Alton Tower’s Scarefest Disabled Access Review 2026

Facilities and Services Available for Disabled Guests

Here is a quick overview of the facilities and services available for disabled guests at Alton Towers, so that you can decide if this attraction is able to meet your access requirements. Please note: some of the services are listed below and a full explanation is available later on in the blog post. In order to quickly navigate through the post you can use the table of contents.

• Wheelchair hire: Wheelchairs can be pre-booked by clicking here wheelchair hire pre-book. On the day of your visit wheelchairs will be collected from guest services located in the Box Office on Towers Street. To hire a wheelchair a £20 refundable deposit is required.
• Mobility scooter hire: Mobility scooters can be pre-booked by clicking here mobility scooter pre-book. On the day of your visit mobility scooters will be collected from guest services located in the Box Office on Towers Street. To hire a mobility scooter there is a £25 refundable deposit as well as a £25 charge per day to hire a mobility scooter.
• Ear defender hire: Ear defenders can be hired from Guest Services located in the Box Office on Towers Street. To hire ear defenders for the day there is a £20 refundable deposit. There are also ear defenders available in the sensory space located in CBeebies Land.
• Radar key hire: All accessible toilets require a RADAR key if you don’t have your own then for a £20 refundable deposit you can hire one from Guest Services located in the Box Office on Towers Street.
• Buggy hire: Both single and double buggies are available to hire from Towers Trading Shop located on Towers Street.
  To hire a single buggy it costs £10 and to hire a double buggy it costs £15. Please note: children must be under 1 meter to hire a buggy and buggy hire is on a first come first served basis.
• Essential companion ticket: Essential companion tickets formerly known as carer tickets are available at Alton Towers with correct proof.
• Ride access pass: Alton Towers offer the reasonable adjustment of a ride access pass for guests who are unable to queue in a conventional queue line due to a disability.
• BSL interpreting service: Alton Towers are partners with Convo SignLive an online video BSL interpreting service. Convo will connect you with a qualified BSL interpreter to interpret what the staff are saying. Convo uses an app. Full information on how to use Convo at Alton Towers can be found by clicking here Merlin partnership with Convo.
• Sensory space: There is a sensory room available for guests with additional sensory needs located in CBeebies Land. Full information can be found in the ‘sensory room’ section of this blog post.
• Changing places: Alton Towers have 4 changing places located throughout the theme park. The changing places’ exact locations can be found on the Alton Towers app. Changing places can be found on Towers Street, X Sector, Gloomy Wood and Fountain Square. Full details of each changing place can be found by clicking here Alton Towers changing places website
• Assistance dogs: Alton Towers welcomes assistance dogs however they will need to be left with a member of your party at the loading point of rides. Assistance dogs are allowed in attractions like Sea Life and shows.
• Visual story arriving and entering the theme park: Alton Towers have created a social story all about arriving and entering the theme park. Click here to view the Alton Towers social story for arriving and entering the theme park.
• Sea Life quiet hour: Sharkbait Reef by SEAL LIFE operates a quiet hour on weekends 10 until 11. More information can be found in the Sharkbait Reef by SEAL LIFE’ section of this blog post.
• Sensory level boards: Every ride and attraction has an easy to find sensory level board, allowing you to know what to expect sensory wise during each ride and attraction and quickly decide if the ride or attraction is suitable for your sensory needs.
• Hearing loop: A mobile hearing loop unit is available around the resort. For example, at the ticket kiosk and the Towers Trading shop. This is indicated by the hearing loop symbol.
• Missing limb guide: For guests with missing limbs a full guide on what rides and attractions you are able to ride and experience is available by clicking here missing limb guide
• Accessibility Flashcards/Guide: Alton Towers have created a guide featuring all the access restrictions and information. The access flash cards include the ride access pass and step free access for each ride as well as images. You can find the access flashcards by clicking here Alton Towers Accessibility Flashcards.
• Communication Cards: Alton Towers has created a set of downloadable communication cards with emotions and key needs. You can find the communication cards by clicking here Alton Towers Communication Cards.

Before your visit

Before visiting Alton Towers there are a few steps you must take in order to ensure you have the correct access available to you so you can enjoy your day.

Booking tickets

For Alton Towers Scarefest you can easily book tickets by clicking here book tickets Alton Towers Scarefest. In terms of prices, you can buy a standard day ticket that gives you entry to the park starting from £37 when booked in advance. You can then purchase entry to a scare maze from £14 per person. Alternatively, you can purchase a day ticket and all the thrill scare mazes from £80 per person.

Essential companion ticket

Essential companion tickets can be obtained at the ticket office on the day of your visit. However, proof is required. Alton Towers accepts the access card with the +1 or +2 symbol on it for an essential companion ticket as well as other documents such as a blue badge. You can find a full list of documentation accepted for an essential companion ticket by clicking here documents accepted for essential companion ticket.

Queue assist scheme: Ride Access Pass

The ride access pass is a free scheme available to guests who are unable to queue in a conventional queue line due to a disability. The ride access pass means that you virtual queue for the rides and attractions. However, there is still an element of physical queuing.

You need to pre-book your ride access pass for the date you are visiting. For full information please view my very detailed post on how the ride access pass works with step by step guides and easy read versions. You can find the ride access pass blog post by clicking here Everything you need to know about Merlin Ride Access Pass App.

Arrivals

In this section of the blog we detail what will happen when you arrive at Alton Towers so you know what to expect and can get on the rides as quickly as possible.

blue badge parking

There is a full car park dedicated to blue badge parking right next to the entrance plaza. The blue badge parking is well signposted just make sure you are in the left hand lane upon entering the Resort.

Collecting Essential companion tickets

The entrance plaza is home to the ticket office. Located to the left of the turnstiles. In order to collect your essential companion ticket go to the ticket office as seen in the images below and present your relevant disability proof. A list of proof accepted can be found in the ‘before you visit’ section of this blog post.

Located in the entrance plaza just before the turnstiles there are male, female and accessible toilets available. There is a fully accessible changing places toilet available once entering the park (to your right after you go through the turnstiles.)

Before going through the turnstiles you will go through a security check where you will walk through a body scanner a security guard will check your bag to make sure you haven’t got any forbidden items. The security tent to the far left is for wheelchairs and buggies as they can’t go through the body scanners. Alton Towers have created a great social story about entering the theme park that you can find by clicking here Alton Towers social story for arriving and entering the theme park.

Essential companion tickets for Scare Mazes

For this year’s Scarefest there has been some confusion on who can get an essential companion ticket. On multiple places the Alton Towers website states that all guests including carers require a full-price ticket unless pushing someone in a wheelchair. However, in my own experience we went to the Box Office like previous years to buy the Spooky Duo I showed my access card with the +1 symbol on and was given a free carer ticket for my PA. I highly recommend going to the Box Office and speaking to the accessibility team to clarify whether your carer needs to purchase a full price ticket or not.

How the ride access pass works for scare mazes

In order to use the Ride Access Pass entrance at any of the paid mazes during Scarefest 2026, simply go to the Ride Access Pass entrance for the maze and show your Merlin Ride Access Pass ID in the Merlin Ride Access Pass app. The Ride Access Pass entrances were usually located near the maze exit unless otherwise signposted. There were plenty of staff members outside each maze who were happy to help if you were unsure where to go. There is no queue assistance available therefore, the ride access pass does not work for the two free scare zones, Burial Grounds and Dark Hollow.

Scarefest Overview

There are lots of scares and spooks to explore at this year’s Scarefest, so here is an overview of all the family spooks and fearful frights available:

Family attractions:

• The Alton Ancestors: Alton Ancestors are a dance group that do flash mob shows around the park to Halloween songs. Full information can be found in the ‘Our Day At Alton Towers Scarefest’ section of this blog post.
• CBeebies Land Monster Ball: All the CBeebies characters have got their spooky costumes on and are ready to do some dances. Full information can be found in the ‘Our Day At Alton Towers Scarefest’ section of this blog post.
• Freaky Friends Live: Alton Towers have their very own group of Scarefest mascots called the Freaky Friends who have some spooky shows located in the Mutiny Bay courtyard.
• The Phantom Melody – Symphony Of The Towers: Brand new for 2026 the towers have been lit up with a spooky light show accompanied by music.
• Haunted Harmonies: New for this year’s Scarefest is a live singing show located in the Mutiny Bay courtyard. The show features spooky songs as well as pop songs all with a twist and spooky lighting.
• Amigos in the Afterlife: An upcharge attraction scare maze with a recommended age of 6+ where you go into the after life for a guided tour with lots of interactive activities including helping to make a poison and dancing. Full information can be found in the ‘Our Day At Alton Towers Scarefest’ section of this blog post.
• Trick O’ Treat Town: An upcharge attraction scare maze with a recommended age of 6+ where you get your very own trick or treat bag and go through Halloween town collecting some sweet treats but there is some tricks along the way. Full information can be found in the ‘Our Day At Alton Towers Scarefest’ section of this blog post.

Scare Attractions:

• Final Exhibit: An upcharge attraction scare maze with a recommended age of 12+. The Curator has a big Alton Towers archive collection but it is not as it seems.
• Edge Of The Forest: An upcharge attraction scare maze with a recommended age of 12+. Located at the edge of the Dark Forest is a forgotten cottage that the locals say is haunted and warn you not to step inside.
• Compound: An upcharge attraction scare maze with a recommended age of 12+. The Phalanx are on with their next science experiment and they want to weaponise
  your DNA. Step into the compound research lab. Please note: you will be separated from your group.
• Altonville Mine Tours: Tiny’s Revenge: An upcharge attraction scare maze with a recommended age of 12+. There has been lots of new activity detected in the Altonville Mines. The law enforcement has caught the Skin Snatchers for now but no one knows how long until they make their revenge. Please note: this maze does not have level access.
• Dark Hollow: A free scare zone walkthrough with a recommended age of 12 +. Dark Hollow has become spooky this season featuring live actors and chilling scenes. Make sure you escape the forest’s grasp before it’s too late.
• Burial Grounds: A free scare zone walkthrough with a recommended age of 12 +. The cult of Wickermans Beornen have opened their scare sanctum for visitors. Keep walking so you don’t get chosen to be sacrificed to the Wickerman.

Our Day At Alton Towers Scarefest

The Alton Ancestors

The Alton Ancestors are back doing their flash mob shows around the park to Halloween songs. This year they are performing in 2 locations Towers Street and Fountain Square (just outside Hex.) There were a couple of show times at each location and the show was around 10 minutes long the show times for the day of visit are available on the Alton Towers app. The show features a mash up of all the classic Halloween songs including Spooky Scary Skeletons and Thriller with some trending songs chucked in like Golden from K-pop. Before and after the show, the Alton Ancestors were walking around taking photos and meeting people.

In terms of access, due to it being a flash mob show it literally happens on the path there is no stage. Both show locations have got plenty of room for guests to still get past to other areas of the park there is no seats available in either location. However, there is a couple of rocks you could perch on at the Towers Street flash mob. Due to the nature of a flash mob it does mean people crowd around where people are dancing making it hard for wheelchair users to see. I arrived for the Towers Street show 10 minutes before the advertised show time and was able to park my chair up at the front and get a very good view as you can see from the images below. The show features loud audio from the speakers around the area playing the music there was no lighting effects but the area can get crowded and busy. It is the same flash mob show each time so I have put a video of the Alton Ancestors flash mob below so you know exactly what to expect.

CBeebies Land Monster Ball

The CBeebies Land Monster Ball is fun and interactive dance and fancy dress parade featuring loads of CBeebies friends in their Halloween costumes. For example, the Teletubbies were dressed up as ghosts, Upsy Daisy was a cat and Igglepiggle was a wizard. All the characters come around in their Halloween costumes and then we were all taught a spooky dance. After the show there is a great photo opportunity with all the characters it is one photo per family. The show takes place in the Big Fun Showtime area in CBeebies Land and only takes place once a day. The show time for your visit can be found in the Alton Towers app. The CBeebies Land Monster Ball is very popular and due to there only being one show time it can get busy. During our visit the show took place around lunch time so we arrived in the Big Fun Showtime area early sat down and had our lunch.

In terms of access, The Big Fun Showtime has level access but I recommend wheelchair users get there early so they can see over all the prams. The queue for the photo opportunity at the end was very long but there were plenty of staff members around you were able to show your Ride Access Pass and be taken round to the front of the queue. There are some sensory effects in the show like loud music and some stage lights. As the show encourages audience participation there is a lot of unexpected noise from all the children joining in with the show. I have put a video below of the full show so you know exactly what to expect when watching the CBeebies Land Monster Ball.

Amigos in the Afterlife

Amigos in the Afterlife is a fun and interactive walkthrough experience where you get a guided tour from a spirit through the afterlife. It is an upcharge experience with a recommended age of 6+. You can purchase tickets for Amigos in the Afterlife for £10 per person or you can get a Spooky Duo that gives you access to Amigos in the Afterlife as well as the other family scare maze Trick O’ Treat Town for £16 per person. Tickets can be purchased from the Alton Towers website, app or on site at the Box Office all options accept annual pass discount. Carer tickets can only be obtained from the box office full information on carer tickets for scare mazes can be found in the ‘Arrivals’ section of this blog post. Amigos in the Afterlife is located in Fountain Square just outside The World Of David Walliams and opposite Burger Kitchen. Amigos in the Afterlife is located right next to the other family maze Trick O’ Treat Town.

The whole story plot is at this time of year the gap between our world and the afterlife is very thin so spirits can come into our world but we have been invited into the afterlife by the spirits who will give us a guided tour.

I wouldn’t personally class Amigos as a scare maze more of a magical walkthrough with mini shows. Amigos in the Afterlife uses UV lights and effects all the actors have special make-up that lights up under the lights in the maze. There are different spirits in each room with a different interactive mini show/activity. For example, in the kitchen there is lots of props around the room you need to find to add to the potion.

There is no filming or photos allowed so instead I have done a breakdown below on what happened in each room so you know what to expect:

• Walk into the Maze and have to wake up the actor who has lost the key into the afterlife. We then had to look through lots of bins to find the key to open the gates into the afterlife.
• Enter the very brightly coloured kitchen and help another spirit make a magical soup by answering the questions to work out what the ingredients are and find them around the kitchen. For example there was a question about chillies and then you had to find the chillies hidden in the room and put it in the pot. Once we had all the ingredients we said a magic word and there were smoke effects.
• The dance room was next where there were two spirits and a prop skeleton who taught us some dance moves for example, the Saturday night fever. We then all did the dance together and got judged by the skeleton. We were then given an Amigos mask to protect us from the spirits.
• The next room was a wrestling ring where a spirit champion selected a child and adult from the group to take part in a (pretend) wrestling match.
• We were then taken through to the final room where a spirit’s worm called Barry had gone missing and we helped find him by shouting as he popped up around the room there was even an effect where Barry came under our seats. We then sung a song all about Barry before exiting the maze.

In terms of access, Amigos in the Afterlife is fully wheelchair accessible. If you are in a bigger wheelchair that is wider than standard wheelchair size then you will be asked to transfer to an Alton Towers wheelchair due to the narrow corridors in the attraction. There is a ride access pass entrance that is located to the right of the main queue as seen in the images below just show a staff member your ride access pass ID in the Merlin ride access pass app. You do not need to have a ride access pass pre-book to use the ride access pass on mazes. There was lots of additional sensory effects throughout Amigos in the Afterlife including dark spaces, UV lights, smoke effects, loud music and audio effects. I would recommend Amigos as a first introduction to these family scare mazes it was my first ever one and definitely a good first choice.

Trick O’ Treat Town

Trick O’ Treat Town is an interactive trick or treating experience with lots of great theming. It is an upcharge experience with a recommended age of 6+. You can purchase tickets for Trick O’ Treat Town for £10 per person or you can get a Spooky Duo that gives you access to Trick O’ Treat Town as well as the other family scare maze Amigos in the Afterlife for £16 per person. Tickets can be purchased from the Alton Towers website, app or on site at the Box Office all options accept annual pass discount. Carer tickets can only be obtained from the box office full information on carer tickets for scare mazes can be found in the ‘Arrivals’ section of this blog post. Trick O’ Treat Town is located in Fountain Square just outside Burger kitchen and opposite The World Of David Walliams. It’s located right next to the other family maze Amigos in the Afterlife.

The full story plot is that you are entering a town where it is Halloween every day and the villagers are all at their houses ready for trick or treaters. Simply knock on the door of each house to find out if you will be given some sweets or maybe a trick.

There is no filming or photos allowed so instead I have done a breakdown below on what happened so you know what to expect:

• Get given a trick or treating bag and watch a little pre show video.
• Knock on the first couple of doors and get given some sweets.
• One of the doors is a trick where a water gun is sprayed and balls are thrown at you.
• Go over the bridge into Treat Street the bridge has a sound effect if you walk over it.
• Treat street is filled with 2 rows of houses knock on all of the doors most gave sweets but some didn’t open or directed you to another door. There were actors behind all the doors that came out.
• The Witch invited us into the next room where we were given a sweet for our bag and went out walking through some dangling obstacles hanging down from the roof.

In terms of access, Trick O’ Treat Town is fully wheelchair accessible with no narrow corridors. There is a ride access pass entrance that is located down a ramp to the far left side of the building as if you are going in Burger Kitchen as seen in the images below. To use the ride access pass entrance just show a staff member your ride access pass ID in the Merlin ride access pass app. You do not need to have a ride access pass pre-book to use the ride access pass on mazes. There was still some waiting in an indoor section where a video plays we waited around 10 minutes.

There was lots of additional sensory effects throughout including dark spaces, sudden sound effects, smoke effects, loud music and audio effects, flashing lights and water sprayers. I have put an image of the sensory level board below. As you go around in just your group and are not put with any other guests there is a lot of actor interaction in Trick O’ Treat Town where they will ask questions and may get you to do things for your treat. For example, I was asked to stand like a scarecrow. We have done Trick O’ Treat Town multiple times and each time the actors have seemed very aware of autism and learning disabilities and automatically adapted their acting. If you have any allergies then let the staff know on entering at the end of the maze you can swap your trick or treat bag for a big share bag of vegan friendly sweets.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, I was very impressed with the line up for the 2026 Scarefest event. There was plenty of family-friendly activities to do during the day and early evening most of which were free. In fact we didn’t have time to experience all of the shows due to the family scare mazes and CBeebies Land closing at 5pm. There were lots of great photo opportunities and theming around the full park giving a great spooky atmosphere there were no roaming actors this year making it the perfect day out for the full family. Well, that’s all from me today. Have you experienced the main scare mazes at Alton Towers? If so let me know about your experience. See you on my next adventure bye for now.