Dark Harbor will once again rise for Halloween at the Queen Mary

There are dark times ahead for the Queen Mary, and this is great news for the ship and fans of horror events.

After being canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the ship’s widely popular Dark Harbor Halloween haunt event and festival is returning to the Queen Mary this year on select nights from Sept. 20 through Nov. 2.

According to ship officials, it will replace Shaqtoberfest, a Halloween event conjured up by former Los Angeles Lakers all-star Shaquille O’Neal that took place on the Queen Mary grounds in 2022-23.

“Dark Harbor has become an iconic part of our city’s Halloween celebrations, and we are excited to once again transform the Queen Mary into a haunted spectacle for scare-goers,” said Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson in a release.

Since its inception in 2010, Dark Harbor featured several mazes on and off the vessel that were inspired by real stories that happened aboard the ship, which has long been rumored to be haunted. It also included a carnival with monsters roaming around, food vendors and performances.

At its peak it became the ship’s largest event of the year, attracting more than 120,000 people during its more than monthlong run.

“Having brought in hundreds of thousands of visitors to Long Beach in years past, its return is another major step in the Queen Mary’s recovery and return to a premier tourist attraction,” Richardson said in the statement.

After closing like all other major events because of the pandemic, Dark Harbor failed to return due in part to delays caused by renovations on the Queen Mary. In 2022 and the following year Shaqtoberfest took its place with walk-thru haunts, mazes, carnival rides and DJs outside the ship.

When it returns, Dark Harbor will once again include mazes on the Queen Mary and surrounding harbor with live entertainment, themed bars and lounges and food in the plans.

Tickets are expected to go on sale in late summer 2024. For early access to presale, event updates and announcements, sign up at www.darkharborhalloween.com.