Gardaland Halloween: October Fridays Switch to 5 P.M. Entry

Gardaland Magic Halloween begins September 12, 2026, but travelers seeking its Scary Friday evenings need an October date. The Italian park lists those sessions on October 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., alongside a new separately ticketed horror maze called PREDA.

That creates two decisions before booking a Lake Garda park day: whether to choose the broader Halloween season or the more intense Friday format, and whether to add the paid maze. Our Gardaland park-hours calendar shows the October Friday switch to a 5 p.m. opening, unlike nearby weekdays with 10 a.m. starts, so a routine morning arrival is the wrong plan for those five dates.

The September Opening Is Not the Start of Scary Fridays

The official Magic Halloween page advertises a 51-day season with themed decorations, characters, shows, food, and horror experiences. Its overall September 12 to November 1 window does not mean every date carries the same evening entertainment.

Venerdì da Paura, the park’s Scary Friday format, occupies five specific October evenings. The operator describes a stronger atmosphere after sunset, including unsettling creatures and Zombie Areas. September 18 and 25 are Fridays inside the Halloween season, but neither appears on the Scary Friday list.

For a visitor building a short break around that nighttime format, October 2 is the first listed opportunity. For a family whose priority is seasonal scenery and the wider park program, the September opening can serve a different purpose without promising the October evening experience.

Gardaland Plus Fan’s 2026 Magic Halloween guide also separates the season, October Fridays, and the October 31 celebration. The useful takeaway is the distinction among visit types, rather than the site’s broad shorthand describing Halloween as a single month.

Five Evening Hours Replace the Usual Morning Start

The official Scary Friday session runs from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., a five-hour window. Deep Arrival’s posted calendar lists the park itself with that evening-only schedule on October 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, rather than showing an ordinary daytime visit followed by a late extension.

That matters for transport and hotel planning. Arriving for a 10 a.m. start on one of those Fridays would put a visitor seven hours ahead of the listed opening. Arrange the park portion of the day around the evening session instead of importing a timetable from an adjacent Thursday.

The same calendar shows September 12 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and September 13 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Those opening-weekend entries offer substantially longer scheduled days than an October Scary Friday, but they are not interchangeable entertainment products.

Use the dated calendar for the gate hours and the event description for the format. Neither tells you that every attraction will run continuously, that every performance repeats all evening, or that a particular maze time remains available when you arrive.

PREDA Is a Separate Purchase, Not a Park Ticket

PREDA is the new maze promoted for Magic Halloween. Its story sends visitors through a setting threatened by sound-sensitive alien predators called Ravages. The attraction is a horror experience, not a new coaster or a renamed version of ordinary park admission.

The operator states that access requires a separate ticket starting at €5.90 per person, on top of the normal park entrance ticket. Availability is limited, and Gardaland recommends buying ahead. Paying for the maze alone does not satisfy the requirement to enter the park.

For two people, the advertised starting maze price adds €11.80 before any difference in the selected product or checkout total. That calculation helps separate the add-on from the main admission budget; it is not a quote guaranteeing that every date or remaining allocation costs the minimum.

The park links a dedicated PREDA terms document, but it was not retrievable during this check. Specific age, health, accessibility, or accompaniment conditions therefore need confirmation from Gardaland before purchase. The wider event’s family-oriented description should not be read as proof that this separate maze suits every member of the group.

Compare the Ticket Format Before Comparing the Price

Gardaland’s event page currently displays general Halloween admission from €44 per adult and Scary Friday admission from €29 per person. The €15 difference is between advertised starting prices for different formats, not a promise of a €15 discount on an otherwise identical park day.

The evening product is attached to the five October Friday sessions. A traveler seeking a full daytime visit should not choose it solely because the headline price is lower. Conversely, someone arriving only for the evening format should inspect that product rather than assuming the broad seasonal ticket is the only option.

Live checkout inventory and detailed ticket conditions were not independently readable during this check, so the prices here are the operator’s advertised starting figures, not completed purchase quotes. Confirm the selected date, number of guests, and whether the cart contains park admission, PREDA, or both.

A season pass also deserves its own validity check. Do not infer that a pass includes every separately charged attraction because it permits park entry, and do not infer an event blackout simply because a special evening ticket is on sale. The purchased pass terms decide admission eligibility.

Choose the Visit Around Your Group’s Tolerance for Scares

The broad Magic Halloween program includes family shows, costumed characters, decorations, and seasonal food, while the Friday description emphasizes stronger nighttime horror. A group with mixed interests should decide which format it wants before choosing the cheapest available date.

Skipping PREDA is a different choice from avoiding all themed activity. The maze is separately charged, but the operator also describes Zombie Areas and unsettling characters within the Scary Friday atmosphere. Families should not assume that declining one add-on turns that evening into an ordinary daytime park visit.

October 31 is a Saturday, not one of the five Scary Fridays. Deep Arrival’s current calendar lists a midnight close that day, and the independent guide describes a separate Halloween Party. That longer schedule should not be carried over to Friday, October 30, whose official session ends at 10 p.m.