The Upside Down Is Coming Back: Stranger Things Season 5 Takes Over Halloween Horror Nights This Fall

June 17, 2026

the Upside Down is Coming Back Stranger Things Season 5 Takes over Halloween Horror Nights This Fall

Hawkins is opening its gates one more time, and things are about to get a whole lot scarier. Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights just confirmed that The Upside Down is returning, this time inspired by the fifth and final season of Stranger Things. Built in partnership with Netflix, the all new haunted house promises to throw guests straight into the chaos of the show’s epic final chapter, putting fans right in the middle of the fight to save Hawkins before it’s too late.

the Upside Down is Coming Back Stranger Things Season 5 Takes over Halloween Horror Nights This Fall

The house kicks off in the town of Hawkins itself, right as the wall between our world and the supernatural starts to crumble. From there guests will move through some seriously iconic spots straight from the series, including the Wheeler House, Hawkins National Laboratory, and the MAC Z military base, before things take a terrifying turn into the Upside Down and the dreaded Abyss. And of course, you won’t be walking through alone. Demogorgons and other nightmare creatures will be lurking around every corner, with Vecna himself closing in as the tension builds toward an all or nothing showdown.

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This year’s Halloween Horror Nights kicks off Friday, August 28 at Universal Orlando Resort and Thursday, September 3 at Universal Studios Hollywood, with both locations running select nights through Sunday, November 1. Tickets are already on sale, with even more options for Orlando guests coming soon.

And if you want to bring a piece of Hawkins home with you, there’s merch for that too. A new limited release Stranger Things collection just dropped, featuring an ’80s inspired T-shirt, a nostalgic mug, and an acrylic figure designed to fit into the separately sold Infernal Carnival collectible display. The collection is already available in park at both Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood, and it lands online at shopUniversal.com Thursday, June 18 at 9am PST. More pieces are expected to join the Infernal Carnival lineup as additional Halloween Horror Nights details get revealed in the coming months.

Are you ready to step back into the Upside Down? Let us know in the comments if you’re brave enough to take on Vecna this October.


You May Also Enjoy: Universal Orlando Is Changing Halloween Horror Nights Parking and Here Is What You Need to Know

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Michele Atwood Founder & Editor-in-Chief, The Main Street Mouse
Michele Atwood is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Main Street Mouse, one of Florida's leading Disney and theme park news sources since 2010. A credentialed Disney Partner and media professional, Michele serves as a theme park contributor and insider for Fox 35 Orlando and WDBO radio covering Disney and Central Florida attractions. Michele has also contributed to the Orlando Sentinel, WESH 2, and Spectrum News 13. Michele is the published author of four books — "Moving to Main Street U.S.A.," "How Many Sleeps Till Disney?," "How Many Sleeps Till Disneyland?" and "Daydream Believing: Confessions of a Grown Up Princess" and is co-owner of the House of Mouse Expo and Lost Princess Apparel. With over a decade of hands-on coverage of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and Central Florida theme parks, Michele brings firsthand expertise and media access to every story she covers.



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