Los Angeles Haunted Hayride has posted its 2026 season window and opened discount presale signup, so travelers planning a Griffith Park Halloween night can lock the calendar before the maze lineup drops.
The official site lists select nights from September 18 through November 1, 2026, with the event returning to the Old Zoo area of Griffith Park. Full house and maze names are still “coming soon,” with specialists expecting the reveal around Midsummer Scream in early August.
- Season window: Select nights September 18 through November 1, 2026.
- Location: Old Zoo area of Griffith Park, Los Angeles.
- Presale: 2026 discount presale signup is open on the official site now.
- Lineup: 2026 attractions are still listed as coming soon on the operator site.
- Traveler action: Join presale if you want early pricing; wait for the maze list before buying premium add-ons.
What is confirmed for the 2026 season
The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride homepage currently markets the 2026 season as open on select nights from September 18 through November 1.
It also promotes a 2026 discount presale path for travelers who want early access before general demand and later price steps.
The site still lists “2026 attractions coming soon,” so the hayride return dates are firmer than the house-by-house creative slate.
Haunted Attraction Network reports the same September 18 to November 1 select-night window and places the event at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park.
That specialist guide notes the full 2026 maze and show lineup has not been announced and expects the reveal pattern to track Midsummer Scream 2026 in Long Beach on August 7 through 9.
Address details used across operator and specialist surfaces cluster around the Crystal Springs Drive and Griffith Park Drive entrances near the old zoo grounds, not the modern Los Angeles Zoo ticket plaza alone.
How to use the presale without overbuying
Presale signup is a planning tool, not proof that every date will stay open or that every maze will be ready on opening night.
If you already know you want one Saturday in October, the discount path is useful. If you only want a specific new house that has not been named yet, wait for the lineup post before stacking expensive upgrades.
Ticket tiers commonly separate hayride-only access from general packages that include walk-through houses. Exact 2026 prices move by date and package, so treat any third-party price screenshot as temporary.
Select nights means the park is not open every evening from September 18 to November 1. Check the official calendar before you book a flight or hotel solely for a single night.
For Southern California travelers comparing paid haunts, Deep Arrival’s Knott’s Berry Farm park guide remains the baseline for the Buena Park campus, while this post covers only the Griffith Park hayride stream.
Travelers building a longer Los Angeles stay can pair the evening event with a separate daytime plan from the site’s Los Angeles three-day itinerary rather than treating the hayride as the whole trip.
What still matters on the ground in Griffith Park
Parking and shuttle patterns can change by night. In prior seasons, many guests used zoo-area parking and shuttle links into the Old Zoo grounds rather than street parking on winding park roads.
Build a buffer for weekend traffic from Hollywood, downtown Los Angeles, and the 5 and 134 freeways. A 7 p.m. entry can still require a late-afternoon departure from the Westside.
Bring closed-toe shoes. The Old Zoo paths include uneven historic zoo infrastructure, outdoor slopes, and dark outdoor staging even when the hayride itself is seated.
If you are combining the night with a daytime Griffith Observatory or Hollywood sign hike, finish daylight plans early. The hayride operation is an evening product, and re-entry logistics are not the same as a day park.
Deep Arrival’s Six Flags Magic Mountain park guide is a separate Valencia planning page for travelers stacking a coaster day with a later Los Angeles haunt night, not a substitute for Hayride tickets.
Families should also separate this product from child-oriented pumpkin patches. Haunted Hayride is a scare event with dark outdoor staging, loud effects, and intense walk-through rooms once those houses open for the season.
If younger teens are in the group, wait for the 2026 intensity notes and age guidance after the maze list posts rather than assuming last year’s mix still applies.
What to wait for before the season starts
The operator has not yet published the full 2026 house list on the homepage. That is normal for this event’s marketing calendar, but it is a real information gap for first-time visitors.
Watch for Midsummer Scream coverage in the first week of August if you care about specific intellectual-property houses or returning scare zones.
Also watch for any change to the November end date. Third-party ticket calendars sometimes show a slightly longer window than the homepage headline, so the official site remains the control document.
If you need accessible routing, contact the event before purchase. Historic zoo terrain is not a flat warehouse haunt, and accommodation details are not fully spelled out in the current homepage teaser.
Travelers flying into Southern California for Halloween week should decide soon whether Griffith Park is the anchor night or a backup to a theme-park scare calendar. Hotels near Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles sell out earlier than many first-time visitors expect once September weekends firm up.
Keep one backup evening in your hotel plan. Select-night calendars can leave Thursday or Sunday dark even when Friday and Saturday are sold as peak.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Know you want any October Saturday | Join the official 2026 presale now and pick a date once the calendar opens fully. |
| Only care about a specific new maze | Wait for the lineup reveal around early August before buying premium packages. |
| Are flying into LAX for one haunt night | Confirm your exact select night on the official calendar before locking nonrefundable airfare. |
| Are comparing SoCal haunts | Check Knott’s Scary Farm and Magic Mountain Fright Fest dates separately; they are different tickets. |
| Need access details | Email the operator before purchase; do not assume flat warehouse access at the Old Zoo. |
- Dates are the hard fact: Select nights September 18 through November 1, 2026 are the current operator window.
- Presale is open: Early pricing access is available through the official signup path.
- Lineup is not final: Do not plan around a named house that has not been announced for 2026.
- Location is Griffith Park Old Zoo: Treat it as an outdoor evening event, not a climate-controlled warehouse only.
- Select nights: Assume many weeknights are dark unless the calendar shows them open.
- Midsummer Scream, August 7 to 9: Expected window for the full 2026 maze and show list.
- Official calendar fills: Which specific nights open first and which sell out first.
- Price steps: Whether discount tiers end when general sale or peak weekends begin.
- End-date wording: Whether the homepage and ticket engine stay aligned on November 1.
If Griffith Park is on your fall map, treat the September 18 start as real, use the presale if early pricing matters, and wait for the maze list before you overspend on unnamed attractions.
When does Los Angeles Haunted Hayride run in 2026?
The official site lists select nights from September 18 through November 1, 2026.
Where is the event held?
It returns to the Old Zoo area of Griffith Park in Los Angeles, according to both the operator and specialist reporting.
Are 2026 tickets on sale?
Discount presale signup is open now on the official site.
Full public inventory and final package pricing still depend on the ticket engine as dates unlock.
What mazes are new for 2026?
The operator still lists 2026 attractions as coming soon.
Haunted Attraction Network expects the detailed lineup around Midsummer Scream in early August.
Is it open every night through November 1?
No. The published model is select nights inside that date range, so always check the official calendar for your exact evening.
