San Diego, CA — SeaWorld San Diego has confirmed Howl-O-Scream will return on select nights from September 11 through October 31, 2026, with a framework of six haunted houses, five scare zones, three vile vignettes, one live show, six themed cocktail bars, and five speakeasies. The separately ticketed event opens for guests at 6 p.m., with the event proper beginning at 7 p.m. The park has previewed the 2026 lineup with several all-new experiences confirmed, and additional details are expected in the weeks ahead.
This article will be updated as new announcements land.
Haunted Houses (six total)
Area 64: MOTHERSHIP (all-new for 2026). The centerpiece of the 2026 lineup. Set 30 years before the events of the returning Area 64: Alien Outbreak storyline, the new house presents the origins of the extraterrestrial nightmare through what SeaWorld describes as the largest haunted-house show scene ever created for Howl-O-Scream San Diego. The build includes a 80-foot-long alien mothership façade.
Nightmare Experiment Sweet DreamzZz. Sunny Meadows, a former wellness center, has been reimagined as a testing ground for a volatile sleep aid. Guests move through the facility as test subjects, encountering hallucinations, explosive rage, and worse.
Death Water Bayou Awakening. A Mardi Gras night turns sinister when bayou witches curse guests and lure them into a haunted graveyard. Dark magic, ancient rituals, and a demon in the swamp anchor the story.
Simon’s Slaughterhouse. Returning, with brand-new sensory effects added for 2026. Guests navigate the meat-processing plant’s bloody corridors, meat-hooked mortals, and buzz saws while avoiding the butcher’s blades.
3D MAZE: Circus of the Damned. A distorted, surreal carnival experienced with special 3D glasses. Guests navigate lifelike 3D elements to escape an evil ringmaster seeking to restore his cursed circus to its former glory.
A sixth house has been teased but not yet named. SeaWorld’s copy previews an “ALL-NEW! Haunted House” that “will reveal itself from the murky depths of Mission Bay in a few short weeks.”
Scare Zones (five total)
Three of the five 2026 scare zones are all-new.
Red Moon Revelry (all-new for 2026). A once-quiet forest commune has been transformed into a bloodthirsty vampire cabal celebrating the arrival of a blood moon.
All Hallow’s Harvest (all-new for 2026). A blighted farmland patrolled by cursed scarecrows intent on harvesting body and soul.
Carnival of Chaos (all-new for 2026). The overflow zone from the Circus of the Damned house, with disgruntled carnies, sideshow clowns, and specialty performers roaming the midway.
Deadly Toys (returning). Living dolls that “don’t want playtime to end.”
Graveyard (returning). A cemetery where “some of this cemetery’s long-term guests are dying to meet you,” per SeaWorld’s copy.
Live Entertainment and Vile Vignettes
Monster Stomp returns as the marquee live show at Nautilus Amphitheater. The Jack the Ripper-themed rock and rhythm spectacular combines electric choreography, live vocals, and percussion. It is also the featured live show at Howl-O-Scream Orlando’s Nautilus Theater.
The event’s Vile Vignettes program features three all-new short-format experiences for 2026:
Summon the Spirits (all-new for 2026). A paranormal researcher arrives in Ripper Row with an apprentice to contact a Jack the Ripper victim and learn the killer’s identity, with predictable consequences.
Misfortune (all-new for 2026). A fortune teller’s tent where guests hear tales of woe and anguish spun about their future.
Dark Magic (all-new for 2026). A sadistic magician performs within the Carnival of Chaos midway.
Rides in the Dark
Three coasters run during Howl-O-Scream event hours, weather permitting: Arctic Rescue, Electric Eel, and Emperor.
Sinister Cocktail Bars and Speakeasies
Six themed cocktail bars operate during Howl-O-Scream:
- Fanta Fright House (all-new for 2026)
- Coffin 1380
- Inferno Bar
- Toybox
- Big Top Drinks
- LaBARatory
Five speakeasies also operate during the event. SeaWorld has not published the speakeasy names.
Howl-O-Sprint 5K on October 18
The Howl-O-Sprint 5K returns to SeaWorld San Diego on Saturday, October 18, 2026. The nighttime run threads through the event’s scare zones.
Ticket Options and Pricing
Howl-O-Scream San Diego is a separately ticketed nighttime event and is not included with daytime SeaWorld admission or with Annual Pass membership. Pass Members can check their Pass Member Portal for discounts.
- Single-Night Ticket: from $41.99 (regularly $94.99, up to 55 percent off). Valid Thursday, Friday, or Sunday (excludes Saturday). One-night admission.
- Any Night Ticket: $56.99 (40 percent off from $94.99). Valid for one visit on any event night.
- Unlimited Scream Pass: $106.99 (over 40 percent off from $189.99). Valid for unlimited event admission through October 31, 2026.
- Groups (15+): from $35.99 per person.
Prices are per person and exclude parking, taxes, and service fees.
Event notes and policy
- Ages: Not recommended for children under 13. Guests under 18 are admitted (no discounted rate), but the event contains intense adult content.
- Costumes and face paint are not permitted for the safety of performers.
- Photography and videography inside haunted houses are permitted with no flash.
- Animal viewing areas are closed during Howl-O-Scream.
- Bag policy: Bags larger than 8″ x 5″ are not permitted.
- Re-entry is not permitted.
Across the Howl-O-Scream parks
All four Howl-O-Scream parks share a September 11 start in 2026. Ends vary: Orlando and San Diego close October 31, while Busch Gardens Williamsburg, SeaWorld San Antonio, and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay run into November. The Florida SeaWorld and Busch parks (Orlando, Tampa) and SeaWorld San Diego are all separately ticketed. Williamsburg and San Antonio include Howl-O-Scream with daytime admission.
SeaWorld Orlando’s 2026 event is the most advanced in its content reveals to date. See HAN’s Howl-O-Scream Orlando 2026: Everything Announced So Far for the Orlando lineup and pricing.
United Parks & Resorts reported record 2025 Howl-O-Scream attendance in Orlando and San Diego on its Q3 2025 earnings call, signaling continued corporate investment in the Halloween brand.
Event details
- Event: Howl-O-Scream San Diego 2026
- Location: SeaWorld San Diego, 500 SeaWorld Drive, San Diego, CA 92109
- Dates: Select nights, September 11 through October 31, 2026
- Hours: Guests enter at 6 p.m., event begins at 7 p.m.
- Age recommendation: Not for children under 13
- Tickets: seaworld.com/san-diego/events/howl-o-scream/tickets
