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Handbook for the Recently Admitted

(A user’s guide to free & low cost fun at ScareFest)

Whether you’re a first-time guest or a seasoned survivor, this handbook is your guide to all the free and low-cost activities included with your admission. From collecting trading cards and bracelets to joining trivia battles, poetry slams, cosplay fun, and community meetups! There’s always something happening around every corner. Dive in and discover how much frightful fun you can have without spending another dime. You can also check out the interactive floor plan: Click here to visit the map!

Graphic with the words “Tricks & Treats (Collect & Play)” over a maroon background decorated with silhouettes of bingo cards and friendship bracelets.
  • Where: Convention floor – pick up cards at the Info Booth
  • When: Play anytime during show hours, turn in by Sunday at 4 PM
  • Description: Spot things around ScareFest (from costumes to props) and mark them off your card. Completed cards can be entered for prize drawings.
  • Cost: Free with admission
  • Where: Hidden throughout the convention, plus select vendor and guest tables
  • When: All weekend
  • Description: Over 20,000 ScareFest cards are scattered across the event. Collect them, trade with friends, and see if you can complete the series!
  • Cost: Free with admission
  • Where: Throughout the convention center
  • When: All weekend
  • Description: Bring handmade bracelets to exchange with fellow fans. A simple way to connect and make new ScareFest friends.
  • Cost: Free with admission
  • Where: Ballroom 2
  • When: Saturday — Prejudging 2–4 PM, Finals at 6 PM
  • Description: Costumes everywhere! Watch incredible cosplayers compete for the crown. From handmade horrors to pop culture icons, this showdown is a fan favorite.  Sign Up Here
  •  Cost: Free with admission
  • Where: Throughout the convention center
  • When: All weekend
  • Description: Cosplayers roam ScareFest showing off their craft, and most love posing for photos! Be sure to ask permission before snapping pics.
  •  Cost: Free with admission
  • Where: Throughout the event (check booths for special setups)
  • When: All weekend
  • Description: Strike a pose with ScareFest’s themed props and displays. Some vendor-hosted displays may charge a small fee — please ask first if unsure.
  • Cost: Free with admission (unless noted at vendor booths)
Graphic with the words “Stage Frights (Creative Experiences)” over a maroon background featuring silhouettes of a microphone, sewing thread, needles, and film reels.
  • Where: Level 2 – Entertainment Room
  • When: 11AM Saturday
  • Description: Step up to the mic and share your original words of terror, or sit back and experience haunting verses performed live by fans and creators.
  • • Cost: Free with admission
  • Where: Level 2 – Entertainment Room
  • When: TBD
  • Description: Horror knowledge battles all weekend long — test your memory of movies, monsters, and the macabre against other fans. Prizes for the top minds!
  •  Cost: Free with admission
  • Where: Level 2 – Classroom (Meeting Room 14)
  • When: Classes each day, schedule at the bottom of this page.
  • Description: Learn insider tips, tricks, and techniques from experienced cosplayers. Perfect for beginners and veterans looking to level up their craft.
  •  Cost: Free with admission
  • Where: Level 2 – Entertainment Room
  • When: 12pm Saturday
  • Description: Show up and show off your best evil laugh!
  •  Cost: Free with admission
Dark red background graphic with the words “THE CULT OF SCAREFEST (Community Experiences)” in bold white horror-style font. A vintage microphone is faintly illustrated behind the text. Surrounding icons include candles, people talking in chat bubbles, a network diagram, and cartoon monsters along the bottom, representing community and spooky fun.
  • Where: Level 1 – Main Panel Room (Ballroom 2)
  • When: 9:30 AM Sunday
  • Description: Wake up your “morning after” body and loosen up those stiff joints and aching back with a gentle but deep, full body stretch, done while seated in chairs!! Led by Beatrice Boepple, Mama Krueger herself. Light movement, laughs and Elm Street Vibes; no mat required.
  • Cost: Donation-based (pay-what-you-can) funds go to Scares the Care
  • Where: Various locations around the convention center
  • When: Scheduled throughout the weekend (check our ScareFest Weekend Fans! Facebook group)
  • Description: Connect with fellow horror lovers, fandom groups, and communities who call ScareFest home. A great way to make friends that last beyond the weekend.
  • Cost: Free with admission
  • Where: Level 1 – Ballroom 2 (Main Panel Room), Level 2 – Meeting Rooms 12 & 13 (Panel Room 2), Level 2 – Meeting Rooms 6-8 (Entertainment Room) Click here to visit the floorplan
  • When: Scheduled all weekend Click here for schedule
  • Description: From the paranormal to pop culture, our  panelists bring unique insights, stories, and scares to the stage.
  • Cost: Free with admission
  • Where: Level 2 – Meeting Rooms 3 & 4
  • When: Scheduled all weekend (Click here to see the schedule)
  • Description: Hear directly from featured guests, authors, and experts as they share personal stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and thought-provoking talks. These spotlight sessions offer a closer look at the people shaping the worlds of horror and the paranormal.
  • Cost: Free with admission
Dark maroon event graphic with bold white spooky text ‘KIDS DAY’ and subtitle ‘(Sunday Kids Activities).’ Background shows cartoon kids in Halloween costumes, a microphone with cord on the left, and a candy-filled cauldron on the right.
  • Where: Level 2 – Entertainment Room
  • When: 11:30 AM Sunday
  • Description: Cozy, kid-friendly spooky tales read live by Brian Bremer—gentle chills, big smiles.
  •  Cost: Free with admission
  • Where: Level 2 – Entertainment Room
  • When: 12:00–1:00 PM Sunday
  • Description: Family-friendly Q&A and stories; bring your curiosities and enjoy behind-the-scenes insights tailored for kids.
  •   Cost: Free with admission
  • Where: Level 2 – Entertainment Room
  • When: 1:00–2:00 PM Sunday
  • Description: Kids take the mic to unleash their best wicked cackles—judged for creativity, volume, and stage presence. Prizes and bragging rights!
  • Cost: Free with admission
  • Where: Level 2 – Entertainment Room
  • When: 2:00–3:00 PM Sunday
  • Description: Show off your spooky, silly, or heroic look! Quick walk-on, cheers from the crowd, and fun awards.
  • Cost: Free with admission
  • Where: Level 2 – Entertainment Room
  • When: 4:00–5:00 PM Sunday
  • Description: High-energy dance performance geared toward children—interactive moments and lots of movement.
  • Cost: Free with admission
  • Where: Level 2 – Classroom (Meeting room 14)
  • When: 11:30am-12:30pm Sunday
  • Description: Welcome tiny terrors! Kids can apply their own prosthetic, work with makeup, etc. For the more squeamish little ones, we’ll have stickers and stencils for them to play with! 
  • Cost: Free with admission

ticketed events

ScareFest isn’t just a convention- it’s an experience. From intimate celebrity encounters to chilling after-hours adventures, ScareFest’s signature events deliver thrills and encounters you simply can’t miss.  Click here for Event Tickets

Promotional graphic for ScareFest Weekend 17, taking place October 17–19, 2025, at the Central Bank Center in Lexington, Kentucky. The background shows shelves of haunted and occult artifacts bathed in eerie red light. On the left, a woman holds the original Raggedy Ann doll associated with the Annabelle legend. At the center is a large, stylized Raggedy Ann face. On the right is a close-up of the porcelain “Annabelle” doll from The Conjuring films. Bold text reads: The Warrens’ Occult Museum featuring Annabelle. Website: ScareFestWeekend.com
  • Where:  Level 2 in Meeting Rooms 1 & 2
  • When: Open all weekend, October 17–19, 2025. The museum opens one hour before general admission each day and remains available during regular show hours.
  • Description: This ticket provides a one-time admission into the Warrens’ Occult Museum, featuring authentic artifacts including Annabelle. Photography is permitted inside the museum. Admission covers one person. Guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult, and children 12 and under are free.
  • Cost: Tickets range from $38 to $54.
poster of event featuring photos of Danielle Harris, Scout Taylor Compton, Robert Mukes, Heather Langenkamp, Jeremy Spencer. Talk Scary To Me with pink "live" in the background
  • Where:  Level 1 – Main Panel Room – Ballroom 2
  • When: Saturday, October 18th starting approximately 8:15pm
  • Description: Get ready for an uncensored, unforgettable night of horror talk, laughs, and chaos with Danielle Harris and Scout Taylor-Compton as they host Talk Scary To Me: LIVE!- returning to ScareFest Weekend for the third year in a row! Saturday at 8:00PM, immediately after ScareFest closes. Executive Pass ticket includes show entry, merch bag, an exclusive signed print and selfie with the hosts. Approx. 90 minutes 18+ recommended. 
  • Cost: Tickets range from $55 to $158
  • Where:  Level 1 – Main Panel Room – Ballroom 2
  • When: Friday, October 17th starting approximately 9:00pm
  • Description: Join us for a special live recording of Talk Is Jericho. Known for its unfiltered mix of stories, experiences, and pop culture insights, the podcast comes to life on stage at ScareFest Weekend 17. General admission is free, while the Champion Pass upgrades your night with reserved front-row seating, a selfie with Chris Jericho, and an exclusive swag bundle. Champion Passes are required for all attendees in this tier, including children.
  • Cost: Tickets range from $0 to $158
Promotional poster for ScareFest Weekend 17 in Lexington, Kentucky on October 18, 2025. The poster features British psychic medium Rob Thompson and Patti Negri, the “Good Witch of Hollywood.” Both are pictured against a background of an audience. The text reads: “Reconnecting With Spirit – Gallery Reading” along with the event website, scarefestweekend.com.
  • Where:  Level 2 – Panel Room 2 – Meeting Rooms 12 & 13
  • When: Saturday, October 18th at 4:00pm
  • Description: Join psychic mediums Patti Negri (Ghost Adventures, Portals to Hell) and Rob Thompson (The Ghost Finders, Paranormal 911, A Haunting) for a powerful Gallery Reading filled with spirit connections and messages from beyond.

  • Cost: $55

  • Where:  Talon Winery 
  • When: Saturday, October 18th at 9:30pm, Check-in starts at 9:00pm
  • Description: Join the Tennessee Wraith Chasers, Chris Smith and Mike Goncalves  for a one-of-a-kind paranormal investigation at Talon Winery! Explore the historic grounds after hours, hear chilling tales, and experience ghost hunting with the pros.

  • Cost: $79

Promotional poster for ScareFest Weekend 17 in Lexington, Kentucky on October 17, 2025. The poster features paranormal expert Aaron Sagers in a suit and tie, with the Living Arts & Science Center building in the background. The text reads: “Centuries of Ghosts – Living Arts & Science Center. Paranormal Investigation with Aaron Sagers.” The event website, scarefestweekend.com, appears at the bottom.
  • Where:  Living Arts & Science Center 
  • When: Friday, October 17th at 9:30pm, Check-in starts at 9:00pm
  • Description: Join paranormal journalist and TV host Aaron Sagers for an exclusive evening of chilling tales and haunted history inside Lexington’s historic Kinkead House,  home of the Living Arts & Science Center.

  • Cost: $58

Promotional poster for ScareFest Weekend 17 in Lexington, Kentucky, October 17–19, 2025. The poster advertises an “Advanced Makeup and Prosthetics” class with Joe Castro. A bloodied zombie-like figure is shown with detailed special effects makeup. Text reads: “Take home your own kit. Enter human and leave as one of the undead. 1:30pm–4:30pm.” The event website, scarefestweekend.com, is displayed at the bottom.
  • Where:  Level 2 – Classroom – Meeting room 14
  • When: Sunday, October 19th at 1:30pm-4:30pm
  • Description: Join Rob Whelan and Hollywood effects artist Joe Castro for a hands-on advanced workshop where students will learn professional prosthetic application, painting, and silicone effects, guided step-by-step through industry techniques. Each participant will receive a professional artist kit—including prosthetics, paints, adhesives, sculpting tools, molding materials, and more—to take home and continue creating. Participation is limited to 15 attendees.

  • Cost: $105