Howl-O-Scream runs 27 nights, September 11 through October 31, 2026: Fridays and Saturdays anchor the whole run, Thursdays join October 1, Sundays join October 4, and Halloween week adds a Tuesday and Wednesday. Gates open at 5 p.m., the event starts at 7 p.m. All six houses are named, including Anaconda, the event's first-ever licensed-IP house, and this year's storyline is Dark Side of the Gardens: Chapter Three.
Last checked September 20, 2026, against Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's official Howl-O-Scream page and park calendar.
Howl-O-Scream runs 27 nights this year, Sept. 11 through Oct. 31: Fridays and Saturdays anchor the whole run, Thursdays join Oct. 1, Sundays join Oct. 4, and Halloween week adds a Tuesday and Wednesday, skipping Monday, Oct. 26. Hours shift by night, 7 p.m. to midnight most nights but 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays from Oct. 2. The first four nights are already behind us: here's every night from here to Halloween.
| Date | Howl-O-Scream hours |
|---|---|
| Fri, Sept. 25 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Sat, Sept. 26 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Thu, Oct. 1 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Fri, Oct. 2 | 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. |
| Sat, Oct. 3 | 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. |
| Sun, Oct. 4 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Thu, Oct. 8 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Fri, Oct. 9 | 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. |
| Sat, Oct. 10 | 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. |
| Sun, Oct. 11 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Thu, Oct. 15 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Fri, Oct. 16 | 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. |
| Sat, Oct. 17 | 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. |
| Sun, Oct. 18 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Thu, Oct. 22 | 7 p.m. to midnight |
| Fri, Oct. 23 | 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. |
| Sat, Oct. 24 | 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. |
| Sun, Oct. 25 | 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 1 a.m. |
| Sat, Oct. 31 | 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. |
The park's daytime hours run 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on every Howl-O-Scream day, an hour later than the 10 to 5 close on non-event days. There's no event Monday, Oct. 26, the one gap in the run. Fridays and Saturdays are the only nights that push past midnight, and only from Oct. 2 on.
Hours are from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay'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 confirmed: Ragnar's Wrath: Call of Odin (Norse monsters collecting Odin's payment), Mr. Gleam's Auto Spa (body horror at the car wash), The Punchline: Riot, Rootbound, a revamped Breadcrumbs to Nowhere: Once Upon a Time, and The Pestilence: Lazarus Strain. Two stage shows round it out: the returning Fiends at Dragon Fire Grill, and a new stunt show, Cirque X-Scream.
These are the current prices on the official ticket page, as of September 20, 2026:
| Ticket | Current price |
|---|---|
| Single-night ticket | As low as $48.99 (Pass Members $43.99) |
| Any Night ticket | $66.99 |
| Unlimited Scream Pass (blockouts on Saturdays) | $124.99 |
| Two-park single visit (with SeaWorld Orlando) | $89.99 |
| Two-park unlimited | $189.99 |
Skip-the-line access is sold separately: Front Line Fear from $79.99, EXTREME from $99.99, ULTIMATE from $119.99 (the only tier with Anaconda priority access). The VIP Terror Tour runs $299.99 per person and Fright Feast, a buffet plus an hour of front-of-line house access, starts at $55. We don't sell any of these; prices move, so confirm on the official site.
Howl-O-Scream is built for adults. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's own event rules warn of violence, gore, and blood content, and costumes aren't allowed at the event.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay does run a daytime family event during the same season: Halloween Spooktacular, Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 12 through Nov. 1, noon to 4 p.m., included with regular park admission. If you've got younger kids, that's the one, not Howl-O-Scream.
Thursdays and Sundays run about an hour shorter than Fridays and Saturdays, wrapping at midnight instead of pushing to 1 a.m. If you're there mainly for the houses and not the party atmosphere, the shorter nights get you the same six houses without the later finish.
Gates open at 5 p.m., two hours before the houses do on most nights; getting in at 5 and eating before 7 puts you at a house door when the event actually starts. Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, so Oct. 31 closes out the run at the latest hours the calendar allows, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay runs its regular daytime operation on these same days, so it's worth checking the crowd calendar for the daytime picture too.
See the full Busch Gardens Tampa Bay guide →
No. It's a separate night ticket. Daytime admission isn't included and isn't required, and once you leave the event there's no re-entry.
It's not built for them. Busch Gardens' own FAQ warns of intense adult content: violence, gore, and blood. There's no minimum age and no child pricing, but there are no toned-down nights either. For a family Halloween visit at Busch Gardens Tampa, the daytime Halloween Spooktacular is the one, not this.
It starts Sept. 11 and runs through Oct. 31, 2026: 27 nights total. Fridays and Saturdays anchor the whole run, Thursdays join Oct. 1, Sundays join Oct. 4, and Halloween week adds a Tuesday and Wednesday. The one gap is Monday, Oct. 26, when there's no event.
Gates open at 5 p.m. and the event runs 7 p.m. to midnight most nights. Fridays and Saturdays from Oct. 2 push to 1 a.m.
The Anaconda house is the headline: the event's first house ever built on licensed IP. The storyline also moves into Dark Side of the Gardens: Chapter Three, with a new sixth scare zone, The Pestilence: Lazarus Strain, and a new stunt show, Cirque X-Scream.
No. Costumes are banned at the event.
Your Howl-O-Scream ticket covers coasters in the dark too. The app tracks Busch Gardens Tampa's ride waits live and flags the drops, so you can time your rides between houses. Get it on the App Store before you go.
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