Celebrate Halloween in Tampa Bay with these curated picks for the area’s most haunted happenings!
Halloween is here! Start planning your couples’ costumes, stock up on your favorite Halloween goodies at the store, and do date night at one of these fantastic Halloween events in Tampa Bay. We’ll be updating this list frequently, so check back often for spooky new updates.
Read on for plenty of Halloween date ideas, including a few new ones!
Check out these fall date night ideas:
- Pumpkin Patches, Fall Festivals and Foodie Events for Couples
- Oktoberfest Events in Tampa Bay
- Adults Only Halloween Parties in Tampa
- Experience Tampa’s Haunted History on These Chilling Ghost Tours
- Family Friendly Pumpkin Patches and Halloween fun in Tampa Bay
Plus, Halloween in Orlando date ideas
TAMPA HAUNTED HOUSES AND EXPERIENCES
Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Weekends September 8 – October 31, 2023; $37.99/person and up (prices vary by date)
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s annual Halloween production is so awesome. Make your way through new and revamped haunted houses, uniquely themed scare zones, and hop on your favorite roller coasters after dark. This is a separately ticketed event that is not included with general park admission.
2023 Houses include:
- D.H. Baggum’s Circus of Fear
- Stranglewood Estate
- The Residence: Home for the Holidays
- Witch of The Woods
- The Forgotten: Uprising
Important tips can be found in our guide to The Perfect Date Night at Howl-O-Scream Busch Gardens
Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail
Select weekend nights September 29 – November 4, 2023; Tickets on sale soon
Make your way to Plant City to visit this outdoor haunt comprised of three separate haunted trails. Each trail has its own backstory, plus you can test your skills in an escape room and haunted laser tag. Tickets must be purchased in advance for the 2023 season.
UNDead in the Water
Friday and Saturday nights from September 22-October 28, 2023
Hop aboard a WWII ship for this haunted attraction on the water. Immerse yourself in the action aboard the ship, where few surviving members of the crew talk of a haunting female ghost aboard the ship. Also new this year is the location, which has moved to Sparkman Wharf. This is truly one of Tampa Bay’s most unique Halloween experiences.
Pirate Water Taxi Tampa Halloween-Themed Haunted Tours
October 6-8, 13-15, 20-22, and 26-29, 2023; $35 and up
The Pirate Water Taxi is one of our favorite ways to get around downtown Tampa. But during the Halloween season, the water taxi gets a haunted twist! Pirate Water Taxi will again offer Haunted River Tours on select evenings this year, serving up spooky tales of Tampa hauntings and ghost stories. Tours last 45-50 minutes.
Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights – Orlando
Select nights September 2 – October 31, 2023; $79.99 and up
Step into some of Hollywood’s most notorious horror films and TV shows. Enjoy themed scare zones, select rides open during the event, live entertainment, and specialty food and drinks. Admission to Halloween Horror Nights is NOT included in theme park admission and must be purchased separately.
2023 Haunted Houses include:
- Netflix’s Stranger Things
- The Exorcist: Believer
- HBO’s The Last of Us
- Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count
- Universal Monsters Unmasked
- Dr. Oddfellow’s Twisted Origins
Our guide to Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights – Orlando includes the full lineup, tips to save time, and date ideas.
Related: The Best Halloween Events in Orlando
MORE HALLOWEEN EVENTS IN TAMPA
ZooTampa Creatures of the Night
Select Nights September 29-October 29, 2023
In search of an attraction that’s a little less scary and also works for the whole family? Couples and kiddos alike will enjoy ZooTampa’s family-friendly Halloween event, Creatures of the Night. Couples can also indulge in themed cocktails and specialty food items for a complete date night.
Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics
Thursday, October 19 and Saturday, October 28, 2023, 6:30pm or 9:00pm
Tickets $35-$55, select your timeslot when booking
Halloween inspired music at Centro Asturiano de Tampa under the gentle glow of candlelight.
“Spooky Point” at Selby Gardens
Historic Spanish Point campus
October 13 – 31, 2023 two entry times nightly: 6:30 and 7:45 p.m.
The inaugural year of what’s sure to become a fall family tradition at Selby Gardens. This new, Halloween-themed light show will transform our Historic Spanish Point campus into “Spooky Point,” where visitors will discover fantastic (but not too scary) creations around every turn.
Guests will follow an eerily lit path through the woods, encountering flying “ghost orchids,” giant “bat orchids,” dangling “spider orchids,” vine-twisted skeletons, and other surprises along the way. There also will be plenty of pumpkins and a hay maze to test your wits after a nighttime walk through the woods.
Food and beverages available for purchase, including fall favorites like candy apples, popcorn, and hot cocoa.
Tickets must be purchased in advance.
Also check out the Set Sail to Spooky Point experience.
LOKO’s Beer Zombies Eggs and Kegs
2023 Date TBD
7venth Sun Brewery
A zombified 4-course brunch, which includes one beer, wine, cider, coffee, or tea.
$40.85 – must be reserved in advance
A Nightmare on Franklin Street
October 13-31, 2023.
Tampa Theatre
Tampa’s most historic–and most haunted–movie palace is proud to present 16 nights of fright with its most sinister series, A Nightmare on Franklin Street. The hair-raising historic landmark goes 100% Halloween with classic horror movies, guest stars, ghost tours, spine-chilling stage shows, spooky storytelling, family-friendly frights, and the return of SpiritsFest!
- October 13: Friday the 13th, 13: Game of Death
- October 14: Hocus Pocus, The Wicker Man, Saturday the 14th
- October 15: The Addams Family
- October 16: Wendell & Wild, M3Gan
- October 17: Freaky
- October 20: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Carnival of Souls
- October 21: Coco, The Rocky Horror Picture Show
- October 22: Interview with the Vampire
- October 23: The Shining
- October 24: Train to Busan
- October 25: Dead of Night
- October 26: Talk to Me
- October 27: Saw
- October 28: Pulgasari, The Purge
- October 29: Slotherhouse, Night of the Lepus
- October 30: The Changeling
- October 31: Halloween
READ MORE: Where to See Halloween Movies in Tampa Bay
Tampa Theatre Ghost Tours
October 13-31, 2023
$15/non-members, Free/members
Round up a few of your friends or family members for a private ghost tour through Tampa Theatre. This is your ticket to experience one of Tampa’s most haunted buildings in a new light. During the 90-minute tour, your guide will take you through all three levels of the historic movie palace while sharing haunted tales sure to get you in the spooky spirit.
Related: Experience Tampa’s Haunted History on These Chilling Ghost Tours
Haunted Woods at Hillsborough River State Park
October 20-21, 2023 from 6pm-10pm
Cost: $10 for ages 13 and older
Hillsborough River State Park
The Hillsborough River State Park Preservation Society is hosting a haunted trail at the park along with a costume contest, live music and treats as an alternative to trick-or-treating! Learn more about the Haunted Woods at Hillsborough River State Park here.
Haunted Carnival at Armature Works
October 26 – October 29, 2023
Tickets on sale soon
Mike Piper, owner and founder of Pied Piper Productions says, “We’ll have live music from some of the top entertainers in the business, as well as everything a traditional carnival has to offer. Plus, I can’t think of a better way to spend Halloween weekend than dancing, enjoying food and rides, and taking in the beautiful Tampa skyline.”
The Haunted Carnival will host a costume contest, where the winner will be awarded $10,000 in cash and prizes. Participants can enter to win on Friday and Saturday from 4-10 p.m. or Sunday from 4-8 p.m. And a dog costume contest on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Those 18 and older in attendance can purchase a VIP pass that will grant them access to the Killer Beats Stage. VIP pass holders will have an exclusive view of world-renowned DJ performances, including DJ Pauly D, Gordo, Steve Aoki, and Shaquille O’Neal performing under his moniker DJ Diesel.
Gordo, formerly known as DJ Carnage, is also scheduled to perform on Saturday. Gordo has experienced critical acclaim this year after producing five tracks on Drake’s latest album “Honestly, Nevermind,” which was surprise-released in June and debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200.
Halloween on Central in St Pete
October 29, 2023 from noon-5pm
22 blocks in St. Pete will be closed to traffic for a chance for families to trick or treat in the street! There will also be costume contests and festival activities. This is a partnership between Car-Free St Pete, The EDGE District, Grand Central District and Open Streets St Pete.
Halloween at the Dalí
2023 date TBD
Visitors to The Dalí Museum are invited to enjoy spooky-inspired activities leading up to Halloween, including extended hours and discounted admission (only $12.50 for adults), spooky music throughout the Museum, pop-up tours in the permanent collection of Dalí works and a lecture on the spectral domain of Dalí’s art.
Come in costume to enjoy 10% off your order at Café Gala. There will be a costume contest at 7 p.m., with Dalí-inspired prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.
Advance timed tickets are recommended for this event and are available on the Dalí’s ticket page by selecting Thursday night after 5 p.m. tickets for Oct. 27.
Registration for the lecture is separate and free with limited capacity.
Lecture: Dalí’s ghosts, 6 p.m.
Join Dalí Museum Curator of Education Peter Tush to explore the spectral domain of Dalí’s art. This event is free to all, but registration is required. Learn more & register.
Halloween costume contest, 7 p.m.
Visitors in costume are invited to enter a costume contest in the Raymond James Community Room. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Additionally, all visitors who come in costume on Oct. 27 will receive 10% off at Café Gala. This event is free and open to all.
Haunted Wharf at Sparkman Wharf
October 27-28, 2023 from 5:30pm-10pm
Sparkman Wharf
FREE
Sparkman Wharf will transform into a haunted pirate shipwreck with sinister surprises at every corner. Haunted Wharf is a free community event for all ages that will offer silly spooks for the kids and scary fun for the adults as the evening progresses. Guests will enjoy two nights of roaming entertainment, photo-ops and festive food and drinks.
The free event will kick off on Friday with a Halloween-themed performance by DJ Matt Dodge, and on Saturday, DJ Ali V will take the shipwrecked stage to perform family-friendly Halloween hits. Performances begin at 5:30 pm. Parents are invited to grab a scary-good cocktail and watch the kiddos hit the dance floor.
A Siren swing, jail cell, drop-down scare window, decorated TAMPA sign are just a few of the numerous Halloween photo opportunities. Take part in transformative fun with face painting and commemorate the occasion with a caricature. All entertainment and activities are complimentary.
Other Halloween events at Sparkman Wharf include:
- Howl-O-Ween Dog Costume Contest on Monday, October 23 from 7pm-9pm
- Movies on the Lawn: Ghostbusters on Tuesday, October 31 at 6:30pm
Tampa Riverwalk Lighted Halloween Boat Parade
October 28, 2023
More info coming soon
Join Friends of the Riverwalk and the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation for a Halloween boat parade along the Hillsborough River in Downtown Tampa. The parade will begin in the Convention Center basin, travel to the Heights, and end at Sparkman Wharf. PS: Come a little early so the kiddos can partake in the annual Riverwalk Trick or Treat from 4-7pm.
Eerie Evening at the Tampa Bay Hotel
October 27-29, 2023
$25/members, $35/non-members
The Henry Plant Museum is hosting a special nighttime experience inside the former Tampa Bay Hotel. Visitors will find themselves transported back to the early 1900s, shortly after a terrible crime has been committed. Evidence and clues are scattered throughout the rooms and guests must strive to put the pieces together in time to prevent the next attack. Don’t miss it, as this is a rare opportunity to visit the Museum after dark.
Salty Nun Halloween Silent Party
October 27, 2023
$6-$10
Kick off Halloween weekend with a silent dance party. This unique Halloween weekend bash features 3 live DJs, but the only way to hear the beats is to put on a pair of headphones! Headphone rental is included with your ticket.
SpookEasy Lounge in Ybor City
NOW REOPEN! This themed bar is the perfect place to sip non-alcoholic beverages while taking in the spooky atmosphere. The menu features kava, botanical teas and coffee. This much-loved lounge is now reopened in a new location.
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