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, eight scare zones, five vile vignettes, two live shows, six themed cocktail bars, and five speakeasies. Three scare zones, two vile vignettes, and one live show are all-new and had not been named as of July 31, 2026. The separately ticketed event opens for guests at 6 p.m., with the event proper beginning at 7 p.m. Two of the six houses are all-new, and all six are now named.
Last updated: July 31, 2026. The lineup below was checked against SeaWorld’s official attractions page and ticket prices were verified against its ticket page, both on July 31, 2026. This article will be updated as new announcements land.
Full franchise coverage: See HAN’s Howl-O-Scream 2026 guide to all five United Parks locations for the umbrella event, cross-park lineup comparisons, and the other properties’ 2026 status.
When Is Howl-O-Scream San Diego 2026?
Howl-O-Scream San Diego 2026 runs 24 select nights. September 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26 and 27. October 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30 and 31. Guests may enter the park from 6 p.m. and the event begins at 7 p.m.
Watch opening-night highlights (2024)
Here are highlights from Howl-O-Scream San Diego’s 2024 opening night, for a look at how the event has run recently. Note: some houses, zones, and shows have changed for 2026.
Haunted Houses (six total)
Two of the six are all-new. All six are named.
I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Final Catch (announced July 31). Licensed from Sony Pictures and built on the 1997 film, opening September 11 at San Diego, Orlando and San Antonio. United Parks says it is the first time the film has been adapted for a major Halloween event. It is the sixth and final house of the 2026 lineup, the one SeaWorld had teased as a house that “will reveal itself from the murky depths of Mission Bay in a few short weeks.” Our full coverage.
Area 64: MOTHERSHIP (all-new for 2026). The largest build of the 2026 lineup. Set 30 years before the events of Area 64: Alien Outbreak, an earlier Howl-O-Scream San Diego house. Alien Outbreak is not itself among the six houses announced for 2026. MOTHERSHIP 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 an 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 run through the story.
Simon’s Slaughterhouse. Per SeaWorld, it “includes BRAND NEW sensory effects” 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.
Scare Zones (eight total)
Three of the eight are all-new and unannounced as of July 31, 2026. The five named zones:
Red Moon Revelry. A once-quiet forest commune has been transformed into a bloodthirsty vampire cabal celebrating the arrival of a blood moon.
All Hallow’s Harvest. A blighted farmland patrolled by cursed scarecrows intent on harvesting body and soul.
Carnival of Chaos. SeaWorld pitches it as the follow-on to the Circus of the Damned house, with disgruntled carnies, sideshow clowns, and specialty performers roaming the midway.
Deadly Toys. Per SeaWorld: “These aren’t like the dolls you grew up with. Playtime starts now, and it’s not over until they’ve had their fun.”
Graveyard. 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
SeaWorld lists two live shows for 2026. Monster Stomp returns at Nautilus Amphitheater, a Jack the Ripper-themed rock and rhythm show with choreography, live vocals, and percussion. It also runs at Howl-O-Scream Orlando’s Nautilus Theater. The second show is marked all-new and has not been named as of July 31, 2026.
The Vile Vignettes program runs five short-format experiences. Two are all-new and unannounced as of July 31, 2026. The three named:
Summon the Spirits. 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. A fortune teller’s tent where guests hear tales of woe and anguish spun about their future.
Dark Magic. 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.
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.
SeaWorld’s Killer Summer Sale is live across all four ticket products.
- Any-Night Ticket 4-Pack: $33.99 each (regularly $97.99). Minimum quantity of four. Valid for one visit on any event night
- Single-Night Ticket: from $35.99 (regularly $97.99). Valid on the date selected at purchase
- Any Night Ticket: $56.99 (regularly $97.99). Valid for one visit on any event night
- Unlimited Scream Pass: $101.99 (regularly $195.99). Unlimited event admission on select nights, September 11 through October 31
Prices are per person and exclude parking, taxes, and service fees. Verified against SeaWorld San Diego’s ticket page on July 31, 2026.
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 five Howl-O-Scream parks share a September 11 start in 2026. Ends vary: Orlando, San Diego, and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay close October 31, while Busch Gardens Williamsburg and SeaWorld San Antonio 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.
San Diego’s 2026 framework is the largest of the five parks by house and zone count, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg has named six haunted houses, including Anaconda: Dead on Arrival. 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: 24 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
This event is part of our Haunted Houses in California 2026 guide.
