A look at the Halloween events, parties and haunted houses coming to Central Florida

After a scary couple of years dealing with a pandemic, Central Florida is back in the horror business for the 2022 Halloween season.

The plastic dividers that separated guests in haunted houses have disappeared from Universal’s intense Halloween Horror Nights. The parades at Disney World have returned after a two-year absence. And independent horror hawkers like Scream-A-Geddon in Dade City are expanding their offerings.

Halloween is big business for the attractions industry, and the public appears eager to get back to being scared for fun instead of for real. All of September’s event nights of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, the after-hours, separately ticketed party at the Magic Kingdom, have sold out and most of October is going fast.

Public health advisers say the pandemic, thanks to the vaccines, has reached a point that we can go back to normal parties and Halloween fun.

There’s a lot to choose from, whether you want cute escapes with kids or intense scares from monsters. Explore, if you dare, our guide to the many creeps and shrieks and ghostly attractions found around Tampa Bay and beyond.

Busch Gardens: The Tampa theme park has a new family-friendly event on weekends right now and of course at night it gets much scarier with Howl-O-Scream. Here’s what you will find this year Busch Gardens adds new Spooktacular for kids, new scare zones for 2022 Howl-O-Scream.

Scream-A-Geddon: This indie horror park is probably the most terrifying because it’s set in the backwoods of Dade City with creepy clowns, a zombie paintball fight and monsters who can kidnap you Scream-A-Geddon returns to Dade City for backwoods scares. Scream-A-Geddon returns to Dade City for backwoods scares.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party: Here are some pro tips if you’re heading to the seasonal event at Disney World in Orlando. The gently spooky party started earlier than ever this year.

Universal Orlando: One of the more unusual haunted houses is one at Halloween Horror Nights devoted to the artist The Weeknd. He turns that Super Bowl halftime show in Tampa into a horror and it actually works. Read more about it, and this year’s event, here.

Coming events: Here’s a quick rundown of all the Halloween events that have opened or are coming soon to the theme parks and attractions in Central Florida. A quick guide to 2022 Halloween attractions coming to Tampa Bay.