Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor has returned for 2025, titled Summoned by the Seas, and marks the second year it has been run by 13th Floor.
The Village, a long-standing part of the footprint of the event, has finally been demolished and removed. It was neglected for years and became too much of a liability to keep standing. However, this has led to a much larger usable area for the event this year, titled the Shipyard. The VIP lounge will be held here, and it’ll be a prime spot for watching all the shows on the nearby stage.
All five of the mazes are returning, and some are getting substantial changes.
Feast is now Feast: The Final Cut, as it will be re-imagined for 2026. So this will be your final chance to see the origin story of the chef, including their new animatronic table that comes to life.
Breakout was introduced last year as a follow-up to B340, following Samuel the Savage’s escape from prison. This year, renamed to Breakout: Maximum Security, because of the expanded footprint, the entire maze will no longer go through the missing village, but take place entirely within the gigantic prison. His panicked voice will be talking to you as you walk through, trying to make you feel as if you’re going as crazy as he is.
Big Top Terror, the circus maze, is broken up into three areas. The story is that the circus was tasked with adding a Halloween theme to their act. The initial area begins in the tent as an introduction to the characters, then you end up outside in the pumpkin area, which leads back into the tent, but this time, it is taken over by evil clowns, who have left their mark all over. The actress most famous for portraying the Ringmaster will be lending her voice to hear throughout the maze this year. And a new sideshow stage will be nearby.
But they did reveal Voodoo is making its return as the newest and 6th maze. This origin story goes into how the voodoo priestess took over a pirate ship and made landing in Long Beach to terrorize all those that came to visit.
Beyond that, there are a ton of new shows being added, with the fire dancers being promoted to the main stage. There’s also an escape room on the ship, which was hinted at as only the first of more to come.
Each night will end with a foam party, if you are so inclined. They wanted a fun way to wrap up the evening, just as the doors are opened each evening, and seafoam is a natural fit.
Finally, they’ll offer a season pass this year, encouraging repeat visits for those who dare. The event runs from September 19 through November 2. Many of the nights will have various themes, like Pride Night, or Haunt Couture, their take on Dapper Day. So keep that in mind as you pick a day for your visit.
Presale tickets will be available soon, and you can sign up for notifications at DarkHarborHalloween.com/.
