Elitch Gardens Runs Two Major Seasonal Events
Beyond its standard summer season, Elitch Gardens hosts two distinct seasonal events that transform the park: Fright Fest in the fall and Elitch Holidays in winter. Both events are included with park admission (with some upcharges for specific experiences), and both draw significant crowds in their own right.
Knowing the structure of each event before you arrive prevents surprises — especially if you're visiting with young children who may not be ready for what Fright Fest's evening hours deliver.
Fright Fest: September Through November
Dates and Hours
Fright Fest runs on weekends from late September through early November. For the 2025 season, dates ran from September 28 through November 3.
The event splits into two distinct experiences:
- Fun by Day (noon–6 pm): Family-friendly Halloween content, costume contests, candy stations, a Trick-or-Treat Trail through KiddieLand, and a hay maze. Daytime Fright Fest is genuinely appropriate for young children.
- Fright by Night (6 pm–10 pm): Haunted houses, scare zones (called TERRORtories), roaming scare actors with chainsaws, and nighttime atmosphere throughout the park. Not appropriate for young or sensitive children.
Standard park rides continue to operate during both windows.
What's Included With Admission
Park admission covers:
- All standard rides
- Daytime family activities during Fun by Day
- TERRORtory scare zones (the outdoor themed areas with roaming scare actors)
- Live shows including Insidious Circus (fire acts, aerial stunts, macabre circus performance)
What Costs Extra
Haunted houses require a separate ticket purchase. Recent seasons have featured three to five haunted houses, including recurring attractions like Carn-Evil, Lock Up: No Escape, and Séance, plus new additions each year. Haunted house tickets can be purchased individually or as a bundle.
The Insidious Circus live show is included with park admission.
What to Expect at Fright Fest
Fright Fest is one of the more well-regarded Halloween events in the Denver area. The scare quality is consistent — the park invests in theming, scent effects, and trained scare actors. The TERRORtories are free-roam zones where actors approach guests in the park's walkways, which some visitors find more disorienting than the haunted houses themselves.
With young kids: Come during Fun by Day hours. The daytime event is genuinely family-appropriate — costume contests, candy, and a hay maze. Leave before 6 pm and the scare content doesn't exist from your perspective.
For haunt enthusiasts: Get there at Fright by Night open (6 pm) to avoid the haunted house queues. Lines for Carn-Evil and Lock Up can run 45–60 minutes on peak Saturday nights. Buy the haunted house bundle online in advance.
Crowd levels: Fright Fest weekends in October are among the busiest of the park's year, rivaling peak summer Saturdays. The park is smaller than it feels when fully saturated with Fright Fest guests. Arrive early, use the same morning ride strategy as a summer visit.
Elitch Holidays: Late November Through Early January
What It Is
Elitch Holidays (previously called Luminova Holidays before a 2025 rebrand) is the park's winter event. The park reopens after the main season closes for a dedicated holiday run that's entirely different in character from Fright Fest — bright lights, Christmas theming, and seasonal atmosphere rather than scares.
Dates and Admission
Elitch Holidays runs on select dates from late November through early January, with the 2025–2026 event running through January 4. Single-day Elitch Holidays admission is priced separately from the main season — $24.99 online for the 2025 event.
What's in the Park
- 4 million lights throughout the park, including illuminated walkways and themed display areas
- 300-foot candy cane tunnel — one of the signature walk-through installations
- 25-foot snowman display that anchors the center of the event
- Santa Land — meet-and-greet and family photo opportunity with Santa
- Oversized ornaments and themed installations throughout the midway
- "Spirit of the Season" — a new holiday show produced by RWS Global, included with admission
Which Rides Run
Not every ride operates during Elitch Holidays — the park runs a reduced lineup, weather permitting. Confirmed operating rides in recent seasons have included Half Pipe, Star Flyer, and Sidewinder, which get additional lighting for the event. The Star Flyer operates with glowing views at 200 feet in the dark. The Half Pipe features a 65-foot Christmas tree at its base. Both are notably different experiences than their summer versions.
Ride operations are weather-dependent. Denver December and January temperatures can drop below freezing, and some nights see ride closures. Check the park's social media or the Elitch Gardens app before driving out on a cold night.
Who Elitch Holidays Is For
Elitch Holidays skews heavily toward families and couples who want a light-based holiday walk rather than a theme park visit. If you're coming specifically to ride coasters, the reduced ride lineup and cold temperatures mean the value proposition is different from a summer visit. If you're looking for a Denver holiday lights experience with something to do besides walk around, Elitch Holidays is a solid option at $24.99 a person.
Summer Season Events
During the main summer season, Elitch Gardens occasionally hosts concerts and special events in partnership with local promoters. These vary by year and are announced through the park's social media and email list. They're typically add-on evening events that don't affect standard park operations.
The summer season itself officially marks the park's operating anniversary each year — in 2025, the park celebrated 135 years of operation. Summer weekends in July and August sometimes feature themed weekends or in-park activities tied to promotional partnerships. Check the park's events calendar when planning a summer visit.