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We’re getting to the end of summer, and you know what that means? It’s almost time for Howl-O-Scream, Virginia’s Premier Halloween Event!
Howl-O-Scream takes place at Busch Gardens theme park in Williamsburg, Virginia. It runs from September 6, 2024, through November 3, 2024, beginning at 6:00 PM.
It is only open on select dates:
- September 6-8, 13-15, 20-22, 26-29
- October 3-6, 10-14, 16-20, 23-27, 31
- November 1-3
Howl-O-Scream is a scary, intense event that is not recommended to children. But it really is an amazing event for anyone who loves getting scared at Halloween. They’ve got haunted houses, terror-tories, party zones, rides, bars, and more!
I’ll tell you everything about this Halloween event. And then I’ll tell you how you can save money at this event!
Haunted Houses
There are five scary haunted houses at Howl-O-Scream this year. Three are returning favorites, and two are brand new! So get ready to make your way around dark passageways and round dimly lit corners.
Haunted houses are often the main attraction at a Howl-O-Scream. If that is the case for you, you might want to consider purchasing a Howl-O-Scream Haunted House Quick Queue pass. Then you’ll get to skip the line once per house during your night at Howl-O-Scream. So you won’t have to worry you’ll miss any of the haunted houses.
Upgrades
You can also get a Quick Queue Unlimited Plus pass. It allows you to skip the line an unlimited amount of times! So this is great if you have one haunted house in particular you love and want to do over and over. It also allows you to skip the line all night for the following rides:
- Alpengeist
- Griffon
- Apollo’s Chariot
- Pantheon
- Finnegan’s Flyer
- Verbolten
You also get to one-time skip-the-line priviliges for:
- Loch Ness Monster
- Tempesto
- InvadR
- DarKoaster
You can purchase either of these upgrades here to purchase either of these upgrades. But enough about the upgrades, let me get back to telling you about the haunted houses.
Lost Mines: Bloodstone
Lost Mine is back, but in a new, reimagined way. The backstory here is that when a mining camp dug deep into the earth in search gems, they found something far darker. These gems were actually a life force an evil eternal. Will you be brave enough to enter the mine in search of survivors?
Death Water Bayou: Morte
Death Water Bayou is back Howl-O-Scream this year – but revamped. In this haunted house, you are pulled deeper into the bayou. The Voodoo Queen is looking for a sacrifice. Will she choose you?
KILLarney Diner: Condemned
KILLarney Diner is back, and it is also being reimagined this year. The premise here is that a 1950’s era diner has long been boarded up and abandoned. But the terrors of now await anyone brave enough to enter the diner. The evil spirits of past horrors are still alive – and now you could become a new menu item!
Clown Town
Clown Town is one of the two new haunted houses at Howl-O-Scream. It takes place over in Fest Italia, where clowns in the villages had been kicked out for being “too terrifying”. So these vengeful clowns started their own place: Clown Town. They are the rulers there, and if you enter but can’t escape, you will be trapped there…forever!
Monster Manor
Monster Manor is the other brand-new haunted house. It involves a manor with a doctor who uses his talents not to heal the sick, but to turn poor victims into monstrous creatures. Will you become part of his new twisted experiment?
Terror-Tories
Terror-tories are areas in the park where you can walk around – and get terrified by monsters! Actors dressed up in costume coming up to you can be scary or triggering, and if you don’t want this particular scare experience, consider purchasing a No Boo Necklace. When the actors see your necklace, they should leave you alone (provided they do not make a mistake – but for the most part, I’ve found this necklace works).
But onto the terror-tories! There are six terror-tories, with four returning ones and two brand-new additions!
Ripper Row
This is my favorite terror-tory, in large part because I find the story of Jack the Ripper so fascinating. But also because it’s well done. It is located at the front of the Park in the England section (naturally).
Scary Tale Road
Childhood icons from fairy tales you heard as a child are now haunting you in this terror-tory located in Rhinefield. This is a returning favorite terror-tory this year at Howl-O-Scream.
Gorgon Gardens
Gorgon Gardens is another returning favorite, and it is located in Italy Gardens. Here, you need to avoid staring into the eye of the serpent sisters – otherwise, the consequences can last an eternity. No pressure or anything!
Fest-Evil
Fest-Evil is a returning terror-tory where a Mardi Party was corrupted by an evil energy.
Stalker Street
Here is one of the brand new terror-tories! It takes place in New France, where scarecrows are haunted the streets. but they won’t just be scaring birds. Not when they are looking for their next victim.
The Bash
The Bash is a new terror-tory, but it has a neat twist. Since Howl-O-Scream is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary, it is full of scares of Howl-O-Scream’s past!
Roaming Scares
There’s a Roaming Hack Pack throughout the theme park. When you least expect it, you may run into these monsters!
Shows & Musical Acts
One thing I love about Busch Gardens Williamsburg is all the great shows. Well, Howl-O-Scream does not disappoint in this department. There are multiple shows exclusive to guests of Howl-O-Scream.
In fact, this year there are four shows, with one of them being brand new to Howl-O-Scream! You can get reserved seating for these shows here.
Fiends: The FREAKquel
This is the show that is brand new to Howl-O-Scream this year! It takes place at the Abbey Stone Theatre in Ireland.
The premise here is that Doctor Freakenstein wants to leave his Transylvanian castle, and reintroduce himself to the world in the most logical way. And that is, obviously, a Hollywood-style blockbuster about his life. So he creates a pop-culture-centric song and dance extravaganza with the help of Igor and his friends Wolfman, Draf, The Bride, and the Creature of the Black Lagoon.
Phantoms of the Festhaus
A new lineup of your favorite ghouls take the stage for a not-so-typical singing competition. The winner is determined by how spirited the audience is during a performance! This show takes place at Das Festhaus.
Skeletones
Skeletones is a brass quartet that performs on the San Marco stage in Festa Italia.
Monster Stomp on Ripper Row
This is a modern rock and rhythm show over at the Globe Theater in the England section featuring, who else, Jack the Ripper! The show contains great dance, percussion, and singing.
Please note that this show does not open until September 26, 2024.
BOOze Bars
Given how scary the park is, I think you’re going to need a drink, am I right? Well, luckily, Busch Gardens has you covered. Provided you are 21 years old or older, you can stop by one of these BOOze Bars throughout the park.
- The Crow’s Nest – New Frrance
- OktoberTaps – Oktoberfest
- Frost Bar – Oktoberfest
- BarKastle Spirits – Oktoberfest
- Stone-Cold Spirits – Italy Gardens
Monster Street Party
This disco dance celebration over in Ireland is also one of my favorite parts of Howl-O-Scream. It’s a lot of fun and it stars Howl-O-Scream’s legendary character, Jack.
Rides & Coasters
What is Busch Gardens Williamsburg without roller coasters, am I right? You can take a ride on one of the nine roller coasters at BGW, including Pantheon.
Tours
If you love Howl-O-Scream (and I know you do!), then I strongly suspect you’d like one of the Howl-O-Scream tours.
The behind-the-scenes tours are a great way to learn about all the secrets behind Howl-O-Scream.
And there are a lot of great tours this year:
- Behind The Scenes Tour
- Daytime tour that includes a drink & one priority access to a haunted house
- All-Acess Tour
- 5-hour group tour that includes
- Dining
- Priority access to all haunted houses
- Reserved seating at all Howl-O-Scream shows
- 5-hour group tour that includes
- Howl-O-Scream Behind the Mask Tour
- Make-up artists teach you how to put on make-up to become terrifying creatures
- Fiends: The FREAKquel Insider Tour
- Monster Stomp Insider Tour
You can buy tickets for these tours here. Please note you can get a discounted price for the tours by being a member. We talk all about membership in our Busch Gardens Williamsburg Guide.
Additional Information
Please be aware of the new No Bag Policy at Howl-O-Scream. No bags will be permitted when you arrive after 4:00 PM. Only wristlets and fanny packs measuring less than 8”x5” are permitted and subject to security inspection. There are exceptions for medical reasons, but you’ll need to carry them in a bag that doesn’t exceed the size of 12” x 6” x 12”. If you arrive with a bag that exceeds these standards, you’ll be asked to return to your vehicle.
Even though this is a Halloween event, you are not allowed to wear a costume to this event.
Unlike a regular day at Busch Gardens, since this is a shorter event, you can’t leave and come back after 8:00 PM. Once you leave the event for the night, you cannot come back unless you get there before 8:00 PM.
Discounted Tickets
So I know you want to know how to get cheaper tickets, right?
Well, the best way to get cheap tickets is to get a membership with Busch Gardens. Then, your ticket is free! Plus, you get all kinds of other perks, like free parking (that’s my favorite). My family and I have been members for years, and we love it. It also gets you admission to Busch Gardens throughout the year including other seasonal events like Christmas Town. We talk about it more in our Busch Gardens Williamsburg Guide.
Busch Gardens has another great deal going that would get you into Howl-O-Scream for free, too. If you buy a 2024 Fun Card, you’ll not only get free admission to Busch Gardens for January 24, 2025, through September 1, 2025, but you’ll also get free admission to Busch Gardens for now until November 3, 2024 – including Howl-O-Scream! You can buy a BGW Fun Card here.
Admission to Busch Gardens Williamsburg is also included in the cost of admission to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. You can buy discounted tickets to Busch Gardens here.