Canobie Screeemfest, after dark

Canobie Screeemfest is Canobie Lake Park’s Halloween season: the rides run after dark, six haunted houses open, monsters roam the midway and live shows fill the stages. In 2026 it opened Saturday, Sept. 26, and runs Fridays through Sundays until Saturday, Oct. 31. The haunted houses are included with park admission, and you can go through them as many times as you like. The park has held Screeemfest since 2008. Here is how to plan your night; for the park’s backstory, see 125 summers on the lake.

Canobie Screeemfest 2026 dates and hours

During Screeemfest the park is closed Monday through Thursday. The usual hours:

• Fridays: 5–11 p.m.
• Saturdays: 3–11 p.m.
• Sundays: 1–9 p.m.

The exception is Sunday, Oct. 11, which follows Saturday hours, pricing and offerings. The remaining 2026 schedule:

Ticket sales end about an hour before close, and ride and haunt lines can close early on crowded nights. Weather can change the hours, so check the park hours page before you leave.

The six haunted houses

Each haunt tells its own story. Two open in the early evening, and the other four open at dusk.

• Slaughter Camp (new for 2026): it’s 1985 at Camp Eibonac, a killer is loose, and you have to get out of the campground before you’re next. Opens at dusk.
• Terrorform: Outpost 31, a Mars terraforming base, finds out the planet wasn’t as lifeless as its builders believed. Opens at dusk.
• Carnivus 2: a night at the movies goes wrong, and a crew of clowns works through every phobia it can find. Opens 6 p.m. Fridays and 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
• Cargo: a freighter missing for years turns up in an old fishing town, and you climb aboard to learn what happened to the crew. Opens at dusk.
• Pinecrest Sanitarium: under a new director of psychosurgery, too many patients never make it home. Opens 6 p.m. Fridays and 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
• Haven: raiders have turned a quiet town into a fortified trap for anyone who wanders in. Opens at dusk.

Expect strobe lights and water-based fog in every haunt and around the park. Latex may be in actor makeup and props in every haunt except Pinecrest Sanitarium and Carnivus. Actors will not touch you, and you may not touch them. If you need out, tell the nearest actor, who will walk you to an emergency exit. The haunts are built for standard wheelchairs and electric convenience vehicles, with alternate paths around some effects.

Tickets, Screeem Express and the backstage tour

Screeemfest tickets must be bought online in advance at canobie.com, and prices vary by night. The 2026 online Sunday general admission ticket is $55, and QR codes from Market Basket service desks and participating McDonald’s cut it to $50. Good Any Day 2026 tickets and 2027 season passes also work, though Basic passes are blacked out on Saturdays. Veterans and military families get $7 off general admission bought at the park with ID.

Screeem Express is the line-cutter for the haunts: one trip to the front of the line at each of the six houses, which share four line entrances. It costs $35 online. At the park it’s $40 on Fridays and Sundays and $50 on Saturdays and Sunday, Oct. 11, and the online price isn’t offered on those Saturday-priced days, so buy ahead. Park admission is separate. You can also buy one at any retail shop in the park at the regular price.

The Behind the Screeems Tour is a 45-minute guided walk, with the lights on, through Pinecrest Sanitarium and Carnivus 2, plus the backstage area where the monsters get into costume and makeup, with time for questions. Every tour guest also gets a Screeem Express pass. Tours start on time in front of the Yankee Whaler Ice Cream Shoppe.

Is Screeemfest too scary for kids?

The haunted houses are meant to scare, and the park recommends parental guidance for children 13 and under. It says plainly that the haunts are not for little ones. But the rest of the park can work for families, especially early in the day:

• Sundays are Family Fun Days. The park opens at 1 p.m., and the Critters Live Halloween party show plays the Midway Stage at 1:30 p.m., with a meet-and-greet after. There’s no Critters show on Oct. 11.
• Lights-on walkthrough: Sundays from 4 to 4:45 p.m., families with young children can walk through Pinecrest Sanitarium with no actors, effects or haunt lighting (not on Oct. 11).
• Walk-around monsters don’t come out until 6 p.m., stay near the haunted house areas and never go into Kiddie Land. Static haunted scenes are set up around the park all day, though.
• Monster B’Gone necklace: sold at the park entrance and the haunt entrances, it tells the monsters you don’t want to be scared. It cuts down the scares, but the park doesn’t promise a scare-free night.
• Monster Parade: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It starts at the Main Gate with an opening ceremony, where characters do jump out, and ends at the Psychodrome.

The kiddie and family rides run as usual, weather permitting. For more fall ideas around town, see fall in Salem, NH.

Shows on the Midway Stage

Rocktoberfest and the Twisted Sideshow share the Midway Stage all season. The park’s live-shows page lists a tribute act each weekend: Kiss on Oct. 9–11, Billy Idol on Oct. 16–18, AC/DC on Oct. 23–25 and MINIKISS on Oct. 30–31. Starting Oct. 16, Alan as Ozzy joins as guest host. Check the park’s live-shows page for set times. Flash photos and video aren’t allowed at shows.

Tips for a good Screeemfest night

• No costumes. Guests may not wear costumes, onesies, masks or Halloween makeup. The park asks you to leave the haunting to its staff.
• Pick your night. Fridays and non-holiday Sundays are usually less crowded than Saturdays. On weekends, the park suggests arriving before 6 p.m.
• Hit the early haunts first. Carnivus 2 and Pinecrest Sanitarium open before dark, so do them while the other four are still closed.
• Bring a layer. Most of the night is outdoors, and the park stays open until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
• Know what’s closed. Castaway Island, the water rides, the steam train, the lake cruise and Mine of Lost Souls are closed for the season.
• Plan your dinner. Outside food isn’t allowed in the park, but a hand stamp lets you leave and come back the same night. Our Canobie Lake Park tips cover parking, lockers and food.

Salem and Windham residents: in 2026 the park offered $25 admission on Sunday, Oct. 4, with proof of residency, bought at the park. Watch the Discounts & Specials page next fall. Coming from farther away? Make a weekend of it with our Salem, NH hotels guide.