Howl-O-Scream is an annual Halloween haunt event hosted by United Parks & Resorts, running on select nights each October at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld Orlando, and SeaWorld San Diego. The event debuted in 1999 simultaneously at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Busch Gardens Williamsburg, replacing Tampa’s earlier family-friendly fall event, Spooky Safari.
Since its launch, Howl-O-Scream has grown from a single-park novelty into a multi-park haunt brand, later expanding to SeaWorld San Antonio and eventually to SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Diego. Each park stays open for daytime operations before transforming after dark into a gauntlet of walk-through haunted houses, roaming scare-actor “scare zones,” and live horror-themed shows, all built around a new theme nearly every season.
Stats at a Glance
- Operator: United Parks & Resorts
- Debuted: 1999 (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay & Williamsburg)
- Locations: 5 parks: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld Orlando, SeaWorld San Diego
- Season: Select nights in October
- Age policy: All ages are admitted; the content leans intense and is geared toward teens and adults. At Busch Gardens Williamsburg, guests 15 and younger must be accompanied by a chaperone at least 21 years old after 4pm, and chaperone rules can differ by park
- Predecessor event: Spooky Safari (Tampa, pre-1999)
The Ride Experience
Guests move through a mix of indoor haunted houses and outdoor scare zones patrolled by live scare actors, with the lineup of houses, zones, and shows changing from year to year around a fresh theme. Effects like fog, strobe lighting, and elaborate set design are used throughout to build tension between jump scares, and the content leans intentionally intense, featuring blood, gore, and dark humor rather than family-friendly frights.
Because Howl-O-Scream runs alongside each park’s daytime operations, most of the coasters and attractions at the host park remain open after dark as well, letting visitors pair haunted houses with nighttime rides before the event’s late closing time.
History and Growth
Howl-O-Scream’s 1999 debut leaned on novelty guest appearances, including a visit from actor Butch Patrick and a mentalist performance by The Amazing Kreskin, to help launch the new format in Tampa and Williamsburg. The event has weathered real-world setbacks along the way, including storm damage from an F1 tornado spun off by Hurricane Jeanne in 2004 that destroyed a haunted house structure at the Tampa park, and a small 2005 fire inside a haunted house there that was traced to a discarded cigarette and caused no injuries.
Over the following two decades, the event’s ownership passed through Busch Entertainment Corporation and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment before landing with current operator United Parks & Resorts, expanding along the way to SeaWorld San Antonio and later to SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Diego, making Howl-O-Scream one of the longest-running multi-park Halloween haunt brands in the country.
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Howl-O-Scream FAQs
When did Howl-O-Scream start?
Howl-O-Scream debuted in 1999 at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Busch Gardens Williamsburg, replacing Tampa’s earlier family event, Spooky Safari.
Which parks host Howl-O-Scream?
United Parks & Resorts runs Howl-O-Scream at five parks: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld Orlando, and SeaWorld San Diego.
Is Howl-O-Scream appropriate for kids?
The event leans intense, with blood, gore, and dark humor, so it’s better suited to teens and adults. Guests of any age are admitted; minors are not turned away. At Busch Gardens Williamsburg, however, guests 15 and younger must be accompanied by a chaperone at least 21 years old after 4pm, and chaperone requirements can vary by park, so it’s worth checking each park’s policy before visiting.
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