The 2026 fall calendar: four parks, dates and admission details

Corrected November 7: Our November 2 update missed Kings Dominion’s November 6–8 Halloween Bonus Weekend. Saturday includes Haunt; Sunday offers daytime Tricks & Treats with several areas and rides unavailable. The main Kings Dominion season ended November 1, but that was not the end of its Halloween programming. Carowinds lists nighttime Halloween through November 7. Busch Gardens’ announced Halloween dates and Dollywood’s Harvest Festival and October ticket offer have passed.

Updated October 31: Carowinds now lists daytime Tricks and Treats through November 7. Dollywood’s announced Boo Bash dates have passed.

Updated October 24: Added Dollywood’s four-ticket offer through October 31.

Updated October 20: Added Dollywood’s confirmed season-end closures for Daredevil Falls and Smoky Mountain River Rampage.

Updated October 19: VDOT reports the eastbound HRBT reopened October 18 and all tunnel repaving is complete. The remaining repaving closures are canceled. Emily Ann Roberts’ October 14–18 dates are now a past listing.

Updated October 16: Carowinds now lists SCarowinds through November 7. Added VDOT’s October 15 notice confirming this weekend’s scheduled eastbound HRBT closure.

Updated October 12: VDOT confirms the westbound reopening and completed paving. The next scheduled closure is eastbound October 16–19.

Updated October 9: VDOT now schedules the October 9–12 westbound HRBT closure, weather permitting. Added its dated release while identifying the older conditional table wording.

Updated October 7: Added the HRBT directional closure schedule and remaining westbound work, preserving conditional dates and linking to current traffic information.

Updated October 5: Added Emily Ann Roberts’ October 14–18 performance dates and venue, with the separate Boo Bash dates and admission limits preserved.

Updated September 28: Marked the September 27 resort-road advisory as a past notice. It does not establish current road access.

Updated September 26: Added Dollywood’s September 27 resort-road advisory after rechecking the park’s guest guidance. The source’s publication date is not supplied.

Updated September 18: Kings Dominion’s general policy now matches Haunt’s chaperone age and start time. The pages still give different ages for possible photo-ID checks.

Updated September 17: Added Kings Dominion’s Haunt chaperone terms and the different ages and start time on its linked general policy. The park’s publication date for these terms is unknown.

Updated September 14: Added Dollywood’s September 19 passholder early-ride event, including ticket redemption and the earlier check-in cutoff.

Halloween season began September 11 at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Carowinds. Dollywood’s Harvest Festival followed September 14, and Kings Dominion’s Halloween Haunt began September 18. Before picking a night, check which experiences your admission covers.

These are the parks’ announced schedules, first checked September 6, 2026. We have not reviewed this year’s events in person. The three Halloween events run on selected nights; their date ranges do not mean they operate every night.

Updated September 11: Added Dollywood’s announced LumiNights dance parties and Apple Market, and clarified that Candy Corn Country is returning. The separately ticketed Boo Bash remains distinct from the regular festival. Carowinds’ conflicting chaperone terms were rechecked and remain unresolved.

Updated September 8: Added Harvey’s Boo Bash dates, admission hours and ticket details at Dollywood, plus Carowinds’ daytime schedule, Conjuring admission and re-entry details. Carowinds’ linked chaperone policies give different start times and group limits; that discrepancy remains unresolved.

Updated September 7: Added Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s chaperone and photo-ID requirements after checking the park’s published policy.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg: September 11–November 1

Howl-O-Scream starts at 6 pm on event nights and is included with applicable park admission. Busch Gardens lists five haunted houses, five scare zones and four shows. The park describes the evening event as intense and advises discretion for younger children.

Guests aged 15 or younger need a chaperone aged 21 or older after 4 pm during Howl-O-Scream, two hours before the event starts. The park may begin enforcing the rule earlier. WYDaily’s Jillian Appel reported September 4 that the policy is returning for this season.

Under the park’s chaperone policy, one chaperone can supervise up to six guests aged 15 or younger. The adult must enter with the group, stay inside the park and remain reachable by phone. Chaperones need a government-issued photo ID with their birth date; pictures of IDs are not accepted. Guests aged 16 or older entering without a chaperone also need government-issued photo ID to verify their age. The rules cover admission tickets, Fun Cards, passes and memberships.

For a visit with younger children, the park also lists daytime Halloween Spooktacular on Saturdays and Sundays from September 19 through November 1. Check the operating calendar for the date you plan to visit. Howl-O-Scream details and calendar.

HRBT travel notice: check both legs of a Williamsburg trip

For Busch Gardens visitors whose route crosses the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, the direction of travel matters. VDOT’s October 11 release says the westbound tunnel toward Hampton reopened at approximately 3 am Sunday, October 11, with paving complete in both travel lanes. The October 9–12 closure notice above is now historical.

VDOT’s October 18 release, checked October 19, says the eastbound tunnel toward Norfolk reopened Sunday, October 18, after both lanes were repaved. All planned tunnel repaving in both directions is complete. The release does not give an exact reopening time.

The remaining October 30–November 2 closure and the November 6–9 and November 13–16 backup weekends are no longer needed. The project page, checked October 19, marks those weekends accordingly. Its earlier planning text and the October 15 closure notice are historical. This is VDOT’s reported outcome; check 511 Virginia for current traffic before leaving.

WHRO’s Kelly Kenoyer covered the closure plan October 1. VDOT’s later releases supply the paving outcomes; these sources do not establish a particular detour delay.

Kings Dominion: bonus weekend November 6–8

Kings Dominion added a Halloween Bonus Weekend after its main September 18–November 1 season. Rolando Herrera reported the extension for DeepArrival on October 19. ATP checked the park’s bonus-weekend schedule November 7.

Saturday, November 7 runs from 11 a.m. to midnight, with Tricks & Treats during the day and Halloween Haunt at night. Sunday, November 8 runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and lists Tricks & Treats only. Friday’s November 6 Haunt session has passed.

Sunday also has a smaller ride lineup. The park lists Old Virginia, parts of Candy Apple Grove including WindSeeker, Twisted Timbers and Apple Zapple, plus Backlot Stunt Coaster and Flight of Fear as unavailable. A Sunday visit should not be planned around those rides. Availability can change; check the park’s current listings before traveling.

The bonus page does not establish date-specific ticket prices or override maze-admission requirements. The main Haunt lineup included Diablo: The Infernal Path and Skeleton Crew.

Pay attention to maze access when comparing tickets. Kings Dominion lists a Haunted Attractions Pass for the mazes and packages that combine park admission with maze access. The park does not recommend Haunt for children under 13. Kings Dominion’s event and admission details.

The Haunt page’s chaperone section, checked September 18, requires guests aged 17 or younger to have a chaperone aged at least 21. It lists enforcement daily by 11 am, with earlier enforcement possible. One adult may accompany up to ten younger guests; the adult must enter with them, stay in the park and remain reachable by phone. Chaperones need government-issued photo ID showing their birth date. The requirement covers ticket and season-pass holders.

The linked general park policy, rechecked September 18, now gives the same chaperone age, start time and group limit. It no longer lists the ages 15-or-younger rule and 4 pm start that ATP found September 17.

One difference remains: the Haunt page says guests aged 16 or older may be asked for government-issued photo ID to verify age; the general policy says 18 or older. ATP has not obtained a park clarification of that difference. Guests aged 16 or 17 should check the ID requirement before visiting; both pages require them to have a chaperone.

Carowinds: September 11–November 7

The SCarowinds event page, checked October 16, now lists September 11–November 7 and advertises added Halloween nights on November 6–7. This extends the previously listed November 1 end date. The page displays no announcement date. Check the selected night’s hours and ticket availability; ATP has not checked an individual checkout.

SCarowinds runs on selected nights, with JASON: Blood Reign among the new attractions announced for 2026. Carowinds does not recommend the event for children under 13.

The admission details deserve a close look: the Haunted Attractions Pass requires separate park admission, and the park says it is not valid for The Conjuring: Beyond Fear. A bundle or season pass may cover a different set of experiences, so read the inclusions for the product and night you select. SCarowinds lineup and admission details.

The park’s SCarowinds guide directs visitors to a date-specific ticket for The Conjuring: Beyond Fear. The add-ons page lists that experience separately and says park admission is not included. Check the exact product if considering an all-season upgrade.

Groups visiting with guests aged 15 or younger should confirm the chaperone terms before arriving. The event guide says the rule begins at 2 pm and permits ten younger guests per adult; its linked park policy says by 4 pm and no more than five. Both require a chaperone aged at least 21 and reserve earlier enforcement. ATP has not established which start time or group limit applies to SCarowinds.

The event guide also says guests cannot re-enter during SCarowinds hours, specifying all Friday event hours and 7 pm onward on Saturdays and Sundays. Plan any trip out to the car before those restrictions begin.

For a daytime visit with younger children, Carowinds now lists Tricks and Treats through November 7, 2026, extending the November 1 end date in our earlier check. The event index, checked October 31, specifies Saturdays and Sundays within that range. November 7 is a Saturday; the listing does not establish a daytime event on Friday, November 6, when SCarowinds also runs.

The family event includes a trick-or-treat trail in Crossroads and a costume contest in Camp Snoopy. The event page lists Tricks and Treats with park admission on applicable dates. Check the park calendar for daytime hours, which ATP could not verify in this check. The SCarowinds maze-admission exceptions above still matter if you stay for the evening.

Dollywood: past September 14–October 31 listing

Expired: four-ticket offer for October 19–31

CrowdLevels News Desk reported October 22 that Dollywood was offering a fourth one-day ticket free with three purchased. The park’s ticket page, on November 1 listed exactly four tickets and said each would display as $74.99 at checkout. That totaled $299.96 before tax. The stated use window, October 19–31, has expired.

ATP’s earlier comparison noted that dated tickets and child or senior discounts could change the cheapest option for a group. The final checkout and additional fees were not verified. For a later visit, check current products and eligibility; the November County Days offer has separate qualification requirements.

Two water rides closed for the season

Dollywood’s pages for Daredevil Falls and Smoky Mountain River Rampage, checked October 20, say both are closed for the remainder of the 2026 season. Plan remaining 2026 visits without these two rides; an event date or admission ticket does not establish that every attraction is available.

Jess Colopy reported the closures for Inside the Magic on October 18, updated October 19. ATP checked each ride’s official page. Neither page supplies a reopening date or dates its closure notice.

Past notice: September 27 resort road access

The September 25–27 Run Dollywood weekend has passed. The park's resort guest advisory, checked September 26, listed intermittent vehicle and pedestrian closures on Resorts Boulevard for September 27. That dated notice does not establish road access for a later visit.

Sevier County Digest's September 20 roundup identified the race weekend. ATP's September 26 update distinguished the park's notice for all resort guests from the morning trolley arrangements for race participants. Check with the resort for current travel guidance.

The announced Harvest Festival dates, September 14–October 31, have passed. Dollywood’s festival page, rechecked November 1, retains that date range and describes the planned pumpkin displays, music and seasonal food. This listing does not confirm which activities took place or establish later operating days.

Dollywood’s September 10 announcement announced two nightly LumiNights dance parties and an Apple Market at the Dollywood Express train depot. Those festival dance parties were listed separately from the parties inside Harvey’s Boo Bash, which required its own ticket.

Emily Ann Roberts’ October 14–18 listing at Celebrity Theater is now past. Amusement Today’s October 2 artist spotlight flagged the visit, and Dollywood’s daily artist schedule, checked October 5, listed each of those five dates. That retained schedule does not establish later appearances or confirm which performances took place.

Those dates overlapped one announced Boo Bash night, October 16, which has also passed. ATP did not verify exact performance times, seat availability or whether the party ticket’s 4 pm entry covered a particular performance.

The announced Harvey’s Boo Bash dates, October 16, 23 and 30, have passed. The event page, checked September 8, listed entry from 4 pm and the separately ticketed party from 9 pm to midnight. These retained dates and admission terms do not establish a later event or confirm which activities took place.

At the September 8 check, Dollywood listed event-only tickets at $129.99 plus tax for ages 4 and older. That was a dated advertised price, not a verified checkout total. The park’s October 2025 season announcement described Boo Bash as beginning after regular Harvest Festival guests leave, with a separate event ticket required for those late hours.

The earlier September 19 Harvest Festival Early Ride Time event has passed. As checked September 14, its terms required a 2026 Gold or Diamond pass plus a separately redeemed event ticket, with check-in ending at 9 am for an 8:30–10 am ride session. Those were the terms for that event, not a standing early-entry benefit.

Before choosing a date

Start with the park’s own calendar, then check your ticket or pass, any maze or special-event admission, and the age guidance. Showtimes, available attractions and operating dates can change. This page records what the parks had published when we checked; it does not establish wait times, crowd levels or how the events feel on the ground.