Howl-O-Scream is returning to SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in September with new haunted houses and scare zones.
The Tampa event will feature five haunted houses and six scare zones. The new house, D.H. Baggum’s Circus of Fear — which the park’s press release hypes as “the most terrifying show you’ve ever seen” — will join returning houses The Forgotten: Uprising, Stranglewood Estate, Witch of the Woods and The Residence: Home for the Holidays.
Two new scare zones will be added to this year’s lineup, called Sin City Zombies and Big Ed’s Demolition Derby. Making their returns from the 2022 event will be Ravens Mill, The Junkyard, Beyond the Veil, and The Shortcut.
Busch Gardens is also bringing a new stage show to the 2023 event, called “Rock the Grave,” which the park says will merge “the worlds of alternative and classic rock and pop hits into an unforgettable experience.” The stunt show “Cirque X-Scream” will be back at the Stanleyville Theater, while The Rolling Bones will perform at Dragon Fire Grill.
At SeaWorld Orlando, the third year of its Howl-O-Scream will once again feature five houses, but three will be new: D3LER1UM666 Laboratories, set in a secret government research facility; Beneath the Ice —The Meltdown, a successor to the house featured last year; and Dead Vines: Nawlin’s Nightmare, another successor house filled with the “gruesome gators and ghoulish gravestones of the Louisiana Bayou,” according to SeaWorld. Two more houses will be “reimagined” for this year’s event, Captain’s Revenge: Drowned in Darkness and Blood Beckoning.
For scare zones, Orlando will offer a total of seven this year, including four newcomers: Blood Light District, Toxic Turmoil, CarnEvil Pier and Portal of Passage. Three returning zones — Frozen Terror – Alive in the Ice, Witchcraft Bayou and Terrors of the Deep — round out the lineup.
Beyond the haunts and scare zones, the event will feature a new show called “Cursed Lagoon” alongside the returning “Siren’s Song” and “Monster Stomp.” Coaster fans can also catch night rides on several of the park’s biggest coasters during Howl-O-Scream, including the new-for-2023 Pipeline, Ice Breaker, Mako and Manta.
Both Howl-O-Scream events run on select nights from Sept. 8 through Halloween. The events require separate admission and are not included with SeaWorld memberships. For the hardcore haunt fans, SeaWorld is offering a two-park unlimited admission ticket that includes each Howl-O-Scream night at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and SeaWorld Orlando for $156.