10 fall events in Tampa Bay
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Tampa Bay's fall weather is fleeting, but its autumn events are in full swing.
Why it matters: There are only so many ways to cope with swamp ass in October.
- Here are our picks for fall events coming your way.
Entertainment
🎥 A Nightmare on Franklin Street: The Tampa Theatre is back with its 13th annual horror film series throughout October — with showings of "Young Frankenstein," "Scooby-Doo," "An American Werewolf in London" and more.
- Tickets range between $12 and $16. You can find the lineup here.
👻 Sir Henry's Haunted Trail: The doors to Plant City's miniature horror theme park are open until Nov. 1. The outdoor attraction features haunted trails and hayrides, as well as two escape rooms.
- Tickets start at $27 and must be purchased in advance.
🍻 St. Pete Boos & Booze Halloween Bar Crawl: Bar hop across Downtown St. Pete on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 — with two free shots to get you started, spooky cocktails to keep you going and a photographer to capture it all.
- Tickets from $25.36, or $19.70 each for groups of four or more.
🍭 Riverwalk Trick or Treat: Round up your little monsters and head to the Riverwalk on Oct. 25 from 4-7pm for the city's ninth annual Halloween celebration, with 50 treat stations, costume contests and flash mobs.
🏚️ Haunted history tours: They're everywhere, from Downtown Tampa to Safety Harbor and Tarpon Springs. You'll get to hear local lore, wave around some ghost-hunting equipment and, of course, hit your step goal.
- Tickets start at $30.
🎃 Howl-O-Scream: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's haunted affair runs nightly through Nov. 1, from 7pm to midnight. Parkgoers can expect five haunted houses, themed bars and live shows. You can buy tickets here.
Festivals
🍂 Wesley Chapel Fall Festival & Carnival: Nothing says fall like a good carnival, and this one's got it all: rides, games, food trucks, live performances, costume contests, bounce houses and more. Plus, it's FREE!
- Oct. 23-26 at The Grove at Wesley Chapel.
🍁 St. Pete Fall Festival at the Pier: Head to Spa Beach Park starting at 11am this Saturday for the free festival with a pumpkin patch, photo ops, vendors, live music and more.
- Stay late to catch the rescheduled five-year anniversary drone show at 8pm.
🌇 Halloween on Central: St. Pete's Central Avenue goes car-free for this 22-block festival on Oct. 26 featuring costumes, live entertainment, local vendors and tons of candy.
- The celebration includes a kid-friendly zone and a quiet area for neurodivergent and stimuli-sensitive festivalgoers.
- Click here for a map and parking tips.
🌽 DK Farms and Gardens Fall Fest, Largo: Peruse the pumpkin patch, catch a seat on a hay ride or get your scare on with Fearville's haunted house, trail and hay ride through the end of October.
- Tickets start at $10.95.