When to go
The connoisseur month: school back everywhere, every park still running its summer-lite calendar, and the entire Halloween season opening at the end of the month.
September at these parks: one of the year's best windows. The connoisseur month: school back everywhere, every park still running its summer-lite calendar, and the entire Halloween season opening at the end of the month..
Expected — not yet announced · Checked July 2026
Crowd and cost shapes describe multi-year patterns across the ten parks rather than a forecast for any single year. Weather figures are climate normals for each region and do not decay; the Texas figures blend the DFW and San Antonio areas, and the Southern California figures blend the coastal and inland valleys.
Moderate crowds
Climate normals for each resort. These are averages over a long reference period, not a forecast — the only figures on this site that do not decay.
| Resort | Avg high | Avg low | Rain days | What it feels like |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern California (LA basin to San Diego) | 84°F | 63°F | 1 | Climate normals, not a forecast. |
| Orlando (and Winter Haven) | 90°F | 73°F | 12 | Climate normals, not a forecast. |
| Texas (DFW and San Antonio) | 90°F | 68°F | 5 | Climate normals, not a forecast. |
| New Jersey (Jackson) | 78°F | 57°F | 7 | Climate normals, not a forecast. |
| Chicago (Gurnee) | 76°F | 55°F | 9 | Climate normals, not a forecast. |
Moderate cost
Each of these has its own page with pricing, strategy, and a verdict.
Included overlay
Fright Fest is Six Flags Magic Mountain's included-with-admission Halloween overlay: scare zones and decorated midways by day, haunts after dark, with some upcharged attractions. Magic Mountain's version leans on the hillside park's scale — the midways between the summit and the plaza carry the atmosphere.
Expected — not yet announcedNo extra ticket
Included overlay
Fright Fest is Six Flags Over Texas's included-with-admission Halloween overlay: scare zones and decorated midways by day, haunts after dark, with some upcharged attractions. The original park's version wraps the tower section and Gotham strip in the chain's standard haunt format.
Expected — not yet announcedNo extra ticket
Included overlay
Fright Fest is Six Flags Great Adventure's included-with-admission Halloween overlay: scare zones and decorated midways by day, haunts after dark, with some upcharged attractions. The Northeast's biggest fall crowd nights — Great Adventure's Fright Fest Saturdays are among the year's busiest days at any park on this site.
Expected — not yet announcedNo extra ticket
Included overlay
Fright Fest is Six Flags Great America's included-with-admission Halloween overlay: scare zones and decorated midways by day, haunts after dark, with some upcharged attractions. The Chicago park's version is the region's default Halloween theme park night and the best-attended of its seasonal overlays.
Expected — not yet announcedNo extra ticket
Separate ticket
Knott's Scary Farm is the oldest big haunt in the country — running since 1973 — and still among the best: dozens of mazes, scare zones through the real Ghost Town, and a separately-ticketed night event that transforms the whole park.
Expected — not yet announced
Separate ticket
Howl-O-Scream is SeaWorld San Diego's separately-ticketed Halloween night: produced haunted houses, scare zones and coasters running after dark across the marine park. The San Diego edition is the smallest of the three SeaWorld haunts and the most atmosphere-per-acre — the bay-side park turns genuinely eerie.
Expected — not yet announced
Separate ticket
Howl-O-Scream is SeaWorld San Antonio's separately-ticketed Halloween night: produced haunted houses, scare zones and coasters running after dark across the marine park. The Texas edition is one of the region's two major haunts and the biggest produced event in the San Antonio market.
Expected — not yet announced
Separate ticket
Howl-O-Scream is SeaWorld Orlando's separately-ticketed Halloween night: produced haunted houses, scare zones and coasters running after dark across the marine park. The Orlando edition is the biggest of the three and a genuine third pole in the city's Halloween season alongside the Disney and Universal events.
Expected — not yet announced
Included overlay
Brick-or-Treat is Legoland California's family Halloween: costume days, brick-built decor, treat stations and party nights — the light-scare counterweight to every intense haunt on this site.
Expected — not yet announced
The September weekday is this site's single best product: summer operation, school-year crowds, and weather that has stopped trying to kill you at the Texas parks.
The Halloween events open across the last ten days of the month and the weekends transform — the same park is two different products across one September Saturday.
Height requirements, ride mechanics, accessibility detail, and permanent dining live on our evergreen guide, our year-round sister site. They do not change with the season, so we do not repeat them here.