Howl-O-Scream 2026: Everything We Know So Far for Orlando & Tampa Bay
Florida’s scream season is heating up, and Howl-O-Scream is dropping some more major updates for 2026. Both SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay are making some notable changes this year, and we’ve got the latest on houses, scare zones, shows, and what’s still under wraps.
Howl-O-Scream 2026: Everything We Know So Far for Orlando & Tampa Bay
Whether you’re team Orlando or team Tampa (or both), here’s everything confirmed so far.
Howl-O-Scream Orlando (SeaWorld)
Dates: Select nights from September 11 – October 31, 2026
This year’s event is doing things a little differently. While SeaWorld Orlando typically debuts one or two new haunted houses, 2026 is bringing four brand-new houses with only one returning. On top of that, the park will feature four brand-new scare zones alongside two returning favorites.
Haunted Houses Five houses total (four all-new + one returning). Only one has been fully revealed so far:
UPDATE: We have a second house announced
- Everything Must Stay (All-New) For six years, one suburban home has sat unsold while every open house ends the same way: terrified buyers fleeing from things they can’t explain. Tonight, those unseen forces awaken, and you’ll find yourself trapped inside for the worst showing imaginable.
- I Know What You Did Last Summer Step inside the world of I Know What You Did Last Summer in an all-new haunted house where the Fisherman stalks your every move. Journey through the seaside town of Southport as the horrifying events of that fateful summer come back to life—and discover whether you’ll make it out before the killer catches up to you.
The remaining three new houses and the single returning house have not been announced yet.
Scare Zones Six total (four all-new + two returning). Here’s what’s been revealed:
- Nekrosis (All-New) A seaside town frozen at midnight on January 1, 2000. What happened when the countdown reached zero? And more importantly… what’s still waiting here?
- Just One More Chapter (All-New) If your bookshelf is filled with toxic obsession and the most twisted love stories, this is the scare zone you’ve been waiting for. Irresistible temptation creates deadly intentions, and every path leads deeper into the darkness.
- Woodrot Hollow (Returning) Deep in the heart of the festering swamp lies Woodrot Hollow — a place where the trees weep sap like blood and the ground oozes with decay. Wander in… and rot with the rest.
- Trailer Park Tragedy (Returning) Something wicked’s gone down at the Trailer Park. Once a rowdy backwoods community on the edge of nowhere, the residents have turned territorial — and terrifying.
Two additional new scare zones remain unannounced.
Shows Both Monster Stomp and Throttle (featuring the returning icon Havoc) are confirmed to return this year.
SeaWorld has also confirmed five all-new themed bars and two roaming hordes, plus nighttime rides including Mako, Ice Breaker, Pipeline, and Expedition Odyssey: Fire & Ice.
Howl-O-Scream Tampa Bay (Busch Gardens)
Dates: Select nights from September 11 – October 31, 2026 (some sources list through November 1)
Tampa is also breaking from the pattern of recent years, with strong indications of an extra house being added to the lineup. Official announcements have been slower than Orlando so far, but here’s what we know:
Several of last year’s houses are returning with updated storylines and names. None of the scare zones have been officially announced yet. There has also been a steady stream of medical-themed teasers (“The Doctor is Back”) featuring a bloody nurse’s cap, stethoscope, and syringe, leading many to believe we’re getting a return of the long-running Fiends experience or a related mad-doctor attraction. Nothing has been confirmed yet.
Confirmed / Updated Houses So Far:
Update: Another house was just announced on 07/31
- Stranglewood Estate: RePossessed Once the site of lavish parties, Stranglewood Estate has stood abandoned since the mysterious deaths of Madame Stranglewood and the servants who disappeared within its walls.
- Circus of Fear: Killer Encore Welcome, welcome, one and all… to the Circus of Fear! Step right up — we’ve got a killer show for you tonight. Freaks! Frights! Wonders and nightmares wait just beyond those gates. Something feels different tonight… the laughs are bigger, the barkers a little meaner, and these performers? They’re just dying to entertain you.
- Raven’s Mill: Lambs to the Slaughter Everyone knew what happened in Raven’s Mill last year. The blood. The violence. The bodies dragged through the fields. Now the land has gone dry… but the mill still runs.
- M.A.R.S. Board the wreckage of Elysium 13, a lost space vessel now overrun by nightmarish alien creatures. After a crash landing on Mars, the crew vanished, leaving only bloodied walls and broken signals behind.
- Anaconda: Fear Has No Escape: A film crew traveled deep into the jungle to bring a remake of Anaconda to life, but something interrupted production before filming could be completed. The set now sits abandoned, with equipment left where they fell as the jungle slowly reclaims them. Beyond the cameras and staging, the trail ahead is marked by signs that the crew’s troubles extended far beyond the production itself. As you move deeper into the Amazon rainforest in search of the missing crew, the line between movie set and reality begins to disappear.
Expect more house and scare zone reveals in the coming weeks as Tampa starts filling in the rest of the lineup.
Final Thoughts
Orlando is clearly leaning into a heavier new-content year with four brand-new houses and four new zones, while Tampa appears to be refining and expanding on last year’s strong foundation with updated stories and the potential return of a classic doctor/nurse experience.
We’ll keep this post updated as more official announcements drop. In the meantime, tickets are already on sale for both parks (including Two-Park Unlimited options), so now’s a good time to lock in those early savings if you’re planning your 2026 scream season.
