Tulleys Shocktober Fest is back for 2026, celebrating an incredible 30 years of screams! It's a big year for the event, with the return of a fan favourite, a spectacular new fire show and some changes to the existing maze line-up.
The Glitch has disappeared after just one year, making way for the return of The Cellar, while the brand-new House of Hades brings a touch of Halloween Horror Nights to Tulleys Farm. With plenty of scare mazes, street entertainment and new experiences to discover, we headed to Shocktober Fest to see what this year's event has to offer!
The Cellar Returns – New for 2026
The Cellar is back! After being replaced by The Glitch in 2025, this fan favourite returns with a new storyline, taking guests beneath the house into dark passageways filled with sinister surprises.
We're so glad to see The Cellar return, as it's always been one of our favourite mazes at Shocktober Fest. The unique layout, the snake encounter as you head down the slope and the fantastic cage and strobe section are all highlights. There are some brilliant scares throughout, and the theming and sets are as impressive as ever.
The new storyline also complements the existing maze nicely, giving it a refreshed feel without losing what made it so enjoyable. It's great to have this one back!
House of Hades – New for 2026
House of Hades is a brand-new live theatrical production combining fire performances, aerial artistry, dancing and music, starring the internationally renowned Fuel Girls.
Tulleys Farm knows exactly what they've done here, and we absolutely love it! If you're a fan of Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando, this show is going to feel very familiar. With dancers, fire, more fire and some fantastic music, it genuinely felt like we were back in Florida, just without the heat and long plane journey!
The Fuel Girls are also involved with shows at Halloween Horror Nights in Florida and Traumatica at Europa-Park, so it's fantastic to see this style of entertainment brought to Tulleys. The choreography, performers and fire effects are brilliant, making this one of our biggest highlights of the entire event. Please bring House of Hades back next year, and every year after that!
Appleton County Farm – New for 2026
Appleton County Farm takes guests back to the beginning of the Appleton family's terrifying story, exploring their farm and the dark secrets hidden within.
For 2026, the original Appleton maze has been split into two separate attractions following the addition of the House of Hades show building. We still really enjoyed this maze, and there are some cool new scenes to explore, including additional buildings filled with old machinery and even a chicken house.
However, having experienced the original maze, the new layout feels a little broken up. It doesn't flow quite as naturally as it used to, which is a shame. There's still plenty to enjoy, but returning visitors will certainly notice the changes.
Doom Town
Doom Town takes guests through an abandoned town overrun by the undead, with haunted streets, shops and buildings to explore.
This is always one of our favourites, largely thanks to the incredible theming and variety of environments. One moment you're walking through a bus, then you're inside a shop, before heading back onto the streets and into another building. There's even a Greggs! The actors were fantastic, and it's great to see Tulleys continuing to make smaller changes.
The former make-up shop, previously associated with the NYX and Boots sponsorship, has now been transformed into a record shop. It's these little changes that help keep Doom Town feeling fresh, and we're glad to see it continuing to receive attention.
Electrick Circus
Electrick Circus is home to Sparky and his army of undead clowns, with plenty of electrifying surprises waiting inside.
Clown mazes are always good fun, and this one still delivers some excellent scares. The costumes and make-up are fantastic, while the animatronics work particularly well alongside the live actors. However, Electrick Circus has been around for quite some time now, and it's starting to feel a little dated.
We'd love to see Tulleys refresh some scenes, change the layout or perhaps even turn it into an entirely new maze. It's still enjoyable, but we think this attraction could really benefit from some bigger changes.
Appleton Sawmill – New for 2026
Appleton Sawmill is the final chapter of the Appleton family's story, taking guests into a sinister sawmill filled with rusting machinery and dark secrets.
This is the second half of the original Appleton maze, which has been separated into two attractions for 2026. You now enter directly into the sawmill, around the middle of where the original experience used to be, and surprisingly, it works quite well. The sets, costumes and make-up are still fantastic, although we couldn't spot any new scenes compared with previous years.
Unfortunately, it also feels like one of the shortest mazes at the event, and entering through the House of Hades show space feels a little strange. It's still good fun, but knowing what the original attraction used to be like makes the experience feel rather short and disjointed.
Creepy Cottage
Creepy Cottage is a true Shocktober Fest classic, having been part of the event since it first opened.
Despite its age, it continues to deliver some fantastic scares, largely thanks to its tight rooms and narrow corridors. With the right actors, these confined spaces are incredibly effective, and this year they've managed to deliver once again.
We'd love to see Tulleys experiment with the layout in the future, perhaps even reversing the route so guests enter through the current exit. Something simple like that could make this old favourite feel completely different.
Chop Shop
Chop Shop takes guests into an abandoned garage filled with chainsaw-wielding hillbillies, rusted machinery and plenty of terrifying surprises.
This has always been one of our favourite mazes, but something felt a little different this year. Were there fewer chainsaws than usual? The sets and actors were still fantastic, but the maze seemed to lack some of the intense scares we've experienced in previous years. Maybe we've just become too used to chainsaws after visiting for so long!
We'd love to see a few new rooms added, along with even more chainsaws to bring back that feeling of complete chaos. Chop Shop is still great fun, but we know it can deliver even more.
Haunted Hayride: Route 666
The world-famous Haunted Hayride takes guests aboard a trailer through the abandoned Horrorwood Studios, encountering terrifying characters and scenes inspired by Hollywood's forgotten past.
We absolutely love the Haunted Hayride! It's such a unique experience, and the storytelling and interactions make every journey feel a little different. The route remains largely the same for 2026, although a few scenes have been swapped around to help keep things fresh.
The actors are always fantastic, and there's something brilliant about the unpredictable interactions throughout the journey. We honestly wouldn't change much about this attraction, although we'd love it to be even longer! It's one of those experiences we never want to end.
Wastelands Penitentiary
Wastelands Penitentiary takes guests inside a prison where the inmates have taken control, leaving complete chaos behind the walls.
This maze is always so much fun, with so much happening around you that it's impossible to know where the next scare will come from. The costumes, theming and even the smells help create an incredible atmosphere, while the actors can seemingly appear from anywhere.
The strobe section remains one of our favourite moments, and we can definitely see why this continues to be such a fan favourite. Our only suggestion would be to change up the layout in the future. For guests who visit every year, a different route could make the experience even more unpredictable.
Purgatory
Purgatory takes guests inside the haunted Havistock Manor, where you'll need to rely on your own light to navigate the darkness and uncover the secrets hidden within.
This has been one of our favourite mazes over the past few years, particularly because of how it uses technology to create a completely different experience. Unfortunately, when your light doesn't work and you're left wandering around in pitch darkness, it does take away some of the enjoyment! The idea of lighting your own way through the maze is brilliant, but it needs to work properly to get the full experience.
Thankfully, the actors were helpful when our light wasn't working. For once, the people hiding in the darkness weren't trying to scare us; they were just trying to help! There are some amazing sets inside, and we almost wish you could see more of the details. Despite the issue, Purgatory remains a fantastic concept and a really enjoyable maze.
Hell-ements
Hell-ements is a sensory maze where guests wear a cloth hood and follow a guide rope through environments themed around earth, wind, fire and water.
Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to experience this one during our visit. From what we've heard, there haven't been any major changes for 2026, but it's always been a great laugh on previous visits.
There's something hilarious about everyone stumbling around without knowing where they're going, especially when someone loses the guide rope and complete panic sets in! It's a very different experience from the other mazes and always brings plenty of memorable moments.
The Village Coven of 13
The Village Coven of 13 takes guests through a sinister swamp and into the territory of a group of vengeful witches.
This is one of the prettiest mazes at Shocktober Fest, looking fantastic during both the day and night. The theming is excellent, and there were some really good scares throughout our experience. The laser swamp section with inflatable walls remains a particular highlight, as actors can suddenly appear from either side when you're least expecting it.
However, we'd love to see the layout changed in the future. Reversing the route could make a huge difference for returning visitors and help the maze feel fresh again. It's still a great experience, but a few changes could make it even better.
Street Entertainment and Atmosphere
One thing Tulleys Shocktober Fest continues to do exceptionally well is its street entertainment. There's always something happening around the event, and the roaming characters really help create an atmosphere unlike many other UK Halloween attractions.
The Twins remain incredibly popular, with guests actively searching for them throughout the evening to grab a photo or video. It's fantastic to see these characters becoming such an important part of the Shocktober Fest experience.
New for 2026 – Halloween Tattoos!
Another interesting addition this year is a new tattoo station located next to Electrick Circus, where guests can choose from a range of flash tattoos in different sizes.
Getting a tattoo at a Halloween event seems to be becoming increasingly popular, with more attractions starting to offer similar experiences. It's certainly something different and another addition to the growing variety of experiences available at Shocktober Fest.
Queues, Fastrack and Visiting Tips
Shocktober Fest has become incredibly popular over the years, and with that comes some very busy evenings. Our biggest recommendation for 2026 is to seriously consider purchasing Fastrack.
Even on Thursday evenings, we've seen some mazes reach queues of around 60 minutes, making it difficult to experience everything. Getting to the event early is also a must, especially if you're hoping to complete the full maze line-up while enjoying the entertainment around the site.
There's so much to experience that you really don't want to spend the entire evening standing in queues!
Our Overall Thoughts – 30 Years of Shocktober Fest!
Tulleys Shocktober Fest is back with a bang for 2026, and celebrating 30 years is an incredible achievement! The event has changed so much over the years, growing into one of the biggest Halloween experiences in the UK.
For us, House of Hades is easily one of this year's biggest highlights. Bringing a spectacular fire and dance production to Tulleys was a brilliant decision, and we'd love to see it become a permanent part of the event. The return of The Cellar is another welcome addition, while the changes to the Appleton attractions are a little more mixed. Both mazes are still enjoyable, but splitting the original experience has made them feel shorter and less connected.
We'd also love to see some of the older mazes receive bigger updates in the future. Even something as simple as reversing a layout could make a huge difference for returning guests. The street entertainment continues to be a major highlight, and the atmosphere around the event is fantastic.
Our only real concern is just how busy Shocktober Fest has become. Fastrack is increasingly worth considering if you want to experience everything, so we'd strongly recommend planning your visit. But there's a reason this event continues to attract such huge crowds. The actors, theming, entertainment and variety of experiences make it one of our favourite Halloween events to visit each year.
Happy 30th Birthday, Shocktober Fest! We can't wait to see what you come up with next!
