Busch Gardens® Howl-o-Scream® Brings Horror to The Big Top Howl-O-Scream® is back for 2016 and it’s scarier than ever starting Sept. 23
PRESS RELEASE (July 18) – Summer thrills make way for frightening chills when Howl-O-Scream® returns to Busch Gardens® Williamsburg this fall.
In addition to the haunted houses and Terror-toriesTM you’ve come to expect, Busch Gardens urges you to “Step right up,” and see what’s new. This year marks the debut of the new haunted house, Circo Sinistro, where only the truly disturbed are allowed to perform in its tents of terrors. New Terror-tory Sideshow SquareTM will make your jaw drop on the way to the big top.
And in a new twist, Busch Gardens is asking fans to be the ringmaster and help them choose the theme for a room in the park’s newest house.
Howl-O-Scream opens Sept. 23 and runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 30. Busch Gardens opens at 10 a.m., but becomes a seriously scary place at 6 p.m. when the Howl-O-Scream haunts come out. Guests should consider the park’s elevated scare factor when deciding whether Howl-O-Scream is appropriate for young children.
Howl-O-Scream features seven haunted houses this year, and five Terror-tories that transform Busch Gardens’ quaint villages into dark and sinister places. Guests can quench their thirst by visiting a Howl-O-Scream-themed bar, such as Demon Drinks, or go shopping at Blood Haus and see a live performance like Monster StompTM on Ripper Row®.
In Circo Sinistro, guests encounter a big top experience unlike any they’ve ever seen before. Adding to the experience is the chance for guests to choose the theme for one of the rooms of the house. Theme ideas can be submitted online here from July 18-24. The best of those will be selected for a final vote online from July 26-31.
Circo Sinistro will be located in Busch Gardens’ new Terror-tory in Festa Italia, Sideshow Square, where every step could add to a guest’s three-ring nightmare.
With seven haunted houses, five Terror-tories, three live stage shows, themed dining options, shopping experiences and behind- the-scenes tours, there is something for every Howl-O-Scream fan to explore.
Visit www.howloscream.com/va for additional information. Terror-toriesTM
• NEW-Sideshow SquareTM (Festa Italia): Your jaw will drop on your way to the big top. What was once only in your imagination is now a frightening reality full of haunts, curiosities and plenty of scare to make you shriek. So step right up and brave Busch Gardens’ newest terror-tory if you dare.
• Ripper Row® (England): Things are looking a bit unsettling in England; a murderer is on the loose plucking unsuspecting victims from the city streets to satisfy his grizzly curiosity. No one knows what Jack the Ripper looks like or who he will strike next. Authorities hunt furiously among the crowds in search of the killer nabbing anyone who looks at all suspicious. Keep your head down and your wits about you or you might not make it out alive.
• Vampire PointTM (Germany): Even vampires need a vacation once in a while and Vampire PointTM is the perfect destination for bloodsuckers. Watch your step and your neck or you might end up the main course. Dawn is hours away, your last salvation lies in escaping the vampire village before the inhabitants sink their fangs into you.
• Demon StreetTM (France): Paris is burning. Can you escape before the city is engulfed in flame? Let the smoldering ruins light your way, but beware, fiery fiends lurk around every corner ready to put you on the coals. The smell of a burning inferno fills the air and rumor has it unsuspecting souls will be roasted on a spit. It’s about to get very hot in Paris, so stay cool or you may find yourself going up in smoke.
• Wendigo WoodsTM (New France): Wendigo WoodsTM started out as a state-of-the-art facility where researchers could study the flora and fauna of the northern reaches of the continent’s forests. The camp was named after a terrifying creature, the Wendigo, which was thought to be only a legend ... until now. Sightings of mysterious creatures stalking through the woods have prompted a security team to shut down the compound and contain whatever is out there. Either unravel the mystery of Wendigo Woods or fall prey to the terror in the trees.
Haunted Houses
• NEWCirco Sinistro: No one knows when or where the tents will rise, but all who see them are drawn to find out what lies inside Circo Sinistro at Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Howl-O-Scream. The park’s new haunted house is not of this world and not of this time – but beware, what you see, you soon will be.
• Catacombs: Through a ruined cemetery filled with statues lies a tunnel that leads to an underground city. Its history is more terrifying than that of France’s worst revolutions. Deep within these tunnels lie mile after mile of bones—the final resting place for those who are buried here. But all is not as quiet as it appears. As guests venture forth into the dank, dripping corridors of rat infested remains, the voices of the dead begin to speak, and some have taken shape.
• Bitten: Suspicion, darkness and mind-numbing fear surround the “Bitten” house which is set in Eastern Europe in the late 1800s. Full of legends and lore of vampires and the undead that preyed on the innocent, this manor sits by the road upon which all travelers must pass but few return.
• Dead Line: Deep underground, construction of the newest line of the Pompeii Metro was moving smoothly until an ancient pipe was accidentally struck. At first, it seemed like steam. Then the mist became thicker, more sinister. Now the strange gas is leaking quickly, and everyone trapped inside is infected. The difficult decision was made to cut off all communication to the outside world. The Dead Line is off the grid.
• Cornered: It’s 1977 and a picturesque farming community is in an uproar over the ongoing disappearances of its residents. Each time someone goes missing, an intricate corn husk doll is left behind leading many to suspect local corn- farmer Jasper McCobb. The McCobb farm has fallen into disrepair since the death of Jasper’s mother. Could the missing townspeople be somewhere in the maze of maize? Join the search party and find out.
• Lumberhack: Hikers beware: The woods hold a terrifying secret. More than 50 years ago a logging camp was abandoned after a horrific accident where saws ripped into human flesh instead of tree bark. Tragically, the loggers perished ... only to inexplicably awaken from death sometime later filled with inhuman rage. The undead loggers rampaged until every living thing in the camp had felt the bite of their axes. Now the forgotten lumberjacks lie waiting for unsuspecting campers to stumble into their den of the damned.
• Unearthed – Scarlett’s Revenge: During maintenance at the park, an excavation crew uncovered a centuries-old house buried deep beneath the ground. Upon opening its door, a sinister force was unearthed—Scarlett—a furious demon who wields a deadly deck of magical cards she uses to summon her evil minions. Journey below to experience the splintered labyrinth of horrors and the revengeful wrath of this demon scorned.
