HalloWeekends is back at Cedar Point for its 29th season, running select days and nights from September 17 through November 1, 2026. We were in the park on September 13, the last regular weekend before the event opened, and the pumpkins were already up. Here is what the park looked like as the decorations went in, shot on a phone and posted the way we saw it.
The main entrance is the first thing to change every fall. A line of jack-o-lanterns sits along the top of the entrance sign, and GateKeeper’s wing trains keep flying over the keyhole towers all day long. If you want the classic HalloWeekends photo, stand back near the ticket booths and wait for a train.
The barrel jack-o-lanterns
Cedar Point’s signature HalloWeekends prop is the carved barrel. They show up in stacks all over the park, and no two faces are the same. This set stands in front of Iron Dragon, with the orange track and teal supports behind, one of the better spots for a photo because the barrels get full sun in the early afternoon.
By late afternoon the light comes in low across the midway and the barrels glow. This row was near the Frontier Trail side of the park, shot into the sun on purpose.
Frontier Trail and the Mine Ride
Frontier Trail gets the most elaborate daytime dressing. The bronze horses and their hearse sit on the lawn in front of Cedar Creek Mine Ride, with the wooden trestle and lift right behind them. It is also the quieter side of the park on a September Saturday, so you can get this shot without a crowd in it.
Cobwebbed crates with resident spiders line the trail. These are the props that make HalloWeekends work for families during the day, before the scare zones open at night.
Millennium Force fits right in
The gargoyle on top of the Millennium Force sign is there all year, but in September it finally looks like it belongs. The blue lift hill rises behind it to the right.
The banners went up on the Grand Pavilion by the end of the day. From here the park’s nighttime side takes over: haunted mazes, scare zones, and the monster-filled midways that run after dark on event nights.
Planning a HalloWeekends visit
- Dates: select days and nights, September 17 through November 1, 2026. Check the park calendar before you go, because weekday hours vary.
- Daytime is for families. The decor, shows, and fall activities run all day. Scare zones and haunted mazes open in the evening.
- Go early on Saturdays. September Saturdays fill up by early afternoon. The first two hours are the best window for the big coasters.
- Bring a layer. Lake Erie evenings turn cool fast in October, and the coasters run late on event nights.
Read our Cedar Point visit tips for the full rundown, and the height requirements guide if you are bringing kids.
All photos are original ThrillZing photos taken September 13, 2026, and are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with credit to ThrillZing and a link to this page.