Here in Tampa, we do Halloween a little differently. Just take a look at Guavaween — it’s a Latin-inspired Halloween festival that’s been haunting the city for over three decades. This year, aside from the famous festival, you can look forward to Candlelight Halloween Tampa. It’s a haunted candlelit concert that’s upping the mystery and macabre of the season by paying tribute to timeless scary songs and movie soundtracks.
Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics
The first violin note slices through the air, sending shivers as Tubular Bells (Theme from The Exorcist) by Mike Oldfield sets a nerve-rattling tone. The acoustic quartet’s harmonic bridge then leads into the playful mischief of Beetlejuice (Theme) by Danny Elfman and the stormy drama of String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor (Dresden Quartet), Op. 110: II. Allegro Molto by Dmitri Shostakovich, each instrument adding its own haunting voice.
Wavering light bathes the audience, heightening every suspenseful twist and playful turn, and inviting listeners to savor the technical brilliance behind every spectral arrangement. Here, the boundary between reality and imagination blurs with every bow stroke.
Candlelight Halloween at Centro Asturiano de Tampa
The historic architecture of Centro Asturiano de Tampa — with its grand columns and ornate balconies — takes on an otherworldly glow when illuminated by thousands of candles. Arriving 30–45 minutes before the 60-minute concert allows guests to fully absorb the interplay of flickering candlelight and elegant design, creating an atmosphere where every shadow adds to the sense of Halloween intrigue.
Within this luminous setting, the quartet’s renditions of Funeral March of a Marionette by Charles Gounod, Ghostbusters (Theme) by Ray Parker Jr., and Der Erlkönig by Franz Schubert evoke a subtle spookiness that’s both playful and enchanting. With tickets in high demand, planning early is the key to experiencing one of Tampa’s most memorable Halloween evenings.