19 Best Halloween Events in Tampa Bay
All things spooky have invaded Tampa Bay for Halloween! The area has filled with tons of themed events and activities. Everyone has their own taste for frights of the night so we have categorized these events into three levels:
- Kid-Friendly – Nothing too scary here, just some great family fun.
- Spooky – Halloween themed events that wont scare your pants off.
- Thrill Seekers – For those looking for a real scare, the most hardcore events.
Kid-Friendly
Location: ZooTampa – Tampa, FL
Dates: Select nights Sept. 30 – Oct. 30
Time: 4-10pm
Tickets needed? Yes – purchase here
Kids of all ages can come and join mischievous characters for a night of Halloween adventures complete with animals, spooky frights, and festive treats!
2. Tampa Riverwalk Trick or Treat
Location: Riverwalk – Tampa, FL
Dates: Oct. 29
Time: 4-7pm
Tickets needed? No – it’s free
Children in costume and their families are invited to trick or treat along the Riverwalk as well as enjoy fun activities. There will be over 50 treat stations participating along the Riverwalk from Water Works Park to MacDill Park including Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park.
3. Tampa Riverwalk Halloween Lighted Boat Parade
Location: Riverwalk – Tampa, FL
Dates: Oct. 29
Time: 6:30-9:30pm
Tickets needed? No – it’s free
Join Friends of the Riverwalk and the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation for a Halloween boat parade along the Hillsborough River in Downtown Tampa. This event
4. Spooktacular
Location: SeaWorld – Orlando, FL
Dates: Select nights Sept. 17 – Oct. 31
Time: 11am-one hour before park close
Tickets needed? Yes – purchase here
SeaWorld’s Spooktacular is back with fun surprises, candy, costumes and more! Kids love trick-or-treating (with purchase of reusable bag) during this daytime event as they explore our decorated trail and meet colorful characters.
Location: Legoland – Winter Haven, FL
Dates: Saturdays and Sundays Sept. 24 – Oct. 30
Time: Normal park hours
Tickets needed? Yes – purchase here
The signature Halloween event is better than ever this year! Brick-or-Treat will bewitch LEGOLAND® Florida Resort with tons of candy, an all-new show line up, never-before-seen exclusive LEGO® characters, and more!
Location: Armature Works – Tampa, FL
Dates: Oct 27 – 30
Time: Time varies on date
Tickets needed? Yes – purchase here
300,000 square feet of carnival rides, fun food, and Halloween activities. There will be a dedicated Kid zone for little ones to enjoy themselves and later in the night there are special DJ performances.
Location: Central Avenue – St. Petersburg, Fl
Dates: Oct. 20
Time: 12-5pm
Tickets needed? No – it’s free
22 blocks of St. Petersburg Central Avenue will be dedicated to trick or treating for kids! There is also entertainment, giveaways, music and more!
8. Teal-O-Ween
Location: Al Lopez Park – Tampa, FL
Date: Oct. 30
Time: 2-4pm
Tickets needed? Yes – purchase here
Tampa Bay’s only allergen-friendly Halloween event! There will be games, crafts and giveaways. Of course, there will also be trick-or-treating, but it will not include any food.
Spooky
Location: Tampa Convention Center – Tampa, Fl
Date: Select nights – Oct. 14-30
Time: Departure times – 7pm, 8pm, 9pm
Tickets needed? Yes – purchase here
Enjoy a crew of haunted storytellers sharing well-known tales of terror and Tampa’s eerie past! The cruise will include terror filled-storytelling, ghostly horror, and haunted happenings on this 45-minute storytelling ride aboard one of Tampa’s most popular attractions
10. An Eerie Evening at the Tampa Bay Hotel
Location: Henry B. Plant Museum – Tampa, FL
Dates: Oct. 28-30
Time: 6-9pm
Tickets needed? Yes – purchase here
See the Museum in moonlight as you’ve never seen it before and explore Victorian horror stories brought to life! Period lighting and candles set the stage for tales of monsters, fantasy, crime and more.
11. A Nightmare on Franklin Street
Location: Tampa Theatre – Tampa, FL
Dates: Select nights in Oct.
Time: Time varies based on event
Tickets needed? Yes – purchase here
In late October, the hair-raising historic landmark goes 100% Halloween with classic horror movies, guest stars, ghost tours, spine-chilling stage shows, spooky storytelling, and family-friendly frights!
Location: King Corona Cigars – Tampa, FL
Date: Year-round
Time: 8pm
Tickets needed? Yes – purchase here
Tampa’s famous “Latin District” has no lack of strange and creepy happenings. It is home to some of the most haunted buildings in America, and you can investigate them with award-winning guides.
Location: Tampa Theatre – Tampa, FL
Dates: Select nights in Oct.
Time: Varies based on date
Tickets needed? Yes – purchase here
Learn the Theatre’s secrets and stories with a “balcony to backstage” tour that will focus on the historic movie palace’s ghostly guests, preternatural patrons and eternal employees.
14. Vault of Souls
Location: The Vault – Tampa, FL
Dates: Oct. 28, 29, 30
Time: 7:30pm
Tickets needed? Yes – purchase here
Upon arrival, enjoy a cocktail bar, dancers, magicians and a tarot card reader. Then descend into the underground labyrinth where coded notes from the past guide your path. Be sure to also experience the garden oasis while enjoying delightful aperitifs.
Thrill Seekers
Location: Sparkman Wharf – Tampa, FL
Dates: Weekends in Sept. and Oct.
Time: 7:30pm
Tickets needed? Yes – purchase here
In the fifth iteration of UNDead in the Water, a mysterious female apparition and her possessed cult threaten passengers across 60,000 square feet of cavernous cargo holds and open-air decks.
16. Howl-O-Scream
Location: Busch Gardens – Tampa, FL
Dates: Select nights Sept. 9 – Oct. 31
Time: Varies based on night
Tickets needed? Yes – purchase here
Busch Gardens® Howl-O-Scream® returns in full force, taking over the entire park with haunted houses, scare zones, sinister shows and more. Unspeakable horror lives in every dark corner, including on Busch Gardens’ pulse-pounding thrill rides.
17. Scream-A-Geddon
Location: Dade City, FL
Dates: Oct. 23-31
Time: 7-11pm
Tickets needed? Yes – purchase here
SCREAM-A-GEDDON is what happens when the best minds in the haunted house industry come together in Tampa Bay, Florida to produce a premier Halloween horror park.
Location: Largo, FL
Dates: Select nights in Oct.
Times: 7-11pm
Tickets needed? Yes – purchase here
A haunted house with 10,000 sq ft of horror. The terrifying tour takes you through the aftermath of last year’s red tide outbreak. Creepy and unexplainable events are happening every day, no telling what will happen next. Enter only if you dare.
Location: Universal Studios – Orlando, FL
Dates: Select nights Sept. 2 – Oct. 31
Time: 6:30pm-2am
Tickets needed? Yes – purchase here
Summon your scream squad to Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights, The World’s Premier Halloween Event. Face 10 haunted houses, 5 scare zones, 2 live shows and some of Universal Studios Florida’s most exciting attractions.