Halloween Nights Returns October 2 with Expanded Attractions and Reimagined Premium Experiences

PHILADELPHIA, PA (September 9, 2026) — Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary returns Friday, October 2, running select nights through November 7, 2026. Celebrating its 35th season, the annual Halloween festival is back with five haunted houses, historic tours and museum experiences, themed bars and lounges, live performances, food and drinks, and more, all within the walls of Eastern State’s historic 11-acre site.

For 2026, Halloween Nights brings a bigger and more immersive version of The Crypt, a new event flow, more photo opportunities, and new and reimagined premium experiences that give visitors more ways to customize their night. Tickets are available now at HalloweenNights.org.

Highlights for the 2026 season include:

The Crypt Doubles in Size: The crypt keepers have taken over for 2026 as The Crypt doubles in size, offering visitors an even more captivating journey through the haunted attraction. A new Scare Cam also puts visitors in on the action inside The Crypt.

New After Dark VIP Tour: The festival introduces a new premium ticket option for 2026. The experience begins with a 40-minute, guide-led VIP Flashlight Tour highlighting Eastern State’s history, followed by front-of-the-line access to the festival, Quick Pass entry to every haunted attraction, and access to The Speakeasy at Al Capone’s Cell, including a complimentary beer, wine, cider, or soft drink.

New Event Flow: A new event flow provides a more streamlined and engaging evening. Visitors will experience portions of the festival in a linear fashion while still having opportunities to explore themed bars and lounges, live performances, museum exhibits, food and drink offerings, and other areas at their own pace.

Five Immersive Haunted Houses: Halloween Nights features five haunted houses for 2026: The Crypt, Nightmares, Machine Shop, Dark Tides, and Big Top Terror. Visitors looking for an even more interactive experience can opt in by picking up a glow necklace upon entry. Anyone wearing a glow necklace may be grabbed by performers, sent into hidden passageways, or temporarily separated from their group.

Quick Pass Admission: New for 2026 and available online only, visitors can customize their experience with Quick Pass Admission, which includes everything offered with General Admission, plus Express Entry into the festival and priority queue access at the haunted attractions.

Hospital Flashlight Tour: All Halloween Nights visitors can add a 20-minute, guide-led flashlight walking tour of Cellblock 3, Eastern State’s historic Hospital Block. The tour explores Eastern State’s medical history and includes a look at the Operating Room and other spaces. Admission is $13, available at the door only and subject to availability, and includes a souvenir flashlight.

The Speakeasy at Al Capone’s Cell: For 2026, the Prohibition-themed lounge is now available as an at-the-door add-on for visitors, subject to availability, in addition to being included with After Dark VIP Admission. The exclusive entertainment lounge features live performances and includes one complimentary beer, wine, cider, or soft drink with admission.

Food, Drinks, and Entertainment: Throughout the evening, visitors can take a break from the haunted attractions with seasonal food and drinks, themed gathering spaces, and live entertainment. Pumpkin Plaza serves seasonal cocktails, craft beer from Triple Bottom Brewing, along with corn on the cob and gourmet popcorn from Corneey’s. The festive space features performances every 15 minutes and plenty of photo opportunities. At The Fair Chance Beer Garden, visitors can enjoy gourmet s’mores from S’more than a Treat (new for 2026), Asian fusion street food from Bao & Bun Studio, craft beer from Triple Bottom Brewing, pumpkin punch, seasonal cocktails, and Eastern State’s flagship history and museum exhibits. Guests can end the night on a sweet note with specialty funnel cakes from Hardy Funnel Cakes in The Finale Courtyard.

Halloween Nights REMIXED: The final weekend — Friday and Saturday, November 6 and 7 — brings back Halloween Nights REMIXED: Holiday Havoc for its third year. In their struggle to keep the spirit of the season alive, the creatures of Halloween Nights have torn a rift in the timeline, sending the holidays into chaos. Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, and more take over the festival, each with a terrifying twist.

“Each season of Halloween Nights is an opportunity to build on what visitors love while finding new ways to make the festival more immersive and engaging,” said Erin Davis, Director of Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary. “As we celebrate our 35th season, we’re taking The Crypt to a new level, introducing a new event flow, and offering more ways than ever for visitors to customize their experience. Whether you come for the haunted attractions, entertainment, history, or all of it, there is so much to experience throughout the night, and we’re confident that 2026 will be the best year yet.”

Halloween Nights began in 1991 as a fundraiser born out of a critical need to preserve Eastern State, a National Historic Landmark that originally opened in 1829 as the world’s first penitentiary. Over the last three decades, the event has evolved into one of the premier Halloween attractions in America while continuing to directly support Eastern State’s nonprofit mission.

100% of proceeds from Halloween Nights benefit Eastern State, directly funding the historic preservation of the National Historic Landmark, national education initiatives, and workforce development programs including the Returning Citizens Fellowship and Preservation Trades Center. Many of the food and drink vendors and other partners at Halloween Nights share Eastern State’s commitment to fair chance hiring, providing living-wage employment for people with lived experience of incarceration.

Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary runs select nights from October 2 through November 7, 2026. General Admission and Quick Pass tickets are sold in half-hour entry windows, and advance online purchase is strongly recommended. For tickets, dates, pricing, and additional information, visit HalloweenNights.org.

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Media Contacts
Abby Kleman
Cashman & Associates
[email protected]
M: 302-668-4781

Allie Seifert
Cashman & Associates
[email protected]
M: 610-662-6172

About Halloween Nights
Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary is an immersive experience featuring five thrilling haunted houses, plus historic tours, themed bars and lounges, live performances, and more, all within the walls of a historic 10-acre prison site. Hollywood-quality sets, props, and special FX makeup, custom soundtracks, hundreds of talented performers per night, and a one-of-a-kind location come together each fall to create a Halloween festival of epic proportions.

Halloween Nights is open select nights, October 2 through November 7, 2026. Tickets are on sale now at HalloweenNights.org. All proceeds benefit historic preservation, national education initiatives, and workforce development programs at Eastern State.

For more information, visit HalloweenNights.org and follow @HalloweenAtESP on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

About Eastern State
Eastern State preserves America’s first penitentiary, advancing public understanding of the criminal justice system and its impact on the lives of those affected by it, to inspire a more just future. For more information, visit EasternState.org and follow Eastern State on Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.