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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 quiet, averaging 35% crowd level. The quietest night is Thu 1 Oct at 15%, the busiest Sat 10 Oct at 59%.

Quietest night of Howl-O-Scream 2026

Thursday 1 Oct

Howl-O-Scream 2026 is forecast quiet at Busch Gardens Tampa, averaging 35% crowd level across its 21 nights. The busiest is Saturday 10 Oct at 59%.

15%crowds
Next bestThu 22 Oct 17%Tue 27 Oct 17%Thu 29 Oct 17%

Across its 27 nights the forecast averages 35% crowd level, which is quieter than a normal day here. That is 7 points quieter than the same weeks measured in 2025 (42%). Expect lines to average around 12 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. Fri11No forecast
  2. Sat12No forecast
  3. Fri18No forecast
  4. Sat19No forecast
  5. Fri25No forecast
  6. Sat26No forecast

October 2026

  1. Thu115%~5 min
  2. Fri221%~7 min
  3. Sat352%~18 min
  4. Sun441%~13 min
  5. Thu820%~7 min
  6. Fri934%~11 min
  7. Sat1059%~23 min
  8. Sun1149%~17 min
  9. Thu1525%~8 min
  10. Fri1635%~11 min
  11. Sat1755%~20 min
  12. Sun1851%~18 min
  13. Thu2217%~6 min
  14. Fri2326%~8 min
  15. Sat2454%~19 min
  16. Sun2546%~16 min
  17. Tue2717%~6 min
  18. Wed2818%~6 min
  19. Thu2917%~6 min
  20. Fri3025%~8 min
  21. Sat3149%~17 min

The 10 days inside the run that Howl-O-Scream does not operate on are forecast 26% on average, quieter than the event nights.

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 42% on average over 5 recorded days. The busiest was Friday 24 Oct at 59%, the quietest Tuesday 28 Oct at 21%. These are the same calendar weeks, not necessarily 2025's event dates.

Busiest days, measured

  1. 1Friday 24 OctLines averaged 22 min59%
  2. 2Friday 17 OctLines averaged 18 min50%
  3. 3Sunday 26 OctLines averaged 14 min41%
  4. 4Friday 10 OctLines averaged 12 min37%
  5. 5Tuesday 28 OctLines averaged 7 min21%

Quietest days, measured

  1. 1Tuesday 28 OctLines averaged 7 min21%
  2. 2Friday 10 OctLines averaged 12 min37%
  3. 3Sunday 26 OctLines averaged 14 min41%
  4. 4Friday 17 OctLines averaged 18 min50%
  5. 5Friday 24 OctLines averaged 22 min59%

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 queue 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 queues actually did and publish the result in the crowd 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?

Thursday 1 Oct is forecast the quietest at 15% crowd level. The next best are Thu 22 Oct (17%), Tue 27 Oct (17%), Thu 29 Oct (17%).

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

Saturday 10 Oct is forecast the busiest at 59%. The 13 nights that fall in the Summer (11 Sep to 30 Oct) average 30%.

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

The event nights average 35% crowd level, quieter than a normal day here. The same weeks in 2025 measured 42% on average. The 10 days inside the run that Howl-O-Scream does not operate on are forecast 26% on average, quieter than the event nights.

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

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