Halloween at Fort Scratchley 2026: Tunnel Sessions Start Hourly from 3pm to 7pm on Saturday 31 October, Tickets From $5 on TryBooking, Tunnels Close 8pm (Newcastle East, NSW)

This has now finished. The details below applied up to Saturday 31 October 2026 and are kept as a record.

Halloween at Fort Scratchley on Saturday 31 October 2026 runs on timed tunnel sessions: the first starts at 3pm, a new one starts on every hour up to 7pm, and the tunnels close at 8pm. Entry to the tunnels is by ticket only, booked on TryBooking, and the Fort Scratchley Historical Society says numbers in the tunnels are limited at each session.

This guide is from the TryBooking listing and its booking data, Fort Scratchley’s own What’s On page, and the Visit Newcastle listing, all read on 27 October 2026.

What time are the tunnel sessions?

The Historical Society’s TryBooking description gives the pattern. The first session starts at 3:00pm and each following session starts on the hour until 7:00pm. A ticket gives you entry for a two-hour block, except the last session, which is one hour only. The booking data matches: the first session is listed at 3pm and the last at 7pm, with the event ending at 8pm.

Session start	Block
3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm	2 hours each, running into the next session’s time
7pm	1 hour only (the society says to be early)
8pm	Tunnels close; the site closes soon after

The society says you may enter the tunnels more than once during your session time on the same ticket, and that there is a lot to see “over multiple levels”. Fort Scratchley’s What’s On page lists the day as 3pm to 8pm and describes it as a safe, family-friendly Halloween.

How much are tickets?

The booking page’s own data lists a lowest ticket price of $5 and a highest of $30 (from the page data). The text we could read does not show which ticket type costs what, so open the TryBooking listing to see the options before you plan a group. The booking data also shows sales opened on 31 August 2026 and are listed as open until 7pm on 31 October.

One thing to watch: the longer description stored behind the TryBooking page still carries last year’s wording. It refers to “Friday the 31st of October 2025”, doors at 5pm, tunnel access from 6pm and a $30 family ticket. Those details are from the 2025 event, so use the 2026 times above, which match the visible page and the booking dates, and treat the $30 family price as last year’s until the ticket list confirms it.

What else is on at the Fort that day?

Weather permitting, the Parade Ground has a display of unique vehicles from the Motley Crew Car Club, a Rotary barbecue and the Daisy Belle Coffee van. The Fort Scratchley Shop will also sell drinks, ice creams and snacks. The society says this is a no-alcohol event, and that its team all hold current Working With Children clearances. Some lollies are supplied as you leave the tunnels; the society suggests bringing a few extra to share.

The society says the tunnels are dressed for the occasion, that the event is for “kids” of all ages and the young at heart, and that children must be accompanied by an adult. It also says that if you came last year, “it’s all new and all different and all bigger”. The event is a fundraiser for the Fort Scratchley Historical Society Inc.

Can everyone get into the tunnels?

No. The society says the tunnels “do require reasonable mobility because of the stairs”, so they are not suitable for wheelchairs or walkers. Children need to be accompanied by an adult. Visit Newcastle’s listing says disabled access is available and asks visitors to contact the operator for details. Fort Scratchley’s contact details are (02) 4929 3066 and admin@fortscratchley.org.au.

How do I book, and what if it sells out?

Booking is through TryBooking, hosted by the Fort Scratchley Historical Society Inc, and each session has a limited number of places. The booking data shows no waiting list, so if the session you want is full, look at the next hour. The listing also shows booking closing at 7pm on 31 October, the same time as the last session starts. The TryBooking page has a “contact organiser” link for questions about tickets. Because the 7pm session is only one hour long and the tunnels close at 8pm, the society’s advice for that slot is to be early.

Where is it, and where can I park?

Visit Newcastle gives the address as 1 Nobbys Road, Newcastle East, and lists a carpark, coach parking, toilets and a shop among the site’s facilities. Neither the society nor Visit Newcastle publishes parking numbers or a fee for the night. If you park on the street, City of Newcastle says hourly rates in its 1P, 2P, 4P and 8P paid areas are $5.70 an hour, Monday to Sunday, with an 8P daily rate of $12 per day. Read the signs where you leave the car, because the council page does not list which streets near the Fort are paid. For buses and light rail, put “Fort Scratchley” into the Transport for NSW trip planner.

Does the Fort open at its usual hours that day?

Saturday 31 October is a day the Fort normally opens, from 10am to 4pm, but the Halloween listing gives its own hours: 3pm to 8pm on Fort Scratchley’s What’s On page, with tunnel sessions from 3pm. The pages we read do not say whether the usual daytime museum visit runs before the event, so if you want the museum and the tunnels, phone the Fort on (02) 4929 3066 before you go.

What is Fort Scratchley normally?

Fort Scratchley says it was built on the headland at Newcastle East in 1882 to defend the port against a possible Russian attack, and is now a museum. Its guns were fired in anger on 8 June 1942 during the shelling of Newcastle, and the Australian Army left the site in 1972. On ordinary days it is open Wednesday to Monday from 10am to 4pm, with last entry at 3:30pm, and closed on Tuesdays. Tunnel tours run at regular intervals each day, and group bookings are advised.

What else is on in Newcastle on Halloween?

Our guide to Wallsend Frights covers the free community Halloween event at Wallsend Park, from 4pm to 8pm the same day, with registration. We have not checked what else is on in Newcastle that night, so look at Visit Newcastle’s events calendar for other Halloween events.

Sources

• TryBooking — Halloween at Fort Scratchley (sessions, tunnel rules, booking dates; checked 27 October 2026)
• Fort Scratchley — What’s On (3pm to 8pm listing)
• Fort Scratchley — Home (opening hours, history, contact)
• Visit Newcastle — Halloween at Fort Scratchley (address and facilities)
• City of Newcastle — Parking in Newcastle (hourly and daily rates)
• Visit Newcastle — Events calendar (other Halloween-week events)

Featured image: Fort Scratchley, Newcastle East (photo: Adam.J.W.C. / CC BY-SA 2.5) (text added)

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Fort Scratchley, the Fort Scratchley Historical Society, TryBooking or City of Newcastle. Session times and ticket details can change; check the booking page before you go.