The BEST Halloween Events for Kids in Tampa Bay + MORE Fun!

Spooky SZN is here, which means it's time for us to share our annual list of our favorite Halloween events for kids in Tampa Bay!! Get ready to round up your little ghouls and goblins for a spooktacular day or night out in Tampa Bay at one of these awesome Halloween events.

And don't forget — we've curated a list of awesome pumpkin patches in Tampa Bay, including our favorite fall festivals. *We'll continue to update this post as events are announced.

Featured Halloween Events for Kids in Tampa Bay:

 *The following events are listed in order of date, brought to you by our incredible community partners! 

Busch Gardens Kandy's Sweetacular Celebration

• Every Saturday & Sunday from September 6 to October 26, 2025
• Cost: Included in park admission
• Location: Busch Gardens Tampa

Join Kandy, Busch Gardens’ charming witch-in-training, for a brand-new family-friendly Halloween celebration full of fun and enchantment. Every Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m.–4 p.m. on the Festival Pathway, little ghouls and goblins can explore Trick-or-Treating, Spooky Kooky Science, Magical Storytime, Kandy’s Costume Parade, and more! This event is included with park admission.

Brick or Treat Monster Party at LEGOLAND Florida

• Weekends September 20-November 2, 2025
• Cost: Included with daily admission
• Location: 1 Legoland Way, Winter Haven

Don’t miss this Halloween party built just for kids at LEGOLAND Florida Resort in Winter Haven. Kids can enjoy spooky LEGO building activities (they might even learn some cool LEGO building tricks from the pros!), trick-or-treating in the new candy zones, new event-exclusive character meet-and-greets, along with the V.I.M. (Very Important Monster) Dance Party, new fireworks, and more! You can even climb aboard The Disco Dragon coaster for a groovy Halloween monster jam. We're dishing on all the details here: Brick or Treat at LEGOLAND Florida: Here's what to expect in 2024.

A Pirate's Halloween on The Lost Pearl

• Friday, October 3, 2025, 4:15 pm
• Cost:$39.95 for adults, $29.95 for kids, $12.95 for infants
• Location: 33 S Franklin St., Tampa

This October, set sail aboard The Lost Pearl Pirate Ship for a Halloween adventure! The 1.5-hour Halloween pirate cruise blends spooky fun with swashbuckling excitement. Costumes are encouraged for kids AND adults. Activities include Halloween and Pirate Games: Pumpkin Toss, Water Cannon Battles, Mummy Wrap, Spooky Dance Party, and Captain Patchy’s Pumpkin Patch.

Creatures of the Night at ZooTampa at Lowry Park

• Select Nights from September 27 to October 26, 2025
• Cost: Free for members and Pay for a Day ticket holders. $29.95 (Friday & Sunday), $34.95 (Saturday)
• Location: 1101 W Sligh Ave., Tampa

Tampa Bay’s number-one family Halloween event returns in September! Creatures of the Night at ZooTampa is full of eerie family fun for everyone! Ghouls and goblins of all ages can enjoy howling outdoor experiences, mischievous characters, creepy culinary treats, and much more! NEW this year: Mesozoic Mayhem, Carouseul de los Muertos, Happy Harvest Garden, and more.  Head on over here to see what it was like at ZooTampa's Creatures of the Night in 2024 (we'll update on opening night in 2025).

Sesame Street Safari of Fun Halloween at Busch Gardens

• Saturdays and Sundays from October 4-26, 2025
• Cost: Included with park admission
• Location: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

MOSI’s Spooktacular Science: Carnival of Science & Frights

• Saturday, October 18, 2025, 6 pm-9 pm
• Cost: $10
• Location: 4801 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa

Step right up! This event at MOSI delivers a thrilling night of science and spooky fun for the whole family! Spark your curiosity with hands-on experiments, carnival magic, photo booths, food, drinks, and planetarium shows!

AdventHealth Center Ice Hallowrink Themed Skate

• Friday, October 24, 2025, 6:30 pm-8:30 pm
• Cost: $22 in advance or $25 at the door
• Location: 3173 Cypress Ridge Blvd., Wesley Chapel

Join in on a Halloween-themed ice skating session with themed music curated by Reign Entertainment, with a costume contest and Ghoul-Tivities!

Trick-or-Treat on the Riverwalk in Tampa and Lighted Boat Parade

• Saturday, October 25, 2025, from 4 pm- 7 pm
• Cost: FREE
• Location: Downtown Tampa Riverwalk

Trick or treating on the Riverwalk is back, where kids and their families can visit more than 50 different treat stations while enjoying other fun activities, including the annual Halloween Lighted Boat Parade, which starts at 6:30 pm, benefiting the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation. This is a FREE community event! Children in costume and their families are invited to come and trick or treat along the Riverwalk as well as enjoy fun activities. We will have over 50 treat stations participating along the Riverwalk, starting at Water Works Park and ending at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park.

MORE of the BEST Halloween Events for Kids in Tampa Bay

*Listed in order of launch date. 

Jurassic Haunt Halloween Mammoth Mayhem at Dinosaur World

• Select nights, September 27 – November 1, 2025
• Cost: Tickets start at $19.95
• Location: 5145 Harvey Tew Rd., Plant City

Are you brave enough to face the curse of Dinosaur World's first haunted house? Head to the park after hours to hear the tales of a group of explorers who have unearthed something they shouldn't have. The curse is spreading and it's up to you to break it! Tickets start at $15.

Harvest Days at Keel Farms

• Every Saturday and Sunday in October 2025, 10 am-3 pm
• Cost: Free, but parking is $10 and hay rides are $5
• Location: Keel Farms

Get your fall-fun on with hay rides, a corn maze, a pumpkin patch and pumpkin painting, camel rides, pie pie-eating contest, local vendors and food trucks, along with some of Keel Farms' great seasonal wines and ciders!

Admission is free, and parking is $10. Hay rides are $5 with a wristband that is good for all-day use!

Fall Festival at Dade City Farms

• Every Saturday and Sunday in October, 2025, Saturday, 10 am-5 pm, Sunday, 10 am-4 pm
• Cost: Adults (ages 12+) $12, kids (3-12) $9, kids (0-2) are free
• Location: 17143 Lake Iola Rd., Dade City

Celebrate fall at Dade City Farms' Fall Festival! Snap family photos with your loved ones in our pumpkin patch as you pick out the perfect pumpkin. Meet the friendly animals in the petting zoo, get creative with face painting, and shop for unique treasures from local craft vendors. Savor fall treats like apple cider donuts and other delicious snacks from food trucks, with yard games and activities for the whole family, it’s the perfect fall day on the farm!

Spooky Train Rides and Scary Trail at the Concourse in Shady Hills

• Every Friday and Saturday in October 2025
• Cost: $8 Train Rides, $10 Trail Entrance, or $15 for both
• 11919 Alric Potterberg Road, Shady Hills

This adorable family-friendly activity is a Halloween must, where you can go for a 15-minute spooky ride on a mini train, explore two haunted trails and a maze, check out the petting zoo, jump on the bounce houses, and so much more!

Seminole Heights Great Pumpkin Patch Movie Nights

• October 3, 10, 17, and 24, 2025, 7:30 pm
• Cost: Free
• Location:6111 North Central Ave., Tampa

Bring a blanket or chairs! There will be a food truck as well as concessions available for purchase. The pumpkin patch closes at 8:30 pm, so make sure to buy your pumpkins before the movie starts. MOVIES: October 3- It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, October 10- Halloween Town, October 17- Tower of Terror, October 24- Hocus Pocus.

FEARville at DK Farms

• Fridays and Saturdays, October 3-31, 2025, 7 pm-10 pm
• Cost: Tickets start at $27
• Location: 1750 Lake Ave. SE, Largo

This event has great activities for kids like miniature golf, animal feeding, bull rides, games, fun activities, and more! Be mindful of the skull scare rating as some activities aren't suitable for younger kids.

A Sensory Friendly Halloween Family Night at Brighter Days Brewing

• Sunday, October 4, 2025, 4 pm-7 pm
• Cost: Free
• Location: 311 N Safford Ave., Tarpon Springs

At this sensory-friendly event, kids can enjoy pumpkin painting + sensory play, Ice Cream Balls for dessert, face painting, bounce house, food trucks, and a sensory-friendly costume contest!

Seminole Heights Great Pumpkin Fun Run

• Saturday, October 4, 2025, 9:30 am
• Cost: $10 adults, Kids ages 7+ $5, kids 6 and under are free
• Location: 6111 North Central Ave., Tampa

This one-mile family-friendly event is a great way to get into the fall spirit! You can expect an easy one-mile loop that ends running through the pumpkin patch archway! All registered participants will receive a custom Great Pumpkin Run Bib and a free perfect pumpkin as a finisher prize, and the top 3 finishers will get their choice of heirloom. There will also be post-race treats from Gulf Coast Sourdough. All proceeds benefit the HTCA & SHUMC.

Our Lady of Lourdes Fall Festival

• October 11-16, 2025
• Cost: Admission is free but ride tickets are available for purchase
• Location: 750 San Salvador Dr., Dunedin

Each year, the school's campus fills with dozens of rides, games, live music, raffle prizes, food vendors, a pumpkin patch, and face painting!

The Great Glass and Clay Pumpkin Patch

• Saturday, October 11, 2025, 9 am-5 pm
• Cost: Free
• Location: 420 22nd St. S, St. Pete

The Morean Glass Studio space transforms into a great glass pumpkin patch filled with over 100 blown-glass pumpkins and will feature fall-themed photo-ops for the family! From 10 am to 4 pm, The Morean Center for Clay will be hosting a trick-or-treat gallery walk with face painting.

Vista Gardens Creepy Crawlies in the Garden

• Saturday, October 18, 2025, 9 am-12 pm
• Cost: Free
• Location: 13572 South Village Drive, Tampa

Join in a bug-tastic Halloween event where everyone can get up close and personal with all the creepy-crawlies in the garden! Hold a worm, let a beetle crawl up your arm, peek inside a bee hive, watch a Venus Fly Trap snatch up a fly and eat an ant! There will also be  insect crafts, buggy snacks, activities, and face painting for those who prefer to keep their distance from the live bugs.

Florida Railroad Museum Pumpkin Patch Express

• October 18-19 and 24-25, 2025, 10:30 am-1 pm and 2 pm-4:30 pm
• Cost: varies, see website for more details
• Location: 12210 83rd St. East, Parrish

The Pumpkin Patch Express is departing the station for a trip to the Museum’s very own pumpkin patch. Included in your ticket are hay rides, arts and crafts, Lincoln log building, and games! Children are invited to pick a pumpkin from the patch to take home.

Food and beverages are available for purchase onboard the train and while at the Pumpkin Patch.

Avalon Park Wesley Chapel Spooktacular

• Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025, 5 pm-8 pm
• Cost: Free
• Location: 5060 River Glen Blvd., Wesley Chapel

Get spooky with trick-or-treating, bounce houses, performances, vendors, food trucks, and a costume contest!

Tampa Bay History Center's A Night at the Museum

• Date: Sunday, October 19, 2025, 3 pm-6 pm
• Cost: $20*Includes trick-or-treating
• Location: 801 Water Street, Tampa

Trick-or-treat your way through the Tampa Bay History Center galleries in search of sweet rewards. Plan for an evening of games, crafts, costume characters, and more! Timed tickets are available now.

Tampa's Haunted Carnival at Armature Works

• Thursday, October 23-Sunday, October 26, 2025
• Cost:
• Location: Armature Works in Tampa

The Haunted Carnival returns with family-friendly fun during the day! There will be carnival rides, carnival games, costume contests, and live music. Then at night, the event switches gears into a more spooky adult experience.

Haunted Woods Scare Trail 2025 at Hillsborough River State Park (best for teens)

• Friday, October 24-Saturday, October 25, 2025
• Cost: Park entrance fee
• Location: Hillsborough River State Park, 3501 Baynard Trail, Thonotosassa

This event is better suited for older kids and teens, so parental discretion is advised since this can be spooky! This year's theme is Beyond the Grave!

Pumpkin Carving Workshop in Largo

• Thursday, October 24, 2025, 5 pm-7 pm
• Cost: $15 per pumpkin
• Location: Largo Community Center

Gals & Ghouls get into the spooky spirit and join us for a frightfully fun pumpkin carving workshop! Each family will receive one pumpkin to carve.  Staff will be lurking nearby to offer tips, tricks, and inspiration for your pumpkin masterpiece!

Trick-or-Treat Trail in Downtown Largo

• Friday, October 24, 2025, at 5:30 pm-7:30 pm
• Cost: Free
• Location: 301 W Bay Dr, Largo

Bring your kiddos dressed in their Halloween costumes for a night of trick-or-treating around Largo City Hall. Bags and candy will be provided. This is an outdoor event. Adults can also take home a Trick-or-Tree at the end of the event to plant at home. Learn more at playlargo.com.

Annual Spooky Stroll with TRIBE Seminole Heights

• Saturday, October 25, 2025, from 6 pm-9 pm
• Cost: $3 per person, $15 for a family of 5 or more
• Location: Seminole Heights Garden Center, Tampa

This beloved annual event will sell out fast, so be sure to purchase your tickets in advance to secure your spot. TRIBE Seminole Heights' Spooky Stroll features tons of family-friendly fun, including costumed characters, trick-or-treat stations, a pumpkin patch, a creepy house tour, fun games, and MORE! In the past, it has taken about 60-90 minutes to complete the stroll.

Sur La Table Family Fun: Spooktacular Halloween Cookies

• Sunday, October 26, 2025, 10 am
• Cost: $79
• Location: 711 South Dakota Ave., Tampa

Halloween Costume Ideas

Our team is sharing some of our favorite DIY Halloween costume ideas.

Halloween Treats and Spooky Snack Ideas

Need some spooky inspiration for your child's lunch box? Jenny P of @lunchboxmafia is dishing some ghoulishly good Halloween party snacks that also double as fun lunchbox additions! For a healthy twist, check out Ginain Grayes of @cookprayslay's Healthy Halloween Snack Ideas. 

Halloween Science Experiments

Glazer Children's Museum shared some really cool spooky science experiments you can do at home for extra thrills including how to make ghost eggs!

Tell a Halloween Joke!

Q: Who won the skeleton beauty contest? A: No body! We've got even more ghoulishly good Halloween jokes for kids to keep your kiddos laughing all day long!

Events TBA for 2025

Halloween Spookquarium at Clearwater Marine Aquarium

• 2025 TBA
• Cost: Included with general admission
• 249 Winward Passage, Clearwater

Enjoy family-friendly fun at CMA with a haunted trail. On Halloween night, return for trick-or-treat stations, costume contests, ghoulish games and activities, and specially-themed food and refreshments.

Guppyween at the Florida Aquarium

• Date: 2025 TBA
• Cost: Museum admission. Children in costume get in for free with one paid adult. 
• Sensory-Friendly Guppyween: October 26 from 5:30 pm-7:30 pm

Guppyween returns to the Florida Aquarium for a weekend filled with Halloween-themed activities, trick-or-treating, animal encounters, costumed divers, and even underwater pumpkin carving! The sensory-friendly event will feature lights, sounds, and activities adapted accordingly throughout the event for individuals with differences. $10 per guest and free for members.

For even MORE Halloween Fun, check out our Ultimate Guide to Fall Events in Tampa Bay here.