Overview
Scarefest is the busiest few weeks of the year at Alton Towers, and the run-up to October half term is when accommodation within easy reach of the park gets scarce. The resort's own hotels and Woodland Lodges sell out first, then the nearest holiday parks, and families who leave it late end up driving in from Stoke-on-Trent or Derby. This guide sets out the 2026 dates, the towns worth searching, what a night nearby typically involves, and the routes to a room when the obvious ones are gone.
Scarefest 2026 dates and what has changed
Alton Towers Resort lists Scarefest as running on selected dates from 26 September to 1 November 2026, with the park open until 9pm on event nights. According to the dates published by Haunted Attraction Network, the event operates on 26 and 27 September, 2 to 4 October, 9 to 11 October, and then every day from 16 October through to 1 November. That final fortnight is the one to plan around, because it swallows the whole of the English half-term week.
The headline addition for 2026 is a new scare maze called Final Exhibit, built around a character named The Curator. The resort's official Scarefest page also lists Amigos in the Afterlife, an interactive walkthrough recommended for ages 6 and over, and COMPOUND, recommended for guests aged 12 and over, alongside Nemesis Reborn, Wicker Man and The Smiler running after dark. For younger children there is Trick O' Treat Town and the CBeebies Land Monster Ball.
Advance online day tickets were listed from £37 at the time of writing, against a walk-up price of £68, with resort short breaks from £100 per person. Prices vary by date, and the half-term dates sit at the top of the range.
Why the half-term week is different
Staffordshire County Council's published term dates put the autumn half-term holiday at Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026 for community and voluntary controlled schools, and most English local authorities follow the same week. Scarefest runs every day across it and finishes on the Sunday, 1 November.