PNE Fright Nights Gargoyle

Taking place at Playland in October, Fright Nights at the PNE is a Vancouver Halloween tradition featuring multiple haunted houses and amusement rides.

Fright Nights happened last year with eight haunted houses and other fun and scary stuff! It ran on select dates between October 6th and October 31st. In 2023 the Halloween attraction celebrated its 20th year! It’s scheduled to reopen for the 2024 season from October 4th to October 31st.

For the latest details about the scary event, visit frightnights.ca.

FRIGHT NIGHTS’ INFO IN THIS ARTICLE

Click any of the following topics to jump to specific information, or continue reading to learn all about PNE Fright Nights.

Halloween Fright Nights

Running most evenings from early October until Halloween night, Fright Nights is Vancouver’s largest and most popular venue for celebrating Halloween. Last year, Fright Nights ran on October 6th to 8th, 13th to 15th, 18th to 22nd and 25th to 31st.

Fright Nights is not recommended for children under 13 or folks over age 65. That’s a warning, not a rule, but a good one. It’s a great place for older youth and adults, but definitely not for young children or people with genuine fears (including claustrophobia).

The vast majority of Fright Night-seekers when we last went appeared to be between ages 18 and 30, which isn’t surprising. What might be surprising, however, is the fact that slightly more women than men typically attend.

For an in-depth description of the PNE’s various haunted houses, click Fright Nights Haunted Houses Reviews. For a list of tips and the history about the PNE at Halloween, click Fright Nights Tips & History. For general information about Fright Nights, however, continue reading below.

Fright Nights at Playland — The Haunted Mansion at Playland

Admission, Hours and Location

Fright Nights takes place at the PNE’s Playland location at 2901 East Hastings Street in Vancouver. Most years it runs on select days from the first Friday in October until Halloween on October 31st.

Fright Nights Dates & Times

In 2023, Fright Nights opened from October 6th to 8th, 13th to 15th, 18th to 22nd and 25th to 31st. The attraction opened at 6:00 pm each night. It ran until 11:00 pm or midnight depending on the day.

In 2024, Fright Nights takes place on select dates from October 4th to the 31st. Exact hours and details are to be confirmed.

Fright Nights Admission Prices

Tickets for Fright Nights typically range from about $30 to $60 for general admission, depending on the date and when they’re purchased. You can usually get them slightly cheaper if purchased online or at 7-11 stores.

General admission usually includes access to about 20 carnival rides and all of the haunted houses.

Admission with Rapid Pass costs around $80 to $120 at the gate and gives you expedited queue access for each of the haunted houses and once each for Atmosfear, The Beast, Breakdance, Skybender and Sea-to-Sky Swinger rides.

Unless it’s raining, Fright Nights gets busy, which can make the extra price worth paying if you can afford it, especially on weekends and later in the month. On a really busy night, even with a Rapid Pass, it can be challenging to see and do everything.

For tickets and full details about this year’s event, visit frightnights.ca.

Fright Nights Attractions

There is a lot to see and do at Fright Nights at the PNE, including the attractions listed below. Highlights are, of course, the various haunted houses, but also the rides. Expect large lineups for everything.

Fright Nights Green Alien Monster — Hollywood Horrors Alien at Fright Nights

PNE Halloween Haunted Houses

Fright Nights is where you’ll find the highest concentration of haunted houses anywhere. In 2023, there were eight in total, including Darkness, Fear (which featured all kinds of phobias), the Carn-Evil experience with clowns, the Keepers Doll Factory, the Haunted Mansion, Bloodshed and Materia Medica.

The newest PNE attraction is “The Void,” where scary beasts roam thick forests and caves in the Pacific Northwest.

Expect to wait for at least 30 minutes for each of the PNE’s haunted venues on weekend evenings, and likely longer. Not sure if you have any phobias or what kind of horrors affect you most? Check out all eight venues and you’ll find out!

For detailed descriptions about each of the PNE’s eight haunted attractions, click Fright Nights Haunted Houses Reviews.

Haunted Houses Video

For an idea of what to expect at the Fright Nights haunted houses, watch the short video below. It features footage from mid-October in 2023. As you can see, there are spooky lights and decorations, as well as scary actors roaming the attraction.

Fright Nights Amusement Rides

Admission to Fright Nights at the PNE includes access to AtmosFear,* BreakDance,* The Beast,* Balloon Explorers, Dizzy Drop, Enterprise, Gladiator, Hellevator, Hell’s Gate, Kettle Creek Mine Coaster, Merry Go Round, Pirate Ship, Rock-n-Cars, Scrambler, Sea-to-Sky Swinger,* Skybender,* Tea Cups, the WestCoast Wheel and Wooden Roller Coaster.

Rides marked with an asterisk (*) offer one-time priority access to Rapid Pass ticket holders.

For tickets and full details about this year’s event, visit frightnights.ca.

Fright Nights Tips

Here are some suggestions on how to make the most of your Fright Nights experience:

TIP #1: If you want to minimize your time in the lineups either purchase the Rapid Pass (for as much as $61 extra) or go on a rainy day. Also, as can be expected, weekends are busier than weekdays.

TIP #2: Read tips #3 and #4 below carefully. You don’t want to stand in line for 20 minutes to get in and then be refused admission or find out you won’t be able to return to your car to get your umbrella part way through if it starts to rain.

TIP #3: Don’t go to Fright Nights in costume or with face paint. Also prohibited are the usual list of contraband items like firecrackers, weapons, drugs and alcohol, plus extra things like pets, cameras with detachable lenses and selfie sticks. For the complete list of what you can’t take with you to Fright Nights see PNE Guest Services. Also, expect to have your body and personal items searched upon entry, which is for everyone’s safety.

TIP #4: Re-entry is not permitted – there are no in-and-out privileges. So don’t plan to meet your friend outside part way through the night, go to McDonald’s nearby for a snack after a couple of hours or to go back to your car later to get something.

TIP #5: There is often free on-street parking south of the PNE grounds. Just make sure not to park somewhere that says “residential parking only.”

Other Information

For more tips and information about Fright Nights and its admission prices, lineups and history, click PNE Halloween Tips & History.

To learn more about the PNE’s various haunted houses, click Fright Nights Haunted Houses Reviews.

For more information on this amazing Halloween venue, check out the PNE Fright Nights website.

For more ideas on Halloween things to see in October, check out the following:

For information on the Pacific National Exhibition in the summer, click PNE in August. And for information on access to the carnival rides at other times of the year, click Playland.