What Is New For The 2026 Duluth Haunted Ship?

One of the Duluth area's biggest annual Halloween season traditions is set to return at the beginning of October with some new things to look forward to!

The Duluth Haunted Ship will be opening for the 2026 season on Friday, October 2, with 14 nights of scares on the schedule for the attraction's 31st year. Adding to the excitement are a couple of big new things, including one that's been requested by many people, finally coming to life this year.

Here's a look at the new and notable things for this year's Duluth Haunted Ship:

A whole new way to experience the Haunted Ship

The Haunted Ship is known for its scares, proudly keeping a tally sign at the entrance that shows how many people were too scared to finish the tour or were so scared they peed their pants.

While that horror brings a lot of people to the attraction each year, a lot of people ask organizers each year if there is a less-scary version available. For three decades, the answer has been "no". This year, that changes.

For the 2026 season, the Haunted Ship will be offering a few days of what they're calling the "Not-So Haunted Ship". This is an opportunity to tour the Haunted Ship without the peak scariness that will still be available for fans of all the scares during the nights of this season.

The "Not-So Haunted Ship" will include the same sets, props, animated displays, and other decor used during the normal Haunted Ship, but the darkness and actors that add the scary intensity won't be part of these less-scary tours.

This will still make for an eerie tour, just without the jump scares and with some additional light.

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The "Not-So Haunted Ship" will be an afternoon affair, with tours available from 1 pm until 3 pm on Saturday, October 3, and Saturday, October 10. Tickets for these tours are available right now on the Haunted Ship website.

New street-level activities to enjoy

Besides the two daytime "Not-So Haunted Ship" tour opportunities, new fun will be waiting for nighttime attendees, too.

Street-level activities that will include a bar, food trucks, and bonfires will be waiting to enjoy after you get your scares aboard the ship. This will be found along Harbor Drive near the ship.

Other things of note for the 2026 Haunted Ship

The Haunted Ship will once again be offering a fast pass option you can buy to skip the line and a VIP pass that offers an upgraded fast pass plus other benefits like an additional exclusive tour of the pilot house and an adult beverage or mocktail in the VIP tent, among other things.

Those fast pass tickets and VIP passes are available for purchase via the Haunted Ship website.

Also returning for this year are a handful of discount days, which are October 2, October 3, and every Thursday of the Haunted Ship's schedule. It's an opportunity to save $5 off the general admission price.

Speaking of ways to save, college students and active military personnel can also get a big discount on tickets at the box office.