As autumn arrives across Staffordshire, Alton Towers Resort transforms its sprawling grounds into a late-night playground of shadows, theatrical terror, and thrills.
Scarefest has returned for 2026 with an extensive lineup of haunted attractions, immersive walkthroughs, and spooky family entertainment, now running on selected dates through to Sunday 1st November. Attractions Daily was invited along to explore everything on offer this season, from a brand new flagship scare maze to returning fan favourites. Note: This review contains spoilers.
New this year
The headline addition for this year’s event is Final Exhibit, a brand new indoor scare maze that delivers a blend of psychological tension and nostalgic storytelling. According to the official storyline, guests step into what initially appears to be a legitimate exhibition displaying newly discovered historical artefacts from the Alton Towers estate.
The tour quickly takes a turn as visitors are guided into the hidden archive of The Curator, an enigmatic figure obsessed with collecting and preserving items from the past. Working under his command are The Archivists, a silent group of hypnotised servants who wander the corridors searching for new additions to the collection. Unwary guests soon discover that the archive holds more than just inanimate objects, as those who fail to find their way out are transformed into living exhibits, trapped within the walls forever.
The execution of Final Exhibit makes it a standout highlight of this year’s lineup, particularly for long-time visitors and theme park enthusiasts who appreciate the resort’s rich heritage. The story begins well before entering the main building. While waiting in the queue line, guests can watch a screen presentation that presents a quick history of Alton Towers, tracking its evolution from a grand stately home into one of the most visited theme parks in the country. This broadcast includes clever satires of popular television formats filmed on location at the park over the years, building the narrative while keeping waiting guests entertained.
Once inside, the walkthrough starts in a mock archive gift shop before The Curator insists that the group must proceed deeper into the facility. As guests move through the dark corridors, they encounter authentic heritage references alongside detailed fibreglass replicas of key theming props from retired Alton Towers attractions. Highlights include the giant Bookworm from Storybook Land, a retro robot from Toyland Tours, and one of the iconic yellow ducks from The Flume. Further along, visitors catch glimpses of classic park mascots from decades gone by, though their intentions in the dark are far from welcoming.
The detail within the maze itself is extraordinary, reflecting painstaking effort in scenic design. For visitors interested in how the attraction was constructed, Alton Towers is also offering an upcharge behind-the-scenes tour that lets guests walk through Final Exhibit with the lights turned on, offering a rare look at the set design.
Top-tier terrors
For visitors seeking raw intensity, returning maze COMPOUND holds the crown as the most extreme scare experience at Alton Towers this year. The story transports guests deep into the dark lower levels of a secretive scientific facility, where visitors become unwilling participants in a chaotic military experiment.
Unlike the milder walkthroughs, this maze is designed to break down personal comfort zones. The scare actors are permitted to make physical contact with guests, and groups are intentionally split up as they navigate the winding corridors. Visitors should be fully prepared for the possibility of having to complete certain sections of the maze entirely on their own in complete darkness. This hands-on approach creates high tension from start to finish – to which there were a few moments that caught this writer off guard! The industrial atmosphere also ties in directly with the surrounding Forbidden Valley area, fitting naturally alongside the nearby Nemesis Reborn roller coaster and Toxicator, the park’s award-winning Huss Top Spin flat ride added last season.
Another returning option for horror fans is The Edge of the Forest, an outdoor scare maze that takes place beneath an eerie canopy of trees. The storyline warns visitors that lost souls haunt the woods, cautioning everyone to stay alert for the Leshwall, an evil spirit capable of infiltrating the minds of anyone who crosses its path.
While this attraction was our personal favourite maze during last year’s event, it has been surpassed this season by the sheer quality and detail of Final Exhibit. Within the current paid maze lineup, The Edge of the Forest serves as the mildest option for adult thrillseekers. Rather than relying on constant jump scares, it focuses on building suspense slowly before delivering its final conclusion. The natural setting and strong conceptual design still make it a very enjoyable walkthrough, particularly for guests who prefer atmospheric dread over relentless physical scares.
Within the Towers
The current longest-running scare maze at Alton Towers, Altonville Mine Tours: Tiny’s Revenge, returns once again. The narrative reopens the abandoned mine shafts, where former resident ‘Tiny’ continues to evade capture while haunting the deep, twisting tunnels beneath the surface.
Despite being a familiar staple of Scarefest, the park has introduced several key updates to keep the experience fresh for 2026. The maze features an entirely new lift scene that effectively sets up the story, along with updated dialogue and fresh interactions from the actors inside. What continues to set Altonville Mine Tours apart is its physical setting. The maze is built directly inside the actual stone ruins of the historic Alton Towers structure itself, providing an authentic and somewhat claustrophobic atmosphere that adds something special to the experience.
But as the sky turns dark, the Towers themselves become a focal point for something completely different. Symphony of the Towers is an impressive light show synchronised to music. It makes the perfect backdrop for Instagrammable photos, as well as a great opportunity for a breather from running (or hiding) in the scare mazes.
Out in the wilderness
Alongside the ticketed mazes, Alton Towers continues to offer free-flowing outdoor scare zones that are included with standard park admission. The most prominent of these for 2026 is Dark Hollow, situated as an extension of the Dark Forest area. This zone expands upon the dark folklore surrounding the TH13TEEN roller coaster, placing visitors in an eerie outdoor setting where mysterious entities stalk passersby from the shadows.
As entry to Dark Hollow is free with park admission, the area naturally draws large crowds throughout the evening. However, the scare actors work efficiently to maintain steady movement while delivering continuous scares to those waiting in line. A standout detail of this scare zone is the clear view it provides of the historic Swiss Cottage, located within the Alton Towers Gardens. Observant guests who glance towards the building at night will spot a mysterious figure lurking inside, adding a subtle and effective touch to the surrounding environment.
The second free entry scare zone, Burial Ground, introduces visitors to The Unchosen, a primitive cult of outcasts rejected by the Wicker Man who now exist between the living and the dead. Operating under their own brutal rules, the cult members patrol an open-air pathway filled with fog, wooden structures, and rustic props.
Burial Ground is slightly tamer than Dark Hollow, making it a great option for guests looking for atmospheric scares without extreme intensity. The zone is best experienced after dark, when the ambient fire effects illuminate the fog and the physical presence of the adjacent Wicker Man wooden roller coaster can be felt. Hearing the wooden coaster train roar past in the dark while atmospheric fire flickers around the path makes this one of the most cinematic spots in the park during the evening.
Family fun
Scarefest is not strictly for adult thrillseekers, and Alton Towers has balanced its lineup with dedicated family attractions designed for younger visitors. Trick O’ Treat Town offers a spooky walkthrough where children can venture into the Witchy Woods. Along the route, young guests knock on colourful doors to meet friendly characters, receiving Haribo sweets as rewards. It acts as a fantastic, soft introduction to walkthrough attractions for families.
Families can also look forward to the return of Amigos in the Afterlife, a bright walkthrough set in a world of colour and festivity inspired by Day of the Dead celebrations. Guided by cheerful spirit characters, families go on a quest to find their way back to the land of the living. Located inside the former Dungeons building near The World of David Walliams, the attraction makes clever use of the expansive indoor footprint. The experience relies on participatory storytelling, encouraging children to engage directly with the narrative alongside energetic performers.
As Scarefest takes place in a theme park, one of the natural draws of the event is the opportunity to ride the park’s world-class roller coasters in total darkness. With rides staying open until late every night, visitors have ample time to experience popular attractions such as The Smiler, Thirteen, Wicker Man, and The Curse at Alton Manor under the cover of night, which adds a completely fresh dynamic to each ride.
But the story didn’t end there…
For guests seeking something beyond the traditional mazes, Alton Towers has included two upcharge evening experiences for 2026. Dine with the Dead is a theatrical dining event hosted within the Alton Towers Hotel complex. Priced from £69 per person, the evening is divided into three distinct phases: a welcoming cocktail party, a three-course dinner, and an afterparty. Guests do not simply watch the story unfold, as they are written into the narrative as central characters in an unsettling dinner party where each stage grows progressively more terrifying.
While we did not have the opportunity to try this dining experience during our visit, the integration of immersive theatre with food and beverage appears as an interesting concept for those looking to extend their Scarefest visit beyond the park gates.
Additionally, history enthusiasts and ghost hunters can book the Alton Towers VIP Ghost Tour. Taking place inside the Grade II listed Towers ruins, this 60-minute guided tour investigates long-standing reports of supernatural sightings across the estate, and guests are issued professional paranormal detection equipment to conduct ghost hunts through the unlit, historic corridors. Whilst we are sceptical about the existence of ghosts, this is certainly something we’d like to try one day!
Our overview
The 2026 edition of Scarefest highlights Alton Towers’ continued ability to cater to a broad range of audiences during the ever-popular Halloween season. By pairing high-intensity mazes like COMPOUND with family-friendly offerings like Amigos in the Afterlife, the resort ensures that guests of all ages and scare tolerances have a full day and evening of entertainment. A day pass with ‘thrills combi’ (including the four main mazes) starts from £80, whilst a ‘family duo’ day pass including the two family mazes starts from £53, when booked online.
Alongside its refreshed lineup of scare mazes and entertainment, the decision to keep most rides running until 9 pm remains one of the best features of the event, giving visitors the chance to experience iconic coasters in the dark alongside the popular mazes associated with Scarefest. With Final Exhibit setting a high benchmark for themed horror storytelling, Scarefest 2026 delivers one of the most complete autumn event packages in the country – one we’d certainly recommend. Tickets are now available online*.
