SeaWorld's Halloween Ends Saturday and Christmas Starts November 13 — Here's the Gap in Between

Overview

SeaWorld San Diego is at a changeover, and the next three weeks have a shape worth knowing.

Halloween ends this weekend. Howl-O-Scream finishes Saturday, October 31. Halloween Spooktacular runs one day longer, through Sunday, November 1.

Christmas Celebration doesn't start until Friday, November 13.

Which leaves a gap — roughly November 2 to 12 — with no seasonal event running at all, apart from the Red, White & Blue Salute over one weekend.

That gap is the single most useful thing in this article, and here's why.

If what you actually want is SeaWorld — the animals, the rides, a normal day with your kids — that window is the best time to go all autumn. No event crowds, no event pricing pressure, no queues built around a parade or a haunted house. Seasonal programming is how theme parks fill the park; the quiet fortnight between two of them is when you get the park itself.

And one rule that catches people out every single year: annual passes are not valid for Howl-O-Scream. It's separately ticketed, and Pass Members are not admitted on their pass. If you have a Silver, Gold or SoCal pass and were planning on a Halloween night this week, you need a separate ticket.

Running Right Now — Ending This Weekend

Howl-O-Scream — select nights through Saturday, October 31

• Starts 7:00 p.m., entry from 6:00 p.m.
• Separately ticketed. Daytime admission is not included, and annual passes and Fun Cards are not valid
• Adults only in spirit — SeaWorld's own FAQ says it "contains intense adult content and is not intended for children," and elsewhere that it's "not recommended for children under the age of 13." Children under 18 are admitted, with no discounted rate
• Rides open: Electric Eel, Emperor and Arctic Rescue, weather permitting. Animal viewing areas are closed
• Six themed bars and five speakeasies, plus the Monster Stomp live show
• No costumes. Bags larger than 8" x 5" aren't permitted
• Prices: Single-Night $45.99 · Any Night $64.99 · Any Night 2-Pack $46.99 each (minimum two) · Unlimited Scream Pass $112.99

Important: SeaWorld does not publish which specific nights Howl-O-Scream operates. It says "select nights" and nothing more. Check the date on their ticket calendar before you drive over — this is the one detail that could send you to a park that isn't running it.

Halloween Spooktacular — through Sunday, November 1

• Included with park admission, and family-friendly
• "Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday" — which this weekend means Friday the 30th, Saturday the 31st and Sunday November 1
• Trick-or-treat candy trail: 4–7 p.m. Fridays, 1–7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. A reusable candy bag is required — $4.99 at retail locations, discounted for Pass Members
• Baby Shark™ Halloween Show with reserved seating at $9.99 per guest (ages 3+), Mission Bay Theater, 30 minutes. Park admission required and not included
• Also: the Spookley Dance Party, Waterfront Pumpkin Patch, Coral Candy Club at SkyTower Lawn, mermaids, and a Pumpkin Hunt map sold at The SeaWorld Store
• Costume note: guests 13 and older may not wear costume masks or hoods. Face painting only by park artists

Día de los Muertos — October 31 to November 1

A family-centred celebration with Catrina statues and ofrendas, running the same two days the Halloween events wrap.

The Quiet Window — November 2 to 12

Nothing seasonal is scheduled, except:

Red, White & Blue Salute — daily, November 7 to 9, honouring military members.

Otherwise this is the park on a normal day, in the cheapest, quietest stretch before the holidays. If you've been putting off a visit, this is the fortnight.

Christmas Celebration — November 13 to January 3

Daily, and included with park admission, during regular park hours.

• Over one million twinkling lights and nightly snowfall
• A 30-foot tree lighting, nightly
• Donner and Blitzen's Lazer Light Show, nightly
• A Christmas parade
• New this year: Dolphin Island Christmas, North Pole Storytime, and DJ the Elf
• Returning: Clyde & Seamore's Christmas Special, Toymaker Trouble, Santa's Cottage, and reindeer near Rentals
• Twinkle Tree Café serves cocktails (21+) and mocktails

Two fireworks nights: Saturday, December 12 and New Year's Eve, Thursday, December 31 — "A Christmas Wish Fireworks Show."

What It Costs

Park admission:

• Single-Day from $51.99
• Any Day Ticket $117.99 (expires six months from purchase)
• Two-Day Ticket $101.99 total — note this excludes special events and Howl-O-Scream
• Single-Day + All-Day Dining $91.99; Ultimate Bundle (dining plus Quick Queue Unlimited) $141.99
• Children under 2 are free
• Kids Free Any Day — adult $117.99, child aged 2–9 free with a paid adult. Expires November 1, 2026, so this weekend is the end of it

Passes:

• SoCal Pass — $11.50/month or $138 a year. Blockout dates apply; 50% off general parking
• Silver — $14/month or $168 a year. Free general parking, three guest tickets, no blockout dates
• Gold — $15.50/month or $186 a year. Free general parking, five guest tickets
• Platinum — $22/month or $264 a year. Eleven parks, free up-close parking, eight guest tickets
• 2027 Fun Card — $99.99, unlimited visits through December 31, 2027, with blockouts on 5/24, 7/4, 7/11, 7/18, 7/25 and 8/30. Does not include Howl-O-Scream

Parking is not included with any ticket: General $35, Up-Close $55, VIP $77. Silver and Gold pass holders park free; SoCal gets 50% off.

Address: 500 SeaWorld Drive, San Diego, CA 92109.

The 2027 Calendar Is Already Out

Worth putting in the diary now:

• Ocean Discovery Days — January 9–18, 2027
• Mardi Gras — January 23 to February 21, 2027
• Lunar New Year — February 6, 2027
• Seven Seas Food Festival — February 26 to May 2, 2027
• Viva La Musica — May 7–23, 2027
• Summer Spectacular — May 28 to September 6, 2027
• Bayside Bands, Brew & BBQ — August 13 to September 6, 2027
• Halloween Spooktacular and Howl-O-Scream — September 10 to October 31, 2027
• Día de los Muertos — November 1–3, 2027
• Red, White & Blue Salute — November 11–14, 2027
• Christmas Celebration — November 19, 2027 to January 2, 2028

All on select dates except where noted, and all subject to change. The full list lives on SeaWorld's events page.

Good to Know

• Check the night before you go to Howl-O-Scream. "Select nights" is all they publish.
• Your annual pass does not get you into Howl-O-Scream. It does get you into Spooktacular and Christmas, which are included with admission.
• The Kids Free deal ends November 1. If you were going to use it, it's this weekend.
• November 2–12 is the quiet window. No event, no event crowds.
• Christmas is daily, not select nights — unusually straightforward for a seasonal theme park event.
• Budget for parking separately. It isn't in any ticket price.

For more of what's on, browse our full event calendar.