TAMPA, Fla. – Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is gearing up to unleash terror with its annual Howl-O-Scream event.
Running select nights starting Sept. 5, this year’s edition features 25 terrifying experiences, including two new haunted houses, three new scare zones, and shows.
Haunted houses & scare zones
- M.A.R.S. (new): The Elysium, a spaceship, has crashed on Mars during a routine mission. Survivors face freezing temperatures, failing life support, and aggressive insect-like aliens. Visitors must enter the ship, reach its core, and destroy it before the threat spreads—or become part of the doomed crew.
- Raven’s Mill - Lambs to Slaughter: Once a farming community, Raven’s Mill is now a nightmare where scarecrows stitched from missing townspeople roam. The mill grinds flesh and bone, and every visitor becomes part of the sinister ritual.
- The Pestilence (New): While the world moved on, one town never recovered. The Mob Doctors—gas-masked figures in black coats—roam the streets at night, dragging victims to the Ashen Furnace. No one knows why they’re chosen, and no one escapes. Just a whisper before the needle: “It’s only a precaution.”
- Breadcrumbs to Nowhere (New): Deep in Havenwood Forest, a rotting cottage lures the lost with the scent of sugar and the lies of a forgotten fairy tale. Hansel and Gretel never escaped—and now, they lead others to the Crone’s festering lair, where the woods twist, the walls decay, and no one ever leaves.
- Murders at Buckshot Ridge (New): They built a logging camp deep in the woods, but the forest pushed back. Now, the cabins rot, the axes drip red, and the men who once worked here have become something else entirely. The trees shift, the paths deceive—and the forest keeps what it takes.
- Ragnar’s Wrath: The icy winds of Niflheim howl as you approach a charred Viking longhouse, its stench of death is a prelude to the horrors within.
- Shadows of Wonderland: Step back into Wonderland, but not as you remember it. This warped dreamscape has come from years of torment under the Queen of Hearts’ reign of terror. Once playful characters have become bitter shadows, their anger fueled by Alice’s abandonment. Now, you must confront this distorted reality and face a vengeful Queen who wants both Alice (and you) gone.
Howl-O-Scream also features sinister shows like The Reckoning, where a battle of good and evil unfolds in the depths of Hell, and Cirque X-Scream, an electrifying stunt show that thrills audiences with daring feats.
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With new haunted houses, scare zones, hordes, and entertainment, Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream 2025 is set to be the most terrifying event yet. Guests are warned: prepare for screams, surprises, and a nightmarish adventure that will haunt them long after they leave.
Evil upgrades
Howl-O-Scream is a separately-ticketed event on select nights from Sept. 5 to Nov. 2 after 7 p.m.
Tickets are currently $34.99 during the Monster Sale.
Front Line Fear passes start at $69.99 and offer front-of-line access to all five haunted houses. The Front Line Fear Extreme pass adds front-of-line access to Busch Gardens’ ten roller coasters.
For the ultimate experience, the Howl-O-Scream VIP Tour includes unlimited front-of-line access, a meal, private beverages, and preferred parking, starting at $299.99 per person (two-person minimum).
Parental discretion is advised due to graphic content. Costumes are not allowed.