If you click on the links in this post, we may earn money from the companies mentioned in this post, at no extra cost to you. You can read the full disclaimer here.
Are you looking to get scared this Halloween season in Tampa, Florida? Then you should attend Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens theme park! Busch Gardens’ after-hours scary Halloween event is a great place to go if you love being terrified. And this year should be scarier than ever, since they are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Howl-O-Scream event.
This event takes place on select nights from Friday, September 6, 2024, through Halloween on Saturday, November 2, 2024. The event runs from 7:00 PM to park close.
So now you know the dates and times. But we want to go over everything else you need to know for the upcoming event. This includes all the haunted houses, scare zones, rides, and shows. But it also includes information on upgrades and tickets – including how to save money on tickets!
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.
Stranglewood Estate
Stranglewood Estate is back at Howl-O-Scream. The story behind this haunted house is that Stranglewood Estate used to be a nice, lively home full of laughter and lavish parties. But gone is the laughter and fun. It has been replaced with darkness and the spirit of evil. This year there is even new scares and new special effects.
D.H. Baggum’s Circus of Fear
In this fan favorite haunted house, D.H. Baggum won’t be giving you the greatest show on earth so much as the most terrifying show on earth!
The Forgotten: Uprising
The Forgotten is another haunted house that is back at Howl-O-Scream. Victims are drawn into a hidden world in this haunted house. And as you get beyond a hidden gutter entrance, you learn about a legend of human uprising. Yes, a group of starving vampires are there, plotting their revenge. Will you be able to get back to the world of the living or are you destined to become a new vampire?
Witch of the Woods: Rise of the Coven
Witch of the Woods is a returning haunted house at Howl-O-Scream, but this time it is reimagined as Witch of the Woods: Rise of the Coven!
Travelers may enter this dark forest. But only dying screams make their way out. That is because a vengeful Witch of the Woods, Seraphina, uses her dark magic to summon her own coven. Now she, Brand, the Fire Bringer, and Kael, the Storm Caller, have taken what was once a serene forest – and now they’ve made it a forest full of horror!
Shadows of Wonderland
This is a brand new haunted house! The premise behind this haunted house is that you are stepping into a Wonderland. But it’s not exactly the kind of wonderland you might see in the Disney Alice of Wonderland movie. No, this is a warped wonderland the Queen of Hearts is tormenting everyone in her reign of terror and playful characters have become bitter and angry by Alice’s abandonment. Can you make it out without losing your head?
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 Noo 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 here.
But if you like getting scared, then keep reading so you can know what the themes of this year’s scare zones are!
Raven’s Mill
Raven’s Mill is a returning scare zone at Howl-O-Scream. You may think you are entering a standard corn field. But that is before you encounter the scarecrows of Raven’s Mill…
Beyond the Veil
This returning scare zone is along the Nairobi Path. Watch out for fairies and orcs as you stroll through this forest.
Sin City Zombies
On the outskirts of the Las Vegas Strip is a small hotel. Some of the best entertainers ever live here. The only problem? It is, unfortunately, overrun by zombies.
Ragnar’s Wrath
This new scare zone takes you to a Viking longhouse. If you smell the stench of death here, well, be forewarned: that’s only the beginning. The real horror starts when you step inside…
Tree Lot Massacre
This brand new scare zone takes you to the Evergreen Acres Christmas Tree Farm. This sounds nice, but in truth, there is a dark secret behind this once-festive Christmas tree lot. And that secret centers around a Christmas Eve massacre…
Little Nightmares: Trick or Treat
Halloween can be a fun night for kids, but years ago, this was not the case for a group of children. They vanished right on Halloween night. But these children did return. Well, sort of. They return every Halloween reliving their final trick-or-treat – and now you can be there to witness this.
Sawgrass Slaughter: Legend of the Skunk Ape
In the depths of the Everglades lies the legend of the existence of a Skunk Ape. There’s a musky odor in the air. Is this legend real? Are you brave enough to find out?
Howl-O-Scream 25: Terror Through Time
Howl-O-Scream is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary, and this scare zone pays homage to scares of the past.
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.
Front Line Fear Extreme Pass
If you want to be able to do all these rides and the haunted houses, then consider buying a Front Line Fear Extreme Pass. Like the Front Line Fear Pass, it gets you single-use front-of-the-line access to the five haunted houses. But it also gets you single-use front-of-the-line access to some of the rides, too!
Rides included in the Front Line Fear Extreme Pass are:
- Phoenix Rising
- Serengeti Flye
- Cheetah Hunt
- SheiKra
- Cobra’s Curse
- Falcon’s Fury
- Kumba
- Tigris
- Montu
- Cobra’s Curse
- Iron Gwazi
Shows
Howl-O-Scream also has some scary shows for guests, too.
The Reckoning
Rock The Grave is a brand new show located at the Dragon Fire Grill. The show centers around Lark as she faces her ultimate judgment day.
Cirque X-Scream
See aerial performances, trampoline tricks, and more at Cirque X-Scream. This takes place at the Stanleyville Theatre.
Scare-E-Oke
Bars & Bites
It wouldn’t be Busch Gardens without a good drink, right? Well, luckily, there will be great drinks that you may need just for the liquid courage alone! You can also enjoy some great food, too.
Tours
Howl-O-Scream fans will want to check out the tours available to guests. They cost extra, but provide an amazing experience.
Ultimate VIP Tour
This tour gets you a really amazing night.
- Admission to Howl-O-Scream
- A customizable private tour
- Unlimited front-of-the line access to haunted houses
- Unlimited front-of-the-line access to most thrill rides
- A private lounge as well as select bars where you can get free beer, wine, water and soft-drinks
- Complimentary dinner at Dragon Fire Grill with reserved seating to The Reckoning show
- Reserved seating at all Howl-O-Scream shows
- Free preferred parking (subject to availability)
You can buy a ticket to this VIP tour here.
Behind The Scenes Tour
Ever wonder what goes on behind-the-scenes at Howl-O-Scream? Well, now is your chance to learn!
In this tour, you learn just that. You also get to see one of the iconic Busch Gardens houses in a new light – with a rare photo opportunity.
The tour also gets you a one-time, one-house priority access at night during the event.
Please note theme park admission is required to do this tour. You can purchase a daily admission to Busch Gardens at a discounted price here.
And you can purchase your behind the scenes tour here.
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.
Now, if you only want to visit on one day, then pick a specific date that is cheaper. You can pay less if you go on a less popular day, like a Thursday in October or a Sunday in September. And as of right now, you can save up to 70% on your ticket. Buy your ticket here.
You can also buy an any-day ticket if you’re not sure which day you’re going to go, and it’s a good idea to do that now because they are currently on sale for up to 60% off. Purchase your ticket here to take advantage of this sale.
if you’d like to visit Howl-O-Scream more than once, then you save money by buying an Unlimited Ticket. Especially if you do that now since they are on sale. You can purchase an Unlimited Ticket here.
You can also buy a joint day and night ticket if you want to visit Busch Gardens during the day. You can purchase this ticket here, where this ticket option is also currently on sale.
There are also discounted ticket options available if you want to visit Howl-O-Scream in Tampa and Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld Orlando (check out our guide for this event here). You can either purchase a ticket to visit each event one time. Or you can buy a ticket to get you unlimited visits to both parks (great for a long trip or someone who lives close to both theme parks). You can purchase this ticket option here.