Guide to Local Halloween Activities in the Los Angeles ,California, Area
Los Angeles, being home to the entertainment industry, naturally celebrates Halloween in style. There are all sorts of events throughout Los Angeles and Orange County. Since there are so many different things to do in the area, instead of trying to list them all, I will highlight some of my favorites.
The first, and arguably the most famous, is Knott’s Berry Farm’s Halloween Haunt. Knotts has been putting on the Haunt for more than thirty years, and does a great job of scaring and entertaining. With goblins and ghouls roaming the streets, differently themed fearsome mazes filled with vampires, werewolves, and chainsaw maniacs, and the ever-popular Hanging, which mocks pop culture icons from the past year, you really can’t go wrong at the Haunt.
My only problem with the Haunt is that it is almost guaranteed to be extremely crowded every night, and it sells out early. The best way to circumvent these two issues is to buy your tickets early, and have dinner at the “Pre-Scare Dinner” buffet. Be sure and make reservations for the one inside the park, as you will be allowed to enter the Haunt a few minutes before the general public. As with admission tickets, be sure and make your reservations early. For more information and tickets, visit www.knotts.com.
A slightly lesser-known large-scale haunt event is Shipwreck, put on each year by the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Shipwreck is great if you like the gore that none of the other popular Halloween events show. There are fewer mazes than Knott’s has, but they are all very well done and will certainly keep you entertained all night long. The crew and talent work extremely hard to put on this event (I know firsthand, being a former Shipwreck monster), and I highly recommend this event.
One important thing to keep in mind when visiting Shipwreck is that parking near the ship is very limited. Overflow parking is at The Pike, and shuttle busses are used to get people from their cars to the event, and back to their cars at the end of the night. To avoid this parking madness, arrive early and leave a little bit early. I remember a number of nights when I was leaving after closing when there were still patrons waiting for their shuttle busses. They do the best with what they’re given, but parking around there is a difficult situation.
Disneyland and Universal Studios have also joined the Halloween festivities this year. They have both made attempts in the past, but have never had consistent events. With the popularity of Halloween exponentially growing, I can’t blame them at all for wanting to get a iece of the pumpkin pie. Although neither park has tried anything in the past few years, they are trying again this year.
Universal’s event sounds pretty exciting if movie monsters are your thing. They are planning a new Halloween tram tour which will stop at certain soundstages and allow the passengers to disembark and become characters in their own horror movie. For more information and tickets, check out www.universalstudios.com.
Disneyland is, as expected, planning a more kid-friendly Halloween party that they are calling Mickey’s Halloween Treat. Most of the festivities will take place at Disneyland, but California Adventure will also feature some limited decorations. As always, Disneyland’s Nightmare Before Christmas Haunted Mansion overlay will also open in early October and run through December. For more information on Mickey’s Halloween Treat, visit www.disneyland.com.
Besides the large-scale corporate haunts, there are a respectable number of smaller professional haunts scattered throughout the area. Many advertise on the Internet or in local newspapers, but the best way to find your local haunts is to start looking for signs and banners outside of malls and vacant buildings. For a listing of professional haunts, go to www.hauntedhouse.com.
Last, but certainly not least, I highly recommend supporting your friendly home haunter. That’s the guy or girl out there on the weekends working on crazy contraptions to scare the bejeesus out of your kid (and you if they’re good enough), and raiding eBay on the weekdays searching for pneumatic cylinders, solenoids, actuators, servos, and whatever other tricks of the trade are available. These people work hard for their once a year hobby (OK you got meâÂ?¦some of us spent the whole year doing it), and love having visitors stop by and admire their work. All of these home haunts are free, although many accept donations for local charities.
Unfortunately finding these home haunts is somewhat difficult. Many have websites available, and some may distribute flyers locally. Another way is of course to drive around on Halloween night and check your neighborhood for the strobe lights and fog machines, but you’re not guaranteed to find anything necessarily. Check websites like www.halloweenmonsterlist.info for links to haunts that may be in your area.
Fortunately in Los Angeles, many people haunt their homes, and some have been doing it for a long time. Some of the more popular and notable home haunts in the area include Scary Terry’s awesomely automated home haunt in Chino Hills (www.scary-terry.com), as well as a slew of others. For a listing of home haunts in California, visit cahaunts.casadesade.com.
I think those events should keep you occupied for the Halloween season. I know it will keep me busy besides putting together my own home haunt. So celebrate the season in style. Go visit a professional haunt or two, attend an event or your kids, and while we’re at it, let’s bring back trick or treating!
