How Do You Halloween?
Halloween is that spooky time of the year when it’s fun for families to scream themselves silly. There are lots of options around the Los Angeles area for eerie good fun as well as adult-level gore. Here’s a snapshot of some of the tried and true experiences for kids, teenagers and parents, too!
Disneyland
Plan a trip to Disneyland this Halloween season to ride Twilight Zone Tower of Terror which will close permanently in the next few months. Are you brave enough to survive the 13-story drop in complete darkness? Ride it that way after twilight all through the month of October.
Even though Mickey’s Halloween Party is sold out for the year, there is still a lot to explore at the park including a seasonal retool of the classic fireworks show (dubbed Halloween Screams with Jack Skellington hosting) and the brand new Frightfully Fun Parade features classic Disney villains and Haunted Mansion ghosts.
Knott’s Berry Farm
Knott’s Scary Farm has 11 haunted attractions and 1,000 monsters roaming the park to keep the thrills and chills going. Enter Scare Zones (Carn-evil, Ghost Towns and Sleepy Hallow), get lost in a variety of heart-pounding mazes and stumble upon scenes of ghoulish gore. Elvira, the legendary Mistress of the Dark is back in her all-new show Elvira’s Danse Macabre.
On the gentler side, Knott’s Spooky Farm celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the classic Peanuts TV special “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!” with family friendly games, activities and appearances by Linus and Sally. Wear your costume and check out the new experiences in Ghost Town, Fiesta Village, Boardwalk Ballroom and Camp Snoopy.
Universal Studios Hollywood
Horror movie icons are in the spotlight at Universal Studios Hollywood as well as new television characters. See how the masters scare as Freddy Kruger, Jason Voorhess, Michael Myers and Leatherface do their thing in the backlot. Witness demonic possession inside The Exorcist maze; American Horror Story fans can share a moment with Twisty the Clown. Jump on the new Terror Tram where you will be accosted by a group of crazed clowns.
2016 Halloween Horror Nights – Hollywood at Universal Studios Hollywood Photo by David Sprague
Six Flag Magic Mountain
Before Fright Fest kicks into gear at 7pm, families and little ones can enjoy a milder “low-scare” experience with a Trick or Treat Trail and Halloween crafts. But once the sun goes down, the park turns on the fear factor with seven scare zones including the black-light and neon Nightmares: A Twisted Fantasy, Zombie Xing and Demon’s Door. Suicide Squad is new for 2016 and features a spectacular state-of-the-art technology and light show.
Legoland
More than 1 million pieces of candy are up for grabs at Carlsbad’s Brick or Treat Halloween event this month. Enter a costume contest, check out various stage shows including: “Cure of the Hallowmeanie,” “Mad Marty’s Monster Machine,” “Monster Fighter Mash Musical,” and more. Take a ride on the Ghost Cruise and shake things up with SEA LIFE’s Pirate Booty Boogie.
Queen Mary
Dare you enter the realm of Dark Harbor on and around the haunted Queen Mary in Long Beach? The Sinister Seven Spirits hand out the frights to those wandering through spine-tingling mazes including the new terrifying Intrepid maze experience. All the favorite ghouls are back: the Ringmaster, Scary Mary and Samuel the Savage.
Hollywood Bowl
A full orchestra and choir will be on hand with Danny Elfman for a special screening of Disney’s holiday classic, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. Joining Elfman on stage will be original cast members: Catherine O’Hara, Ken Page and Paul Reubens who will reprise their roles. Arrive early for pre-show activities including a costume contest and on-site trick-or-treating.
L.A. Zoo
Returning with fangs and claws is Boo at the L.A. Zoo that highlights critters with supernatural senses. Dress up like your favorite animal and wander the grounds for live performances, special animal feedings, pumpkin carvings and craft making on weekends.
Haunted Hay Ride
Promising to be bigger and even more haunted, this trek through Griffith Park allows guests to ride on a hay wagon and hop off and explore by foot (if they dare). Plenty of secrets to be discovered in this 30-acre site including a clandestine initiation ritual and a corn maze inhabited by ghouls aplenty. Choose either Elite or Deranged tracks. Knock on doors to trick or treat in a suburb of the underworld and explore a haunted house that was designed in collaboration with NBCUniversal’s upcoming flick, Ouija: Origin of Evil.
RISE of the Jack O’Lanterns
Delight at the artistry of thousands of beautifully lit pumpkin carvings, many which feature popular characters, celebrities, animals, aliens, classic cars and other subjects. Staged this year at the Los Angeles Convention Center, this stroll through pumpkinland has its own original soundtrack. At a live carving station where a RISE artist shows you how the magic is done.
Castle Park
Head over to Riverside for the haunted attraction of Castle Dark. Experience the new Demented Doom Mine, the distorted reality of Shiverton Manor and see the spirits, zombies and more who have moved into the neighborhood at Ghost Blasters. Day time Happy Haunting activities for the younger kids include pumpkin carving, costume contest and a trick-or-treat street.
Museum Sleepovers
The Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits once again welcomes overnight guests to experience Boo and Goo on Oct. 22-23.
The Natural History Museum offers Halloween Mysteries Oct. 28-29 when campers help find the missing T.rex bone and a spirited hound which includes a flashlight tour of the Spider Pavilion.
Heritage Square Mourning Tours/Halloween Tours
Adults can learn how to “Mourn Like a Victorian” as they attend a reenactment of a funeral ceremony from 1889 at Heritage Square’s popular seasonal event. Funeral-goers will also learn about the turn-of-the-century movement of Spiritualism and experience the lure of séances. Play a game at a 1920s Halloween party. Mourning Tours are Oct. 22 and 23. Younger kids ages 2-12 are welcome to the museum’s Halloween Tours only on Oct. 23. Play period games, make 19th century harvest crafts, choose a pumpkin, and listen to spooky stories on the lawn.
