Gatorland
Orlando, FL · Central Florida$$
Thousands of alligators live at Gatorland, which Owen Godwin opened on old cattle land along South Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando in 1949. The Godwin family still owns it, and…
Conventions & Expos
Spooky Empire
Date
Friday, Oct 30, 2026 to Sunday, Nov 1, 2026
Location
Hyatt Regency Orlando
9801 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819
9801 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819
Where to stay
In town for the whole weekend? International Drive hotels are four minutes by car from the Hyatt Regency.
Organized by
Spooky Empire
About this happenin
The costume contest at Spooky Empire, a horror convention in Orlando, is judged for cash prizes, and the builds go far past a store-bought mask. The horror convention began in a Broward County hotel and has spent most of its long run in Orlando, where the Halloween weekend edition is the one fans plan their autumn around. Three days at the Hyatt Regency Orlando on International Drive bring autograph tables, panels with genre actors, a horror film festival, a tattoo festival with working artists and live music. The vendor floor is deep in latex masks and prop replicas, plus small-press paperbacks. A zombie walk moves through the property, and late-night parties carry on after the dealer floor closes. Doors open at 1pm Friday and 11am Saturday and Sunday, and VIP passholders get in an hour earlier. An adult's admission covers children ten and under. Costumes are welcome, though any weapon must be peace-bonded or obviously fake. Nobody under 21 gets into the VIP parties.
More in October: 12 other Orlando events.
Make a day of it in Orlando
Places worth a stop in the same town.
