Orlando is looking to be a Halloween Vacation Capital, inviting visitors to celebrate spooky season with a record 93 days of frightful and family friendly events.
Highlights include the nation’s largest horror convention, Central Florida theme park events, haunted botanical gardens, trick-or-treat trails, and even a Beetlejuice-themed brunch.
“Orlando lives up to its reputation as the Halloween Vacation Capital by conjuring up more than three months of Halloween celebrations for all ages,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO, Visit Orlando. “Starting as early as August, visitors can plan for a full season of events for everyone in the family, including the pop culture enthusiast, the haunted house thrill seeker and especially the sweet tooth.”
SPOOKY THEME PARK EVENTS:
- Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom Park (select nights, through Oct. 31) with spooky entertainment, trick-or-treat trails, themed parade and more.
- Universal Orlando Resort’s Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida (select nights, Aug. 30 – Nov. 3) returns with 10 haunted houses, five scare zones, live entertainment and thrilling attractions.
- At SeaWorld Orlando, guests can experience three Halloween-themed events:
- At SeaWorld Spooktacular (weekends, Aug. 31 – Nov. 3), little ones can dress up in costumes and meet colorful characters.
- Howl-O-Scream (select nights, Sept. 6 – Nov. 2) returns with new haunted houses and scare zones, nighttime coaster rides, interactive themed bars, live shows and more.
- Howl-O-Sprint (Sept. 13) is a new nighttime terror 5K beginning at midnight on Friday the 13th.
- LEGOLAND Florida Resort‘s Brick or Treat Presents Monster Party (weekends, Sept. 14 – Oct. 27) features a trick-or-treat trail, live entertainment, LEGO characters, and new Monster Skytacular drone show.
SCARES BEYOND THE THEME PARKS
Family-Friendly Frights:
- Pirates Dinner Adventure‘s “Vampirates: When the Blood Moon Rises” (Sept. 19 – Oct. 31) is a dinner show featuring aerial artistry, swordplay, death-defying stunts and duels.
- Screamin’ Green Hauntoween at Crayola Experience (Sept. 23 – Oct. 31) includes a scavenger hunt, character photo ops, weekend trick-or-treating, pumpkin decorating and slime making.
- Happy Frights at Harry P. Leu Gardens (select dates, Sept. 27– Oct. 31) offers a trick-or-treat adventure through 12 themed worlds, featuring a mysterious swamp, crazy carnival, Mad Hatter maze, dancing aliens, giant plants, live music and more.
- A Petrified Forest (select nights, Oct. 4 – Nov. 2) features three trails in a two-acre forest, with scares at every turn, local art vendors, laser tag and more.
- Spooky Empire (Oct. 11-13), one of the largest horror conventions, returns with a weekend of celebrity meet-and-greets, 200 vendors, top tattoo artists, film screenings, and Zombie Walks catering to Halloween and rock ‘n’ roll fans of all ages.
- Gatorland‘s Gators, Ghosts and Goblins daytime Halloween event (weekends, Oct. 12-27) features a haunted zone, exhibit, interactive characters, animal meet-and-greets, candy giveaways, a children’s Halloween costume parade and more.
- Lake Nona Town Center (Oct. 26) hosts the free Lake Nona Graveyard Smash with trick-or-treat stations, live music and inflatable courses.
- Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts presents Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical (Oct. 31 – Nov. 3), a 1980s-inspired spoof of the hit Netflix series, featuring the Hawkins gang and campy thrills.
Thrilling Experiences and Adults-Only Entertainment:
- Renaissance Theatre Company presents “Nosferatu” (select dates, Sept. 13 – Nov. 10), a 90-minute horror experience where guests are led by vampires through hidden corners of the venue, followed by access to an exclusive Vampire Nightclub with specialty cocktails and drag performances.
- Haunting Nights at Harry P. Leu Gardens (Sept. 27 – Oct. 31) serves as the teenager/adult-focused counterpart to Happy Frights, with jump scares and themed characters.
- Cocktails & Screams in downtown Orlando is a year-round Halloween-themed bar. Guests can enjoy spooky experiences, like the Beetlejuice Brunch, Quiet Place: Silent Disco Party, Just A Bunch of Hocus Pocus Drag Show, Dan Sperry Shock Illusionist Show and more.
- Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts presents the Rocky Horror Picture Show 49th Anniversary Spectacular Tour with Barry Bostwick (Oct. 4), complete with a live shadow cast, audience participation, and more.
- Scream n’ Stream Drive-Thru Halloween Experience (weekends from Oct. 6 – 29) features seven horrifying zones with monsters, music, and special effects.
- The Orlando Zombie/Halloween Crawls (Oct. 25, 26, 31) features killer-drink specials and Halloween contests at 10 downtown Orlando bars and nightclubs.
Visit Orlando is the Official Tourism Association for Orlando, the most visited destination in the United States, Theme Park Capital of the World® and No. 1 meeting destination in the country. A not-for-profit trade association that brands, markets and sells the Orlando destination globally, Visit Orlando represents more than 1,500 member companies comprising every segment of Central Florida’s tourism community.
