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Looking to attend Howl-O-Scream, the after-hours Halloween event at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay theme park, this year? Then check out our Howl-O-Scream 2026 Guide!
In this guide, we’ll go over the event’s:
- Dates
- Haunted Houses
- Scare Zones
- Sinister Shows
- Rides
- Ticket options (including how to save money on tickets!
Dates
Howl-O-Scream takes place on select nights from September 11th through October 31st.
Haunted Houses
Howl-O-Scream has some great haunted houses. They essentially work as haunted mazes.
There are multiple haunted houses, and it may be hard to fit every haunted house into one night along with other activities you’ll want to do. If you’re worried about getting everything done in one night, consider buying a Front Line Fear Pass. This gets you to the front of the line at each haunted house one time.
There are six haunted houses this year.
Anaconda: Fear Has No Escape
This brand new haunted house is exciting because it was inspired by Sony Pictures’ Anaconda film!
The premise here is that a film crew traveled deep into the jungle to bring a remake of Anaconda to life. Only, the problem is the filming couldn’t be complete. The set has been abandoned and equipment has been left. And there are signs that the problems on the set went far, far beyond standard film issues. So now you’ll need to make your way deeper into the Amazon to recover the missing crew. But is this safe for you?
Stranglewood Estate: RePossessed
Stranglewood Estate is back at Howl-O-Scream – but with a new storyline. The story behind this haunted house is that Stranglewood Estate used to be a nice, lively home full of laughter and lavish parties. But it was abandoned after Madame Stranglewood and the servants’ mysterious deaths. It is said they disappeared within Stranglewood Estate’s walls. But now, a reckless séance awakened the tortured spirits trapped inside. Now Madame Stranglewood and the other ghost are free to haunt the mansion. Will you get out alive or join them as a ghost yourself?
Circus of Fear: Killer Encore
Here’s another haunted house with a brand new storyline, but the popular D.H. Baggum and his terrifying circus is back!
Shadows of Wonderland: Reign of Madness
This is another returning favorite haunted house. but once again with a new storyline! It once again has an Alice in Wonderland theme. And once, it’s not exactly the kind of wonderland you might see in the Disney Alice of Wonderland movie. No, this is far, far darker…
Raven’s Mill: Lambs to the Slaughter
Raven’s Mill: Lambs to the Slaughter is a returning favorite haunted house. Because even after everything that happened last year, the mill still runs. Legend has it that lanterns are lit until morning and chainsaws roar through the night. Can you brave entering? Or do you want to become literal dead meat?
M.A.R.S.
M.A.R.S.: Mars Alien Research Station is a returning favorite haunted house.
The premise behind this haunted is that the space vessel Elysium 13 has crashed landed on Mars. The crew has vanished, and now in its place are alien creatures. And we’re not talking about nice aliens like E.T., we’re talking the stuff of nightmares.
Your mission? You have been sent in to destroy the ship before the infection spreads. Can you avoid mutated lifeforms before you join the darkness?
Scare Zones
Scare zones are outside areas of the park that are marked as scare zones. You might think it’s just part of the park you can walk through to get to the next attraction. But actors dressed as scary creatures and monsters can jump out at any turn.
This can get quite scary, which is a big part of the fun for most guests. But if you don’t want people coming up to you to scare you, consider getting a No Boo Necklace. How it works is that you wear the necklace and then the monsters will know not to scare you. I’ve found this mostly works, though a few times an actor might mess up and scare you. But for the most part, this is a good purchase if you want to be able to walk through the park without lots of actors jumping in your face. You can get the No Boo Necklace at the park.
But if you like getting scared, you’ll enjoy the scare zones. When we know more about the scare zones themes, we’ll tell you.
Sinister Shows
There’s special, themed live entertainment at Howl-O-Scream. One of these shows that has been announced is the return of Fiends. It is a way to see Dr. Freakenstein, Igor, and more in a brand new way.
Rides
Have you ever done a Busch Gardens Tampa Bay ride at night? It brings a totally different experience from when you ride it during the day. Just look at how much different Cheetah Hunt looks.
Discounted Tickets
Now, unlike other Busch Gardens Tampa holiday events (like Christmas Town and Mardi Gras), you need a separate ticket to get into Howl-O-Scream. But luckily, here at Green Vacation Deals, we know of several ways to save money on these tickets.
First and foremost, you need to buy your ticket early. Because tickets are cheaper the earlier you buy them. And as of right now, you can save up to 66% on your ticket. You can find out about the discounted Howl-O-Scream tickets here.
