Donate blood in Carlsbad Village on Sept. 26 and walk away with a ticket to SeaWorld San Diego's Howl-O-Scream.
The Carlsbad Village Association's Heart of the Village Blood Drive returns Saturday, Sept. 26, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the parking lot at Barrio Glassworks, 3060 Roosevelt St. The San Diego Blood Bank will run the mobile drive, offering both whole blood and double red cell donations.
Here's the incentive: anyone who donates at any San Diego Blood Bank location or mobile drive between Sept. 1 and Sept. 30 will receive one complimentary ticket to Howl-O-Scream, while supplies last, according to the Carlsbad Village Association. The ticket covers single-night admission to the separately ticketed nighttime event, which runs 24 select nights from Sept. 11 through Oct. 31. It does not include daytime SeaWorld admission.
The SeaWorld-Blood Bank partnership is not new. In 2024, SeaWorld donated 10,000 Howl-O-Scream tickets valued at more than $920,000, which the San Diego Blood Bank called its largest in-kind donation ever at the time. "Through this valued partnership with SeaWorld San Diego, we hope to collect 10,000 pints of blood this year, which could potentially save more than 30,000 lives in our community and beyond," San Diego Blood Bank CEO Doug Morton said in September 2024, when that year's promotion launched.
The Heart of the Village drive, now in roughly its ninth year, was started by CVA board member Heidi Willes of Willes Orthodontics. The event has grown into a twice-yearly fixture in the Village. By September 2022, the drive had cumulatively collected 247 pints of blood. Each pint can help save up to three lives, according to the San Diego Blood Bank.
How to donate
- When: Saturday, Sept. 26, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Where: Barrio Glassworks parking lot, 3060 Roosevelt St., Carlsbad Village
- Eligibility: At least 17 years old, at least 110 pounds, in good health. Bring a photo ID.
- Appointments: Encouraged. Reserve a slot at mysdbb.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/88119.
Barrio Glassworks is a public glassblowing studio and retail gallery in the historic Barrio neighborhood, so donors can browse the gallery before or after their appointment.
Howl-O-Scream details
The event features haunted houses, scare zones, live entertainment, thrill rides, themed bars and more. Gates open at 6 p.m. on event nights, with programming starting at 7 p.m. Howl-O-Scream is separately ticketed; SeaWorld annual passes do not grant access.
Upcoming
- Sept. 1–30: Donate at any San Diego Blood Bank site to receive a Howl-O-Scream ticket (while supplies last)
- Sept. 11–Oct. 31: Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld San Diego, select nights
- Sept. 26: Heart of the Village Blood Drive, Barrio Glassworks, 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m.
The Carlsbad Village Association can be reached at (760) 453-7076 for questions about the Sept. 26 drive.
