Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) is a haunted after-hours event voted the Best Halloween Event by the Golden Ticket Awards for over a decade. While Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World focuses on family-friendly activities, Universal embraces its horror roots to create an edgy, adult-oriented event. In this two-part series, we will cover all you need to know about HHN 2024: Part 1 focuses on planning and tickets, Part 2 covers attractions at the event and touring tips, and Part 3 covers all there is to eat and buy at the event.

What is Halloween Horror Nights?

Halloween Horror Nights is a separately ticketed event after Universal Studios Florida closes to guests. Once the park closes Universal Team Members transforms USF into a huge Halloween party with ten haunted houses, five scare zones, and two shows. Dozens of unique food booths serve devilish delicious items like fried Oreos, pizza fries, themed food items, and lots of alcohol.  Universal embraces its horror roots with an edgy, adult-oriented event compared to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World.

Additional Reading

Halloween Horror Nights is a huge event that transforms Universal Studios Florida into a completely different park. The event is so large we split our coverage into several pieces. We suggest reading these posts in addition to this part 1 and 2 series:

• Best Hotels for Halloween Horror Nights
• Seven Frequently Asked Holloween Horror Nights Questions
• Getting to Know Halloween Horror Nights
• Four Money-Saving Halloween Horror Nights Tips
• How to Enjoy Halloween Horror Nights When You Are Scared of Everything

Planning

When Should I Visit?

The busiest days of Halloween Horror Nights are all Fridays and the weekends leading up to Halloween. The least crowded days are weekdays in September (excluding the opening weekend), Halloween night, and nights after the Halloween holiday. Universal’s online ticket and Express Pass pricing reflects their expected attendance, the lower the price the fewer expected guests. Rainy nights scare away guests more than a vampire, so pack footwear that’s easy to dry, a poncho, and an umbrella, and hit the streets.

Queue times for the most popular houses easily reach 60 minutes on days with lower crowds and over two hours on the busiest days. Part two of this series (coming soon) covers our tips and strategies to make the most of your night.

Operating Hours & Prices

Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights 31 runs on select nights from August 30 through November 3, 2024. Universal Studios Florida closes at 5:00 p.m. on even nights and reopens for HHN at 6:30 p.m.

Which Ticket Should I Buy?

Halloween Horror Nights is a separate charge event in Universal Studios Florida operated after the park closes to day guests. Several admission tickets are offered:
⭐️ Single-day event tickets start at $82.99 plus tax online and $132.99 plus tax if purchased at the gate. Tickets purchased online can be printed at home, scanned from a phone, or picked up at Will Call. Purchase your tickets online to save a considerable amount of money and time.
⭐️ Multi-night “Fear Passes” are valid for multiple event days with pricing based on when the passes are active. The general rule of thumb is a pass is cheaper than purchasing three (3) single-day tickets, but do the math.

• Rush of Fear Pass: $179.99 plus tax, valid for admission the first four weeks of the event (August 30 – September). It is not valid for any days in October or November.
• Frequent Fear Pass: $239.99 plus tax, valid for admission for every event night Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday plus the first weekend (August 30 – September 1).
• Frequent Fear Plus Pass: $289.99 plus tax, valid for admission every event night Sunday through Friday plus the first and last Saturday of the event (August 31 and November 2).
• Ultimate Frequent Fear Pass: $399.99 plus tax, valid for admission every night.

If you only have one day and want to see all the event can offer, then consider purchasing Express Pass.

Express Pass

⭐️ Halloween Horror Nights Express Pass allows guests to bypass stand-by lines for houses and attractions dramatically reducing wait times. Express Pass starts at $129.99 plus tax per guest and grants access to the Express queue for each haunted house and attraction once that night. In the past waits for the most popular haunted houses soared above three hours on the busiest days; Express can reduce waits by at least half. Universal sometimes sells a heavily discounted (usually half off) Express Pass valid after 11:00 p.m. Inquire at Express Pass kiosks inside the park about the after “11 pm Half Price Express Pass”.
⭐️ Multi-day passes with Express Pass include HHN admission on select dates (see dates in the previous section) plus one use of Express Pass at each haunted house and attraction per night. Be warned, these passes are expensive:

• Rush of Fear Pass with Express: $609.99 plus tax
• Frequent Fear Pass with Express: $729.99 plus tax
• Frequent Fear Pass Plus with Express: $839.99 plus tax
• Ultimate Frequent Fear Pass with Express: $919.99 plus tax

Note: Express Passes offered to guests staying at Premier Universal Orlando hotels are not valid during HHN. Express Pass is not valid admission into the event.

Add-Ons

Universal’s ⭐️ Scream Early ticket lets guests without day tickets in before the park closes to see new attractions or participate in Stay and Scream. A valid ticket for Halloween Horror Nights is still required. Tickets are $55 per person plus tax.
⭐️ Behind the Screams tours offer a guided, lights-on look at the haunted houses. Knowledgeable guides take guests through select houses to learn behind-the-scenes secrets, stories, and incredible effects. This is an excellent choice for guests who wish to experience the event without the scares or nighttime festivities. Tours are offered for three or six houses, pricing starts at $99.99 plus tax per guest. Tickets can be purchased online, theme park admission and event admission are not included.
Do you crave no waits at all? ⭐️ Guided RIP Tours provides guests immediate access to all the houses and preferred show seating if money is no object. RIP Tours pricing varies by night, starting at $359.99 plus tax per guest; tours are purchased online. Private RIP Tours are also available; call 866-604-7556 for pricing and more information. Admission to HHN is not included.

Annual Passholder Offers

Universal Orlando offers special events, discounts, and merchandise for Annual Passholders during HHN.

• One free Horror Nights ticket on select dates for Premier Passholders:
  • September: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 15, 18, 19, 25, and 26
  • October: 2, 3, 9, 10, and 30
  • November: 1 – 3
• Exclusive Passholder entrance into Universal Studios Florida before the start of the event for Stay and Scream
• Exclusive merchandise & pins at the UOAP Lounge
• Discounted single-day event tickets in September
• 5-10% discount on RIP tours

Guidelines, Accessibility, and Warnings

• Halloween Horror Nights is intense, loud, and startling. This event scares adults, and parental discretion is advised.
• Houses and scare zones feature theatrical lighting, strobe lights, theatrical fog, and fake smells. Some haunted houses feature strings or objects you must walk through or uneven walking spaces. See a house attendant for more information.
• Food, beverages, photography, videography, or light-emitting devices are prohibited in houses.
• HHN houses are fully accessible by wheelchair; electric wheelchairs and ECVs must transfer to a wheelchair. See Team Members at the queue entrance for more information.
• Guide dog relief areas are available in the back of the park near Men in Black and cages are available at the exit to all houses.
• Physical contact of any kind with scare actors is strictly prohibited and will result in ejection from the event.

If any of these warnings give you pause then reconsider going for your health and safety.

Have we scared you away yet? No? Well, good — in part 2, we will cover the best tips for touring Halloween Horror Nights, and part 3 covers all there is to buy and eat!

What are you looking forward to the most at Halloween Horror Nights 2024? Leave your comments and questions below!