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 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
• 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
• 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.

The Great Glass and Clay Pumpkin Patch

• Saturday, October 11, 2025, 9 am-5 pm
• Cost: Free
• 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.

Creatures of the Night at ZooTampa at Lowry Park

• Select Nights from September-October, 2025
• Cost: $5 reservation fee for Zoo Members and “Pay for a Day” ticket holders which you'll get back as a voucher and tickets range from $29.94-$39.95 for non-member tickets
• 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: The Vampire Ball with hosts Count Chirop and Countess Tera. There will also be a new Vikings Victory Party, Troll Cave, Howliday House Light Show, and Spider Queen Dining Hall Oasis. Head on over here to see what it was like at ZooTampa's Creatures of the Night in 2024.

FEARville

• Fridays and Saturdays, October 3-31, 2025, 7 pm-10 pm
• Cost: Tickets start at $27
• 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

• Sunday, October 4, 2025, 4 pm-7 pm
• Cost: Free
• 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!

Sesame Street Safari of Fun Halloween

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

Haunted Illusions Live

• Friday, October 24, 2025, 8 pm
• Cost: tickets start at $30
• Central Park Performing Arts Center

Master illusionist David Caserta brings his Halloween spectacular, Haunted Illusions, to the Central Park Performing Arts Center! As seen on America’s Got Talent and Penn & Teller’s Fool Us, Caserta’s show includes original illusions, jaw-dropping tricks, and more than a few treats that are fun for the whole family! Tickets for the show start at $30.

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!

MORE of the BEST Halloween Events for Kids in Tampa Bay

*Listed in order of launch date. 

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

• 2025 TBA

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.

Great EEK-splorations at Great Explorations Children's Museum

• Date: 2025 TBA
• Cost: Free for members/$18 for non-members
• Location: 1925 4th Street North, St. Petersburg

This year’s event is packed with fang-tastic activities for kids of all ages. Craft your very own monster pets, hanging bats, and beaded spiders, and show off your spooky creativity. Join in the fun with broom races, a mummy wrapping contest, and Halloween story time. Watch pumpkins explode, experience the thrills of our mad scientist segment, and strut your stuff in their red carpet costume contest! Don’t forget to get your face painted to complete your spooky transformation.

This year, they're excited to introduce the Eeks-Factor Room, brought to you by the Reptile Discovery Center. Step inside if you dare and discover if you can handle the creepy crawlies waiting for you. Are you ready to find out if fear is not a factor for you—the Great Ex way?

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.

Tampa Bay History Center's A Night at the Museum

• Date: 2025 TBA
• Cost: $12.95-$16.95 *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 on Sunday, Oct. 22. Plan for an evening of games, crafts, costume characters, and more! Timed tickets are available now and children age 3 and younger are free.

Trick-or-Treating at the Hillsborough County Fair

• Date: 2025 TBA
• Advance tickets on sale now. Halloween night tickets: $2 
• Hillsborough County Fairgrounds, 215 Sydney Washer Rd. Dover 33527

For the first time in years, you can celebrate Halloween at the Hillsborough County Fair! Kids (and their parents) are invited to dress up in their favorite Halloween costumes and enjoy a fun-filled, safe night of Trick-or-Treating throughout the Fair on opening night. The excitement doesn’t stop there — everyone can join the Costume Contest, where four exciting categories will be judged across four age groups from 0 to 18 and beyond. The fun begins when the gates open at 5 pm. Opening night admission is only $2 per person courtesy of Hungry Howie’s. For even MORE Halloween Fun, check out our Ultimate Guide to Fall Events in Tampa Bay here.