Busch Gardens Tampa Crowd Calendar

This is the last 3 months’ crowd calendars for Busch Gardens Tampa in 2026.

• Oct 12th: Columbus Day
• Oct 31st: Halloween
• Nov 11th: Veteren’s Day
• Nov 26th: Thanksgiving
• Dec 24th: Christmas Eve
• Dec 25th: Christmas Day
• Dec 31st: New Year’s Day

• Sep 11th & 12th, 18th & 19th, 25th & 26, Oct 1st – 4th, 8th – 11th, 15th – 18th, 22nd – 25th, 27th – 31st: Howl ‘O’ Scream
• Sep 12th through Nov 1st (Saturday and Sunday ONLY 12 pm to 4 pm): Halloween Spooktacular
• Nov 13th – 15th, 20th – 29th, Dec 4th – 6th, 11th – 31st, Jan 1st – 4th 2027: Christmas Town

Crowds are heavier at the weekends’ thanks to aggressive pricing for annual passes for Florida residents who like to visit outside of work hours although Busch Gardens is trying to entice more people to visit during weekdays in January and February with their Real Music Series that runs weekly from Tuesday to Sunday. Click the link above to check out who is playing on your visit. 

• Jan 1st: New Year’s Day
• Jan 18th: Martin Luthar King Jr. Day

• January & February: Real Music Real Masters
• January & February: Adventures Days

In contrast to Orlando area theme parks who see February as one of their quietest months, February in Busch Gardens Tampa is moderately busier than January, especially on weekdays during the middle of the month. Saturdays draw the heaviest crowds especially around President’s Day weekend. 

• Feb 14th: Superbowl
• Feb 14th:: Valentines Day
• Feb 15th:: Presidents Day

• January & February: Real Music, Real Masters
• January & February: Adventures Days
• February – May: Food & Wine Music Festival

Expect heavier crowds in the week leading up to Easter weekend and the week following, reaching a peak during the last weekend of the month and into the first week of April. 

• Mar 8th: Spring Break
• Mar 17th:: St. Patrick’s Day
• Mar 26th: Good Friday
• Mar 29th: Easter Monday

• February – May: Food & Wine Music Festival

Avoiding the peak Spring Break crowds, late April is still a great time to visit for warm weather without the humidity of the summer months.

• There are no observed holiday dates in April 2027

• February – May: Food & Wine Music Festival

Low to moderate crowds, coupled with fantastic weather and no significant public holidays until the end of the month, make May a brilliant time to visit Busch Gardens Tampa if you want to avoid peak crowds but still have the weather.

Busch Gardens is typically a lot quieter at the beginning of May than Orlando’s theme parks, as school holidays loom towards the end of the month.

• May 9th: Mother’s Day
• May 31st: Memorial Day
• May 31st: Start Of U.S. School Summer Holidays

• February – May: Food & Wine Music Festival
• May: Glory In The Gardens
  
• May – August: Summer Nights (select Dates)

Expect busy crowds, although the levels are still only moderate compared to Disney and Universal. The weather is more turbulent, especially in the afternoons, as the park is closer to the Gulf coast than Orlando, so heat and humidity are particularly prominent during the summer.

• Jun 20th: Father’s Day

• May – August: Summer Nights (select Dates)

Now, every US state school is guaranteed to be off, so you can expect crowds to be uniformly busy throughout the whole month. Weekdays are still a tad quieter than weekends, with the park remaining open until late to deal with the extra crowds.

• Jul 4th: Independence Day

• May – August: Summer Nights (select dates)
• July – September: Bier Fest, Brews & BBQ

In line with other Orlando parks, the first week of August is the busiest at Busch Gardens. Crowds are noticeably quieter in the latter half of the month once many US schools have returned for their autumn term.

• Aug 9th: U.S. Schools Start Returning

• May – August: Summer Nights (select Dates)
• July – September: Bier Fest, Brews & BBQ

September is one of the quietest months in Busch Gardens. Howl-O-Scream runs on select nights, but is a separately ticketed event, so days in the parks are very quiet compared to the preceding 2 months.

The family-friendly Kandy’s Sweetacular takes place during the day and is included in your park entrance ticket.

• Sep 6th: Labor Day

• July – September: Bier Fest, Brews & BBQ
• September & October: Halloween Spooktacular (Select Dates)
• September & October: Howl-O-Scream (Select Dates)

Continuing September’s trend, weekdays in October are noticeably quiet, particularly on Howl-O-Scream event days, but weekends are markedly busier.

Howl-O-Scream is second only to Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, but the distance of the park from people’s bases in Orlando keeps many visitors from attending. If you want to experience Halloween Horror Nights without the cost and less crowds, I would definitely recommend Howl-O-Scream.

• Oct 11th: Columbus Day
• Oct 31st: Halloween

• September & October: Halloween Spooktacular (Select Dates)
• September & October: Howl-O-Scream (Select Dates)

Like October at Busch Gardens, Weekdays in November are a very good time to visit, with November being largely another buffer month in between two popular holiday celebrations. As soon as Halloween ends, you will see the park preparing and launching Christmas celebrations soon after.

• Nov 11th: Veterans Day
• Nov 25th: Thanksgiving

• November – Early January: Christmas Town

The first fortnight is a great time to visit to see Busch Gardens in full on Christmas mode without the crowds of the last fortnight, but bear in mind the park may close earlier in December than later when budgets are expanded to cater for larger crowds.

• Dec 24th: Christmas Eve
• Dec 25th: Christmas Day
• Dec 31st: New Year’s Day

• November – Early January: Christmas Town