It’s now the middle of August, the days are still well into the 80s, and Midsummer Scream is now becoming a distant memory. It also means Halloween is right around the corner, and Knott’s Scary Farm is only a few short weeks away.
That means it’s time for Knott’s annual Nightmares Revealed event, where, as the name suggests, everything is revealed for the upcoming 2026 season of Knott’s Scary Farm.
Earlier, at Midsummer Scream, Knott’s revealed Origins and Chilling Chambers will be returning to the fog at the end of this season. They also showed off the revamped Carnevil scare zone, featuring the continuing story of Professor Mesmer.
So, it’s only appropriate that this year, in place of the train conductor, the professor himself kicked off the festivities, as the hordes of guests prepared themselves for an evening of announcements.
But the professor wouldn’t be the only one giving us all the info. That tradition falls upon the one and only Jeff Tucker, who was right there, ready to give the crowd what they crave.
Some important information was laid out quickly before getting into the fun stuff. Knott’s Scary Farm will run select nights beginning September 17th, through October 31st. Spooky Farm, the kid-friendly daytime counterpart, will begin September 24th and run on weekends through October 31st. Beyond dates, further Spooky Farm information has yet to be detailed, and I somehow doubt they’ll ever do a “Spooky Revealed” event like this, but stranger things have happened.
The Boulet Brothers were introduced, and they quickly were sent off stage to go prepare for reporting their podcast immediately after the show.
Additionally, the plush-rewarding punch cards for carnival games were shown off, alongside a selection of the various adult beverages and desserts that will be available during the season. We’ll have more on that below.
There was also one more detail regarding guest behavior inside mazes. While it has always been a rule, Jeff reiterated that filming inside mazes is banned and will now be enforced far more strictly than it has in the past. Livestreaming has become a popular way of life for many, but it is completely disruptive to the experience for both guests and performers. That statement was met with a lot of applause from the audience.
Now, kicking off the actual scary part of the presentation, a short montage of returning mazes was revealed. No changes were mentioned to the existing mazes, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find anything new inside this season. When the event begins on September 17th, our review will cover any enhancements we’ve unearthed.
The scare zones were mostly unchanged, save for the Carnevil change we previously covered. The other four remain the same, and the audience was completely fine with that. Why change what’s working?
As for the shows, a few mainstays remained. The Blind Tiger on Memory Lane will still have their fantastic band and dancers. And the art gallery, Into the Fog, will be returning. But that left a few questions about the Wagon Camp, the Calico Mine Stage, and the Bird Cage Theater.
To no one’s surprise, The Hanging has yet again returned. This year it has been given the subtitle of “Noose Maxxxing”, playing on the current trends of looksmaxxing. But it’s anyone’s guess what the extra X is hinting at.
While the Bird Cage has always been host to world-class magicians, this year it’s being taken far more seriously. The venerable Magic Castle is now in charge of the Bird Cage this season, and they’ll be taking care of the feats of prestidigitation that will be found within. With the show given the name of Occultum, Rudy Coby was on hand to represent the castle and revealed he’d be one of the acts featured over the course of the seven weekends. The magicians have long been our favorite aspect of Knott’s Scary Farm, especially as a good palate cleanser towards the end of the night, so we’re encouraged to see the bookings at this spot taken to the next level. And this will be the first year of Scary Farm since the theater was fully renovated, so the performances here will be better than they’ve ever been.
Then a surprise guest came on stage. The Voodoo priestess, last seen in 2017 in Voodoo: Order of the Serpent, came out to announce her new stage show. This new show will replace Le Magnifique Carnaval Du Grotesque. Over the last few years, Caranaval had begun developing a story chaining together each year’s performers and hosts. It’s still yet to be determined if this show will link to the previous one in some form.
After the Voodoo Priestess left, the first new maze was announced. Unearthed is about an ancient civilization being discovered, and the mummies within coming back to life, and they’re not pleased in the least.
And if anyone had doubts about the curse of the mummies, even the presentation featured oddities where the live performer’s audio was cut out. Almost as if something didn’t want us to disturb their remains. But that’s too late now. Their costumes will be a blend of different cultures, including Egyptian, Mesopotamian and others, but nothing deliberately distinct. There are also likely to be many more deranged monsters inside that we have yet to see, including some creatures that will tower over the guests. It will be taking over where Grimoire once stood, next to Calico Rapids. But I imagine the Grimoire book itself will still be found hiding somewhere within, as it has been a keystone of the new mazes since its introduction years ago.
The other maze is titled Inked, about a deranged man leading a cartoon studio in the 1920s, with rubberhose-style characters that have come to life and a taste for blood. As the maze progresses, their color palette will become more vibrant, as they’ve fed on more victims. Expect a lot of silly oversized costumes in the vein of Cuphead and Betty Boop cartoons. Inked looks to be a really fun maze, as the lighting and bright atmosphere will make scares a challenge. It’ll be located right behind Xcelerator.
And that covered all of the big announcements of the night. However, there were still more things to discover as the night went on. The Nightmares Revealed event has gone from a simple affair inside the Walter Knott Theater into a full evening of festivities and talks, with lights-on walkthroughs of mazes, podcast recordings and so much more.
We had a chance to get a nice look at Room 13. With a more relaxed peek inside, a lot of Easter eggs were easier to spot, like a Potts & Coulter bottle right inside the first room. We’re not sure how much longer Room 13 will be sticking around, as its one of the older mazes now, so it’s best to get in your trips now.
Beyond that, we also got a look at some of the merchandise that will be out this year. Our eyes were drawn to the bat slippers and a new color of the giant bat plushie. The Bat character that debuted last year in Ghost Town Streets was a big hit, so it’s no surprise they’re continuing to lean into the creature that’s featured so prominently in Halloween art. Stabby, the popcorn bucket murderer from Cinema Slasher, is also now a plushie that we’re confident will sell out quickly.
And finally, there was a lot of the food and drinks on display. Of note were two new blood bags that were of the non-alcoholic variety, along with some cookiewiches and a trio of funnel cakes. While these items will be featured all around the park, the newly opened Crafty’s Kitchen will be avoiding any Halloween fare for the time being, as they have just opened and want to stick to the basics as it’s still getting settled in.
Knott’s Scary Farm begins on September 17th and runs select nights through Halloween, October 31st. Tickets, season passes, dates, and more information can be found at sixflags.com.
We’ll see you in the fog!
