Florida Halloween Celebrations |
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After Christmas, Halloween is one of the largest holiday seasons in Florida. It is reckoned some 300,000 people go to Universal's Halloween Horror Nights alone. All the major theme parks in Florida put on special shows and events for Halloween and some stay open late but check the dates carefully as the parties are on selected days/nights only (see the miniature calendars). Each year, Universal Studios centre their event around a specific theme. For 2007 it was "Carnival of Carnage" with Jason, Freddy Krueger and Leatherface from the films "Friday the 13th", "Nightmare on Elm Street" and the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". 2008 saw the appearance of "Bloody Mary" which attracted some adverse attention with the graphic billboards that appeared around Orlando and in 2009 we had "Ripped from the Silver Screen" featuring Saw, Chucky and The Wolfman. For 2010 Universal celebrate the twentieth anniversary with "XX: Twenty Years of Fear". In 2011, Universal celebrate their 21st event with "Lady Luck, your fate is in her hands" and at Busch Gardens they are featuring "The Dark Side of the Gardens". Universal Studios and Busch Gardens present intense scary events with thousands of extra cast members whose sole aim is to scare you out of your wits!! Some Halloween events are not suitable for young children, some allow costumes, others don't and some parks charge a separate admission
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| Magic Kingdom |
Universal Studios |
SeaWorld | Busch Gardens |
Silver Springs |
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| Suitable for children | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Included in standard admission | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Costumes allowed | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Opening times | 7:00pm to midnight | 6:30pm to midnight or 2:00am | normal park hours | 7:30pm to 1:00am or 2:00am | 8:00pm to 11:00pm |
| No. of nights | 23 |
25 | 11 | 17 | 9 |