Tampa Bay area hosts ghost tours, aquarium events, and Oktoberfest this weekend
Events across the region run from Friday through Sunday, featuring free activities at USF St. Petersburg and paid admissions for haunted hotel tours.
By Beatriz Bailey ·
Tampa Bay residents can choose from a wide range of Halloween and autumn events this weekend. Activities span from free family festivals to paid ghost tours and waterfront beer gardens.
USF St. Petersburg hosts its fifth annual Halloween Fest on Friday. The free event runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the campus at 140 Seventh Ave. S. Participants can engage in trunk-or-treating, visit a haunted petting zoo, and get face painting. Advanced registration is recommended but not required.
Historic venues in Tampa offer guided ghost tours on Friday and Saturday. The Tampa Theatre hosts a two-hour tour on Friday and Saturday mornings. Tickets cost $15, though Tampa Theatre members enter for free. The Tampa Bay Hotel holds its tour from 6 to 9 p.m. on both days. Admission is $25 per person, and the 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 transforms the park into a biergarten with live music, German food, and dancing. General admission starts at $10. The event runs Friday from 4 to 11 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday features a beard and mustache competition and a Halloween-themed Krampus dance party.
The Florida Aquarium celebrates Guppyween on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event includes costumed divers, underwater pumpkin carving, and creepy critter encounters. Children in costume enter for free and can participate in a scavenger hunt and trick-or-treating.
Gulf View Square Mall in Port Richey hosts Mall-O-Ween on Saturday. Vendors open at 2 p.m. at 9409 U.S. 19. Trick-or-treating runs from 5 to 8 p.m. as families collect treats from participating retailers and booths.
USF volcanologist Dr. Mel Rodgers hosts a Reel Science event on Sunday from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at the Corner Club, 1502 E. Sligh Ave. Rodgers will analyze the scientific accuracy of the 1997 volcano thriller Dante's Peak. Tickets are required for the event, which has limited seating.
Source: WUSF Public Media
