How Lagoon's Season Is Structured
Lagoon runs a standard summer operating season from spring through fall, with two seasonal overlays that change the park experience significantly: Frightmares in the fall and a lighter spring opening period. The park does not run a dedicated Christmas or Winterfest event — the season closes after Frightmares concludes in November. If you are specifically looking for a winter holiday themed experience, Lagoon is not the venue for that.
What Lagoon does run, it runs well. Frightmares in particular has built a genuine reputation as one of the stronger regional Halloween events in the Mountain West.
Frightmares: The Flagship Event
What it is: Lagoon's annual Halloween event, which transforms the park on weekends (and some select weeknights) from early September through early November. The 2025 edition ran September 5 through November 9, with additional bonus weekend dates added at the end of the run.
What's included with admission: The majority of Frightmares' haunted attractions are included in the cost of a single-day passport. You do not pay an upcharge to access the haunted houses — your general admission ticket covers them.
Exceptions exist. The Seance experience carries an additional fee ($17 for general guests, $15 for season passport holders in 2025). This is the one Frightmares attraction that is not folded into standard admission.
Ticket pricing: A single-day Frightmares passport runs $109.95 plus tax at the gate. Buying online saves $5. Season passport holders do not pay the Frightmares upcharge for the main event — the season pass covers it.
The Time Warp Fast Pass: Available for $30 on Saturdays and $25 on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday evenings. This pass provides expedited access to the five major haunted houses and includes two re-ride passes for your favorites. On a peak October Saturday, the Time Warp is genuinely worth the cost — haunted house queues can run 45 to 90 minutes without it.
Frightmares Haunted Attractions (2025)
- Malevolent Mansion — tour the mansion and face what lives inside. One of the highest-demand houses during peak nights.
- Nightmare Midway — house of illusion in the North Midway area; nightmares given physical form
- Frightening Frisco — old west-themed walk-through set in Pioneer Village, which uses the authentic 19th-century building backdrop effectively
- Nightwalk, Fun House of Fear — additional walking haunts included in the lineup
- Boolevard (new for 2025) — family-friendly photo area with multiple themed photo locations, open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Located east of Fire Dragon.
- Nightmare Cabaret — spine-chilling theatrical production with acrobatic performance, running in the Carousel Theater. Free with admission.
- Seance — separate ticketed premium experience ($17 general / $15 passport holders)
When to Visit Frightmares
Best nights: Thursday and Friday evenings. Crowds are meaningfully lower than Saturdays and you will spend less time queuing for the haunted houses. The Time Warp Pass is also $5 cheaper on these nights.
Peak nights: Any Saturday in October, especially the two weekends around Halloween. Expect the parking lot to fill, the haunted house queues to be at maximum, and the park to feel genuinely crowded. If Saturday is your only option, arrive at opening time and hit the most popular haunted houses (Malevolent Mansion) immediately.
Late season bonus weekends: In 2025 Lagoon added bonus weekend dates running October 31 through November 9, with a two-for-one ticket promotion. If you missed Frightmares during the main run, these extension weekends offered better value and lighter crowds than peak October.
Summer Season: What the Regular Park Offers
During the standard summer season, Lagoon's entertainment programming includes:
- Carousel Theater shows — high-energy live performance with choreography and amplified music; multiple shows daily, free with admission
- Live entertainment on the midway — varying by week; check the Events and Shows page on the Lagoon website before your visit
- Pioneer Village demonstrations — the historic village includes periodic demonstrations and activities tied to the buildings
- Lagoon-A-Beach waterpark — fully operational from late May through September, included with admission
Lagoon does not run a summer concert series inside the park in the way that some larger regional parks do. Entertainment is largely theatrical performance rather than headliner bookings.
2026 Season: What to Watch For
Lagoon's big addition for 2026 is Nutcracker, an S&S Screamin' Swing that will stand over 100 feet and reach speeds up to 68 mph. Opening timing has not been officially confirmed beyond "2026 season." Check the Lagoon website in March 2026 for a confirmed opening date before planning a visit specifically around the new ride.
The park also changed its toddler policy for 2026: guests under 24 months now ride free. This went into effect at the start of the 2026 season and applies to regular admission and Frightmares tickets.
Season Passports
Lagoon's season passport covers unlimited visits for the full operating year, including Frightmares (with the exception of the Seance upcharge). The math on a season passport versus single-day tickets works out in favor of the passport if you plan to visit more than twice in a season. Passport holders also get the discounted Seance rate during Frightmares and other periodic passport-holder benefits listed on the season pass page.