Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida is the premier theme park Halloween event and has been for over 30 years. Every year new guests embark on their trip to Universal during September and October (Now as early as August and late as November) to experience this event for themselves. With so many new guests and an ever-changing sometimes complex array of ticket options and ways to experience the event, I thought I'd lay down the basics for newcomers.
Buy your ticket early - if you know the days you are going to be visiting Universal buy your separate Halloween Horror Nights (HHN from hereon) ticket early as dates do sell out.
It is a separate ticket from your standard park ticket. Everything to do with HHN requires separate ticketing so you have to build it like this: if you want in early for "Stay and Scream" you'll need a daytime park ticket and then you add your HHN base ticket, if you want the HHN Express Pass that'll be separate and in addition to your entry ticket (and no HHN Express is not the same as Universal Express that can be used during the daytime and no you don't get HHN Express Passes for staying at Premier On-Site Hotels). If you want the RIP Experience, which is a guided tour, that is also separate which means you must buy a standard HHN event ticket for the same night as well.
It's going to be crowded every event night so set your expectations. Analysts estimate that HHN event night crowds typically will range from 25000 to 35000 people at the Orlando event (that's each event night). So be prepared.
Universal states that the event is for ages 13+ but as a parent you know your kids and what they are comfortable with and mature enough to handle. There are plenty of videos of past HHN events to give you an idea of what to expect.
If you're going to go with just a base ticket for event admission then prioritize what houses you want to do most since you probably will not have time to do every house as lines can get very long. But by planning out what houses you want to experience the most and planning a trip around the park using the Universal Orlando Resort app you can make the most of your time.
The event hours are typically 6:30 PM to 2:00 AM so you have a fair amount of time. However, the wait times to get into the houses can change drastically very quickly so it's a good idea to check on wait times in the app so you don't waste time.
This is just a brief lesson on some things to know before you go to HHN. The best way to learn about the event is just to go, it's always a great experience even though some people debate how good the event continues to be. But if you ask me it’s still the premier Halloween event!
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