Fright Nights Dreamwalkers is turning the Panama City Center for the Arts into a walk-through nightmare for one final weekend, with performances continuing October 23–25 from 6 to 9 p.m.

The downtown Halloween attraction is not designed as a traditional haunted house where visitors simply move from scare to scare.

Instead, guests enter an immersive theatrical experience built around elaborate environments, live actors, clues and a continuing story involving the mysterious Raven Queen.

The 2026 production is called Dreamwalkers, and this year’s storyline sends visitors into fragments of the Raven Queen’s past as they move through memories, nightmares and creatures that helped shape her legend.

The story begins with a debt

The Raven Queen has spent years drawing on dark magic, but the story makes clear that power comes with consequences.

An ancient presence known as the Collector has come to claim what is owed, and the Queen needs visitors to enter her subconscious and uncover the full measure of that debt.

That setup gives Dreamwalkers a stronger narrative than a typical maze of dark hallways and jump scares.

Visitors are not just watching the story unfold; they are positioned inside it as the dreamwalkers the Raven Queen needs.

The result is a Halloween experience built around atmosphere, performance and discovery as much as fear.

Seven nights of scares in downtown Panama City

Fright Nights scheduled seven nights this October, with the first run held October 15–17 and the final stretch running October 22–25.

Each night operates from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Panama City Center for the Arts, located at 19 E. 4th Street in Historic Downtown Panama City.

Tickets start at $20, with multiple timed-entry options offered during each evening.

One planning detail is especially important: tickets are not sold at the door.

Guests must purchase tickets online in advance, a system intended to manage arrival times and reduce long waits.

The ticket policy also states that purchases are nonrefundable unless the event itself is canceled by the venue or organizer.

Who should go?

The attraction is recommended for ages 12 and older because of its haunted themes and immersive scares.

Children younger than 12 are not prohibited, but adult accompaniment is recommended.

That makes Dreamwalkers better suited to older kids, teenagers and adults looking for a more theatrical Halloween night than a simple family trick-or-treat stop.

Parents who know their child is especially sensitive to dark environments, live actors or frightening imagery may want to keep the 12-and-up recommendation in mind.

The scares also support local arts

Fright Nights serves as the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Bay Arts Alliance, Bay County’s local arts agency.

That means a ticket does more than buy a night of Halloween entertainment inside the Center for the Arts.

It also helps support the organization that operates the downtown arts center and works to bring arts programming, exhibits and cultural opportunities to the community.

For Panama City, that local connection gives Fright Nights an identity that goes beyond a seasonal haunted attraction.

It is a homegrown production using theatrical storytelling and the Center for the Arts itself to create something that feels tied to downtown rather than dropped into it.

Final weekend runs through Sunday

With October 15–17 already completed, the remaining opportunities to enter the Raven Queen’s dreams are Friday, October 23, Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25.

Because entry is handled through timed online tickets, checking availability before heading downtown is the safest plan.

For anyone looking for a Halloween event that mixes live theater, haunted environments and an unfolding story, Dreamwalkers offers one of downtown Panama City’s most distinctive spooky-season experiences.

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