Things to do in Los Angeles today

This Denver-originated experience returns to L.A. with hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns lining a pathway at the Whittier Narrows. Though you can pay a little extra to park closer, there is free parking available at the park if you’re up for a little bit longer of a walk.

The masters of alfresco rooftop movie viewing have returned for another season of screenings to LEVEL in Downtown L.A. Known for excellent film choices and a steady supply of snacks and booze, Rooftop Cinema Club is your snazzy, comfortable and less stressful alternative to other outdoor movie screenings. You don’t even need to bring your own camping chair—Rooftop Cinema Club provides you with your very own comfy lawn chair (with optional blankets for purchase to up the coziness). And instead of listening to the movie over loudspeakers, you’ll get a set of wireless headphones so you never have to miss a word. Find the full schedule on their site, or in our outdoor movie calendar.

This haunted Griffith Park hayride once again returns to the mid-’80s fictitious town of Midnight Falls, which borrows a little bit of the road culture of Sons of Anarchy and the isolation of Twin Peaks. The Griffith Park tradition, which has been running for 16 years now, centers on a relatively lengthy hayride, which runs on select nights from September 20 to November 2. The premise: A witch has summoned creatures that’ve hidden themselves among Halloween decorations in the town’s foothills. This year’s event promises the addition of escape games and a seance. The event’s various other attractions will be centered around the jack-o’-lantern–filled Midnight Falls Town Square, with a Janelle Monáe-headlined party manor as well axe throwing, water balloon-based paintball and the Hellbilly Halloween maze. Can I wear a costume? No. Costumes, facepaint and props are not allowed. How much is parking at the Haunted Hayride? Parking is free but limited in the trio of nearby lots (Merry-Go-Round lots 1, 2 and 3). On Fridays, Saturdays and on Halloween, you can take advantage of a shuttle from the northwest corner of the much larger L.A. Zoo parking lot.

Cirque du Soleil has left behind DTLA for the beach with this staging of KOOZA next to the Santa Monica Pier. The high-flying troupe heads under the big top for its first show in the oceanfront city since 2014—and its first tented show in L.A. in about five years. If you’re only used to arena or theater productions, there’s a palpable shift in the vibe at these performances thanks to more preshow interaction with the performers and across-the-board closer seating. As for KOOZA itself, it’s a remarkably enjoyable program of gravity-defying balancing acts that fuses a bit of Parisian flair with a mix of Indian music and ’70s funk.

This spectacular exhibition from the Icelandic–Danish artist brings a new series of optical installations to MOCA’s Little Tokyo location. Don’t let the reflective, colorful pieces fool you into thinking this is some run-of-the-mill “immersive” exhibit: Olafur Eliasson’s works invite you to admire the everyday miracles of physics that shape how we see the world. The towering, mirror-lined stacks that fill the entrance of “OPEN” bring the outside in, as the warehouse-style Geffen Contemporary’s skylights create infinite spaces and mini worlds out of the sun and sky. The surprisingly analog optics behind them can be truly sublime: Gently moving water has a pair of pieces appear as shimmery landscapes, mirrors turn tubing into floating rings that trail into a black void and a simple array of pendants produce colorful flares against a screen. These aren’t pieces you’re meant to disappear into; instead, they provide a lens for the enviornment around us. You’ll need a timed ticket ($18) to see “Olafur Eliasson: OPEN.” Look for reservations on the first Friday of the month, from 5 to 8pm, for free admission.

Walk across the grounds of the scenic King Gillette Ranch as the Santa Monica Mountains hideaway is illuminated with thousands of hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns. Nights of the Jack returns with an on-foot, mile-long trail this year (with food trucks and a “Spookeasy,” too).  For 2024, Nights of the Jack will bring back last year’s new additions—a Día de Los Muertos scene, lantern art and a “magic forest” area—as well as flower field and pumpkin slide.  Timed tickets are required each night. As is the case with all similar experiences, they’re not cheap and fluctuate ($27–$50, plus fees) depending on the day of the week and time of night. Expect to spend an hour to an hour and a half there, though that could double on weekends (and closer to Halloween) when the entry crowds and food truck lines tick up.

Many band “disbandments” are followed by a triumphant return just a few years later, but still, it was a surprise when the dance-punk outfit came back so soon after its grand finale in 2014. That said, we’re sure glad James Murphy & Co. have stuck around since then—and that you can catch the seminal indie crew during a fall residency at the Shrine and Palladium.

Its past installments have found attendees stealthing their way through a Victorian home and embarking on a Blade Runner-esque bounty hunt. And now this celebrated immersive horror theater event will return for an event at a new location, a 133-year-old castle near USC. Delusion, an interactive seasonal event that combines elements of immersive theater with a more story-based approach to a walk-through haunted house, will take over the Stimson House, a recognizable red brick mansion built in 1891 in University Park. “The Red Castle,” which opens on September 20 and runs just past Halloween to November 3, puts you in the role of a possibly-superpowered asylum patient under the care of a spiraling psychologist who’s attempting to resurrect his deceased wife. Director and action coordinator Jon Braver, who hatched Delusion in 2011, has again teamed up with the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride producers Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group for a “choose your path” staging in which your choices will impact the story progression. Ticketing info is still coming soon (last year’s event was $90, for reference), though we do know there’ll be a VIP tier that let’s you play a part in the performance and access a private bar.

For dinner and a movie, all in one, just follow the food trucks. During the spring, summer and fall, Street Food Cinema throws together a series of outdoor parties that include screenings of some of our favorite movies, paired with an assortment of gourmet food trucks and even a live music performance from a cool local band. The screenings are held in venues across L.A. and alternate from week to week, so make sure to check the schedule. Some of the outdoor venues are dog-friendly, allowing you to bring your four-legged cinema lover along. See more of this season’s outdoor movie screenings in L.A.

Head to Grand Park for a two-week display of 20 altars in the park created by local artists and community organizations. For the first time this year, the celebration’s opening festivities will span two days. The altar displays officially kick off on October 19 with an afternoon of face painting, plus live music and poetry (11am–4pm), followed by a full-blown festival and inaugural parade on October 20 (2–10pm, parade 7pm). The event closes with an outdoor film screening (Nov 2 at 7pm), presented by the GuadaLAjara Film Festival.