WILLIAMSBURG 一 Howl-O-Scream returns to Busch Gardens Williamsburg on Sept. 11 and continues through Nov. 1 on select nights. The event also brings back its chaperone policy, which has been in place for the past two years.
The policy went into place first in 2024, following an 18-year-old male who approached officers at the front of the park after having been stabbed during an altercation.
Under the policy, guests 15 and younger must be accompanied by a chaperone age 21 or older after 4 p.m. Chaperones must present a valid government-issued photo ID showing their date of birth at the park entrance. Each chaperone may accompany no more than six guests per day.
“The safety of guests and team members has always been a top priority at Busch Gardens Williamsburg,” reads a post on the park’s social media page.
Beyond the chaperone policy, this year’s version of the Halloween-based event includes five haunted houses, five “terror-tories” and five stage shows, including a new outdoor production. Ten of the park’s roller coasters will be open during the night-time festivities. A parental discretion warning on the Howl-O-Scream webpage notes that the event contains amplified scares that are not recommended for children.
Three of the haunted houses are returners: Clown Town from 2024, Werewolfs: Wolf’s Revenge and Bloodshot, both of which debuted in 2025. The new houses are Fright at the Museum, described as an archeological dig gone wrong when cursed objects began to awaken, and Anaconda: Dead on Arrival, set in the world of the “Anaconda” film.
The “terror-tories” scattered throughout the park this year have two new areas: Viper Valley and Witch’s Way. The returning scare areas are Ripper’s Row, Wicked Wunderland and Disgrotesque.
Stage shows include the returning “Skeletons in your Closet,” “Fiends,” “Monster Stomp on Ripper Row” “The Starfright Orchestra,” and the all-new “Undead Diva.”
Visitors to the event aged 15 and younger who are found without a chaperone may face the ultimate fright – being ejected from the park without a refund. The chaperone policy will be lifted after Howl-O-Scream concludes on Nov. 1.
On the webpage for Howl-O-Scream, a parental discretion warning is also present, as the event contains amplified scares not recommended for children.
Howl-O-Scream runs from 6 p.m. until the park closes. For more information and dates, visit BuschGardens.com/williamsburg
