Updated October 2020

With smaller crowds, cooler temperatures and an array of special events, autumn is one of the best times to experience everything Orlando has to offer. This fall, you’re sure to delight in our fantastic food festivals (including Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining®), Halloween haunts and immersive cultural celebrations — and you can do so with confidence, thanks to enhanced health and safety measures being employed by Orlando’s event organizers, theme parks, hotels, restaurants and other businesses. Fall in for can’t-miss fall festivities in Orlando, and share your favorite experiences on social media using #LoveOrlando!

Learn more: Stay With Confidence in Orlando

Please note: Depending on the timing of your visit, some experiences may be temporarily modified or closed. Learn more about healthy travel and what’s open in Orlando, and check with your favorite events and businesses for their current status.

Orlando: Halloween Vacation Capital®

Orlando is ready to scare up a ghoulishly good time this Halloween with spooky soirees and fantastic fun for children and adults. Here’s your guide to 2020’s most happening haunts!

SeaWorld Orlando's Halloween Spooktacular
SeaWorld Orlando’s Halloween Spooktacular

SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular (Weekends Through Nov. 1)

Dive into an ocean of Halloween fun for the whole family at SeaWorld Orlando’s Halloween Spooktacular! Included with park admission, the daytime weekend event gives kids the chance to score lots of candy and goodies on the trick-or-treat trail. It also features a Halloween Dance Party and all your family’s favorite Sesame Street® friends, including Elmo, The Count, Cookie Monsters and others, in the Sesame Street Halloween Parade.

Save on discount tickets: SeaWorld Orlando

SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular will also have enhanced health and safety measures to help protect you. At this special event, modified to allow guests to safely visit the park with limited capacity, your family can dress in Halloween costumes and take part in fun-filled trick-or-treating around SeaWorld’s expansive grounds with physical distancing in mind.

On Saturdays through Oct. 31, SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular is complemented by SeaWorld Flicks & Frights, a drive-in movie experience showing spooky movies every Saturday night in October.

Brick or Treat at LEGOLAND Florida Resort
Brick or Treat at LEGOLAND® Florida Resort Near Orlando

LEGOLAND Florida Resort’s Brick or Treat (Weekends Through Oct. 31)

Enjoy safe, neighborhood-style trick-or-treating with plenty of candy, seasonal shows and exclusive LEGO® characters at Brick or Treat, a one-of-a-kind kids’ Halloween celebration at LEGOLAND Florida Resort. The fun event is included with general admission every weekend in October.

Save on discount tickets: LEGOLAND Florida Resort

Costumed kids and their parents can visit six awesomely themed trick-or-treating locations that have been thoughtfully planned to allow extra spacing for families and contactless candy distribution. In addition to social distancing, all employees at these stations will wear face coverings (masks and/or face shields) and gloves. Other fun features include The Groovin’ Graveyard and A Candy-Coated Curse live shows, LEGO Halloween character meet-and-greets, larger-than-life LEGO models, and other surprises. Get complete details about Brick or Treat!

Haunted House at Universal Studios Florida, Part of Universal Orlando Resort

Halloween Seasonal Experiences at Universal Orlando Resort (Through Nov. 1)

This fall, you’re invited to celebrate the Halloween season with a wealth of eerie experiences at Universal Orlando Resort, and the frightful fun is included with park admission! It all starts with two extreme haunted houses at Universal Studios Florida, where terrifying creatures await to haunt your every move. They include Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Live, starring one of Universal Pictures’ most legendary monsters, and Revenge of the Tooth Fairy, presenting an original story that uncovers a dark ritual behind the innocent childhood tradition.

Save on discount tickets: Universal Orlando Resort

What’s more, everyone can wear family-friendly costumes when visiting Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure, the latter of which will also have trick-or-treating for guests ages 12 and under. And don’t miss Universal Studios Florida’s Scarecrow Stalk, a new scavenger hunt that will have you searching for unique scarecrows and collecting stamps at 13 retail locations throughout the park. Find them all for a special Halloween treat!

You can also look forward to the Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store and seasonal, limited-time food and beverage items. Universal Orlando is also prioritizing guest safety with face-mask and social-distancing requirements, plus other measures, so you can scare up a good time with confidence.

Festive Fall Fun at Magic Kingdom® Park (Through Oct. 31)

At Walt Disney World® Resort, Magic Kingdom Park is dressing for fall and inviting everyone to join in the fun! For the first time ever, Magic Kingdom guests of all ages can wear Halloween costumes during regular operating hours as part of the world-famous theme park’s spooky seasonal celebration.

Save on discount tickets: Walt Disney World Resort

Additionally, Main Street, U.S.A., will feature glowing pumpkin wreaths to inspire the Halloween spirit, as well as a Halloween-themed cavalcade featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto and other beloved Disney characters dressed in their seasonal best. Plus, look for costumed Chip ‘n’ Dale in Frontierland, as well as other costumed Disney characters riding in a horse-drawn trolley along Main Street, U.S.A.! You can also look forward to Halloween-themed merchandise, food and drinks available for purchase, as well as other surprises.

Please note: All guests must wear an appropriate face covering while visiting Magic Kingdom Park. Guests younger than 14 years of age are permitted to wear a costume mask in addition to their approved face covering.

Social Distancing Skunk Ape at Gatorland in Orlando

Gators, Ghosts and Goblins (Weekends Through Nov. 1)

Come out in costume for Gatorland’s Halloween event, included with park admission. Festivities include Gatorland’s famous Social Distancing Skunk Ape, costumed characters, multiple photo opportunities, a trick-or-treat trail from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and a monster-sized scavenger hunt. You can also look forward to “undead” music and fun at Frank & Stein’s Octoberfest, as well as German beer and food for purchase.

Save on discount tickets: Gatorland

The Haunted Road: A Drive-Thru Halloween Experience (Select Dates Through Nov. 7)

Twisted creatures, immersive theatrical storytelling and bloodcurdling encounters await at this new, completely contactless Halloween event. Get ready to journey into a world of disarray as you experience Orlando’s first-ever drive-thru Halloween experience, including family-friendly and adults-only editions!

Scream n’ Stream (Weekends Through Oct. 31)

Held at Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures in Kissimmee, this specially ticketed, social-distanced event invites you to drive along a friendly trick-or-treat trail to pick-up candy, or experience a scary drive-thru haunt in the dead of night — including the chance to meet the Fog Queen!

Save on discount tickets: Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures

Scott’s Maze Adventures (Weekends Through Dec. 13)

Although it isn’t billed as a Halloween event, this local fall favorite features a 6.5-acre corn maze and pumpkin patch with lots of surprises, including a huge jumping pillow, a 60-foot super slide, a castle-themed playground and more. It also has a half-acre mini-maze for younger visitors, as well as a spookier “Night Maze” on Oct. 24 & 31. Now in its 18th year, the seasonal attraction is educational, too, with a focus on farm-to-table food in 2020. Along the way, you’ll find pictures and clues to help you play, making it fun to learn for the whole family. Scott’s Maze Adventures is hosted by Long & Scott Farms in Mount Dora, about 40 minutes northwest of International Drive.

Theme Park Foodie Events in Orlando

Before you head off to fall events at Orlando’s theme parks, see how they’re working to help keep you safe, including new health and sanitization procedures and much more!

Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival in Orlando
Taste of EPCOT® International Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando (Photo: Steven Diaz/© Disney)

Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival (Through Nov. 22)

Having debuted this summer, this new version of the popular EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival marks the park’s 25th consecutive year hosting the event, which also makes it the longest festival in Walt Disney World Resort history.

Included with park admission, the Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival features more than 20 signature global marketplaces and also incorporates elements of the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival — starting with the France pavilion’s brand-new Remy topiary! It’s a culinary journey like no other as you sip and savor dishes and drinks from six continents, including thoughtful pairings of wine, beer and specialty cocktails with your food selections.

Get additional details about the Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, such as new offerings and festival favorites, festival-exclusive merchandise that’s coming in September, fun and entertainment for the whole family (including the return of Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak scavenger hunt), the new digital Festival Guidebook, and more!

SeaWorld Orlando's Craft Beer Festival
SeaWorld Orlando’s Craft Beer Festival

SeaWorld’s Craft Beer Festival (Weekends Through Nov. 1)

Enjoy more than 100 craft brews at SeaWorld Orlando’s Craft Beer Festival, including an incredible mix of domestic and local Florida favorites. The event also features more than 20 food items designed to pair perfectly with the brews, as well as festive entertainment to keep the party going. SeaWorld’s Craft Beer Festival is included with park admission, with food and beverages available at an additional cost.

Also, if you’ll be in town for Thanksgiving (Nov. 26, 2020), see what our restaurants are serving for the holiday!

Learn more: Thanksgiving Dining in Orlando

Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining (Extended Through Oct. 31)

The Venetian Chop House in Orlando
Enjoy Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining at The Venetian Chop House (Pictured) and More Than 50 Other Participating Restaurants

Between celebrity chefs, local culinary heroes and a fresh-focused farm-to-table movement, Orlando’s dining scene continues to amaze even the most demanding palates. Fall offers a seasonal cornucopia of events that can help you build a dream foodie vacation — starting with Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining, now extended through Oct. 31, 2020!

Learn more: Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining Is Back

During this popular program’s 15th year, many of Central Florida’s top restaurants are offering three-course, prix-fixe dinner menus for just $35 per person. What’s more, $1 from each meal will benefit Feed the Need Florida, which supplies meals to people who have struggled with getting access to food during the COVID-19 crisis. Many participating restaurants have al fresco, takeout and delivery options, too, giving you more ways than ever to enjoy this year’s event.

Visit OrlandoMagicalDining.com for a complete list of participating eateries and menus, plus OpenTable reservations. Speaking of which, be sure to reserve your preferred dates and times early so you don’t miss out, and share your favorite dishes on social media with #MagicalDining!

Unique Fall Cultural Events in Orlando

Pompeii: The Immortal City at Orlando Science Center

Pompeii: The Immortal City at Orlando Science Center (Oct. 26 – Jan. 24, 2021)

Plunge into the drama and ruins of a legendary, ancient metropolis at Pompeii: The Immortal City! Orlando is one of just four U.S. destinations selected to host this traveling, limited-time exhibit, which is coming to Orlando Science Center (OSC) near downtown Orlando this fall. Interactive mechanical devices, multimedia elements and artwork will immerse you in the first-century Roman town’s daily life — and its untimely destruction.

A perfect exhibit for modern times, the 10,000-square-foot gallery displays artifacts that encourage quiet contemplation. Furthermore, health and safety measures such as timed entry for guests, one-way flow throughout the exhibit, social-distancing markers, and regular sanitization of high-touch areas will help protect you as you come to understand the lessons and majesty of Pompeii. Get complete details about Pompeii: The Immortal City!

FusionFest in Orlando
Explore 160 Cultures at FusionFest in Downtown Orlando

FusionFest (Nov. 28-29)

Held at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Fine Arts’ open-air Seneff Arts Plaza in downtown Orlando, FusionFest is a unique, two-day festival that invites you to explore 160 different global heritages. Taking place over Thanksgiving weekend, it boasts a bounty of dishes from around the world, plus interactive experiences and contests celebrating the arts, fashion, dance and more.

Learn more: Orlando Arts & Culture

FusionFest is free to attend, and food, beverages and merchandise will be available for purchase. Get complete details about FusionFest, including health and safety information!

Orange County Regional History Center & Heritage Square Park in Orlando

Yesterday This Was Home: The Ocoee Massacre of 1920 (Through Feb. 14, 2021)

The 1920 Ocoee Massacre in Orange County, Florida, remains the largest incident of voting-day violence in United States history. One hundred years later, this exhibition at the Orange County Regional History Center in downtown Orlando explores not just this horrific event, but other historical and recent incidents of racism, hatred and terror. The inspirational exhibition hopes to encourage reflection on a century of social transformation, the power of perspective and the importance of voting.

Learn more: Orlando History

More Fall Events in Orlando

Lake Eola Park in Orlando
See What Else Is Waiting for You in Orlando This Fall (Lake Eola Park Pictured)

Food festivals and spooky thrills aren’t the only activities you’ll enjoy in Orlando this autumn. From joyful music to beautiful art to sporting events, we have a plethora of additional fall festivities lined up. Click the provided links to learn more about these autumnal happenings!

Fall Cultural Events in Orlando

Through Oct. 18 (Select Dates): Adam Golka's 32@32 — Beethoven's Piano Sonatas
Through Oct. 24 (Select Dates): Bright Young Things
Through Oct. 18 (Select Dates): Ugly Lies the Bone
Oct. 15-22: Orlando Film Festival
Oct. 18: Free Gallery Talk — What Is That You Express In Your Eyes? The Inspired Works of Alberto Gómez
Oct. 25: Festival Calle Orange

Fall Sporting Events in Orlando

Oct. 18: U Can Finish 5 Mile & 2 Mile Presented by AdventHealth Virtual
Nov. 12-15: IOA Corporate 5k Virtual

Written by Nate Shelton, editorial brand manager at Visit Orlando. He's a native Floridian who enjoys the entertainment, cultural and culinary aspects of Orlando and Orange County.

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