Where to Celebrate Halloween in L.A.

What To Do for Halloween in LA — Hocus Pocus Still - Photofest - H 2016
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Whether Angelenos are looking for a family-friendly attraction or a spooky screening this Halloween, L.A. is offering plenty of options. Join the festivities all month long with activities like Danny Elfman's performance of The Nightmare Before Christmas at the Hollywood Bowl or Rooftop Cinema Club's horror week showings. On Halloween night, there are plenty of options for celebration — from the always-packed West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval to the Ace Hotel's spooky mash-up of opera and cinema, among other events across L.A.

Find where to celebrate Halloween in L.A. with this guide to October events.

Universal Studios Hollywood Horror Nights

Image Credit: Courtesy of Universal Studios

Universal Studios Hollywood returns with their scariest event of the year, Universal Studios Halloween Horror Night. The movie studio known for its monster movies brings to life all-new immersive worlds of living, breathing icons from film and television.

This year, Halloween Horror Nights will consist of eight mazes and attractions themed after scary films including Poltergeist, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Trick ‘r Treat, The First Purge, and Blumhouse films including Truth or Dare and Unfriended. Additionally, there will be a maze featuring the resurrection of legendary horror icons such as the Mummy and Frankenstein in the Universal Monsters maze. Returning to the annual horror fest is the high-energy Jabbawockeez dance crew with nightly shows. The screams and thrills continue with the Terror Tram: Deadtime Storiez.

Halloween Horror Nights will take place on select nights until Nov. 3. Tickets start at $59.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood - Horror Made Here: Festival of Frights

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This Halloween season, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood returns with Horror Made Here: A Festival of Frights. The tour allows guests to enter into their iconic studio backlot for an immersive haunted experience featuring evil clowns, demon nuns, super villains, possessed dolls and the devil. The Festival of Frights invites visitors into the worlds of horror films including It, The Conjuring, Freddy vs. Jason, The Exorcist and Batman: Arkham Asylum. The evening will also consist of entertainment by DJ Ricky Rocks.

Additionally, the Festival of Frights will allow guests to enter the world of Tim Burton and view props and costumes from movies such as Sweeney Todd, The Corpse Bride, Mars Attacks! and, for the first time ever, the Halloween classic Beetlejuice at Stage 48: Script to Scream.

The Festival of Frights will take place on select nights until Oct. 28. Tickets start at $79.
CREEP LA: AWAKE

Image Credit: Gilbert Flores

CREEP LA transforms a sweeping industrial space in downtown Los Angeles into a walking nightmare, where intimate, eerie and occasionally moving scenes emerge then vanish into an ever-present fog. Their newest experience, AWAKE, will take place at Row DTLA in a 60,000-square-foot space where thrill seekers are invited to step into an altered world where nightmares become reality. Each performance takes 25 brave souls inside a fully engaging and multi-sensory hour-long experience within an environment of moody rooms, intimate encounters, and terrifying scenarios.

Guests have included Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Jen Atkin, Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Taylor Lautner, Lance Bass, Nolan Gould, Lizzy Caplan and Liza Koshy. AWAKE takes place at ROW DTLA through Nov. 4. Tickets are $89.
Los Angeles Haunted Hayride

Image Credit: Los Angeles Haunted Hayride

The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride returns with the most immersive ride yet as guests are completely transported back to hayrides past. The annual celeb favorite event, which has drawn household names like David Beckham, Pete Wentz, Katy Perry, Nicole Richie and others, is sure to be another Instagrammable feast with the return of the legendary Haunted Hayride, the heart-pounding House Of Shadows Dark Maze, the disturbed neighborhood of Trick Or Treat and everyone’s favorite haunted village, Purgatory. You will also be treated to new surprises and some larger than life additions that one would expect for a celebration as grand as a 10 Year Anniversary.

For first timers, the experience will be a hayride on steroids as every memorable demon and apparition returns to say hello once again. Melissa Carbone, producer and creator of the LA Haunted Hayride, shared with THR what attracts visitors to this particular event when there are so many other competitors in L.A., "We offer a very explicit experience. When you're in the confines of the Hayride, you don't feel like you're in a city. You feel like you're in small town Americana. That definitely sets us apart." If you haven’t been to the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, you will not want to miss out on this limited run special edition.
Nights of the Jack

Image Credit: Courtesy of 1iota

Nights Of The Jack is a Halloween jack-o’-lantern event tailored for all ages. The immersive experience showcases thousands of hand-carved, illuminated pumpkins, situated throughout King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas, Calif.

The team behind this Halloween happening is a partnership comprised of production and hospitality industry veterans including Ben Biscotti, co-founder and president of 1iota Productions, event planner and designer Tony Schubert of Event Eleven and hospitality and marketing impresario Bobby Rossi of Bungalow 8 & Rec Room. This same team executed the first annual Rosé Day LA in 2018.

The event runs on most nights from Oct. 11 to Nov. 4. Adult tickets are $25 and children tickets are $20.
Danny Elfman: Halloween - 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'

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Oscar-nominated film composer Danny Elfman will return to the Hollywood Bowl on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 26 and 27, at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m. to perform his role of Jack Skellington for a 25th-anniversary screening of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. The immersive experience will include live scenery projections, live orchestra, guest artists and original cast members including Catherine O’Hara and Ken Page.

Concert producers Richard Kraft and Laura Engel said in a statement, "We’re so thrilled to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the film with an extraordinary concert experience mixing film, live music, singers, and fully immersive digital projections that can only be experienced live."
UNICEF Masquerade Ball

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UNICEF Next Generation will host its sixth annual UNICEF Masquerade Ball in Los Angeles at the iconic Clifton’s Republic. Funds raised at the event will support UNICEF’s Emergency Relief Fund, which supports children globally who are in the greatest need and at the highest risk. Masquerade Ball hosts include Brittany Snow, Gigi Gorgeous, Claire Holt and Martin Starr. Foster the People are expected to perform.

The Ball will take place at Clifton’s Republic in downtown Los Angeles on Oct. 25 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tickets start at $225.
Halloween Screenings at Rooftop Cinema Club

Image Credit: Mark Berry/Rooftop Cinema Club

During October, Rooftop Cinema Club is utilizing their two locations in L.A. to hold their Halloween-themed screenings at the NeueHouse in Hollywood and LEVEL in Downtown LA. LEVEL will be hosting Horror Week beginning on Oct. 25 with What We Do In The Shadows, Silence of the Lambs (Oct. 26), Poltergeist (Oct. 27), Alien (Oct. 30), and ending the week with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on Halloween.

At NeueHouse, the frightful flicks begin on Oct. 26 with a double-feature of Hocus Pocus and The Witches, followed by The Sixth Sense (Oct. 28), Super 8 (Oct. 29), Evil Dead 2- 4K Restoration (Oct. 30) and concluding with the classic 1978 film Halloween on Oct. 31.
Hocus Pocus at the Melrose Rooftop Theatre

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On Tuesday, Oct. 30th and Wednesday, Oct. 31, the self-proclaimed “VIP Theatre” will be screening the iconic 1993 Disney film Hocus Pocus starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. The two-night only event is dress-up mandatory, encouraging guests to get in the Halloween spirit with their attire.

The cinema utilizes wireless technology with individual headsets provided to guests to maximize the experience. Along with the general VIP tickets, the Theatre also offers VIP: Dinner + Movie tickets, which include a three-course dinner at E.P. (the restaurant located below) and reserved seats in the Theatre so patrons can take their time to enjoy before the 8.30 p.m. movie start.

The theatre opens at 7 p.m. and has a full bar, candy and snack boxes available. Patrons must be 21+ to attend.
"The Flowering of the Strange Orchid"-Inspired Horror Dinner Party

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Calling all fans of Halloween-themed cocktails and opulent dinner parties: The Flowering of the Strange Orchid is a 3-night, botanical horror dinner party hosted by Disco Dining Club & The Grim Wreather. The event will occur at a private residence in Los Angeles, which will be revealed closer to the date, on Friday, Oct. 26, Saturday, Oct. 27, and Sunday, Oct. 28.

The three-evening Halloween event, loosely based on the seminal botanical horror short story, "The Flowering Of The Strange Orchid" by HG Wells, will explore the symbiotic relationship between man and flower. Thanks to installation artist Andy Alexander a.k.a The Grim Wreather, overgrown forestry, carnivorous plants, and lush landscapes will provide the backdrop for this experience.
West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval

Image Credit: Courtesy of Jon Viscott/CITY OF WEST HOLLYWOOD

One of the most attended Halloween parties in the world can be found on Santa Monica Boulevard between La Cienega Boulevard and Doheny Drive, where over 500,000 Halloween enthusiasts descend on the streets for the long-running West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval. This year’s Halloween Carnaval, the 31st iteration of the event, will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 31 from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., over the one-mile stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard/Historic Route 66.

Although the event is free and open for all to enjoy, children and pets are discouraged from attending because of dense crowds and loud noises.
World Premiere of Vampyr at the Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles

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A spooky mash-up of opera and cinema will take place at the landmark Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, which will feature the world premiere of one of the most unsettling vampire movies ever made – filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1932 film, Vampyr. Following the screening, guests can enjoy drinks, dark arts, and music from various DJs at the Ace-hosted annual Halloween bash, Fanged Féte presented by Restless Nights. For those seeking free entertainment and the ultimate enlightenment, a (fake) priest will be giving baptisms at the rooftop pool.

There will be two performances taking place on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 8:00 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 8 p.m.
William Shakespeare's 'The Tragedie of MacBeth: An Immersive Experience'

Image Credit: SCLA

The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles (SCLA) will transform its 20,000 square foot building into a cursed and haunted castle of multiple performance spaces for an immersive, ninety-minute production of William Shakespeare’s The Tragedie of Macbeth. Directed by Kenn Sabberton — formerly of the Royal Shakespeare Company — the show will play Saturday and Sunday afternoons beginning Oct. 20 thru November 3. Tickets are $39.

In SCLA’s production of The Tragedie of Macbeth, nine actors will perform the title roles. Throughout the performance, the actors guide audience members through the Witches Heath, down the haunted hallways of Macbeth’s castle, and to the unsuspecting Macduff family’s peaceful home. Audiences will also be able to pay a visit to the lair of the “double trouble” witches brewing around their cauldron and witness a fateful "good versus evil" battle between the rival adversaries.

The 360-degree performance journeys through five separate locations staged throughout SCLA’s downtown LA facility, located on the corner of 1st Street and Bixel. To maximize suspense and intimacy, the number of audience members per performance will be limited.

“I’ve been dreaming about creating a downtown LA Shakespeare Halloween tradition since our company began producing downtown thirty-two years ago,” said company Artistic Director Ben Donenberg, “We now have a production that will take this idea to a new level and contribute to our downtown fall cultural landscape in a thrilling and chilling way.”
Halloween Family Festival at Boomtown Brewery

Image Credit: Boomtown Brewery

Boomtown Brewery hosts another round of their popular Family Fests, and this one is for the spooky kid in all of us. It’s time to get your costumes and otherworldly flair on (all of the staff will have them too). There will be plenty of fun child-friendly activities like a Halloween themed bounce house, costume contest, face painting, arts and crafts and trick or treating. Meanwhile, the adults can enjoy devilishly delicious craft beers. There will also be a family appropriate food vendor (meaning everyone will approve its deliciousness) thanks to Burger Shop, who will have both adult and kids menus available. This event is free to attend, open to all ages, and does not require a ticket. The event takes place Sunday October 21st from 12-6pm.
Good+ Foundation's 3rd Annual Halloween Bash

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This year’s event will take place on Sunday, October 28 at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City. In addition to the hosting couple Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld, other celebs expected to attend include Connie Britton, Nate Berkus, Michelle Trachtenberg, Sarah Michelle Gellar among others.

The Halloween Bash is a fun-filled family celebration that helps raise crucial funds for the organization's work providing training, support and tools to low-income fathers and families in Los Angeles, and across the U.S.

Past Bash attendees have included Anthony Anderson, Debra Messing, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ike Barinholtz, James Van Der Beek, Lisa Ling, Mariska Hargitay, Melissa Joan Hart, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Sterling K. Brown among others.
Boo-nion Station at Union Station

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Union Station, L.A.’s historic downtown landmark, is set to transform into a family- and dog-friendly Halloween party palace for ghosts and goblins at the first-ever Boo-nion Station. On Saturday, Oct. 27, and Sunday, Oct. 28, from noon–6 p.m., the Union Station South Patio will be transformed into a Halloween haven where guests are invited to don their most haunting or hilarious costumes in a ghoulishly gleeful garden that will include various activities such as a Zombie Zone Hay Maze, a Treats-on-Track Trail, a Creepy Craft Camper, a Monster Mash Dance Party, and a Pumpkin Patch Picnic.

Guest are invited to bring their furry friends for a howling good time at the Pet Parade & Costume Contest held each day at 3 p.m. with prizes given for best costume. Additional activities include face painting, temporary tattoo station, balloon artists and Halloween stilt walkers for younger goblins and a craft beer garden from the station’s recently opened brewpub, the Imperial Western Beer Co.for their petrified parents.
Underworld Carnival

Image Credit: E.P. & L.P.

West Hollywood’s E.P. & L.P. rooftop deck is being transformed into an “Underworld Carnival” for Fright Night this Halloween on Saturday October 27. From 8pm – 2am, the expansive 5,500-square foot rooftop venue will transform into an underworld carnival-themed Halloween party featuring DJ’s Aaron Colbert & Audiomoe on the L.P. Rooftop for one night only. To set the mood for a spirited evening, festivities will include a premium hosted open bar, passed appetizers, special music and DJ appearances. Guests are encouraged to attend in their full Halloween costumes and dress up for the event, which will be decked out in ghoulish style for an evening to remember. Tickets are required for entry ($65 for early bird and $75 general). Table and bottle service is also available for purchase at an additional fee.
HARD Day of the Dead

Image Credit: Courtesy of HARD Fest

Day Of The Dead returns to its home in LA State Historic Park On November 3rd after a two year hiatus. The line-up is led by returning HARD favorites Justice, South African avant-garde rap duo Die Antwoord and Australian electro stars Knife Party.

LA State Historic Park is the spiritual home of HARD’s Day Of The Dead, which hosted the festival’s first incarnation. Six years later, Day Of The Dead returns to the heart of Downtown for its Dia De Los Muertos themed celebration following the park’s multi-year restoration.

The live stage is rounded out by performances from Australia’s dance headliners Knife Party, comprised of Pendulum musicians Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen, the anonymous genre-busting producer Cashmere Cat, bass house legend Jack Beats, Latin vocalist Fuego, Deadbeats own 16-year old DJ DNMO, and LA club master Thee Mike B. Stage Two features Repopulate Mars frontman Lee Foss back-to-back with Chicago’s Felix Da Housecat, a live set from keyboard wunderkind Rodriguez, and DIRTYBIRD’s own Shiba San, J.Phlip, Dateless, and OMNOM.

Located in Downtown LA, steps away from the Metro Gold Line and just a mile from Union Station, LA State Historic Park is a 34-acre grassy outdoor oasis in the city. The park recently underwent a multi-year multi-million dollar renovation.
The 3rd Annual DDJF Costume for a Cause

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The Dee Dee Jackson Foundation is hosting their annual Halloween Celebration in partnership with Heal LA. This exclusive, invitation-only event is set to take place Friday, October 26th. As a mother of three boys born into the Jackson family, Dee Dee Jackson developed a deep love for music. Her passion inspired her children, Taj, Taryll and TJ, and ultimately led to the formation of their music group, 3T. In addition to fostering their love for music, Dee Dee also instilled in her sons the importance of love and charity. DDJF works to help youth recover from loss in life through the power of love and community & music therapy.
TAO Group's Second Annual Carnal Carnival

Image Credit: Dream Hollywood

TAO Group is hosting three Halloween celebrations simultaneously in the heart of Hollywood. The Highlight Room — an 11,000-square-foot rooftop pool, bar and restaurant — which sits on top of Dream Hollywood hotel, TAO Los Angeles, Beauty & Essex restaurant and Avenue nightclub will all participate in the Halloween extravaganza.

TAO’s fun-filled spooky-meets-sultry events include the Carnal Carnival at The Highlight Room and Avenue on Saturday, Oct. 27th where the spacious rooftop bar and adjacent nightclub located on the ground floor will transform into a Freak Show. Guests will enter a world where obscene and the macabre converge into a night of frights.

The second event will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 30th in which the Avenue room will morph into a deadly Old Hollywood Insane Asylum where rapper Wiz Khalifa is set to make an appearance and perform. There will be a special live performance and DJ set with Travis Scott’s DJ Chase B.

Tickets to each event are $75, or you can experience both venues with the All Access Ticket which costs $150.

TAO's Halloween Night celebration will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 31. Constantly pushing the boundaries, Israeli electronic DJ Guy Gerber returns to Los Angeles for another show unlike any other as he takes over TAO in a completely new way for the special Halloween show.
Willy Wonka + Costume Ball at the Los Angeles Theatre

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On Halloween night, the Los Angeles Theatre will transform into a candy palace full of luscious treats and lavish wonders in honor of Willy Wonka for a Costume Ball. The Halloween celebration, featuring a showing of the classic 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, will also feature live music, a DJ dance party and opportune photo moments at Cinespia transforms the iconic movie palace into a fantasy wonderland. Full bars on every level, a custom photo booth and special surprises will make this a Halloween bash to remember. Doors open at 7:00pm with the movie starting at 9:00pm. The event is only for people over 21 with a valid ID. A costume is required for entry.