Greetings once again, boils and ghouls!
Details for the 2026 Monster Bash are included below. This is a ‘living’ web page… Updated details may be released as they become available.
Welcome to The Scare Factor’s Monster Bash Event!
Theme: “The Dead Sea”
Hosted By The Scare Factor
📅Saturday, November 14th @ 6:00 PM
📍USS Nightmare + the Belle of Cincinnati, Newport, KY
About – Events & Attractions – Tickets
About
The Monster Bash is an after-season party that’s for haunters, by haunters!
Whether you’re an actor, owner, builder, makeup artist, manager, parking flagger, vendor, or volunteer (past or present), you’re invited to join hundreds of fellow haunters for the region’s biggest haunt-family gathering of the year.
This year, the Bash heads for the water! We’re taking over two legendary boats on the Newport, Kentucky riverfront, right across from Cincinnati. Survive a tour of USS Nightmare, the regions’s infamous haunted dredge boat, then party across all four decks of the Belle of Cincinnati, tied up right alongside it.
This year’s theme is “Dead Sea.” Pirates, sea monsters, drowned sailors, sirens, ghost-ship captains… dredge up your best and come aboard!
Events & Attractions
MONSTER BASH – Main Event
When: Saturday, November 14th, 2026, 6:00 PM to Midnight
Where: The Belle of Cincinnati, docked at USS Nightmare, Newport, KY
Tickets: $35 Early Bird (+fees) through Nov. 7 | $40 (+fees) starting Nov. 8
NO CASH THIS YEAR! The ticket booth, the bars, the Snack Bar, USS Nightmare and the Belle of Cincinnati are all cashless. Bring a credit or debit card or a tap-to-pay option. Apple Pay and Google Pay are accepted, but Venmo is not. Tickets are online only, and we can’t take cash OR cards at the door, so buy yours before you check in (scan our QR code or visit our ticketing page). The only cash on board: tips for Hauntertainment Showcase performers, donations to Haunters Against Hate (we can break $5s, $10s and $20s inside), and our two vendors, who take cash or cards.
Your Monster Bash admission includes:
- One guaranteed tour of USS Nightmare
- The run of the Belle of Cincinnati: three climate-controlled indoor decks plus an open-air roof deck
- Soft drinks, coffee, iced tea, and water all night
- 🩸 Please Note: Food and Alcoholic drinks are not included with admission
- Music across the Belle’s sound system
- Photo Ops with the USS Nightmare cast after the haunt closes
- Costume Contest & Door Prizes
- The Scare Factor Awards Ceremony
- Hawthorne’s Circus Bizarre sideshow
- Vendor booths (cash or cards)
- Hundreds of haunters from across the region!
Add-On: Hauntertainment Showcase, $5 (limited seating, details below)
Available for purchase aboard:
- Full bars on all three interior decks (beer from $6, wine and cocktails from $10; cards and tap-to-pay only)
- Monster Bash Snack Bar
- Souvenir boarding photos from USS Nightmare’s photographers
- Belle of Cincinnati Gift Shop
CHECK-IN & TIME SLOTS
Check-in is OUTSIDE, and it’s supposed to be VERY cold Saturday night. Please don’t count on a skimpy costume to keep you warm in line! If you plan to drink, have your photo ID ready at check-in to keep the line moving.
Everyone gets a colored wristband with a rip-off tab. That tab is your ticket into USS Nightmare, so hang on to it.
You’ll also get a Time Slot for when to line up for USS Nightmare. Time Slots go out in the order guests check in, so if you want to go through with someone in particular, check in together. Hauntertainment Showcase ticket-holders are automatically placed in the final Time Slot, after the Showcase ends.
Until your Time Slot, hang out aboard the Belle of Cincinnati: three indoor, climate-controlled decks with food, drinks and the rest of the party. Please don’t gather near the boarding ramp. It’s a high-traffic area that has to stay clear for everyone’s safety.
HAUNT TOUR: USS NIGHTMARE
Included FREE with Monster Bash Admission!
Tours: 6:30 PM to approx. 10:30 PM (final groups enter at 10:00 PM)
One guaranteed tour per guest, during your Time Slot.
USS Nightmare is one of the region’s most legendary haunted attractions, and on Bash night it’s all ours! This year’s tour is a hybrid of USS Nightmare’s “R.I.P.” experience: guests are lightly touched and may be pulled into extra scenes and rooms to solve puzzles or take on challenges. Not every guest will get every room, but our goal is for every group to get at least one extra puzzle or challenge on top of the normal show. Depending on how many extra rooms you get (and how fast you can run!), tours last 25 to 45 minutes.
USS Nightmare is a two-story industrial vessel with steel floors, moving bridges and grating. DO NOT WEAR HEELS onto the USS Nightmare! The USS Nightmare line is outside too, so dress warm.
One tour per guest, with no re-entry this year. With this many haunters aboard, we need to make sure everyone gets their turn!
After the last tour, many of USS Nightmare’s crew come aboard the Belle to join the party for photos and unforgettable encounters.
HAUNTERTAINMENT SHOWCASE
7:30 to 9:00 PM | First Deck | $5 Add-On (limited)
New for 2026! The Haunters Against Hate Drag Show is expanding into the all-new Hauntertainment Showcase: drag, burlesque, unique performances, and haunter talent of all kinds!
First-deck space is limited to the first 150 guests (and staff), so Showcase access requires a $5 add-on ticket. Showcase guests get a separate Showcase ticket at check-in; show it to a staff member to enter the First Deck. There’s a seat for everyone who bought one, so leave time to park, check in, board, grab some food and be seated before the show starts at 7:30 PM. 100% of add-on proceeds benefit Haunters Against Hate, and cash tips go straight to the performers (cash donations to Haunters Against Hate are welcome too)!
Once the Showcase wraps, the first deck opens to everyone for dancing (capacity is still limited to 150).
HAWTHORNE’S CIRCUS BIZARRE
8:30 to 9:15 PM | Second Deck
Daniel Hawthorne doesn’t do tricks or magic. Everything involves skill, physics, and a LOT of pain endurance!
Potential elements include:
- Traps (mouse and small animal)
- Electric acts
- Tennis racket passage
- Glass walking
- Blockhead
- Pierced weight lifting
- A short comedy routine with audience volunteers
Grab some food, head to the Second Deck, and behold the spectacle!
COSTUME CONTEST
9:45 to 10:45 PM | Second Deck
Show off your most jaw-dropping, creative, or hilarious “Dead Sea” costume!
Want a spot on stage? Guests in great costumes that fit our “Dead Sea” theme may be invited to compete for cash prizes and custom trophies. Have a character name and a short bio or backstory ready so we can introduce you. If you’re selected, line up with the other contestants next to the Second Deck stage by 9:30 PM.
- 1st Place: $100 + Large Trophy
- 2nd Place: $75 + Trophy
- 3rd Place: $50 + Trophy
- All contestants get bragging rights for days!!
Trophies created by Kevin Cook of Nightmare on Edgewood.
Must be present to compete. Winners are announced during the Awards Ceremony.
THE SCARE FACTOR AWARDS CEREMONY
Hosted by Tyler & Nora Proffet of The Scare Factor / Team Zombillies
11:00 PM to Midnight | Second Deck
Celebrate the haunts and actors that made the 2026 season one to remember! Awards are announced live during the Bash. Only awards for haunts in attendance are presented in person, but all winners will be posted online afterward.
Attendance is looking big again, so not everyone may fit on the Second Deck. We’ll broadcast the ceremony over the speakers on every deck, so listen for your haunt to be called to the stage for a photo, and please be kind and courteous as haunt groups make their way to and from the stage.
Attending on behalf of a haunt? Let us know in the Monster Bash Facebook Group so we can have your award ready.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
| Time | What | Where |
| 6:00 PM | Doors open | Belle of Cincinnati |
| 6:30 PM | USS Nightmare tours begin | USS Nightmare |
| 7:30 to 9:00 PM | Hauntertainment Showcase | Belle of Cincinnati, 1st Deck |
| 8:30 to 9:15 PM | Hawthorne’s Circus Bizarre | Belle of Cincinnati, 2nd Deck |
| 9:45 to 10:45 PM | Costume Contest | Belle of Cincinnati, 2nd Deck |
| 10:00 PM | Final groups enter USS Nightmare | USS Nightmare |
| ~10:30 PM | USS Nightmare closes, cast joins the party | Belle of Cincinnati |
| 11:00 PM to Midnight | The Scare Factor Awards | Belle of Cincinnati, 2nd Deck |
| Midnight | Party ends, guests depart | Belle of Cincinnati |
| 12:30 AM | All guests off the Belle | Belle of Cincinnati |
THE BELLE, DECK BY DECK
- First Deck: where you board, and home of the Hauntertainment Showcase stage.
- Second Deck: the biggest, most open deck, with the main stage, dance floor, bar and the Snack Bar. Awards happen here.
- Third Deck: split into smaller rooms. Grab a bite or a breather away from the noise.
- Roof: open air all night
All of the Belle’s bars are open all night. Smoking and vaping are allowed on outside decks only, away from doors. No open flames anywhere.
⚠️Note: The Belle of Cincinnati floats in Newport, Kentucky, on the Ohio River, which is U.S. Coast Guard jurisdiction… NOT THE STATE OF OHIO. For those of you who are contemplating bringing ‘recreational’ vapes, please keep this in mind.
📍LOCATIONS
USS NIGHTMARE / BELLE OF CINCINNATI:
101 Riverboat Row, Newport, KY 41071 [Get Directions]
Right across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati.
🚙 PARKING
Free parking is EXTREMELY limited. The free BB Riverboats lot is just downriver of USS Nightmare: turn left as soon as you drive through the big concrete flood wall gates. That lot closes once it’s full.
Just before the flood wall, there’s a decent-sized paid lot under the overpass on the right side of the road.
If that fills up, use the Newport on the Levee Garage (One Levee Way) and walk down the ramps and stairs to USS Nightmare. Posted garage rates: $6 for 1-3 hours, $10 for 3-5 hours, $12 for 5-24 hours. Carpooling is strongly recommended!
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🏨 HOTELS
No host hotel is designated for 2026, but several hotels sit within walking distance of Newport on the Levee:
- Aloft Newport on the Levee
- Hampton Inn & Suites Newport/Cincinnati
- Homewood Suites by Hilton Newport Cincinnati
(No affiliation; book at your own discretion.)
📆 MAKE A WEEKEND OF IT!
Haunting the area all weekend? The Dent Schoolhouse is offering Monster Bash attendees 40% off, and Brimstone Haunt is offering $10 off! Details are in your post-purchase confirmation email.
❓ FAQ
- What’s the theme this year?
- “Dead Sea.” Anything nautical, drowned, cursed, or monstrous from the deep.
- “Dead Sea.” Anything nautical, drowned, cursed, or monstrous from the deep.
- Do I have to work at a haunt to attend?
- Nope! If you’ve ever worked, volunteered, or supported a haunt in any way, you’re welcome here!
- Nope! If you’ve ever worked, volunteered, or supported a haunt in any way, you’re welcome here!
- Is there an age limit?
- No strict limit, but this is a PG-13 event featuring adult humor, gore, and alcohol. Parents should use discretion. The Hauntertainment Showcase should be reserved for guests old enough to tip the performers.
- No strict limit, but this is a PG-13 event featuring adult humor, gore, and alcohol. Parents should use discretion. The Hauntertainment Showcase should be reserved for guests old enough to tip the performers.
- Can I buy tickets at the door?
- No. All sales are online only, INCLUDING the day of the event. You can buy on your phone when you arrive, but buying early saves $5.
- No. All sales are online only, INCLUDING the day of the event. You can buy on your phone when you arrive, but buying early saves $5.
- What if I don’t want to go through the haunts?
- You’re free to skip it, but there is no discounted ticket option.
- You’re free to skip it, but there is no discounted ticket option.
- Do I need to come in costume?
- No costume is required, but it’s strongly encouraged!
- Plan to arrive dressed; there is no private area on-site for you to change into your costume (unless you are a registered performer).
- Be ready to show your face for photo ID at Check-In, and to show your wristband at any time.
- Dress warm! The check-in line and the USS Nightmare line are both outside, and it’s supposed to be very cold.
- Can I bring my significant other or close friends?
- Absolutely! Anyone can attend with a valid ticket.
- Absolutely! Anyone can attend with a valid ticket.
- Is food included?
- No. The Monster Bash Snack Bar (catered by BB Riverboats) on the Second Deck sells pulled pork sandwiches, cheeseburgers, bacon cheeseburgers, hot dogs, French fries, bagged chips, and a vegetarian option (chips and guacamole). Cards and tap-to-pay only.
- What about drinks?
- Soft drinks, coffee, iced tea, and water are included. Full bars are open all night on all three interior decks, with domestic, import and craft beer, house wine, premium and ultra premium liquors, martinis, and frozen and featured drinks served in a souvenir glass. No cash: cards and tap-to-pay only. Bring a valid photo ID if you plan to drink.
- Can I smoke or vape?
- On outside decks only, away from doors. No open flames anywhere.
⚠️Note: The Belle of Cincinnati floats in Newport, Kentucky, on the Ohio River, which is U.S. Coast Guard jurisdiction… NOT THE STATE OF OHIO. For those of you who are contemplating bringing ‘recreational’ vapes, please keep this in mind.
- On outside decks only, away from doors. No open flames anywhere.
- Is it rain or shine?
- Yes! The Belle’s indoor decks are climate-controlled. All ticket sales are final.
- Yes! The Belle’s indoor decks are climate-controlled. All ticket sales are final.
- What time does it end?
- The party ends at midnight, and everyone needs to be off the Belle of Cincinnati by 12:30 AM (local and nautical rules, not ours!).
- Is it wheelchair accessible?
- Per USS Nightmare, most standard wheelchairs can navigate the haunt with a crew member alongside, though some areas aren’t accessible. The Belle of Cincinnati has elevators.
- Per USS Nightmare, most standard wheelchairs can navigate the haunt with a crew member alongside, though some areas aren’t accessible. The Belle of Cincinnati has elevators.
- Is there parking?
- Yes, but free parking is EXTREMELY limited. Carpooling is recommended, and plan on a paid lot or garage nearby. See Parking above.
- More questions?
- Email us at thescarefactor@gmail.com, message Tyler or Nora on Facebook, or tag us in the Monster Bash Facebook Group.
🧡 A Note from The Scare Factor
From the bottom of our spooky little hearts, thank you for following Monster Bash wherever it goes. We can’t wait to raise the anchor on a brand-new chapter with our friends at BB Riverboats and USS Nightmare.
Let’s make this one the best Bash yet.🕯️💀
