Scarefest is back at Alton Towers Resort in 2024 featuring new spooks and frights, alongside returning scare mazes and family-friendly entertainment.
Key Information
Dates: 11th October – 3rd November 2024
Opening Times: 10am – 9pm on 11th-13th, 18th-20th, 25th October – 3rd November; 10am – 8pm on 14th-17th & 21st-24th October
Attractions
Scare attractions (excluding Burial Grounds) and both Amigos in the Afterlife and Trick O’ Treat Town are not included in regular theme park admission.
A Frights Combi ticket provides access to COMPOUND, Daz Games: Panic Reloaded, Altonville Mine Tours and The Attic, and is priced at £34pp or £38pp for Early or Late slots respectively. Passholder discount is only available on Early time slots, reducing the price to £27.20pp.
Early slots are between 3pm and 4:45pm Sunday-Friday (except on 14th-17th & 21st-24th October when Early slots are between 2pm and 3:45pm) or 1pm and 2:45pm on Saturday. Late slots are between 5pm and 7pm Sunday-Friday (except on 14th-17th & 21st-24th October when Lates slots are between 4pm and 6pm) or 3pm and 7pm on Saturday.
A Spooks Duo ticket is priced at £15pp (or £12pp for passholders), providing access to Amigos in the Afterlife and Trick O Treat Town.
A Spooks & Frights Combi ticket provides access to all six attractions for a flat price of £50pp (or £40pp for passholders) – this permits guest access once to each attraction at any time during their opening hours.
Unlimited Frights Passes are available exclusively to passholders, limited to 100 passes. Priced at £120, these grant unlimited entry to the four ‘Frights’ attractions throughout Scarefest 2024!
One-shot Tickets can also be purchased for all attractions. These are £12pp for COMPOUND, Daz Games: Panic Reloaded and Altonville Mine Tours, and £8pp for The Attic, Amigos in the Afterlife and Trick O Treat Town.
Burial Grounds (scare zone) and all family entertainment are included with admission to the theme park.
For all ticket queries and for booking we recommend checking out the official Alton Towers Resort website.
On Sundays-Fridays during Scarefest, the scare mazes open at 3pm and remain open until park close, while Amigos in the Afterlife and Trick O’ Treat Town open 1pm-7pm. On Saturdays, the scare mazes open at 1pm and remain open until park close, while Amigos in the Afterlife and Trick O’ Treat Town open 12pm-8pm.
Burial Grounds opens at 5pm on all Scarefest dates and remains open until 30 minutes after the ride close time. All other attractions will have varying opening and show times throughout the day.
Ride and attractions will open from 10am during Scarefest, with the below attractions scheduled to open at slightly later times:
- 10:30am – Galactica and The Smiler
- 11:00am – Nemesis Sub Terra, Rita, The World of David Walliams, Cuckoo Cars Driving School, Spinball Whizzer and Hex: The Legend of the Towers
Depending on the date, ride queues will close at either 8pm or 9pm during Scarefest. However, all CBeebies Land attractions will close at the earlier time of 5pm. Due to low lighting, the Gardens will close to guests at 5:15pm from 11th to 26th October and at 4pm from 27th October onwards. Note that Congo River Rapids is closed from 14th October for rest of the 2024 season.
Queuing
Please be aware that Scarefest is likely to be very busy and queues will be large for many of the rides and attractions.
It is always advisable to ride the most popular rides (such as Wicker Man and The Smiler) at the very start and end of the day. You will also find that the park gets gradually quieter from 4pm onwards as guests decide to leave the park. Queue times for rides may also drop when the scare mazes open early afternoon.
Other methods and tips to avoid large queues are available on the Queue Busters page.
Handy Hints
- Temperatures will drop as the park gets dark so remember to wrap up warm.
- Prepare to see Forbidden Valley transform at night with lighting throughout the area, alongside synchronised lighting around Nemesis Reborn!
- Scarefest is your chance to ride Wicker Man in the dark – the ceremony’s flames look even more intense at night!
- Spinball Whizzer is generally much quieter in the afternoon and evening as many guests rush to ride it first in the morning.
- Make sure to ride Oblivion to get a a great view of X Sector and The Smiler at night!
- Riding TH13TEEN at night brings a whole new meaning to the Dark Forest, with there being next to no lighting around the ride’s circuit.
- Buy your parking token from a machine or ticket booth at the start of the day to beat the queues when leaving the park.
- Leave the theme park via the Galactica Gates to avoid the queues for the Monorail.
Scare Attractions
COMPOUND
Type: Scare Maze | Location: Building off pathway to Forbidden Valley | Age Recommendation: 12+
Prepare to find yourself a subject of the Phalanx in this new for 2024 scare maze. Based on the story of Nemesis Reborn, guests will enter a Phalanx facility (also used to house the Nemesis younglings), featuring dark and claustrophobic environments amongst the hallways and chambers of their labs. Guarded by their Operatives, you’re plunged into a sinister sci-fi experiment where your DNA is the next weapon. Can you escape, or will you become the next target for the experiments lurking within?
Daz Games: Panic Reloaded
Type: Scare Escape Maze | Location: Hospitality Suite | Age Recommendation: 12+
Created in partnership with YouTuber Daz Games, this attraction sees escape room meet live action scare maze in a brand-new game for 2024. Players will be given a wristband and face an intense series of tests to challenge the mind and body as they compete to find two unique symbols and exit within seven minutes. However, they will not be alone inside, as Daz’s AI technology has been corrupted and taken over the maze – if players don’t make it out in time, they’ll be trapped in the game forever…
Altonville Mine Tours – Tiny’s Revenge
Type: Scare Maze | Location: The Towers (enter near X-Sector) | Age Recommendation: 12+
Rumours are afoot that the old Altonville Mines are alive with activity once again. Following a breakthrough from local law enforcers, the notorious Skin Snatchers have been detained. However, the ironically named Tiny has evaded capture and is believed to still reside within the Mines – explore at your peril and risk the adventure, if you dare.
The Attic: Terror of the Towers
Type: Scare Maze | Location: The Towers (enter via Her Ladyship’s Garden) | Age Recommendation: 12+
This live action horror maze invites thrill-seekers to venture into the upper-most parts of the Towers Ruins. Learn the story of ‘The Governess’, whose ghost, according to local legend, continues to attempt to avenge the death of her charges by taking the spirits of the living as penance – will you be her next victim? Did the sins of the Master really conjure a demon from the fireplace or did The Governess simply go mad and chuck the children into the flames herself…
Burial Grounds
Type: Scare Zone | Location: Next to Wicker Man | Age Recommendation: 12+
This free-flowing outdoor scare zone is shadowed by the mighty Wicker Man. The Unchosen, a cult of modern-day fanatics obsessed with the lore of the Beornen invite guests to their sacred sanctum of ancient burial grounds – be warned that those who stay too long in the desecrated realm of unearthed bodies, flaming shrines and monstrous deities risk being chosen too!
Family Attractions
Amigos in the Afterlife
Type: Walkthrough | Location: The Alton Towers Dungeon building | Age Recommendation: 6+
This new for 2024 interactive family walkthrough, inspired by Dia de los Muertos, will see guests venture into a vibrant world where the gap between this life and the next is at its thinnest and cross through a portal into the afterlife. Guided by friendly spirits, guests must find your way back to the world of the living, encountering mischievous characters along the way who will challenge you with tasks to earn your passage back to the living realm!
Trick O’ Treat Town
Type: Walkthrough | Location: Left-hand side of The Alton Towers Dungeon building | Age Recommendation: 6+
This interactive, family walkthrough attraction is back. Guests will be given a tote bag upon entering the indoor attraction and start by taking a walk down Spooky Avenue before moving onto houses in Treat Street, Witchy Woods, The Graveyard and The Hill. Knock on the doors to collect lots of HARIBO treats and other spooky surprises but be careful as there will be tricks a plenty.
Alton Ancestors
Type: Roaming Characters + Dance Troupe | Location: Towers Street + Front Lawns
Meet the friendly ghoulish characters who once used to roam the grounds of Alton Towers Resort, and have now risen from the grave in time for another Halloween. Prepare to dance as the Alton Ancestors are ready to celebrate the spooky season with flash mobs on Towers Street in the morning and afternoon, before performing their ‘Final Haunt’ dance on the Front Lawns stage in the evening.
