Williamsburg, VA — Busch Gardens Williamsburg runs Howl-O-Scream on select nights from September 11 through November 1, 2026, and unlike the Orlando, Tampa, and San Diego events, it is included with regular park admission rather than separately ticketed. Five haunted houses are named, along with the terror-tories and shows.
Full franchise coverage: See HAN’s Howl-O-Scream 2026 guide to all five United Parks locations for the umbrella event and cross-park comparisons. United Parks announced a second Sony Pictures license the same day, I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Final Catch, at its three SeaWorld parks.
When Is Howl-O-Scream Williamsburg 2026?
Howl-O-Scream runs 30 select nights. September 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27. October 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30 and 31. November 1. Event hours are generally 6 p.m. to park close, which is 10 or 11 p.m. depending on the night.
The September 11 opening puts Williamsburg on the same start date as all four other Howl-O-Scream parks in 2026, and the November 1 close is one of the two latest in the chain alongside SeaWorld San Antonio.
Howl-O-Scream Is Included With Park Admission
This is the structural difference that matters. Orlando, Tampa, and San Diego sell Howl-O-Scream as a separate hard ticket that a regular admission or annual pass will not get you into. At Williamsburg the event is included with park admission, which, along with SeaWorld San Antonio, means guests holding admission pay nothing extra for the event.
Because the event is included with admission, there is no separate event ticket. Busch Gardens sells Haunted House Quick Queue from $89.99 and Quick Queue Unlimited Plus from $109.99, plus a NO BOO necklace for $19.99 that tells the monsters not to scare you.
Five Haunted Houses
Busch Gardens runs five haunted houses in 2026, including the Sony-licensed Anaconda: Dead on Arrival and the all-new Fright at the Museum, which opens September 25. The park’s descriptions follow.
Anaconda: Dead on Arrival
Announced July 31 and opening September 11. Per United Parks, guests are “sent deep into the Amazon to search for a missing film crew, quickly turning into a fight for survival.” Busch Gardens Tampa Bay opens a separate Anaconda house the same night, and the company describes the pair as “two unique tales while honoring the legend of an iconic film.” United Parks says it is the first time Sony Pictures has licensed the film for a Halloween event. Our full coverage.
Fright at the Museum
An all-new house themed to an archaeological dig gone wrong, opening September 25, two weeks after the event’s September 11 start.
Werewolves: The Wolf’s Revenge
Returning from 2025. Hunters track a creature “long thought extinct from memory” through the forest, capture it, and bring it to a containment facility to identify it. Per the park, “the hunters have quickly become the hunted,” after the creature breaks its chains inside the building.
Bloodshot
Returning from 2025. A dive bar for the undead uncovered deep within the ruins of Pompeii. The taps have run dry and the vampires need “refills of A, B, and O-negative.” The park’s warning: if you are still inside at last call, you may be the next keg.
Clown Town
Marked a returning favorite. Clowns thrown out of the Festa Italia village for being “too terrifying” have built their own territory, where “their whims dictate who will escape and who will remain trapped in their demented circus.”
Two houses from Busch Gardens’ earlier plans, Death Water Bayou: Morte and KILLarney Diner: Condemned, are not running in 2026. The Killarney Diner theater is being converted for the 2027 ride Return to Corkscrew Hill.
Terror-Tories and Shows
Busch Gardens calls its scare zones terror-tories. The 2026 lineup adds the all-new Viper Valley and Witch’s Way, alongside returning Disgrotesque, Wicked Wunderland, and Ripper Row. The park lists five terror-tories and four shows, including the all-new Undead Diva, the returning Skeletones In Your Closet, and Monster Stomp on Ripper Row, which opens October 1.
Coasters Run at Night
Busch Gardens runs its coasters at night during Howl-O-Scream, which it describes as “a completely different ride experience” (its pages cite nine to ten coasters). The event takes over the entire park rather than a section of it.
What to Know Before You Go
- Included with admission, so no separate event ticket is required
- Event hours are 6 p.m. to park close on select nights
During Howl-O-Scream, guests 15 and younger must be with a chaperone at least 21 years old after 4 p.m., and one chaperone can bring no more than six guests 15 or younger. No bags are allowed after 4 p.m., and there is no re-entry after 8 p.m.
Across the Howl-O-Scream Parks
All five Howl-O-Scream parks open September 11, 2026. Orlando, San Diego, and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay close October 31, while Williamsburg and SeaWorld San Antonio run through November 1. Williamsburg and San Antonio include the event with admission. Orlando, Tampa, and San Diego are separately ticketed.
For the deepest 2026 reveals, see HAN’s Howl-O-Scream Orlando 2026 coverage and Howl-O-Scream San Diego 2026 coverage. For opening dates across every haunt in the country, see when haunted houses open.
Event Details
- Event: Howl-O-Scream 2026, Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- Location: Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia
- Dates: 30 select nights, September 11 through November 1, 2026
- Hours: 6 p.m. to park close
- Admission: Included with park admission
- Official site: buschgardens.com/williamsburg/events/howl-o-scream
Last updated: September 24, 2026. The full 2026 lineup (five houses, terror-tories, shows), hours, dates, and the admission model were verified against the official event and upgrades pages on September 17, 2026. Two houses from earlier plans, Death Water Bayou: Morte and KILLarney Diner, are not running this year.
