Halloween at Universal Orlando with Kids: CityWalk, Shopping, Hotels, and More
While some of Orlando’s theme parks are better known for their family-friendly Halloween offerings, there’s lots of Halloween fun to be had at Universal Orlando Resort as well. Universal hosts the iconic event Halloween Horror Nights each year. Still, since it is recommended that kids only visit the scary event if they’re 13 or older, parents may wonder what else there is for kids to do to get into the spooky spirit at Universal’s hotels and theme parks.
Read on for our guide to different Halloween activities and happenings going on at Universal Orlando from now through early November, when Halloween Horror Nights ends.
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Halloween Fun at Universal Orlando
Halloween photo opportunities at Universal hotels
At all eight of Universal Orlando’s hotels, there are Halloween-themed photo opportunities in hotel lobbies. These photo backdrops include everything from a web of roots and pumpkins in the lobby of Cabana Bay Beach Resort to a dark, seaside gothic manor vibe in the lobby of Loews Sapphire Falls, and can make for a fun day of visiting the lobbies of different Universal hotels with your family collecting photos.
On our recent visit, my teenage son and I visited a few hotels via Universal’s system of walking trails and boats and stopped for lunch and shopping at Universal CityWalk midway through our day of photo-hunting.
BONUS IDEA: Halloween Bars at Universal Orlando Hotels
Shopping for Halloween merchandise at Universal Orlando
Window-shopping to look at Universal’s beautifully-themed Halloween storefronts, window displays, and merchandise, while walking through highly-themed stores in the theme parks, resorts, and CityWalk, can be a fun spooky season activity.
For 2025 there is a spooky Halloween market in the center of CityWalk. Perfect for an outdoor stroll and perhaps a few photo opportunities.
NEW Volcano Bay Nights
All new for 2025 is Volcano Bay Nights! This after-hours event at Universal’s Volcano Bay water park is offered on select nights in September and October, including Halloween night!
It’s the perfect summerween event with a family-friendly Halloween beach party atmosphere. Nothing scary happens here, just fun beach party music, and a dash of spooky tunes. Plus, free popcorn, free churro bites, free soda, all the Volcano Bay water attractions, and the Scooby Doo characters!
Even a silly villain from the Scooby Doo animated series sneaks around the front of the park in hopes of disrupting the gang’s beach party. And Halloween-themed treats can be purchased a certain food & beverage locations too!
The Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store is a must-see
Don’t miss the Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store, located inside Universal Studios. You don’t need a HHN ticket to visit this store and see its over-the-top theming, as it’s open during normal theme park hours as well.
Parent pro tip: The Tribute Store has everything from scary t-shirts to spooky mannequins, so be sure to consider whether or not your child would be frightened by these scenes before taking them in.
Many hotels have Halloween-themed bars
This year, every Universal hotel has changed its lobby bar to a Halloween-themed motif for spooky season.
On our recent visit, we visited Cabana Bay Beach Resort and enjoyed seeing how its lobby bar, Swizzle Lounge, had been fully decorated in a creepy pumpkin patch motif.
At Aventura Hotel, the bar is alien-themed, and at Endless Summer Dockside, the bar is adorned with spooky driftwood characters. These bars often also sell Halloween-themed drinks, so it can be fun to order a few creepy cocktails and mocktails and give your feet a rest while you cool off.
New for 2025, Portofino Bay Resort has the crown jewel of the Halloween themed pop-ups at hotels. A frosty, naughtical setting is immersive, without being overly scary.
Dead Coconut Club at Universal CityWalk
On nights when HHN is taking place, there’s a special pop-up bar available for guests to visit at CityWalk, no park ticket or event ticket required. Normally the Red Coconut Club, the Dead Coconut Club only pops up during the Halloween season and is normally open from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. on event nights.
The entire space gets a spooky overhaul during Dead Coconut Club. This year’s theme is a take on the sorority life of a witches’ coven.
While these settings are plenty spooky, there are no HHN-esque jump scares or excessive gore, so it can be a fun place to cool off and enjoy cocktails or mocktails while feeling festively spooky.
Halloween Horror Nights can be fun for some teens
The biggest Halloween event at Universal Orlando is definitely Halloween Horror Nights, an event with 10 haunted houses, plenty of jump scares, and lots of gore. Universal recommends kids be at least 13 before visiting HHN, but we’ve definitely seen younger kids visit the scare-tacular event. Like any Halloween event, it all depends on what you’re comfortable with and what your kid can handle.
If you do visit HHN with your teen, which I’ve done for the last two years, consider adding Express Pass to your ticket to minimize line wait times. Universal also offers group and private R.I.P. Tours with a dedicated guide who can take you to the front of each house’s line for an added cost. We often splurge for these upgrades as it makes the night run more smoothly, but there’s plenty of scares and fun to be had without them, too.
My teen and I also spent time listening to the Discover Universal podcast in advance of our trips to HHN, as the hosts share a great deal of details and information on many of the houses and the event overall. Going in prepared has been a great help for my kid, as he was more aware of what to expect.
Read our guide to how to know if a kid is old enough to attend HHN.
And for more fun this time of year, plan to visit the Halloween fun at Disney Springs.
