Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay 2023: Experience Another Startling Year of Fear!

Want to add a little more thrill to your theme park experience? Or maybe you’re looking for an evening that’s a little less family-friendly than your typical Halloween attraction? Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay does exactly that. Blending haunted houses with their signature coasters, they’ve crafted a yearly event that leaves fans screaming – literally – all night long.  

What is Howl-O-Scream? 

A yearly event held at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Howl-O-Scream is a one-of-a-kind Halloween experience. The theme park transforms from family-oriented coasters, animal experiences, and restaurants into a playground for haunts and horrors. Howl-O-Scream has a delightful collection of original haunted houses and scare zones throughout the park that is only available during the event. Howl-O-Scream begins after Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s daily hours and takes place well into the evening during select nights in the fall.

In recent years, the event has expanded into a second park – SeaWorld Orlando – and utilizes the new space to offer even more attractions and events.

One of the biggest highlights of the event is the haunted houses. Each house is built from an original concept instead of an existing IP (intellectual property). That means you’ll find a lot of non-descript monsters and mayhem that don’t rely on big brands or franchises to sell the scares. The most popular houses may appear for multiple years of the event, though they do introduce several new houses each Halloween season! The event features many traditional horror creatures like vampires, werewolves,  zombies, monsters, and even creepy clowns. (Zoinks, Scoob!) We’ve also seen spooky cemeteries, lycanthrope-infested campgrounds, ghostly bayous, and a variety of other haunts and horrors in Howl-O-Scream’s long history. 

We want to note that this event is intended for older guests. Parents are advised not to bring their kiddos to this event, as many of the haunted houses contain simulated violence and gore and may be too intense for younger guests. 

When is Howl-O-Scream? 

Howl-O-Scream 2023 will be taking place on select nights from September 8th through October 31st. (Friday through Sunday in September and Thursday through Sunday in October.) The event begins at 7:00 p.m. and ends at 12:00 a.m. on Thursdays and Sundays and stretches to 1:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. 

Howl-O-Scream Admission and Ticket Pricing 

Busch Gardens offers several tiers for Howl-O-Scream ticketing. Ticket pricing depends on the date of your visit, with prices differing around $5-15 as the calendar gets closer to Halloween.  

Single-Night Ticket

This is the base ticket to the event. It allows you to get into the park as the event starts at 7:00 p.m. This does not include regular park admission. If you plan to visit Busch Gardens for the day before Howl-O-Scream begins, you will need to purchase an additional ticket for the daytime hours.

Ticket prices vary based on the date, ranging from $37.99 to $54.99, and creep up to that highest price for Saturdays in October.

Any-Night Ticket 

As of writing, this ticket is not listed on the official website. However, in previous years, the Any-Night Ticket acted as a single-night ticket that was valid for any Howl-O-Scream evening rather than being tied down to a specific date. We recommend keeping an eye on the Busch Gardens website for any updates on possible availability!

Unlimited Admission 

If you want to enjoy the scares all through the season, you might want to consider purchasing an Unlimited  Admission ticket. This tier ticket gives you unlimited admission to every night throughout September and October with no blackout periods. (There’s also a slightly cheaper option that has unlimited Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays.) Guests with this ticket can enter the park at 5:00 p.m.

Two Park Tickets 

With the two-park ticket, you can attend the Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens and SeaWorld on two different nights. This gives you plenty of time to fully explore each set of attractions and haunted houses – and at a cheaper price than buying the tickets separately!  

Two Park Unlimited Admission

Have access to every night of Howl-O-Scream at both Busch Gardens and SeaWorld!

Front Line Fear 

As of writing, paid upgrades have not yet appeared on the official website, but we suspect they may become available closer to the event.

In previous years, guests could purchase a Front Line Fear upgrade (or Front Line Fear Extreme) that allowed them to skip the normal queue for the mazes and enter a shorter Express queue, effectively skipping the lines! This cut down on wait times and made it much easier to do everything in a single night. The “Extreme” option let you skip lines on all the houses and up to 7 thrill rides of your choice.

Hopefully, options like this will be available again for 2023, as the website says, “check back soon!”

The Howl-O-Scream Spooky Itinerary

Haunted Houses 

Always a fan favorite, the haunted houses at Howl-O-Scream are the biggest draw to the event. Typically, Howl-O-Scream offers between 5-7 haunted houses each year. They are large, walk-through attractions that invite guests to enter a fantastical world of frights and fears. Given the nature of the event, each of these haunted attractions is entirely original. That means you won’t see familiar horror franchise slashers or masked ghouls at Howl-O-Scream. However, there’s no shortage of monsters and scares! 

Usually, these houses are a blend of older fan favorites and brand-new attractions to give guests a unique experience each year. Each house is based on an original concept and designed by professional theme park engineers. They blend a combination of live actors, puppets, and animatronics to create an amazing experience each time!  

Scare Zones 

One incredible facet of Howl-O-Scream is how the entire park is completely transformed for the event. Unlike some events that have only a handful of scare zones, Howl-O-Scream goes all out to provide multiple themed areas for guests to walk through as they journey from haunted houses to roller coasters. 

These scare zones are areas decorated with large props and set pieces that resemble those found in film productions, and, to top it all off, there’s a horde of scare actors whose only job is to startle and frighten guests as they walk by!

Most scare actors love interacting with guests and will go out of their way to get a reaction from anyone who looks easily startled. It’s important to note that, like with the haunted houses, these actors will not physically touch you, and you should, under no circumstances, touch them either. 

Live Entertainment 

Details for this year’s entertainment have yet to be released, but in the past, “The Fiends” has been an ever-popular (and always changing) live musical show that takes place twice per night. It definitely isn’t suitable for younger audiences, but it is a fun blend of exciting dance performances and comedic routines that incorporate a lot of relevant pop culture (in an occasionally risque way – fair warning!). 

This year, there has been a cryptic advertisement for “D.H. Baggum’s Circus of Fear,” which looks to be some kind of show! Whether it’s musical in nature has yet to be seen, but it will definitely be monstrous! (Personally, I’m imagining The Greatest Showman but written by Stephen King.) 

Coasters 

If you want even more thrills during your evening, you’ll be excited to know that most of Busch Gardens’  biggest and most exciting thrill rides are running through the night. 

For most years, the most popular rides in the park have been available, including: 

• Tigris 
• Cobra’s Curse 
• Falcon’s Fury 
• Cheetah Hunt 
• Montu 
• Kumba 
• SheiKra 
• Scorpion 
• Sand Serpent

Dining and Drinks for the Event 

Food and drink are not as heavily emphasized at Howl-O-Scream compared to other Halloween festivities in Central Florida. However, they still have some fun restaurants to try and some snacks you’ll want to check out as well!  

Adult Beverages 

Since this is an adult-oriented event, you’ll find a lot of drink options across the park. Specialty booths are set up for the event serving drinks – both alcoholic and otherwise – to quench your thirst for the night. Sometimes, the event coincides with Bier Fest at the park. That means you’ll be able to grab some delicious snacks and try a few local or exotic brews from stands in a smaller designated area. 

Syringe Shots 

Another fan-favorite, these iconic syringe shots are sold by the diabolic evil nurses that staff most of the alcohol booths and snack spots. They are somewhat ridiculous – but delicious! – and perfect for a little bit of themed fun for your evening!  

Food Booths 

Most of the food is standard theme park fare, with burgers, fries, and other fast-food staples making up the majority of what’s served. However, you might find some more exciting – and odd – dishes if you take the time to look through the offerings. In the past, they’ve served some interesting selections like grasshopper & chicken tacos.  

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Featured photo: Unsplash