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Howl-O-Scream 2026 at Busch Gardens Tampa: crowd calendar

11 Sep to 31 Oct 202627 nightsTampa, Florida, United States

Howl-O-Scream 2026 at Busch Gardens Tampa runs 11 Sep to 31 Oct 2026 and is forecast moderately busy, averaging 39% crowd level. The quietest night is Tue 27 Oct at 15%, the busiest Sat 17 Oct at 61%.

Quietest night of Howl-O-Scream 2026

Tuesday 27 Oct

Howl-O-Scream 2026 is forecast moderately busy at Busch Gardens Tampa, averaging 39% crowd level across its 27 nights. The busiest is Saturday 17 Oct at 61%.

15%crowds
Next bestWed 28 Oct 15%Thu 29 Oct 16%Fri 11 Sep 17%

Across its 27 nights the forecast averages 39% crowd level, which is about a normal day for this park at Busch Gardens Tampa. That is about the same as the same weeks in 2025, which measured 41%. Expect lines to average around 13 minutes park-wide on a typical night.

Howl-O-Scream is an evening event with its own ticket; a standard day ticket does not include it.

Every night, with the forecast

September 2026

  1. Fri1117%~6 min
  2. Sat1239%~13 min
  3. Fri1817%~6 min
  4. Sat1948%~17 min
  5. Fri2528%~9 min
  6. Sat2646%~15 min

October 2026

  1. Thu123%~7 min
  2. Fri235%~11 min
  3. Sat349%~17 min
  4. Sun446%~16 min
  5. Thu839%~13 min
  6. Fri947%~16 min
  7. Sat1058%~22 min
  8. Sun1156%~21 min
  9. Thu1543%~14 min
  10. Fri1649%~17 min
  11. Sat1761%~24 min
  12. Sun1856%~20 min
  13. Thu2228%~9 min
  14. Fri2335%~11 min
  15. Sat2456%~21 min
  16. Sun2549%~17 min
  17. Tue2715%~5 min
  18. Wed2815%~5 min
  19. Thu2916%~5 min
  20. Fri3028%~9 min
  21. Sat3151%~18 min

The 24 days inside the run that Howl-O-Scream does not operate on are forecast 38% on average.

Quietest 0-15%Quieter 15-35%Typical 35-65%Busier 65-88%Busiest 88-100%

How the same weeks ran in 2025

Between 11 Sep and 31 Oct 2025 the park measured 41% on average over 12 recorded days. The busiest was Saturday 13 Sep at 75%, the quietest Thursday 18 Sep at 19%. These are the same calendar weeks, not necessarily 2025's event dates.

Busiest days, measured

  1. 1Saturday 13 Seplines averaged 36 min75%
  2. 2Sunday 21 Seplines averaged 26 min64%
  3. 3Friday 24 Octlines averaged 26 min64%
  4. 4Friday 17 Octlines averaged 18 min51%
  5. 5Sunday 14 Seplines averaged 17 min49%

Quietest days, measured

  1. 1Tuesday 28 Octlines averaged 6 min19%
  2. 2Monday 29 Seplines averaged 6 min19%
  3. 3Friday 19 Seplines averaged 6 min19%
  4. 4Thursday 18 Seplines averaged 6 min19%
  5. 5Sunday 26 Octlines averaged 10 min33%

Dates as published by Busch Gardens Tampa; always check the park's own site before travelling. Crowd levels are modelled from this park's own recorded wait times, school and public holidays, day of the week and the weather forecast, and may not always be right. We score every past forecast against what the lines actually did in the forecast accuracy ledger.

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Frequently asked

When is Howl-O-Scream 2026 at Busch Gardens Tampa?

Howl-O-Scream 2026 runs 11 Sep to 31 Oct 2026, on selected dates: 27 nights in total. Dates are as published by Busch Gardens Tampa.

What is the quietest night of Howl-O-Scream 2026?

Tuesday 27 Oct is forecast the quietest at 15% crowd level. The next best are Wed 28 Oct (15%), Thu 29 Oct (16%), Fri 11 Sep (17%).

What is the busiest night of Howl-O-Scream 2026?

Saturday 17 Oct is forecast the busiest at 61%. The 13 nights that fall in the Summer (11 Sep to 30 Oct) average 35%.

How busy is Howl-O-Scream compared with a normal day at Busch Gardens Tampa?

The event nights average 39% crowd level, about a normal day for this park. The same weeks in 2025 measured 41% on average. The 24 days inside the run that Howl-O-Scream does not operate on are forecast 38% on average.

Do I need a separate ticket for Howl-O-Scream?

Yes. Howl-O-Scream is ticketed separately from day admission and runs in the evening. Check Busch Gardens Tampa's own site for prices and on-sale dates.