Valleyfair
Hours, the fall Halloween events, what to know at the gate, where to eat, and what else is ten minutes away.
Hours and the calendar
Valleyfair is the default big day out for families around here: the coasters, the Superior Shores Waterpark, special event nights all summer, then a Halloween season that runs into November. Hours shift week to week, so check the park calendar before you drive.
Weekdays roughly 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., weekends 10 or 10:30 a.m. to 9 or 10 p.m. Superior Shores Waterpark runs 11 a.m. to 6 or 7 p.m.
Daytime hours run about 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays and noon to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays once Tricks and Treats starts, with ValleyScare taking over Friday nights from 7 and Saturday nights from 5:30, both until midnight.
Rides pause and reopen as conditions allow. When the park has closed for a whole day (wildfire smoke did it this July), tickets were honored another day. Check the park’s site the morning of.
ValleyScare and Tricks and Treats
From mid-September the park splits into two Halloween events: a family party by day and a haunted park by night. Saturday is the only day they overlap.
Five haunted mazes (Berserkers Valkyries’ Vengeance, Cryptidland, Mr. Cleaver’s Bloodshed, The Chateau: 7 Deadly Scares, Undertakers), four scare zones along the midways, Halloween shows, and the coasters running in the dark. $76.99 online on Fridays and $79.99 on Saturdays, plus tax, or $89 at the gate, parking included, covered by eligible season passes. Everyone 3 and up needs a ticket, a chaperone policy applies, there is no re-entry, and masks, face paint and costumes are not allowed. It is intense and not meant for young kids.
Tickets and policies →Trick-or-treat trails, candy stops, character meet and greets, kid shows, a costume contest and the park’s family rides; the Halloween midway games cost extra. Included with regular park admission and eligible season passes; day tickets start at $37.99 online. Weekends September 26 and 27 through October 31 and November 1.
Details →Before you go
Bring
- One factory-sealed bottle of water per person (the one outside drink allowed)
- Your tickets on your phone, bought online (gate prices run higher)
- A re-entry ticket from the exit turnstile if you leave and plan to come back the same day
Leave in the car
- Outside food, drinks and coolers, except for allergies, special diets, baby food and formula
- Sharp objects, anything that could be a weapon, and cannabis products
- For ValleyScare: masks, face paint and costumes
Every bag is inspected and everyone goes through metal detection. Parking is paid, with a preferred lot near the gate; drop-offs within 30 minutes are free. After 4 p.m. re-entry falls under the chaperone policy. Full details in the park FAQ.
Eat before or after
Outside food stays in the car, so it’s park food inside: the Boathouse and the other stands, plus the Juicy Lucy festival weekends in July. If you’d rather sit down before or after, here is Shakopee by distance from the park, closest first.
A mile up Canterbury Road Canterbury Road, Canterbury Park and Canterbury Commons
First Avenue East Five minutes, on the way from 101
Southbridge Off 169, about seven minutes
Downtown Shakopee First Avenue, about ten minutes
The full list, with coffee and quick stops, is on Discover Shakopee.
Make a weekend of it
Staying over
Shakopee’s hotels sit along Highway 169 a few minutes from the park, and they fill on ValleyScare and concert weekends, so book early.
Valleyfair on the calendar
Prior Lake Events lists the park’s bigger one-off events as they’re announced. For everything else going on around Prior Lake and Shakopee, the newsletter goes out Mondays and Fridays, free, and 1,500+ neighbors already get it.
Photos: Valleyfair / Enchanted Parks; Mystic Lake Amphitheater photo Discover Shakopee; Canterbury Park and Renaissance Festival photos CC BY via Wikimedia Commons.