Long known as one of the most haunted houses in the country, the Winchester Mystery House is ramping things up even more this year. As part of a collaboration with Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, this fall the tourist attraction will debut a new Halloween event, Festival Fright Nights. The entire Winchester property will feature special new experiences for guests, throwing it all the way back to the house’s mysterious origins.
The whole of the Winchester Mystery House and its grounds will be included as part of the celebrations, featuring three haunted attractions, theatrical experiences, and themed food and beverage options, as well as new paths and access to never-before-used spaces on the grounds. The logline for the event is as follows:
It’s Halloween night, 1924. Two years have passed since the death of the enigmatic Sarah Winchester. Her labyrinthine estate, Llanada Villa, has sat silent, its secrets buried beneath layers of dust. But now, under new ownership, the mansion’s doors are set to reopen. The mysterious host, a charming out-of-towner with a flair for the theatrical, invites the public to a grand 1920s Halloween Masquerade Ball, promising a night of costumes, glamour, music, and revelations… He claims to have opened a spiritual portal, a window into the past that will finally reveal why Sarah Winchester built her endless house of secrets. But the house remembers. Has he uncovered a truth long buried, or invited something unspeakable into our world?
“It’s incredibly exciting to have the opportunity to produce an event on such historic grounds,” says Brett Bertolino, Thirteenth Floor’s Director of Special Projects, “The lore of this property has given us so much to work with, and we look forward not only to creating a memorable experience for attendees this fall, but also to creating San Jose’s newest Halloween tradition.”
Winchester Mystery House’s Festival Fright Nights will run select nights from September 26 to November 1. For more information and to sign up for early access to tickets, fans can visit the house’s website.
