35 years of scares: Six Flags Great America brings back Fright Fest with new terrors

Six Flags Great America says Fright Fest is back for its 35th year, turning the Gurnee park into a Halloween destination with haunted attractions, roaming monsters, live shows and nighttime rides. The event runs select nights from Saturday, Sept. 19 through Sunday, Nov. 1, according to the park’s press release.

The park says this year’s lineup includes five haunted mazes, seven scare zones and a mix of returning favorites and new additions. Guests can ride coasters like Wrath of Rakshasa, Goliath and Raging Bull after dark, adding to the park’s fall lineup.

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New mazes, returning favorites

Two new haunted mazes are part of the 2026 season: “Blair Witch: No Signal” and “Nightmares.” According to the announcement, the Blair Witch maze sends guests into the Black Hills Forest, while Nightmares centers on twisted dreamscapes filled with clowns, spiders, illusions and doctors. The lineup also includes “The Conjuring Universe,” “SAW: Legacy of Terror” and “The Estate at Wretched Meadows.”

The park confirmed that “Necropolis,” a fan-favorite scare zone not seen since 2014, returns for the first time in more than a decade as part of the park’s 50th anniversary season. It joins six other scare zones that keep the scares going across the park.

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Halloween fun for families

When the sun is up, the park shifts to lighter fall fun with Tricks and Treats, a daytime event on Saturdays and Sundays from Saturday, Sept. 19 through Sunday, Nov. 1. The family offering will feature seasonal décor, treats, entertainment and activities, with more details on the 2026 lineup still to come.

Six Flags Great America also plans Oktoberfest on select days during the same stretch, with seasonal food, beer and German-inspired dishes. The park says the best value for Fright Fest, Tricks and Treats and Oktoberfest is the 2027 Gold Pass, which starts at $85 and includes unlimited visits for the rest of 2026 and all of 2027, plus access to regional parks such as Cedar Point and Kings Island.