By Mauricio Segura
Photo: Golden Bay Times Graphics Dept.
This fall, San Jose’s legendary Winchester Mystery House is serving up a cocktail of high-society glitz and spine-tingling frights with its brand-new “Festival Fright Nights” experience. If you have ever wondered what it would feel like to be trapped in a 1920s haunted masquerade ball inside a mansion famous for doors that lead nowhere, now’s your chance.
Starting September 26 and running through November 1 on select evenings, the event transforms the mansion into something more immersive than the usual flashlight tour of oddities. Guests step into a theatrical world where a glamorous ball, eerie gardens, and a basement séance collide. The house’s absurd architecture and eerie lore already make it unsettling enough, but this experience raises the stakes with a mix of theater and haunting spectacle.
The journey begins with the Masquerade of Shadows, a roaring twenties-style party that blends opulence, live music, and the sense that something unseen lurks just beyond the ornate walls. Masks hide faces, but guests quickly learn they are hiding much more than that. Rumor has it there is even a “portal” that tempts the brave with secrets tied to Sarah Winchester’s endless building spree.
The gardens follow with The Root of All Evil, a twisted reimagining of nature where vines seem to writhe and watchful eyes blink from the shadows. The Winchester estate’s outdoor space becomes less of a tranquil retreat and more of a sinister playground, a reminder that even natural beauty can take a sinister turn when imagination runs wild.
The night ends with The Final Descent, a walk into the forbidden basement wing where ghostly hosts attempt to blur the line between living and dead. What starts as a séance quickly unravels into chaos as the elegant party dissolves into a full confrontation with the supernatural. For many, this climax will be the moment that pushes the house from mysterious to downright chilling.
The production is staged by Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, a company with a reputation for creating large-scale haunted attractions across the country. Director of special projects Brett Bertolino has described the property as a creative goldmine, noting that the bizarre architecture and rich legends of the mansion provide endless material. Their goal is to make Festival Fright Nights a San Jose Halloween tradition, something that combines theater with the unique strangeness of the Winchester estate.
Tickets start at $54.99, which buys more than just jump scares. It offers the rare chance to explore the house in a new light, to experience the Winchester estate not only as an architectural curiosity but as a stage for interactive storytelling.
The mansion itself has always been the star attraction. Built by Sarah Winchester, widow of firearms magnate William Wirt Winchester, the sprawling house is famous for its labyrinth of staircases leading into ceilings, doors that open onto sudden drops, and windows peering into other rooms. Construction was constant for decades, starting in 1886 and continuing until her death in 1922. Legend claims she built to appease angry spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles, guided by psychics who told her never to stop. Historians, however, point out there is little proof of séances or spirit consultations. They suggest her decisions may have been creative experimentation, practical responses to earthquake damage, or adjustments for health. Either way, the odd design choices cemented its place in American folklore.
Festival Fright Nights does not attempt to rewrite history. Instead, it plays with the myths that already surround the estate. By leaning into the ghost stories and adding layers of theatrical design, the event allows visitors to experience both the mystery of Sarah Winchester’s vision and the thrills of a modern haunted attraction. The house has always invited speculation. Now, it invites you to live inside the speculation for an evening.
So if you are ready to don a mask, wander through gardens that feel alive, and descend into a basement where the veil between worlds tears wide open, the Winchester Mystery House is ready. Festival Fright Nights is more than a Halloween diversion. It is an invitation to step into the stories that have defined the mansion for more than a century. Whether you leave laughing or looking over your shoulder is up to you, but you will leave with a tale of your own.
For Tickets and more information: Festival Fright Nights at Winchester Mystery House
