Riverside’s Castle Park has turned into Castle Dark for the season again for 2026! This theme park Halloween event may be smaller than Knott’s Scary Farm and may not have a budget like Universal HHN, but they certainly bring a passion for the season.
Let me start with the scare zones, because that’s where the park’s energy thrives. The Endless Chapter is a fairy tale kingdom that’s been at war with itself. The Forgotten Kingdom is a cursed medieval town where villagers, knights, nobles, and servants are all still bound to the same old curse. The actors in these zones are relentlessly scaring guests.
The mazes have some clever setups and good scares. Condemned is the one I was most impressed with. The premise is that you’re a group of content creators breaking into a dark ride that got sealed off after a lightning storm trapped everyone inside, and the park hands your group its own blacklight flashlights so you’re lighting your own way through. S.O.S. – Sewer of Screams goes the opposite direction. It’s a toxic chemical disaster in an underground sewer, and the mutant creatures in there use the darkness to their advantage. Midnight Manor returns as a paranormal investigation in a haunted house with electric candles handed out to help you along instead of flashlights.
Past the scares, the show is genuinely worth making time to see. Lady Lou’s Haus of Monsters is fun and entertaining. A spectral host leads her troupe of graveyard dancers through a club-music set and it’s a welcome chance to sit down between the outside scares. The dancers are working it, the music is loud, and the whole thing has a personality that fits the castle theme perfectly.
The seasonal menu is full of themed options like the Zombie Walking Taco, a Cursed Corn Cup, the Sweet Ember Dragon Leg, and more. If you’re only going to get one thing make it one of the seasonal funnel cake options. The Graveyard Funnel Cake comes buried under gummy worms and the pumpkin spice version tastes like Fall in food form.
If you’re local, Castle Dark is absolutely worth checking out. Thanks for inviting me out!
For more information: https://castlepark.com