What to Do: Halloween in LA

From costume parties to pumpkin carving to enjoying your favorite Pumpkin Spiced Latte at Starbucks, fall is one of my favorite times of the year, and it’s no wonder! Just check out this list of October activities around LA that’ll be sure to get you and all your friends in the Halloween spirit. 

 

 

According to Timeout.com, attendees can experience Crimson Peak: Maze of Madness (based on the upcoming Guillermo del Toro film), journey through the world of Insidious, confront Halloween’s Michael Myers, and outrun walkers from The Walking Dead. 

 

 

One of the largest (and oldest) Halloween events held at a theme park, Knott’s Halloween Haunt features more than 1,000 monsters roaming the mazes and “scare zones”. Make sure to check out the newly added zombies, evil Tooth Fairy, and Southern voodoo!

 

 

Rumored to be haunted in real life, you’ll find the usual horrors here—fog, mazes, and monsters—as well as a vintage Ferris Wheel and a full bar. Arrive before 8pm for $20 “Happy Haunting Hour” tickets.

 

 

Inspired by a Walter John Williams quote—”I’m not afraid of werewolves or vampires or haunted hotels, I’m afraid of what real human beings do to other real human beings,” this immersive and interactive haunt experience takes place in an abandoned Arts District warehouse (718 E Jackson St).

 

 

Set up in Griffith Park, it’s an actual hayride paired with a number of scare zones and a pitch black maze filled with “demons and maniacs”. This year’s theme, “Boogeyman,” drags attendees through a trail of nightmarish characters.

 

 

 

Don’t worry if getting scared isn’t something you’re interested in, because LA has plenty of non-scary activities to celebrate the start of fall and Halloween!

 

 

Head over to the Grove to create a Halloween craft, decorate your own pumpkin, make a ghoulish cookie, trick or treat, and more! Plus, shopping anyone?

 

 

Treat the imagination, not the sweet tooth, at Boo at the L.A. Zoo, where you’ll find Halloween adventures every day in October and special entertainment – including live music, special animal feedings, pumpkin carving, and crafts – on weekends. Costumes encouraged!

 

 

Enjoy a killer line-up of EDM music with your friends while wearing your best rave costume! Don’t miss out on celebrating Halloween in the most epic way with headliners DEADMAU5 and SKRILLEX.

 

 

Alpine Village is the home of the oldest Oktoberfest celebration in Southern California. Traditional Bavarian fun is supplied by Oom Pah Pah party bands, your belly is sated by traditional German fare, and your thirst is quenched by delicious German beers brewed by Warsteiner.

 

 

Come see more than 5,000 hand-carved illuminated jack-o’-lanterns created by professional artists and sculptors arranged in creative ways along a 1/3-mile scenic walking trail, all set to an original music score produced exclusively for The RISE!

 

 

 

And if you’re looking for somewhere to go Halloween weekend, why not check out some of LA’s biggest Halloween parties?!

 

 

This is the largest Halloween street party in the world, full of dancing, drinking, and many mid-parade costume contests. And stick around for the crowning of the honorary “Queen of the Carnival”! There are sure to be lots of surprises – MTV wowed the crowd in 2011 with a pop-up Robyn concert.

 

 

This Federal Bar bash offers up burlesque dancers, live music, roving magicians, tarot card readers, and lots of drink specials. Prizes will be given out throughout the night for best/sexiest/funniest costume. Come dressed up or you’ll be denied entry—seriously.

 

 

One of the city’s hottest yearly dance parties, and definitely one of the best gay Halloween events, Halloweenie will feature a whole slew of DJs. This year’s event beneficiary is the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, so expect to see the sweet-voiced members in attendance. 

 

 

Dress up in black and white attire for this swanky soiree at the Theatre at Ace Hotel. First, catch a screening of the 1931 Universal Studios version of Dracula, and then head over to a raucous, costumed dance party afterwards. Expect special guest DJs, sensory-stimulating themed rooms, four bars, and plenty of tricks and treats.

 

 

Spend the night before Halloween underground, just a little closer to the horrors below the earth, at the Edison. The club’s La Nuit de Diable will feature stilt walkers, tarot readers, plus more artists and an “extraordinary selection of Attractions Diaboliques.” 

 

 

The Echoplex presents a boozy, costumed dance party with two DJs, a Midnight Mashup Show, go-go dancing from R.A.I.D. (Random Acts of Irreverent Dance) and a Halloween photo booth. There’s a costume contest at midnight, with $200 first prizes for scariest, sluttiest, and best overall costumes. 

 

 

It’s the Halloween party LA deserves, but not the one it needs right now—actually, scratch that, we need this Batman-themed party. Skybar is dressing up as Gotham City this Halloween, complete with digital projections on the building exterior, for this two-night party. 

 

 

Spend Halloween night at a swanky Westside soirée as 900 guests swoop in on the Viceroy Santa Monica. The boutique hotel has tapped Three Day Rule to deck out the entire property with haunted decor, drinks, and DJs. Costumes are mandatory and though the party is open to everyone, it’s particularly geared toward singles.