Fright Fest Is Back at Six Flags Great Adventure—Here’s When It Starts

There’s just something about spooky season in New Jersey. It’s seriously my favorite time of year, and I wait for September and October all year long. Cool nights, fog rolling around the entire park, and all of your favorite roller coasters.

Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson turns the whole park into a haunted playground every fall, with scare actors creeping through the pathways, live shows after dark, and those infamous haunted mazes that aren’t for the faint of heart.

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If you’ve never been, Fright Fest is the park’s nighttime Halloween takeover and there are rides in the dark, awesome scare zones, and pay-to-enter haunted mazes too. There are also necklaces available for purchase that kids can wear to minimize interactions with the actors, allowing the entire family to enjoy the experience.

Here’s the basic vibe, once the sun goes down, the scares happen. You’ll still get your favorite coasters, but the park adds actor that will scare you, stage shows, and specialty food/drinks themed for the season. Haunted mazes typically require a separate Haunted Attractions Pass, while scare zones and most shows are included with admission, so you can pick your intensity level.

When does Fright Fest start?

Opening night is Friday, September 12, 2025, and the event runs on select nights through Sunday, November 2, 2025. If you’re going with younger kids earlier in the day, Kids Boo Fest runs select dates from September 13 to November 2, then the scares take over at 7:00 pm. Always check the park calendar for the specific nights you plan to visit.

If you’re planning a trip, a good thing to do is hit a few big coasters before sunset, then move to shows and scare zones as darkness falls, and save haunted mazes for last because lines tend to build as the night goes on. Plus, if you want official confirmation on your exact date, head to the Great Adventure events page; Six Flags keeps the start/end dates and nightly schedule there.