Howl-O-Scream Orlando runs 26 nights, September 11 through October 31, 2026: Fridays and Saturdays from opening night, Sundays join October 4, Thursdays join October 15, then it's every night from October 22 through Halloween. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and the event runs 7 p.m. to midnight. All five haunted houses are confirmed now, headlined by I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Final Catch, the franchise's first-ever haunted house anywhere, opening the same night at SeaWorld San Diego and San Antonio too.
Last checked September 20, 2026, against SeaWorld Orlando's official Howl-O-Scream page and park calendar.
Howl-O-Scream runs 26 nights this year, Sept. 11 through Oct. 31: Fridays and Saturdays to start, Sundays join Oct. 4, Thursdays join Oct. 15, and it's every night from Oct. 22 through Halloween. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and the event runs 7 p.m. to midnight, the same hours every night. The first four nights, Sept. 11, 12, 18 and 19, are already behind us. Here's every night from here through Halloween.
| Date | Howl-O-Scream hours |
|---|---|
| Fri, Sept. 25 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Sat, Sept. 26 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Fri, Oct. 2 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Sat, Oct. 3 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Sun, Oct. 4 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Fri, Oct. 9 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Sat, Oct. 10 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Sun, Oct. 11 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Thu, Oct. 15 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Fri, Oct. 16 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Sat, Oct. 17 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Sun, Oct. 18 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Thu, Oct. 22 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Fri, Oct. 23 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Sat, Oct. 24 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Sun, Oct. 25 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Mon, Oct. 26 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Tue, Oct. 27 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Wed, Oct. 28 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Thu, Oct. 29 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Fri, Oct. 30 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Sat, Oct. 31 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
The daytime park stays open until 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday event days, right up to the start of Howl-O-Scream. On Thursdays and the weeknights in the final stretch, the daytime park closes at 6, an hour before the event starts. Once the event starts, every remaining night runs the same 7 p.m. to midnight window.
Hours are from SeaWorld Orlando's operating calendar as of September 20, 2026. Parks do adjust hours, so check the official calendar the week you go.
All six scare zones are named now. Four are new: Dooms District (a doomsday camp after civilization collapsed), Nekrosis (a seaside town frozen at the stroke of Y2K, with undead revelers still throwing the party), Extermination Order (a full-blown insect infestation crawling through the streets), and Just One More Chapter (a gothic garden where a cursed romance turns deadly). Two are returning: Trailer Park Tragedy and Woodrot Hollow.
Four live shows are confirmed: Throttle, a motorcycle-gang show, Monster Stomp, a returning Jack the Ripper-inspired stage show at Nautilus Theater, Dead Air, a 90s boy-band concept at The Rewind, and Hellzapoppin Presents: The Grave Danger Thrill Show, a circus sideshow at SeaFire Grill. Two roaming "hordes" wander the park too, not tied to any single zone.
All five themed bars are named, and they're all new for 2026: Byte Bar (a cyborg-vampire, digital theme), The Rewind (90s and Y2K nostalgia, dial-up sounds included), Resurrection Club, The Black Sheep, and Larva Lounge.
Select dates August 29 through November 1, no special ticket beyond regular park admission. New for 2026: Hotel Transylvania characters make their SeaWorld Orlando debut, with meet-and-greets and a Mavis-and-Johnny dance party. Also back: a 12-stop trick-or-treat trail, the Scarecrow Dance Parade, and the Pumpkin Garden. Costumes welcome, all ages.
26 nights, September 11 through October 31, and it needs its own ticket even if you already have park admission or a pass. Five haunted houses, six scare zones, and coasters running in the dark, built for guests who came to get scared, not guests bringing kids. Costumes aren't allowed.
Both events share the same park and overlapping dates, but they're not interchangeable. A Spooktacular day ticket doesn't get you into Howl-O-Scream at night, and vice versa.
These are the current prices on SeaWorld's official ticket page, as of September 20, 2026:
We don't sell tickets or passes, and we don't do affiliate links. These are SeaWorld's own prices before tax, current as of September 20, 2026, and they can change without notice, so confirm before you buy.
Howl-O-Scream Orlando is built for adults, not families.
One more rule worth knowing: bags larger than 8 by 5 inches, including purses and backpacks, aren't allowed through the Howl-O-Scream entrance. Medical bags up to 12 by 6 by 12 inches are fine if they're clear.
We don't have a verified crowd calendar for Howl-O-Scream's nights themselves. SeaWorld doesn't publish one, and we haven't found a dated source solid enough to hang a "best night" claim on. The word going around is that Friday and Saturday nights sell heavier than weeknights, and September runs calmer than October, but treat that as a rumor until a real source confirms it.
SeaWorld runs its regular daytime park operation on these same dates, though, so the crowd calendar below still matters. It tells you how busy the rides and the park will be before Howl-O-Scream even opens its gates.
See the full SeaWorld Orlando guide →
No. It's a separate night ticket, and that's true even if you have a SeaWorld Annual or Season Pass. Pass holders get a discounted rate, $39.99 for a single night, instead of free entry, but everyone pays for a ticket. Once you're inside for the night, there's no re-entry.
It's not built for them. SeaWorld's own FAQ says the event contains intense adult content, including violence, gore, blood, and risque content that isn't meant for children. There's no age minimum or ID check and no discounted kids' ticket, but there's also no toned-down night. Costumes aren't allowed for guests, either. For a family Halloween night at SeaWorld, that's Halloween Spooktacular, not this.
They're two separate events sharing the same park and the same season. Halloween Spooktacular runs select dates August 29 through November 1, comes with regular park admission, and is built for families: character meet-and-greets, a trick-or-treat trail, a dance parade. Howl-O-Scream runs 26 nights, September 11 through October 31, needs its own ticket, and is built for adults, with haunted houses, scare zones, and coasters running after dark.
It starts Sept. 11 and runs through Oct. 31, 2026: 26 nights total. Fridays and Saturdays anchor the whole run, Sundays join Oct. 4, Thursdays join Oct. 15, and it's every night from Oct. 22 through Halloween.
Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and the event runs 7 p.m. to midnight, every night on the calendar. There's no early close to plan around.
Four new haunted houses, headlined by I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Final Catch, based on the 1997 film. It's the franchise's first-ever haunted house anywhere, and it opens the same night at SeaWorld San Diego and San Antonio too. Four new scare zones (Dooms District, Nekrosis, Extermination Order, Just One More Chapter) and five new bars round out the additions.
Same event name, same parent company (United Parks & Resorts), different park and a different lineup. Howl-O-Scream Orlando runs at SeaWorld Orlando with 5 haunted houses this year, led by I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Final Catch. Howl-O-Scream Tampa runs at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay with its own 6 houses, led by the Anaconda house. SeaWorld even sells a two-park ticket covering both events in one visit. We cover the Tampa side on our Howl-O-Scream Tampa 2026 page.
Howl-O-Scream nights keep Mako and Pipeline: The Surf Coaster running, along with Ice Breaker and Expedition Odyssey: Fire & Ice. The app tracks SeaWorld Orlando's waits live, so you can time your coaster laps between houses. Get it on the App Store before you go.
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