WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Busch Gardens Williamsburg is implementing a chaperone policy for the remainder of Howl-O-Scream following a chaotic altercation during the seasonal event's opening weekend and a stabbing in the park the next weekend.
The new policy — which applies to everyone, including members — includes the following rules:
- All visitors ages 15 years old and younger must be accompanied by a chaperone who is at least 21 years old when visiting the park
- The chaperone policy applies to visitors in the park after 4 p.m. on Howl-O-Scream event nights.
- The policy is in place for every remaining Howl-O-Scream weekend. The last weekend is November 3.
- The chaperone must accompany their party at entry, remain inside the park during their visit and be available by phone throughout their stay.
- Guests aged 15 years or younger who are found inside the park unaccompanied by a chaperone who is not in the park and available by phone will be subject to ejection without refund.
Watch previous coverage: Body camera video shows police responding to altercation in large crowd at Busch Gardens
Additionally, visitors 16 years of age or older must be able to present a valid government-issued photo ID with a date of birth before entering the park. Examples of valid IDs include a driver’s license, a state-issued ID card, a passport and a Military ID, the park added.
Without a valid ID to verify your age, you could be denied entry, the park says.
On September 7 — the Saturday of Busch Garden's opening Howl-O-Scream weekend — James City County police said a fight broke out in a crowd of several hundred people during the opening weekend of Howl-O-Scream.
Watch: Video shows scene outside of Busch Gardens Williamsburg fight
The disturbance started as a verbal dispute between two large groups of people—mostly children and young adults—who were in line for rides near the park's entrance, according to police.
Some people in the crowd reportedly made statements that someone may have a gun, causing the crowd to break up. The incident escalated, prompting extra law enforcement officers to be called in for help around 10 p.m., police added.
No one was hurt or arrested that weekend. A boy was detained because officers believed he was possibly armed, but they did not find a weapon and released him to his parents, police say.
The following weekend around 10 p.m. on September 14, police responded after a fight was reported in the France area of the park. When officers got there, the people involved in the altercation had left, but shortly after, a man approached officers and said he had been stabbed.
Watch previous coverage: Man stabbed at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, police say
The man was taken to the hospital and police said he was going to be okay.
For more information on the new policy, click here.
