Can we take a minute to appreciate the fact that the best time of year is nearly here? Rejoice, my fellow fall stans — ‘tis almost our season. And with fall comes all of the spooky adventures and excursions we’ve been counting down to for the last three seasons, including Universal Orlando Resort’s Halloween Horror Nights 2024. If you’re anything like me, you can’t wait to go… but sleep is king, and you need to know how much caffeine you’ve got to guzzle to make it through the terrifying festivities. Seriously… what time does Halloween Horror Nights start? And end?

If you follow Universal, your curiosity has probably been peaked by all the clues and teasers dropped over the last few months as anticipation for HHN builds. Now that we know all of the haunted houses and scare zones for both coasts, the fun begins because you can really start planning your trip. To help you mentally prepare for the delightful horror that’s ahead, though, you need to know one very crucial detail: when.

Here’s the full rundown on when Horror Nights starts, what time it’s over, and more.

What dates are Halloween Horror Nights 2024?

First things first, let’s talk about a very exciting new development: While the Horror Nights fun kicked off on Sept. 7 last year, this year’s festivities start earlier on Aug. 30. And, actually, Orlando will host its first Premium Scream Night on Aug. 29, a limited-capacity affair that will offer early access, food, nonalcoholic drinks, free self-parking, shorter wait times, and a souvenir credential.

You can visit Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights on one (or more) of 48 select nights stretching from Aug. 30 all the way to Nov. 3:

• Aug. 30-31
• Sept. 1
• Sept. 4-8
• Sept. 11-15
• Sept. 18-22
• Sept. 25-29
• Oct. 2-6
• Oct. 9-13
• Oct. 16-20
• Oct. 23-27
• Oct. 30-31
• Nov. 1-3

If you’re planning a West Coast HHN trip, you’ll have 40 select days to choose from, spanning from Sept. 5 – Nov. 3:

• Sept. 5-8
• Sept. 12-15
• Sept. 19-22
• Sept. 26-29
• Oct. 3-6
• Oct. 9-13
• Oct. 16-20
• Oct. 23-27
• Oct. 30-31
• Nov. 1-3

What *time* do Halloween Horror Nights Start — and end?

OK, but what you really want to know is how late does this thing last? When a late night to you now means being home by 9 p.m. to bring your porch plants in for the night before watching one episode of Law & Order: SVU and passing out, brace yourself: HHN will have you out way past your bedtime. To be clear, it’s ~worth it.~ But still, start increasing your caffeine intake now.

If you’re headed to Hollywood for Halloween Horror Nights, all event dates start a little later and end a little earlier, running from 7:00 p.m. to 1 a.m. PT. At Universal Orlando, all event dates start at 6:30 p.m. and go until 2 a.m.

Closing hours at both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando will be subject to change up to the event dates.

What are the haunted house and scare zone themes this year?

There are four houses you can find at both Universal Orland and Universal Studios Hollywood:

• A Quiet Place — “Make a sound and you won’t last long. Monstrous creatures will hunt you down as the world of the first two films comes to terrifying life.”
• Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire — “An ancient artifact has released a chilling new entity, Garraka. He’ll stop you cold. Only the Ghostbusters can keep you from getting iced.”
• Insidious: The Further — “Enter The Further as demons try to ensnare you. The Red-Faced Demon will lure you into his lair. KeyFace will unlock your fears. And more.”
• Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines — “Get caught in an epic battle as Saskia Van Helsing and the Bride of Frankenstein go up against Dracula’s daughter and her monstrous mavens.”

Universal Orlando’s other six original houses are Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America, Slaughter Sinema 2, The Museum: Deadly Exhibits, Major Sweets Candy Factory, Goblin’s Feast, and Triplets of Terror. The East Coast resort’s five scare zones are Torture Faire, Swamp of the Undead, Duality of Fear, Demon Queens, and Enter the Blumhouse.

Universal Studios Hollywood will have four additional haunted houses, which are The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Legacy of Leatherface, Monstruous 2: The Nightmares of Latin America, and Dead Exposure: Death Valley. In addition to four scare zones — Luchadores Monstruosos, Murder of Crowz, Chainsaw Punkz, and Skull Lordz — the California resort will feature its popular Terror Tram and bring back the stunt show The Purge: Dangerous Waters.

How much are Universal Halloween Horror Nights tickets?

Ticket prices are up slightly from last year, with a slightly bigger jump if you’re doing an East Coast HHN trip than a West Coast one. Tickets for Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights start at $82.99, compared to last year’s starting price of $79.99, while tickets for Universal Studios Hollywood’s start at $77, compared to last year’s starting price of $74.

If you want to attend Universal Orlando’s Premium Scream Night, that’ll set you back $350.

You’ll also need to budget for Express Passes for each person in your party if that’s something you want to do (and it’s highly recommended by frequent park-goers). These passes allow you to skip the standby queue for a shorter line, letting you get to the haunted houses much faster — using the Express Pass can reportedly cut the waiting time in half on peak nights. They also work for the rides open during the event.

If you’re thinking, I’m golden; we’re staying at one of the Universal Resort hotels, or I have an annual pass, well, think again. The HHN-specific Express Pass is different and must be purchased separately. Prices vary by night, are only good once per ride or experience, subject to change in price as you get closer to the date, and are likely to sell out.

Express Passes for Hollywood Horror Nights range from $129.99, plus tax, per person, up to $239.99, plus tax, per person.