“The whistling wind, and the yellowing of leaves, winter is coming, whispers the breeze, watching the calendar hung over the banister, the lonely ghost registers, squealing in delight, it vanishes out of sight, as its October 31st a day of fright.”
Fatima Naqvi
Halloween is the time when the City of Angels transforms itself and turns into a City of Ghouls and Goblins. From haunted houses to costume contests, you will find the best Halloween events in LA. The city goes all out as October rolls around, decorating its streets and roads in Halloween decor as nature further accentuates it by turning its leafy greens into shades of auburn, orange, and yellow.
Donning its autumn dress, Los Angeles greets people from all around the world with a cool breeze and crunchy leaves, welcoming them to a month-long ghostly festivity. Halloween in LA is not to be missed. Therefore, for you, our dearest reader we have compiled a list of the best Halloween events in LA that will make the spooky month all the more spookier.
Best Halloween Events in LA – A Quick Glance
Top 10 Best Halloween Events in LA
1. Best Halloween Events in LA – Halloween Horror Nights
Location – 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608, USA
Starting price – $74
Ready or not, here comes Halloween, to snatch you out of bed and into the abyss of spooks. Every Halloween, Universal Studios holds its annual Halloween festivities, presenting amusement and iconic movie characters in one spooky-looking sleek package. This year Universal is offering a total of 8 terrifying haunted houses that include The Exorcist: Believer, Stranger Things, The Last of Us, Chucky, Evil Dead Rise, Universal Monsters, The Monster of Latin America, and Holidayz in Hell.
Also, the Terror Tram will be ready to take you on an adventure that will give you the heebie-jeebies and will tingle your spine with fear and excitement. Universal will run its Halloween Horror Nights on select evenings from the 7th of September to the 31st of October. Depending on the night you choose to visit, the cost of the tickets can vary anywhere from $74 to $107. Moreover, with Express Pass add-ons the price of tickets reaches up to $209 to $309. For bookings and details please visit the Universal Studios Hollywood website.
Trust us dearest reader when we say this, this is one of the best Halloween events in LA, a one-of-a-kind experience, and is not to be missed.
2. Best Halloween Events in LA – Delusion
Location – Philips Mansion 2640 Pomona Blvd, Pomona, 91768
Starting Price – $90
Delusion is an interactive seasonal event, happening ever since 2011, combining elements of immersive theatre with a story-based approach, Delusion makes guests embark on captivating, visceral, and unique experiences. This eerie Halloween attraction brings to life fantastical horror stories, where the guests play an integral role in the unfolding narrative.
Winding their way through the tapestry of terror, Delusion engulfs guests into various stories that beguile their minds and leave them befuddled. This year Delusion will once again take over the Phillips Mansion, an 1875 estate in Pomona, and thrust guests into the narrative of Nocturnes and Nightmares. Being one of the best Halloween events in LA, the tickets tend to sellout pretty fast, so don’t forget to book on time. For bookings and further details, visit the Delusion website.
3. Best Halloween Events in LA – Nights of the Jack
Location – 26800 Mulholland Hwy, Calabasas, CA 91302, United States
Starting Price – $29.99
Tucked in the quaint Santa Monic Mountains, about thirty miles northwest of Hollywood, lies a shadowy and clandestine wonderland. Whispers of this esoteric land fill the air, as October 31st draws near. Did we catch your attention? We are sure we did. Nights of the Jack is an event that is suitable for all ages. The King Gillette Ranch in Santa Monica gets filled with thousands of hand-carved jack-o-lanterns, arranged in different themes from the Hollywood Sign to Fright Night displays like a cemetery.
Our advice, don your costumes and if you have kids, make them dress up as well, and take mesmerising pictures for your family album with the stunning backdrop of craved jack-o-lanterns. To book your tickets, please visit the Nights of the Jack website.
4. Best Halloween Events in LA – Cinespia
Location – Hollywood Forever Cemetery 6000 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, 90038
Starting Price – $22
What better way to enjoy Halloween than watching scary movies in the cemetery? Every year, Cinespia brings classic cult favorites in and around Los Angeles. Cinespia was launched in the year 2002, and ever since then has been showing movies from the 1930s to the 1990s, in open-air settings, mostly in historic locations. Starting in May, Cinespia screens popular movies at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which adds to the spooky ambiance.
During the haunted months, all the magical mischief that is otherwise forbidden is allowed behind the cemetery gates, thanks to Cinespia. Enjoy a picnic, pose in the photo booth, or just relax on the grass. For more details and bookings, head on to the Cinespia website.
5. Best Halloween Events in LA – Beetle House
Location – 7080 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028, United States
Starting Price – For children under 12, $22. For 12 and older, $60
All day and every day is Halloween at the Beetle House, a strange and unusual dining place, which is a nod to Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice. Halloween week is the time, when the place truly comes to life, packed with people dressed up in costumes and whatnot. The place offers plenty of Instagram fodder as well, from its spooktastic décor to costumed live performances. The food and cocktails at the place are also top-notch and on theme. For dinner, reservations are required, while the bar is first-come first-served.
6. Best Halloween Events in LA – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: Organ, Film, and Music
Location – 111 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012, United States
Starting price – $25
On Halloween night, every year, the Walt Disney Concert Hall holds a showing of a horror classic film accompanied by the organ. This year the 1925 silent film version of The Phantom of the Opera will be screened accompanied by the concert hall’s monster pipe organ which will be played by Clark Wilson, who is one of the most prominent organ virtuosos and conservators. To book your tickets, please consult LA Phil.
7. Best Halloween Events in LA – Haunted Hayride
Location – Los Angeles
Starting price – $29.99
Among the best Halloween events in LA, the Halloween Hayride is the most famous and popular family attraction. For more than a decade this Halloween attraction has been a favorite among locals and tourists alike and this year the Hayride is back again at Griffith Park. Apart from the iconic wagon hayride, guests can take a walk around the fictional town of Midnight Falls, visit the scare zones, tour the mortuary, or go trick or treating. Monte Revolta and His Band of the Living Dead will perform 30-minute shows every night to entertain guests. You can book your tickets for the events at the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride website.
8. Best Halloween Events in LA – The Willows
Location – T.B.A Los Angeles
Starting Price – $200
The Willows from JFI Productions effortlessly combines the haunted house and dinner theater experience, elevating it to a new level of spine tingles and goosebumps. The part-theatrical, and part-interactive performance takes place at a sprawling 10,000-square-foot mansion. Each session is limited to 18 guests and is about two hours long. The Willow offers an immersive experience, blurring the lines between reality and theater, and transports guests to the world of the Willows Family.
The guests are active participants in the narrative and become entwined in the story as they delve into the dynamics and mysteries of the Willows Family. This event is one of the most coveted among best Halloween events in LA, and tickets tend to sell out quickly, therefore head on to The Willows LA website to book your slot.
9. Best Halloween Events in LA – Bob Baker’s Halloween Spooktacular
Location – 4949 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042, United States
Starting price – $125
Bob Baker Marionette Theater is one of the few marionette theaters left in Los Angeles and is the oldest children’s theater company. Halloween is one of the best times to check this theatre out and witness its puppetry. During the Halloween season, the theater will perform a family-friendly Halloween Spooktacular, which is an hour-long show with over one hundred puppets. It is encouraged to come in costumes to fully immerse yourself in the experience.
Whether you have kids or not this experience is a special one and is a must-visit on your trip to LA during Halloween. If you are interested in becoming a part of the show, visit the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre website to book your tickets.
10. Best Halloween Events in LA – Knott’s Scary Farm
Location – 8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90620, United States
Starting price – $59.99
The most haunting Halloween theme park in Southern California, which has been in operation for decades is Knott’s Scary Farm. Knott’s Scary Farm has been inducing fear and subjecting guests to unimaginable terrors for 50 years. Leaving no crypt un-rattles no fear unlocked, and no tomb unearthed, Knott’s unleashes haunted mazes, sinister shows, horrifying creatures, and spooky attractions on select nights from September 21st to October 31st.
The theme park is hosting about 17 spooky experiences this year including scare zones, improvisational puppet shows, as well as nine haunted mazes. So, book your tickets at the Knotts website and visit the place where the dead will roam freely among the living.
10 Best USA Halloween Towns to Spend the Spooky Season In
The United States has no shortage of spooky towns that go the extra mile to celebrate Halloween. If you wish to spend this Halloween season among the ghosts and the ghouls, visit our article to select the city you find the spookiest and spend October 31st there.
