Circle of Ash 2026: Schedule, Attractions, and Contest

If your idea of a perfect October night includes creepy woods, haunted houses, scary clowns, and enough screaming to make the neighbors wonder what's moved in? Circle of Ash is ready for your screams, and we want to make you a winner!

Circle of Ash Haunted Attraction returns to the Linn County Fairgrounds in Central City for the 2026 Halloween season, with opening night set for Friday, October 2nd. The attraction will run on select nights through Halloween, Saturday, October 31st.

And this is not just one haunted house. Your Circle of Ash ticket gets you into three different attractions: Frightmare Forest, The Manor and Socko's Fun House. Frightmare Forest takes the scares outside and into the woods, The Manor delivers the traditional haunted-house experience, and Socko's Fun House brings the clowns, fog and funhouse-style mayhem. In other words, you get three different ways to question your decision to walk through the front door.

A Halloween Night for the Whole Creepy Family at Circle of Ash

Not everybody wants to spend Halloween running from monsters. That's where Hollowed Harvest comes in. Circle of Ash's family-friendly attraction features thousands of illuminated jack-o'-lanterns arranged into themed displays. The attraction stretches for more than a quarter mile, with more than 5,000 illuminated pumpkins and more than 15 themes featured throughout the trail. And don't worry, there are no actors or monsters hiding along the pumpkin trail.

Hollowed Harvest can be purchased separately or added to a Circle of Ash ticket. VIP admission also includes Hollowed Harvest. There are also two Light Fright nights planned for families on Sunday, October 18, and Sunday, October 25. Those events run from 5 to 6:30 PM and offer a kid-friendly version of Frightmare Forest and Socko's Fun House, complete with free candy, and some not-so-scary characters.

When Can You Go Get Spooky at Circle of Ash?

Circle of Ash opens Friday, October 2nd, from 8 to 10 PM. The following night, Saturday, October 3rd, runs from 8 to 11 PM. After that, the attraction is open on select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays throughout October, including Halloween night. Friday hours are generally 8 to 11 PM, Saturday hours are 7 to 11 PM, and the two Sunday Light Fright dates run during the special family-friendly hours. With any attraction, call or visit their website before planning your visit to check on special events and hours.

Credit: Hayden Ehlers | My daughter and her friends went last year. They had a blast!

And now, it's time for you to show us that Halloween spirit, too.

We're giving you a chance to show off your best costume and potentially walk away with tickets to Circle of Ash. Got a killer costume? A creepy costume? A costume that took you three months to put together and deserves to be seen by the world? Show it off.

Listeners can submit their Halloween costume photos above through our online contest. We'll then turn those entries into a gallery, giving everyone a chance to see the costumes and vote by liking their favorites on Facebook. It's a simple way to get into the Halloween spirit, and there's a chance to win Circle of Ash tickets just by entering. KHAK and KOEL are even giving you a chance to scream for some tickets on-air. Think you've got the scream of a horror-movie legend? Brain and Courtlin will put you to the test weekday mornings. You can even practice that scream if you want. We won't judge... oh wait, actually, they will.

In fact, all of this fun is part of Circle of Ash celebrating 25 Years! That means we'll have plenty of opportunities to tie some of our giveaways and on-air games like guess the horror movie. Keep listening throughout the Halloween season and enter your best fit above! You never know when some spooky fun could turn into tickets to Circle of Ash.

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So, get that costume ready, find your best scream, and keep an eye on our website, free mobile ap, and Facebook page. Your Halloween photo could end up featured on our site and social media, and you could walk away with tickets to one of Eastern Iowa's biggest Halloween attractions. Just remember: Once you step into the Circle of Ash, nobody can hear you scream. And that may be, but... if you happen to win tickets on-air, we absolutely will.