Tampa Bay events offer free festivals, ghost tours, and underwater parties this weekend
Activities range from a free campus celebration on Friday to a postponed Oktoberfest returning to the waterfront.
By Leila Saeed ·
Tampa Bay residents have multiple options for Halloween weekend activities, ranging from free family events to ticketed ghost tours.
USF St. Petersburg hosts its fifth annual Halloween Fest on Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at 140 Seventh Ave. S. The free event features a haunted petting zoo, face painting, and trunk-or-treating for candy. Advanced registration is encouraged but not required for attendees.
Ghost tours are available at the Tampa Bay Hotel and the Tampa Theatre. The Tampa Theatre offers a two-hour walking tour on Friday and Saturday mornings for $15, while members attend for free. The Tampa Bay Hotel hosts tours from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday for $25 per person. The hotel event is recommended for ages 14 and older.
Oktoberfest Tampa returns to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park after a weather-related postponement earlier in the month. The festival runs Friday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. General admission starts at $10. The program includes live music, German food, and a Halloween-themed Krampus dance party on Saturday. A beard and mustache competition is also scheduled for Saturday.
The Florida Aquarium hosts Guppyween on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Activities include costumed divers, underwater pumpkin carving, and a scavenger hunt. Children in costume enter for free and can participate in trick-or-treating.
Gulf View Square Mall in Port Richey holds Mall-O-Ween on Saturday at 9409 U.S. 19. Vendors open at 2 p.m., and trick-or-treating occurs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Local retailers and booths provide candy to families.
Dr. Mel Rodgers, a volcanologist at USF, presents a screening of the 1997 film Dante's Peak on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Corner Club, 1502 E. Sligh Ave. The event is part of the Taste of Science Reel Science series. Rodgers will discuss the scientific accuracy of the movie. Tickets are required, and seating is limited.
Source: WUSF Public Media
