It might be the middle of the Summer, but many theme parks are already looking ahead to the Fall as they’re already in the process of building haunted houses or they’re in the midst of planning a Halloween event. Busch Gardens is surely in the process of working on their Halloween event, Howl-o-Scream.
Over the last few weeks, they have started building a story around their upcoming event. While it might not seem like much now, the clues will more than likely lead to the unveiling of the theme of the event. In the past, Busch Gardens and SeaWorld have shared similar themes, however that may or may not be the case this fall.
The story begins with maintenance crews stopping in their tracks as they discover a mysterious object. It appears as if whatever they found seems to be man made and was made with indigenous wood. Busch Gardens has since hired an outside company, American Underground Research Archaelogy (A.U.R.A.), which specializes in artifact analysis, excavation, GPS Site Mapping, and Planning & Excavation Site Magagement.
Both Busch Gardens Tampa and Busch Gardens Williamsburg seem to be taking guests along with the same storyline, pointing at a possible theme that will span across both parks. To mix things up a bit more, SeaWorld San Antonio also seems to be following a similar storyline, however, their website has not been updated to the same point in time which both Busch Gardens websites have.
The story seems quite complex for the marketing of a theme for Howl-o-Scream. It’s quite possible the Busch Gardens may be trying to incorporate som type of interactive experience into the event this year or create excitement for a brand new up-charge house. It’s also quite possible that SeaWorld Parks is trying to bride the story across three different parks.
Although it may feel like Busch Gardens is trying to bring interactivity to Howl-o-Scream, interactivity will surely be a challenge for the park. With building a solid line for people to start asking questions and start poking around, there is a little bit to begin a web search with. However, unlike other Halloween events, Howl-o-Scream is not included with park admission and Busch Gardens Tampa has currently not offered a multi-night ticket (think of a season pass) to the event. On the flip side, Busch Gardens Williamsburg includes Howl-o-Scream with park admission. Where events like Halloween Horror Nights succeed in incorporating interactivity to the event, they do so by offering interactive experiences to guests who visit multiple nights, delving them deeper and deeper into the story behind the event.
Looking back on last year, Busch Gardens Tampa announced they would no longer have The Experiment, an up-charge house. It’s completely possible that they are replacing The Experiment with an all-new experience while trying to get guests excited about it. Busch Gardens Williamsburg has never had an up-charge house, but it is not outside the realm of possibility.
Stay tuned for more information as this story continues to develop. For more information about Howl-o-Scream, visit the official website by clicking here.
