LA does Halloween at every level, from the corporate haunted mazes (Universal, Knott’s) to neighborhood street parties (West Hollywood) and museum screenings. The season runs the whole month of October, and most of the bigticket events are ticketed and sell out, so the planning is mostly about booking early and picking your scare tolerance. Below is the real lineup, split by type.
The big scare attractions
- Halloween Horror Nights (Universal Studios Hollywood). The marquee event: themed mazes based on horror franchises, scare zones, and the park at night. Separate ticket from day admission; runs select nights Sept-Oct. Book early, the popular nights sell out.
- Knott’s Scary Farm (Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park). A dozen-plus mazes and scare zones, older and rawer than Universal’s. Separate fall ticket; runs Sept-Oct.
- Los Angeles Haunted Hayride (Griffith Park). A tractordrawn hayride through a staged scare route, plus a midway. Outdoor, so dress for cold.
Family-friendly
- Carved (Descanso Gardens). A nighttime pumpkin and light installation through the gardens, gentler than the mazes. Timed entry, book ahead.
- Boo at the LA Zoo. Costumed animal enrichment, crafts, and a kid trail; daytime, included with zoo admission.
- Pumpkin patches and splash events. Most rec centers and the Santa Monica Swim Center run a low-key Halloween day; check the city parks site for the nearest.
Outdoor movies and culture
- Street Food Cinema. Fall outdoor screenings around the city with food trucks; some October dates lean horror.
- Rooftop Cinema Club / Montalban. Hollywood rooftop screenings with a city view; horror titles in October. Reserve, it is popular.
- Walt Disney Concert Hall. Halloween organ-and-silent-film shows on the hall’s pipe organ, a long-running local tradition.
- Academy Museum / The Ford. Themed screenings in October; check each venue’s calendar.
- Natural History Museum. Spider Pavilion and seasonal family events in fall.
Neighborhood parties
- West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval. The big one: Santa Monica Blvd closes for a costume street party, one of the largest in the country. Expect crowds and a 10 p.m. turnout peak.
- Haunted Little Tokyo. Pop-ups, ghost tours, and a block party in October.
- Hollywood Forever Cemetery’s Halloween. Dia de los Muertos is the marquee event here, early November.
Planning tips
- Book the mazes early. Universal and Knott’s dates sell out, especially the weekend before Halloween.
- Dress for it. The outdoor ones (hayride, carnival) get cold after dark.
- WeHo. Take rideshare or the Metro; parking near Santa Monica Blvd is a non-starter that night.
- Verify. Dates and formats change yearly; confirm on each venue’s site before buying.
Final thoughts
For a scare, Universal Horror Nights and Knott’s Scary Farm are the two to book, and book early. For kids, Carved at Descanso or Boo at the Zoo are the sane choices. For the spectacle, the WeHo Carnaval is free and massive if you don’t mind crowds. The throughline is that everything good is ticketed and dated, so check the current season’s calendar and buy ahead rather than showing up. And if you want the cultural side, the Disney Hall organ night is the local-favorite oddity.
