Theme Park Halloween: Best Offerings from Disney, Universal and Others

There’s something about celebrating the Halloween season at
an entertainment theme park. And in 2025, theme parks across the U.S. will host a myriad of events
that include haunted
houses, thrilling attractions, all-out decorations and family-friendly
activities.

Whether you’re looking for spine-tingling frights or
not-so-scary fun, these heavy-hitter theme parks come alive with extra thrills
around Halloween. Highlights include:

Disneyland Resort

Halloween time at the Disneyland
Resort features the Oogie Boogie Bash, a fun and festive after-hours event
party with lots of tricks and treats. Unique to the California park, the
Haunted Mansion transforms into Haunted Mansion Holiday, inspired by Tim Burton’s
The Nightmare Before Christmas and Space Mountain changes to a spooky Ghost
Galaxy theme.

Paint the Night Celebration dazzles at its sensational nighttime
parade, and Halloween Screams immerses guests in wicked wonders and haunting melodies
during the evening fireworks show (select nights) above Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Walt Disney World

Guests visiting Walt Disney World during this season can
expect full-on celebrations at all four of its theme parks – Magic Kingdom,
EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

The popular after-hours Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween
Party at Magic Kingdom features special entertainment, character
meet-and-greets and themed treats.

Dance parties, live music and fun stage shows abound. Two
events that truly showcase the season include Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween
Parade and Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular with lasers and fireworks over
Cinderella’s Castle.

Universal Studios Hollywood

From watching horror to living it. Halloween means a wicked
transformation for this Southern California theme park as its annual Halloween
Horror Nights features eight terrifying haunted houses, sinister scare zones
and attractions inspired by classic Hollywood horror films.

Attractions such as Jurassic World-The Ride, Revenge of the
Mummy, Transformers The Ride-3D and more will be open during the event running
through November 2.

Universal Orlando Resort

The entertainment venue is home to four amazing theme parks –
Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, Universal’s Volcano Bay and
Epic Universe.

Each of the parks will be completely decked out for
Halloween with the top event of the season, Halloween Horror Nights,
celebrating the evil and the macabre. The evening event features 10 terrifying
haunted houses, sinister scare zones, live entertainment and exhilarating rides
and attractions.

SeaWorld San Diego

Marking its fifth anniversary, Howl-O-Scream transforms SeaWorld
San Diego into a spine-chilling playground of nighttime terror at this
separately ticketed event showcasing five sinister haunts through eight eerie scare
zones and four vile vignettes.

The San Diego Halloween Spooktacular represents a less
sinister side of Halloween with pirate-themed family fun and adventures. These
include trick-or-treat stations, a waterfront pumpkin patch, a pumpkin hunt and
live entertainment.

SeaWorld Orlando

Orlando’s terrifying event returns again this year with
unexpected horrors lurking around every bend. Howl-O-Scream’s menacing
nighttime spectacular features five haunted houses, six scare zones, four
pulse-pounding attractions – Mako, Infinity Falls, Ice Breaker and Pipeline.

Like its San Diego sister, SeaWorld Orlando is also inviting
families to its Halloween Spooktacular, a kid-friendly event with little to no
scares that features daytime trick-or-treating and dance parties to costume contests
and face painting.

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