If you are in Beijing this autumn and travelling with family, there is one event that should be on your radar even if you never planned to visit a theme park: Scares @ Universal, the autumn Halloween season at Universal Beijing Resort. It runs from September 4 through November 1, 2026, and it doubles as the resort's fifth-anniversary celebration — which is why this year's lineup is the biggest the park has ever staged.
Universal Beijing is not a copy of the American or Japanese parks. It is the largest Universal park in the world, spread over roughly 4 square kilometres in Beijing's Tongzhou district, and it holds several attractions you cannot ride anywhere else on Earth — most famously the entirely China-exclusive Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness. For first-time visitors it is a genuine "is this worth a day of my Beijing trip?" decision. For families, this autumn is arguably the single best window of the year: mild weather, shorter waits than summer, and a Halloween programme included free with your normal ticket.
This guide covers the 2026 event calendar, the five haunted mazes, the four scare zones, ticket tiers for foreign visitors, how to book without a Chinese payment app, the age rules that matter for families, and how to reach the park by metro. Everything reflects information published as of September 20, 2026.
Scares @ Universal (in Chinese, "惊彩环球", a playful phrase that deliberately avoids the word "Halloween") is the resort's limited-time autumn event. Unlike the American Halloween Horror Nights, it is not a separately ticketed night. If you hold a valid Universal Studios Beijing admission ticket for an event night, the haunted mazes and scare zones are included at no extra charge — you simply join the regular queue.
The 2026 edition is built around the resort's fifth anniversary, under the theme "Infinitely Your Way." Two things make it different from a typical Western Halloween event. First, it leans heavily on homegrown Chinese horror IP — a tomb-raiding novel franchise and a hit Chinese mobile game — alongside international film brands. Second, the scares start early, at 5 pm, so families with older children can experience the mazes before it gets too late.
This is the detail most visitors miss: the Halloween experiences do not run every night of the season. The overall season is September 4 – November 1, but the mazes and nighttime shows operate on a limited schedule, roughly Thursday through the following Monday each week. Two specific nights are closed, and a few extra nights are added.
| Detail | Confirmed for 2026 |
|---|---|
| Event season | September 4 – November 1, 2026 |
| Nights it runs | Typically Thursday – Monday each week |
| Closed nights | September 17, October 1, October 8 |
| Extra added nights | September 16, September 30, October 6, October 28 |
| Haunted maze hours | 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm (queue cut at 10 pm) |
| Nighttime shows & scare zones | 6:00 pm to park close |
| Grand parade | Suspended August 31 – November 6, 2026 |
Three of the five mazes are new for 2026, and two return by popular demand. The mix is the reason this year is considered the strongest lineup yet.
| Maze | Type | Notes for Visitors |
|---|---|---|
| The Grave Robbers' Chronicles (盗墓笔记) | New — Chinese novel IP | Tied to a hugely popular Chinese tomb-raiding franchise. Widely rated the scariest and the longest queue. Go here first. |
| Identity V: Escape from White Sand Street (第五人格) | New — Chinese game IP | Based on NetEase's asymmetric horror game. The park's first game-based maze; also very busy. |
| A Quiet Place | New — international film IP | Silent-survival concept from the Hollywood films. Great for Western visitors who know the brand. |
| Universal Monsters Crypt (环球怪物:地下秘穴) | Returning | Classic Universal monsters. Language-independent and easy to follow. |
| The House of Hua Pi (画皮幽宅) | Returning | Inspired by Liao Zhai, China's classic ghost-story collection; elegant, Eastern-style horror. |
Between the mazes, the park's streets become the show. Four scare zones run outdoors, and a new opening ceremony kicks the night off.
The Scaremony: Underworld Uprising is brand-new for 2026: a portal "cracks open" amid ruins and an arrival ceremony flows straight into the Underworld scare zone. Separately, in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the Death Eaters Takeover returns to Hogsmeade — dark magic, costumed Death Eaters, and heavy atmosphere. It is a big draw for Harry Potter fans and a highlight of the anniversary season.
Universal Beijing uses dynamic, date-based pricing, so the exact number depends on your day. The tiers run roughly as follows (adult, one-day, in RMB):
| Tier | Approx. Adult 1-Day Price | Typical Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Value / Low | ¥418 | Off-peak weekdays (winter, quiet season) |
| Regular | ¥528 | Most weekdays |
| Standard | ¥638 | Weekends, shoulder periods |
| Peak | ¥748 | Public holidays, summer peak |
| Super Peak | ¥879 | National Day, May Day, Spring Festival |
Children under 3 enter free; discounted child tickets apply (roughly age 3–11, or height 1.0–1.4 m). There are also multi-day options: a 1.5-day ticket (entry from the afternoon of day one plus a full second day), a 2-day ticket, and premium VIP experiences with a guide and priority access. In 2026 the resort also introduced some 0.5-day and evening ticket products on designated dates.
On a weekend or holiday, yes. The headline mazes and rides can hit 60–150 minutes without one. Express is sold per-ride or in bundles (commonly 3-, 5- and 14-attraction sets), with single-ride priority in the region of ¥80–200 and bundle prices climbing well into the hundreds. On a quiet autumn Tuesday, you can often skip it. If you are visiting with children who cannot wait in long lines, an Express bundle is money well spent.
This is the single most common friction point for foreign visitors, so read it carefully. The official Universal Beijing Resort app and WeChat/Alipay mini-programs are the most complete source of tickets and the event calendar — but they typically require a Chinese phone number and a Chinese payment method (WeChat Pay or Alipay), and the official app is famously unreliable with foreign Visa and Mastercard.
The workaround that reliably works: book through an international OTA. Trip.com, Klook and KKday all sell Universal Beijing one-day tickets, multi-day tickets and Express bundles, accept foreign cards plus Apple Pay and PayPal, and issue an instant QR e-ticket. You then scan your passport at the gate.
Food and gear rules: the park bans selfie sticks, tripods, professional camera rigs and hot food. Bring a power bank (you will drain your phone on the app) and an empty water bottle for the free refill stations. Comfortable shoes are non-negotiable — the walk from the metro to the gate alone is 10–15 minutes, and the park is enormous.
For families, the most important thing to understand is that Scares @ Universal is a horror event and it is not designed for young children. The official guidance is clear:
For mixed-age groups, a workable rhythm is: ride-heavy daytime, a meal and a rest in the early afternoon, then split — older members queue for the mazes from 5 pm while younger children enjoy the Kill Cute Party scare zone and the evening lights. The Harry Potter area's Hogwarts castle night projection (usually around 8:30 pm) is a magical, non-scary finale that works for every age.
By metro (recommended): take Line 7 or the Batong Line (the eastern extension of Line 1) to Universal Resort Station. From the station, exits B, C and D lead onto Universal CityWalk, a free-entry dining and shopping street right outside the gates; the turnstiles are a short walk further. From central Beijing, allow about 35–45 minutes.
By taxi or Didi: from Sanlitun or the CBD, expect roughly 40–60 minutes and about ¥100–150. Be warned that getting home at closing time is the hardest part of the day — taxi queues can be very long. The metro is faster and far less stressful.
On-property hotels: the Universal Studios Grand Hotel and the NUO Resort Hotel both grant guests an hour of early park admission — a real advantage on busy dates, though not much use if you are visiting mainly for the 5 pm Halloween start.
Paying: the whole resort is cash-light. Link an international Visa/Mastercard to Alipay or WeChat Pay before your trip, or use an OTA voucher for the ticket itself. CityWalk restaurants and shops mostly take both mobile wallets.