Carved 2022
Photograph: Time Out/Michael Juliano
Photograph: Time Out/Michael Juliano

Halloween events in Los Angeles for spooky fun

Get in the spirit with these festive events in L.A., from family-friendly Halloween activities to ghostly nights out

Michael Juliano
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Not all Halloween events are hell-bent on scaring you straight. Well, alright, a lot of them are, but in addition to haunted houses and spooky screenings you’ll also find some family-friendly activities and trick-or-treating opportunities.

To make your Halloween planning a little bit easier, we’ve split this feature in two: scary and adult-focused events are toward the top with a whole section of kid-friendly events about halfway down the page.

Outside of these picks, if you’re looking for a real taste of the fall, you’ll find apple picking aplenty and—for the thrill-seekers—some real-life haunted places. But if you simply want something festive, there’s no shortage of worthwhile Halloween events in Los Angeles.

RECOMMENDED: See more of Halloween in L.A.

Spooky activities and things to do in L.A. for Halloween

  • Things to do
  • Festivals

Confront familiar foes at Universal Studios’ annual Halloween festivities, where big-budget scares meet iconic horror movie characters. You’ll be able to navigate multiple scare zones and mazes, including ones based on A Quiet PlaceGhostbusters: Frozen EmpireInsidiousThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the Weeknd, an all-female assembly of the classic Universal Monsters and a selection of creatures inspired by Latin American folklore. Also, the “Terror Tram” edition of the studio tour will return with a Blumhouse takeover, while The Purge will again assume stage show duties over at the WaterWorld venue.

  • Things to do
  • Festivals

This is one of the largest Halloween street parties in the world, and there’s really no better place to be on October 31st. Sure, the crowd is huge (like, a half-million people huge) and a bit belligerent, but the amazing display of costumes and general merry-making spirit deem it at least a worthy stop, if not your main destination for the evening. Find it along Santa Monica Boulevard, between Doheny Drive and La Cienega Boulevard.

See our guide to the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval.

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  • Movies
  • Downtown

The masters of alfresco rooftop movie viewing are awakening the spirits in October with a slate of Halloween favorites at their DTLA rooftop. The festive flicks continue to pick up as Halloween approaches, with plenty of chances to see Hocus PocusFriday the 13th and Halloween, among others.

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  • Clubs

As the scrambled name implies, this London-based collective spins nothing other than the sweet tones of new edits and remixes of Fleetwood Mac tracks. The parties themselves are blindingly good fun and pretty much all the edits are superb, often full of ambient disco and dreamy electronic vibes which give a lovely lush dancefloor touch to FM’s classics. For this “Leather & Lace Disco” edition held just after Halloween, extravagant costumes, Mac-related or otherwise, are very much welcome, so get your best Stevie Nicks bouffant on and prepare for unabashed Fleetwood fun.

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  • Music
  • Music festivals

The San Bernardino rave scene injects itself with a bit of Halloween flair at this annual music fest. Insomniac Events—the group behind EDC and the Wonderland series—is setting up multiple stages at the NOS Events Center; headliners include Martin Garrix, Afroki (Afrojack B2B Steve Aoki), Illenium, Alison Wonderland, Ludacris, Deadmau5 and more. Explore the grounds to find mazes alongside ominous artwork and freak show performers.

Plus some family-friendly Halloween events

  • Things to do

Stroll through a mile-long trail filled with all things pumpkins, including an illuminated forest of jack-o’-lanterns, during Descanso Gardens’ annual Carved. For four weeks this fall, the event will line a loop of the botanical garden with thousands of professionally-carved pumpkins.

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  • Things to do
  • Festivals

Halloween time can be a bit scary for kids—we’ve all been there—so for a less frightening affair, head to the Original Farmers Market for their children-friendly Fall Festival: carnival games, a petting zoo and a pumpkin patch (for a small fee) are all mainstays at this annual harvest fest. Come in costume and catch a musical performance and explore the always delicious treats at the market.

  • Things to do
  • Walks and tours

Face your fears and head to the Natural History Museum’s Spider Pavilion, where you can observe several hundred orbweaver spiders in a living exhibit just outside of the museum. Scared the spiders might be hard to spot in the wild? Fret not. In previous iterations we’ve spotted ones about the size of an adult’s palm. Gulp. (But don’t worry: The scariest ones are in enclosed habitats.) 

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  • Things to do

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). Timed tickets are required each night; expect to spend an hour to an hour and a half there.

  • Things to do

Well, well, well, what have we here? The Nightmare Before Christmas’s bug-stuffed sack is once again taking over the Halloween duties at Disneyland for Oogie Boogie Bash, an after-hours, specially ticketed seasonal event at Disney California Adventure Park.

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