What Time Does Halloween Horror Nights Start & End? | Time Saving Tips
Halloween Horror Nights only takes place for a limited number of hours after Universal Studios closes each night.
Below you'll find the typical hours Halloween Horror Nights runs for as well as some helpful time-saving tips to make the most of the short window you have to enjoy the event at night!
Questions we'll answer about Halloween Horror Nights:
- What Time Does Halloween Horror Nights Start?
- What Time Does Halloween Horror Nights End?
- Time Saving Tips!
What Time Does Halloween Horror Nights Start?
Halloween Horror Nights most often begins each evening at 6:00 PM.
This start time applies to both Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood.
TIP: To manage crowds, Universal often begins allowing people inside the park earlier than 6 PM, sometimes as early as 5:45 PM. If you want to be one of the first people inside the park for Halloween Horror Nights (and you don't have a normal day park ticket) then we recommend being at the gates 45 - 60 minutes early.
The best way to be the first in line at Halloween Horror Nights is to purchase both a normal park day admission ticket as well as a Halloween Horror Nights Ticket.
Universal has "holding areas" inside the park for HHN guests that will give you an advantage in getting to the most popular attractions early.
What Time Does Halloween Horror Nights End?
On weekdays Halloween Horror Nights typically ends at 1:00 AM.
On weekends Halloween Horror Nights often end at 2:00 AM.
In 2022 Halloween Horror Nights ended at 2:00 AM ET every night. This is the first time in Halloween Horror Nights history the event will end at 2 AM each night.
It has yet to be determined if Halloween Horror Nights will continue to stay open until 2:00 AM each night in 2023 or will revert to a separate schedule for weekdays and weekends.
Keep in mind that even though Halloween Horror Nights ends earlier on weekdays, crowds are typically smaller which means shorter wait times.
TIP: If your dates are flexible then we recommend going to Halloween Horror Nights on a weekday. Wait times will likely be shorter and your ticket price will usually be cheaper which is a double win!
Time Saving Tips!
With only a limited time to enjoy Halloween Horror Nights, we're offering you some of our best time (and money) saving tips to make the most of your HHN visit!
- Purchase Your Tickets Online: Don't wait to purchase your tickets at the front gate of Universal Studios as you'll spend valuable time waiting in often lengthy lines. Purchase your tickets for Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando or Halloween Horror Nights in Hollywood in advance online.
- Arrive Early: As mentioned earlier in the article, Universal often begins allowing people into the park early to prevent massive lines from building outside their gates. Regardless, arriving early will help you beat any sort of lines that form to enter the park.
- Consider Express Pass: Wait times for the most popular haunted mazes can easily stretch for two hours or more on some of the busiest nights. If you're willing to spend some extra cash then Express Pass is the way to go as you'll wait a fraction of the time you would in the general lines.
- Start From The Back: When Halloween Horror Nights officially begins each night most people run straight to the first haunted maze they can find. We recommend being patient and starting with the mazes towards the back of the park. As the night goes on, the mazes towards the front of the park will get less popular as people move deeper into Universal Studios.
- Consider Weekdays: If your schedule is flexible then definitely consider going to Halloween Horror Nights on a weekday. Even though the event typically ends an hour earlier, the smaller crowds and lower wait times may allow you to do more in less time!
LEARN MORE ABOUT HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS