The Ultimate Guide to Halloween in Orlando 2026
In most cities, Halloween is a holiday. In Orlando, it’s practically a season.
BY LATE SEPTEMBER, FOG BEGINS CREEPING ACROSS THEME PARKS, PUMPKINS APPEAR AROUND NEARLY EVERY CORNER and Central Florida settles in for more than two months of haunted houses, elaborate family celebrations, horror conventions, costume parties and cocktails served beneath an unreasonable number of plastic skeletons.
The 2026 season is particularly big, with Halloween Horror Nights celebrating its 35th anniversary, Mickey and friends returning for another round of trick-or-treating at Magic Kingdom and local haunts once again proving you don’t need a theme-park budget to get thoroughly terrified.
Here’s where to find Orlando’s biggest scares, parties and spooky drinks this Halloween.
The Big Scares
HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS
Terror Rating: ☠ ☠☠ ☠
Stranger Things haunted house at HHN 3R5th. Photo courtesy Universal Studios Orlando
The granddaddy of Orlando Halloween events celebrates its 35th anniversary with one of its most ambitious editions yet. Halloween Horror Nights takes over Universal Studios Florida for 48 select nights Aug. 28-Nov. 1, transforming the park into the “Infernal Carnival of Nightmares,” presided over by returning icons Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow.
Ten new haunted houses headline the event, including “Stranger Things,” “Sinners,” “Evil Dead Burn” and “Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness,” an elaborate tribute to the late rock legend inspired by more than four decades of music and imagery. Universal’s original creations round out the lineup, while scare zones, live entertainment, themed food and select attractions keep the screams going well into the night.
HHN is designed for mature audiences, and costumes are not permitted. Single-night tickets start at $88.99. universalorlando.com/Halloween
MICKEY’S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY
Terror Rating: ☠ ☠☠
©2024 Disney.
For those who prefer their ghosts hitchhiking and their witches singing show tunes, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party returns to Magic Kingdom on select nights Aug. 7-Oct. 31.
The separately ticketed after-hours party runs from 7 p.m. to midnight, with ticket holders able to enter the park beginning at 4 p.m. Guests can trick-or-treat throughout Magic Kingdom, meet Disney characters in Halloween costumes and catch the beloved Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade, led by the Headless Horseman.
The Sanderson Sisters return for the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, while Jack Skellington hosts Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular fireworks. Space Mountain goes completely dark, Mad Tea Party receives special Halloween lighting and adults get the rare opportunity to wear costumes inside a Disney theme park.
New for 2026, Stitch, Lilo and Angel host an ever-changing masquerade in Tomorrowland. Tickets range from $119-$229. disneyworld.com/halloween
HOWL-O-SCREAM
Terror Rating: ☠☠☠☠
Nightmare Citizen Starting Line Sprint 5K. Photo courtesy SeaWorld.
SeaWorld Orlando is raising the stakes for its sixth Howl-O-Scream with an unexpected dose of ’90s slasher nostalgia.
“I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Final Catch” brings the 1997 horror favorite to life in a new haunted house where guests encounter the vengeful Fisherman while moving through recreations of scenes from the original film.
Howl-O-Scream runs select nights Sept. 11-Oct. 31 with multiple haunted houses, scare zones, live entertainment, bars and thrill rides after dark. Unlike SeaWorld’s daytime Halloween festivities, this is a separately ticketed event aimed squarely at horror fans.
Tickets start at $39.99. seaworld.com/orlando/howloscream
A PETRIFIED FOREST
Terror Rating: ☠☠☠☠
Photo courtesy a Petrified Forest
One of Central Florida’s longest-running independent haunts proves that sometimes the scariest thing you can do is leave the carefully controlled confines of a theme park.
A Petrified Forest in Altamonte Springs returns for its 2026 season with three elaborate outdoor scare trails populated by live actors, detailed sets and plenty of things waiting in the darkness. The attraction rebuilds its trails each year, making every season a new experience.
The surrounding “front yard” adds food trucks, vendors, entertainment and activities, turning the haunt into a full evening out. Special nights traditionally crank up the intensity even further. apetrifiedforest.com
SIR HENRY’S HAUNTED TRAIL
Terror Rating: ☠☠☠☠
Worth the drive west on Interstate 4, Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail in Plant City has evolved into one of Florida’s most acclaimed independent Halloween attractions.
The 2026 season runs select nights Sept. 25-Nov. 1 with three haunted trails, a haunted hayride, escape games, axe throwing, food vendors and roaming scare actors. The outdoor setting gives Sir Henry’s a distinctly different atmosphere from Orlando’s indoor theme-park houses — and USA Today’s 10Best readers ranked it among the country’s top haunted attractions in 2025.
General admission starts at $27, with advance online tickets required. sirhenryshauntedtrail.com
MORTEM MANOR
Terror Rating: ☠☠☠☠
Why restrict terror to October?
Located at Old Town Kissimmee, Mortem Manor operates year-round, making it one of Central Florida’s most reliable destinations when the urge to be chased through a dark Victorian mansion strikes.
The two-story haunted attraction combines live actors, animatronics, detailed sets and special effects inside a creepy manor filled with rooms that become progressively less welcoming. Its location also makes it easy to pair the haunt with dinner, drinks or Old Town’s shops and attractions. mortemmanor.com
New – HORROR HOUSE NIGHTS
Terror Rating: ☠☠☠☠
If you’re willing to venture a little farther from Orlando, Horror House Nights makes a strong case for a spooky-season road trip.
Located at Port 27 along U.S. 27 in Lake Hamilton, the independent haunt centers on “The Slaughterhouse,” an intense walk-through maze that drops guests into a nightmarish industrial facility filled with twisted butchers, deranged scientists and experiments that probably didn’t receive FDA approval. The journey winds through environments including a disinfection zone, genetic experiments, freezer and packaging room, with live actors and cinematic sets keeping the pressure on throughout. The attraction warns that its darker themes may be too intense for children 12 and younger.
For those of us in Orlando, the drive offers an excuse to turn the evening into a wonderfully weird Central Florida Halloween road trip. Before heading to the haunt, detour to Spook Hill in nearby Lake Wales, one of Florida’s great old-school roadside attractions. Put your car in neutral at the designated spot and it appears to roll uphill, a gravity-hill optical illusion that has been puzzling visitors for generations. Spook Hill is even listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For a longer day trip, Bok Tower Gardens is another easy Lake Wales addition before darkness falls. horrorhousenights.com
Halloween For The Whole Family
Brick Or Treat Monster Party At LEGOLAND.
BRICK-OR-TREAT
Terror Rating: ☠
LEGOLAND Florida Resort is going bigger for 2026 with Brick-or-Treat, held on select dates Sept. 5-Oct. 31.
The family-friendly celebration includes trick-or-treating, LEGO Monster characters, Halloween builds, live entertainment, themed treats and the nighttime Monster Skytacular drone show.
New this year is Brick or Treat Street, an interactive neighborhood filled with six life-size LEGO Monster homes. Best of all for families already planning a LEGOLAND visit, Brick-or-Treat is included with regular park admission and select annual passes. legoland.com/florida
SEAWORLD HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR
Terror Rating: ☠
Hotel Transylvania Checks in to SeaWorld’s Spooktacular 2026
Family Halloween Fun in Orlando SeaWorld’s Spooktacular is back with fun surprises, candy, costumes and more! Kids love trick-or-treating (with purchase of reusable bag) during this daytime event as they explore our decorated trail and meet colorful characters. This year be sure to check out all our immersive family Spooktacular Festivities and plan your visit this fall. Now through Nov.1. seaworld.com
SCREAMIN’ GREEN HAUNTOWEEN
Terror Rating: ☠
For little monsters not quite ready for HHN, Crayola Experience Orlando hosts Screamin’ Green Hauntoween from Sept. 19-Nov. 1.
The colorful celebration features Halloween crafts, a spooky scavenger hunt and seasonal photo opportunities in addition to the attraction’s regular hands-on experiences. Weekends bring trick-or-treat stations and character appearances. Costumes are encouraged for kids, although costume masks are prohibited. crayolaexperience.com/orlando
Halloween Events And Costume Parties
SPOOKY EMPIRE
Halloween weekend gets an appropriately monstrous convention when Spooky Empire returns to Orlando Oct. 30-Nov. 1 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando.
One of the country’s longest-running horror conventions, Spooky Empire brings together celebrity guests, horror memorabilia, vendors, tattoo artists, panels, costumes and plenty of people who take Halloween considerably more seriously than you do.
Advance single-day admission starts at $40 Friday and Sunday and $50 Saturday, while weekend passes start at $80. Children 10 and younger are admitted free. spookyempire.com
ORLANDO HALLOWEEN PUB CRAWLS
Halloween conveniently falls on a Saturday in 2026, which means downtown Orlando should be operating at maximum costume capacity.
Orlando Pub Crawl hosts two nights of festivities: a Thornton Park Halloween Pub Crawl on Friday, Oct. 30, followed by its big Downtown Orlando Halloween Pub Crawl on Saturday, Oct. 31. Expect multiple bars, drink specials, music and hundreds of costumed revelers moving through downtown. orlandopubcrawl.com
International Drive gets its own Halloween takeover Oct. 31 with the second annual Thriller Halloween Bar Crawl at Pointe Orlando.
The 21-and-older event spreads across a dozen themed venues with costume contests, dancing, DJs, entertainment and drink specials. Four premium drinks are included with admission. visitorlando.com
Drink With The Dead
NIGHTMARE ON ORANGE AT THE COURTESY
The Courtesy Bar Nightmare on Orange
One of Orlando’s original craft cocktail destinations becomes decidedly less courteous each fall.
The Courtesy in Winter Park transforms into Nightmare on Orange, an immersive Halloween pop-up filled with elaborate decorations and an entirely new menu of appropriately sinister cocktails.
The transformation has become an Orlando Halloween tradition in its own right, particularly for those who appreciate their spooky season with proper glassware and expertly measured spirits. Reservations are highly recommended once 2026 dates become available. thecourtesybar.com/nightmareonorange
PERMANENT VACATION
Halloween feels comfortably at home at Permanent Vacation, Maitland’s hidden tiki bar tucked inside The Copper Rocket. Their annual Tropical Terror Nights takeover is a must-try experience.
The 21-and-older tropical hideaway already embraces skulls, darkness, theatrical lighting and rum-heavy drinks throughout the year, making it an ideal October destination even before any seasonal surprises enter the equation. Some elaborate cocktails trigger lighting, sound and fog effects throughout the room. Don’t skip the seasonal cocktails!
Reservations are strongly recommended. permanentvacationfl.com
DEAD COCONUT CLUB — HARVEST
Universal CityWalk’s Red Coconut Club is getting abducted this Halloween.
For 2026, the seasonal Dead Coconut Club returns as “Dead Coconut Club — Harvest,” transforming the nightclub into Midweston’s 35th Annual Harvest Festival — except mysterious lights are appearing overhead, UFOs are circling and the locals are beginning to act a little strange.
The alien-invasion-meets-small-town-fall-festival concept includes spooky specialty drinks, interactive elements, music and, new this year, light bites. It’s an ideal HHN appetizer — or a way to soak up some Universal Halloween atmosphere without spending the evening running from chainsaws. universalorlando.com
JOCK LINDSEY’S HANGAR BAR
©2026 Disney.
Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar became an unexpected Halloween favorite in 2025 when Disney transformed the Indiana Jones-inspired watering hole into Jock Lindsey’s Halloween Hangar Bar, complete with spooky décor and a playful menu of creepy cocktails and dishes.
Disney announced details for a 2026 Halloween overlay beginning August 11 and will run through November 9, 2026. disneyworld.com/JockLindseys
With Halloween Horror Nights opening before Labor Day and events stretching into November, Orlando’s spooky season now occupies nearly a quarter of the calendar.
Whether your preferred Halloween involves a chainsaw-wielding scare actor, Mickey-shaped candy, an alien-infested tiki lounge or simply a very good cocktail beneath a plastic skeleton, Central Florida has a fright for practically
everyone
