About Us

Fright Nights’ History

Fright Nights has been the premiere haunted house attraction and Scream park in South Florida for over 21 years.

The reason Fright Nights is the best haunted house in South Florida is simple:
We care about the scare!

Each year we are dedicated to bringing you BRAND NEW haunted attractions. CLICK HERE to see some of our past haunts here. In past years we’ve had everything from flesh-eating zombies to twisted carnivals, haunted prisons, evil clowns, haunted hotels, ghostly graveyards, insane asylums, corn mazes, haunted hayrides, Psychotic hillbillies and more! Located at the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach, we have ACRES of scares and plenty of parking. Be sure to “friend us” on Facebook for updates on when the dead will walk again!

Description

Fright Nights is an annual Halloween event that occurs at the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach, Florida. Open through the beginning of October through Halloween, the event features multiple haunted houses, “scare zones,” midway rides, food vendors, games, street performers and live entertainment.

The Beginning

Fright Nights has a long history in South Florida. It first started as a smaller venue on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach 21 years ago and as it grew it moved to the South Florida Fairgrounds. Today Fright Nights is not just a haunted attraction – it offers food, entertainment and Midway carnival rides – making Fright Nights the largest Screampark in South Florida.

The event boasts over 150 “Scare actors” and volunteers. Each haunted house has its own design team and is changed from year to year.

Fright Nights has created a number of lead characters that return each year. These characters include: Eggman, Dr. Harry Gooch, Bradley P. Diddle, Squid, Woody Knotts and Dots the clown.

Facilities

The INDOOR haunts are typically hosted in the 25,000 square foot Agriplex facility, while the southern parking tract is utilized as the “midway” containing rides, shows, games, and concessions. The lines are covered under a large gazebo structure (so no worries abut rain) and features live entertainment. We have acres of parking so everyone is welcome!

Fright Nights is put on by the South Florida Fair, a non-profit organization.

About the South Florida Fair

The South Florida Fair & Palm Beach County Expositions, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation 501 (C3) organized and existing pursuant to Chapter 616, Florida Statutes.

It has a Board of Trustees comprised of seventeen (17) individuals who are responsible for setting policy and seeing that management of the association is carried out under direction of an executive staff consisting of the President/CEO and at present, two Vice Presidents.

The Fair also has Directors who serve in an advisory capacity. There are presently fifty-five (55) Directors. The Trustees and Directors are non-paid volunteers. The day-to-day operation is the responsibility of the President, Rick Vymlatil, who oversees a staff of over 45 full-time employees.

THE FAIRGROUNDS

Approximately 135 acres comprise the real property commonly referred to as the “Fairgrounds”. In 1957, Palm Beach County gave the Fair 100 acres at its present site but later took back 20 acres for the stockade. This contribution was made in consideration of the Fair agreeing to relocate from John Prince Park in order that the County could vie for a state university (PBCC).

Generally, the Fairgrounds is segregated into several pods or tracts: the parking tracts, Yesteryear Village, the Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre, and the exhibit buildings, including the Expo Center and the Agriplex. The space available on the Fairgrounds for trade shows and exhibits exceeds 200,000 square feet. During the annual South Florida Fair, the southern parking tract is utilized as the “midway” containing rides, shows, games, and concessions.

THE EVENTS AT THE FAIRGROUNDS

The main event on the Fairgrounds is the annual South Florida Fair which occurs over a 17 day period, generally in the last two (2) weeks of January each year. Over the past several years, the annual fair has incorporated a theme as a means of stimulating tourism as well as the educational and cultural interest of the residents of Palm Beach County. For instance, “Florida” was featured at the 1998 fair and “Alaska”, “Tales of the American West”, “New England”, “Hollywood”, “Having a Ball”, “Dreams, screams, thrills, chills”, “Party with the Animals”, “Washington D.C.” and “Las Vegas” were showcased in previous fairs.

One of the greatest aspects of the annual fair is its agricultural and livestock exhibits which clearly provide the greatest variety of such exhibits anywhere within Palm Beach County. Even though agriculture is such a tremendous part of Palm Beach County’s economic base, many school children have never been exposed to it. However, at the annual South Florida Fair, not only can they see and learn all about agriculture, but can even witness a calf being born, or learn how a dairy is operated. The annual fair attracts over 500,000 people through its turnstiles.

However, 650,000 people will attend various events on the Fairgrounds on an annual basis. Besides the 128,000 ft. Expo Center, there are 10 other smaller exhibit buildings along with the Perfect Vodka Amphitheater, Agriplex and Yesteryear Village. These events constitute 250 event days.