Scarefest is back for 2026, bringing a brand-new maze to the line-up and giving us the most scare mazes we’ve seen at the event for a long time.
Alongside the mazes and family entertainment, 2026 also introduces a new singing show in Mutiny Bay Courtyard called Haunted Harmonies, performed twice a day. It’s a nice addition, although it really makes us miss the old Sin Bin show that used to take place on the lawns.
New for 2026 – Final Exhibit
Beyond the archive doors lies The Curator’s forgotten collection, where each room reveals a dark secret and every turn draws you deeper into his sinister world.
Located inside the Events Tent, Final Exhibit is themed around The Curator, who collects maps, signs, props and anything else he can from Alton Towers’ history.
The park cleverly used the archive exhibition during the summer as a teaser for this maze, and at the time we never thought anything of it!
We had high expectations for Final Exhibit and were blown away on all three of our run-throughs.
The maze has some amazing theming and is packed with nods to rides, attractions and areas from Alton Towers’ past, including:
- A replica of the Book Worm, which used to be located in Storybook Land
- Theming from the taps on The Flume, which was removed for Wicker Man
- A Mutiny Bay show effects control panel
- Old theme park maps
- “Smile Always” written across several walls
- A roller coaster wheel in the pre-show area
There is so much packed into the maze that we can’t wait to do a behind-the-scenes tour and get the chance to properly look at all the details up close.
The costumes are really cool, there are loads of strong jump scares, and the actors already know exactly how to use the pop-out holes to catch guests again and again.
There are also lots of different effects used throughout the maze, and the attraction even features a figure of The Curator himself.
Our only slight concern is how well the concept will work for normal day guests who don’t know much about Alton Towers’ history, as the theme is very heavily based around the park’s past. Even so, we’re sure guests will still find the maze scary without recognising every reference.
This maze is amazing and we already can’t wait to do it again in a few weeks.
Bring it back next year, please Alton Towers!
Edge of the Forest
Back again for 2026 after debuting in 2025, Edge of the Forest once again has us wrapping our heads around seeing the same car over and over before eventually coming face-to-face with Leshwall.
There aren’t many changes to the maze this year apart from a new cast of amazing actors, although there has been one noticeable change at the end.
Previously, guests could buy a video of their reaction when Leshwall came towards them. This year, that has gone and there are now two hooded figures standing at the exit doors instead.
It’s a shame because our first reaction going through this maze was great, and we’d love to see the reaction video return.
The costumes and actors inside are still fantastic and the finale remains a lot of fun.
Dark Hollow
Back again for 2026 after being introduced in 2025, Dark Hollow is a free scare zone located next to Edge of the Forest.
Guests walk through the area as the creatures of Dark Hollow come to life around them.
There appeared to be more actors in the scare zone this year and possibly some new characters too. We’re not sure whether that was simply because of the time of day we went through or whether new characters have actually been added.
Either way, the costumes are great, the actors are brilliant and Dark Hollow continues to be a lot of fun.
COMPOUND
COMPOUND is back for 2026 and this year introduces a new pre-show video while guests are locked inside their pods, featuring Toxicator.
There’s also something we’ve never seen before, with some guests being dragged out of their pods by actors.
It doesn’t happen in every pod, but it was great fun watching people’s reactions when it did happen.
We had a lot of fun inside the maze and there were some really good jump scares, but our run-through felt quite short.
There were also a few effects we’ve seen working previously that weren’t operating during our visit.
That’s always one of the issues with mazes that have multiple routes. Depending on which way you’re sent, you might not see everything.
Short, fun, but missing something.
We’d love to see COMPOUND use one main route through the maze so everyone gets the chance to experience everything inside.
Altonville Mine Tours
Yes, it’s back again!
Altonville Mine Tours returns for 2026 with a few small changes.
Guests now walk through the tent rather than being spoken to at the start of the maze, there’s a new lift scene, and all of the effects inside were working brilliantly during our visit.
We had some amazing jump scares throughout the maze and really enjoyed it.
There was one section where we didn’t see any actors, although this could simply have been during an actor changeover or because they were elsewhere scaring another group.
There have also been some changes to the queue line, with objects and signs spray-painted with messages including “Sheriff where are you?” and “Tiny 1, Cop 0.”
It’s also worth noting that Altonville Mine Tours is now the final scare maze located inside the Towers, and once it is removed, no new maze can be installed in its place.
Burial Grounds
The best scare zone is back!
Burial Grounds returns for 2026 and this year features some new characters.
The route itself remains the same, but adding new characters helps make the scare zone feel fresh and fun again.
It could be interesting to see the layout changed in the future, or perhaps even have guests experience the scare zone in reverse to shake things up further.
Once again, there are great actors, costumes and makeup, while the fire effects are another really nice touch.
Amigos in the Afterlife
Barry the little wormy is back!
Amigos in the Afterlife is always great fun, no matter the age of your group.
This short family attraction is very interactive, with guests potentially searching rubbish bins for a key, helping to find ingredients for a soup, dancing with skeletons and singing a song to find Barry the little wormy.
The costumes, makeup and interaction with younger guests from this year’s cast are all great.
As much as we love this attraction, we’d also love to eventually see the old Dungeons building returned to being a ride, as the park really feels like it’s missing something in this corner.
Trick O’ Treat Town with HARIBO & MAOAM
Trick O’ Treat Town is back and this year’s version remains largely the same as we’ve previously seen.
The costumes, makeup and interaction with younger guests from this year’s cast are once again great.
However, the number of sweets guests receive appears to have dropped considerably.
We remember the first year of this attraction when people would come out with bags full of sweets. Now, you’re lucky to leave with around 12.
Considering the price guests are paying, we’d either like to see the amount of sweets increased again or eventually see the attraction replaced with something new.
New for Scarefest 2026 – The Phantom Melody: Symphony of the Towers
A similar show debuted during the first weekend of Alton After Dark earlier this year, and it has now returned for Scarefest with new music, sound and lighting projected onto and around the Towers.
We really enjoyed the show and it’s a great addition to the nighttime atmosphere of Scarefest.
Merchandise
This year’s Scarefest merchandise doesn’t include a huge amount of new items.
There is a new pin badge for 2026, some AI-looking merchandise, returning tops and hoodies from previous years, and a new top themed around this year’s new maze, Final Exhibit.
Food
Special Scarefest food can once again be found around the park, although there appears to be less of it available this year.
Lighting
Lighting around the park has improved this year.
Coloured gels have been installed over floodlights and we also spotted more permanent lighting around the park.
It’s a big improvement compared with previous years and makes a noticeable difference once darkness falls.
Towers Street
Towers Street looks great this year with all of the Scarefest theming installed.
The Scarefest hearse is once again parked on the lawns, complete with Scarefest characters poking their heads out.
Cargo Eats
Cargo Eats has returned for Scarefest and continues to be a big hit.
There are new food options available and the offering has even expanded into Burger Kitchen, which has remained closed throughout 2026.
Overall
Scarefest 2026 is the best version of the event we’ve seen for a long time.
There are plenty of good scares, a strong selection of attractions and Final Exhibit is a fantastic addition to the maze line-up.
The new theming near Toxicator featuring Franklin and Toxicator is another nice twist for this year.
One of our biggest issues, however, is the price of the scare mazes. They feel overpriced, and we regularly walked past them without seeing particularly long queues. If the maze prices were reduced, we think you’d see far more guests giving them a go.
We also feel the Alton Ancestors have been around for too long now. We’d love to see a completely new flash mob welcoming guests nearer the beginning of the day, rather than the Ancestors starting at 11am when guests can enter the park from 9:30am and rides open from 10am.
With Alton Towers applying for planning permission for a new building in X-Sector, potentially providing another space for a scare maze, we can’t wait to see what Scarefest 2027 might have in store.
