. Fright Nights short breaks include two-day park entry, an overnight stay at the Thorpe Shark Cabins or a nearby Surrey hotel, and buffet breakfast, with the starting rate quoted per person on a four-sharing basis. Cabin guests also get the first hour of Fastrack on day two and free parking, and themed rooms add one-shot entry to all five mazes.
Do Annual Passholders get a discount on Fright Nights mazes?
Gold and Platinum Merlin Annual Passholders can buy discounted maze packages through the Passholder Hub of Fear, and Phantom Five is available to passholders at a lower rate. Pre-book park entry on the Passholder Hub before buying any maze product.
Sources
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