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Best Halloween Events in Los Angeles for Kids and Families

Treat yourself to an adorable Halloween. Photo courtesy of Kidspace Children's Museum
Treat yourself to an adorable Halloween. Photo courtesy of Kidspace Children's Museum
9/24/23 - By Toby B

Halloween events are creeping up on us, bringing chills and thrills, bags full of sweets, and loads of Halloween events in Los Angeles—including Boos at Zoos, Halloween haunts, cemetery tours, and harvest festivals.

To name a few Halloween events in Los Angeles, there's Kids Boo Fest at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Carved at Descanso, Boney Island at the Natural History Museum, and tons of Halloween movie screenings, including Hocus Pocus.

Some kids (and adults) like the spooks and scares while other kids prefer gentler Halloween activities, so in our Halloween Fun and Activities Guide for Los Angeles & Orange County Kids, you'll find our picks for not-so-scary events for preschoolers as well as scary Halloween haunts for big kids—plus free Halloween events in Los Angeles for kids, and much more.

 

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Bring your little penguin to meet some other sea creatures. Photo courtesy of the Aquarium of the Pacific
Bring your little penguin to meet some other sea creatures. Photo courtesy of the Aquarium of the Pacific

Halloween Events at Zoos and Aquariums

Sea Scare at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

San Pedro - Saturday, October 21, 2023
Sea Scare is back! The annual Halloween Sea Scare transforms the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium into an underwater world of chills, thrills, and gills. READ MORE

Boo at the LA Zoo

Griffith Park - Saturday & Sunday, October 21 - 29, 2023
A trip to the LA Zoo is always a treat, but the last two weekends of October are especially sweet: this year's Boo at the Zoo includes trick-or-treat stations with Mars candies.  READ MORE

Boo at the Moorpark Teaching Zoo

Moorpark - Saturday & Sunday, October 21 - 29, 2023
The Teaching Zoo's annual Halloween festivities are quite the treat, with two weekends of family fun.   Highlights include interactive trick-or-treating,  a kids' scavenger hunt, family photo ops, food trucks, and kids' crafts, plus wildlife programs and meet & greets. READ MORE

Boo at the Zoo (Santa Ana)

Santa Ana - Saturday & Sunday, October 21 - 29, 2023
The zoo presents a "merry not scary" Halloween event with a decorated trail along the animal enclosures. Kids follow a fun Halloween trail through the zoo during extended admission hours, taking home goodies from 10 toy/treat stations. Family-friendly costumes encouraged. READ MORE

Halloween Zoo-tacular

Irvine - Saturday, October 28, 2023
The Orange County Zoo throws a party to get the animals in the mood for Halloween. Activities include trick-or-treating, spooky crafts, and a scavenger hunt for kids under the age of 12. The animals, meanwhile, get to munch on treat-filled pumpkins throughout the day. READ MORE

Scarium of the Pacific

Long Beach - Saturday & Sunday, October 28 & 29, 2023
Brace yourself for the Scarium of the Pacific, the Aquarium of the Pacific's annual Halloween celebration. Guests can don costumes to enjoy spooky décor and creepy creatures, along with a vampire magician, underwater pumpkin carving, and more. READ MORE

Spider Pavilion

Exposition Park - Daily through Sunday, November 26, 2023
The spiders return to The Natural History Museum, in the improved Spider Pavilion that debuted a few years ago. Guests have the rare opportunity to immerse themselves in the spiders’ habitat and witness the day-to-day lives of these often misunderstood, but uniquely talented creatures. READ MORE
Walk through a Halloween wonderland. Photo courtesy of Nights of the Jack
Walk through a Halloween wonderland. Photo courtesy of Nights of the Jack

Halloween Drive-thrus & Walk-thrus

Magic of the Jack O'Lanterns

El Monte - Thursday - Sunday, September 22 - October 31, 2023
Embrace spooky season with a pumpkin palooza that is perfect for the whole family at LA's newest pumpkin walk-through, Magic of the Jack O'Lanterns. This pumpkin display takes place at the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area and is packed with eye-popping pumpkin displays and other fall fun. Walk a glowing trail to check out thousands of illuminated pumpkins displayed in all sorts of creative ways, including as a seascape, dinosaur, dragon, and much more.  READ MORE

Boney Island

Exposition Park - Thursday - Sunday, September 28 - October 31, 2023
Boney Island is back this Halloween season! One of the LA area's most popular family-friendly haunts for decades, the former lawn haunt from Sherman Oaks has joined forces with the Natural History Museum to stage a spookily exciting comeback. READ MORE

Shaqtoberfest

Long Beach - Thursday - Sunday, September 28 - October 31, 2023
Halloween spooks and scares return to one of our favorite haunts in a Shaq-tacular way! Shaqtoberfest is held at the historic Queen Mary, with a family-friendly pumpkin patch during the day and a Halloween/EDM walk-thru at night. New in 2023, guests are invited to step back into the newly reopened interior of the "Grey Ghost", exploring the belly of the ship to see what spirits lurk in the dark damp corridors. READ MORE

Nights of the Jack

Calabasas - Daily, September 29 - October 31, 2023
Nights of the Jack is a family-friendly, Halloween-themed show situated on a 2/3 mile nature trail filled with thousands of hand-carved jack-o'-lanterns.   New in 2023: brand new lantern art activations, new photo ops, an interactive AR scavenger hunt, and QR code activated AR selfies. READ MORE

Carved

La Canada - Daily, October 6 - 29, 2023
Carved is a family-friendly Halloween event for all ages; visitors can enjoy a mile-long walk through Descanso's beautiful gardens and woods, viewing hundreds of jack-o’-lanterns carved from real pumpkins along the trail. READ MORE
Pups are on parade at the annual Howl'oween Parade in Long Beach.
Pups are on parade at the annual Howl'oween Parade in Long Beach.

Halloween Festivals & Celebrations

Kidspace Halloween

Pasadena - Thursday - Sunday, September 28 - October 31, 2023
Everyone is invited to march, dance, and strut the orange catwalk in the fanciful Halloween parade—costumes encouraged! Additional fun includes pumpkin decorating (nominal charge), costume crafts, and up-close visits with some not-too-scary animal friends. READ MORE

Spooky Science (LA)

Sylmar - Daily, September 30 - October 31, 2023
Discovery Cube's Spooky Science rings in the Halloween season. This year’s edition of Spooky Science features fun & educational activities in the science lab, tractor rides for toddlers, the Pumpkin Tetris Challenge, spooky demos, a pumpkin catapult, and more. READ MORE

Pumpkin Palooza

Santa Ana - Thursday - Sunday, October 7 - 31, 2023
Discovery Cube OC has a real treat for us this Halloween: Pumpkin Palooza, a seasonal festival of science fun. Kids can come in costume to enjoy two floors of freaky fun, an interactive dance party, bumper cars, life-size corn mazes, and trick or treating.  READ MORE

Spooky Science Night

Downey - Saturday, October 21, 2023
Columbia Memorial Space Center hosts a spooky-themed night of science, with a variety of hands-on activities available for all ages. READ MORE

South Pasadena Halloween Spooktacular

South Pasadena - Friday, October 27, 2023
Free
The City of South Pasadena’s free annual Halloween festival offers hair-raising excitement that includes photo opportunities, inflatable jumpers, food, music, and more.  READ MORE

Boo Bop! Halloween Music Party

Pasadena - Saturday, October 28, 2023
Join Minibop at the 3rd Annual BOO BOP! Halloween Music Party. Celebrate with your family and friends at this fun outdoor festival made for little ones. There will be costumes, kid sized trick or treating stations, soft-play, face painting, games, activities, storytelling, hair braiding, giveaways and of course special performances by Minibop Music and more. READ MORE

Halloween Historical Cemetery Tour

Long Beach - Saturday, October 28, 2023
The Historical Society of Long Beach conducts its annual living history tour at the city’s two oldest cemeteries, which are located adjacent to each other on Willow Street between Orange and California. READ MORE

Pumpkin Race Festival

Manhattan Beach - Sunday, October 29, 2023
Free
The city of Manhattan Beach holds its annual Pumpkin Race on the pier. Families are encouraged to attend in costume and create their own crazy pumpkin race cars at the pier's colorful Pumpkinrace Land. READ MORE

Haute Dog Howl'oween Parade

Long Beach - Sunday, October 29, 2023
Free to watch
The parade for animal charities features more than 500 dogs in colorful costumes.​ Even for folks who don't normally venture down Long Beach way, some of these canine costumes really are worth the drive. The Haute Dog Howl'oween Parade claims to be the "World's Largest Halloween Pet Event."  This year's event is held in a new location: the former Belmont Pool grassy area and paths. READ MORE

Trunk-or-Treat Spooky Car Cruise-In

El Segundo - Sunday, October 29, 2023
Halloween without trunk-or-treating? Now that would be spooky! The Zimmerman Automobile Driving Museum scares up the Halloween fun with trunk-or-treating and a spooky car cruise in. READ MORE

Halloween at One Colorado

Pasadena - Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Free
One Colorado and Old Pasadena offer tricks and treats this Halloween. Costumed kids can do their trick-or-treating among businesses throughout the mall, with a free outdoor screening of Casper at 7pm. READ MORE
Knott's Spooky Farm keeps the scares at bay for the younger crowd. Photo courtesy of Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Spooky Farm keeps the scares at bay for the younger crowd. Photo courtesy of Knott's Berry Farm

Halloween Events at Theme Parks (Kid-Friendly Only!)

Kids Boo Fest (Magic Mountain)

Valencia - Friday - Sunday, September 8 - October 31, 2023
The fun is spooky, not scary, at Six Flags Magic Mountain's daytime Halloween festivities. Kids can trick-or-treat in Bugs Bunny World, where they can collect sweet treats and encounter friendly characters along the way. Two new spooktacular pint-sized mazes are open for little ones to explore. READ MORE

Brick or Treat

Carlsbad - Saturday & Sunday, September 16 - October 29, 2023
Legoland offers a festive kid-centric Halloween celebration on select weekends this fall. The fun includes tons of candy, an all-new show lineup, never-before-seen exclusive Lego characters, and more. READ MORE

The Count's Halloween Spooktacular - Sesame Place

Chula Vista - Saturday & Sunday, September 16 - October 29
How do we love Halloween at Sesame Place? Let us Count the ways! San Diego's newest theme park is transformed into a family-friendly Halloween haven that's silly, not too spooky. READ MORE

Knott's Spooky Farm

Buena Park - Thursday - Sunday, September 28 - October 31, 2023
Knott's Berry Farm invites kids to a non-scare Halloween celebration that's about cheer, not fear. Kids can dress in all their Halloween finery to go trick-or-treating around the town of Calico’s shops and buildings. READ MORE

Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party

Anaheim - Select dates through October 31, 2023
Trick-or-treating at Disneyland - what could be better? This year's spooooookiest Halloween celebration is a villainous bash at Disney California Adventure Park. Update: Not to scare you, but this event is sold out. Never fear, though, there is still plenty of frightful fun to be had during Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort. READ MORE
See what pops up in the pumpkin patch at Tanaka. Photo courtesy of Tanaka Farms
See what pops up in the pumpkin patch at Tanaka. Photo courtesy of Tanaka Farms

Pumpkin Festivals & Fall Harvest Festivals

Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch

Irvine - Daily, September 16 - October 31, 2023
Irvine Park Railroad and the Pumpkin Patch once again open for the season with the Pumpkin Train, a moon bounce, hayrides, and haunted house.  Other daily fun includes panning for gold, carnival games, face painting, cookie decorating, and more.  READ MORE

Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch

Irvine - Daily, September 16 - October 31, 2023
Tanaka Farms is one of the only farms in Orange County with a real pumpkin patch where kids can pick their own pumpkins out in the field. READ MORE

Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Patch

Redlands - Daily, September 22 - October 31, 2023
Live Oak Canyon boasts the largest outdoor pumpkin patch in Southern California. Guests can enjoy pumpkin-picking, a big train ride, the corn maze, food trucks, photo ops, rides, and more. There are more than 400 animals in the petting zoo, including Highland cows, alpacas, Brahma bulls, and llamas READ MORE

26th Annual Fall Harvest Festival

Moorpark - Daily, September 30 - October 31, 2023
Underwood Family Farms' annual Fall Harvest Festival features pig races, animal shows, a corn maze and gourd tunnel, a combine slide, tractor rides, Farmer Craig’s Chicken Show, hay pyramids, and animals to feed, as well as a gigantic pumpkin patch. READ MORE

Annual Pumpkin Festival Cal Poly Pomona

Pomona - Friday - Sunday, September 30 - October 29, 2023
The Cal Poly Pomona Pumpkin Fest returns for its 30th year. Favorite fall activities return this year at a month-long celebration—the huge pumpkin patch, a petting farm, hayrides, corn and sunflower mazes, a cow train, and duck races. READ MORE

Calabasas Pumpkin Festival

Calabasas - Sunday, October 22, 2023
The annual Calabasas Pumpkin Festival returns for one day only this year! Families can enjoy music, carnival games, crafts, inflatables & rides, and a pumpkin patch. Pumpkin facts and history are shared, too—after all, calabazas means pumpkins. READ MORE

Fall Fun Fest & Pumpkin Patch at Santa Anita Park

Arcadia - Saturday & Sunday, October 21- 29, 2023
The infield at Santa Anita Park comes alive with carnival rides, bounce houses, carnival games, pony rides, face painting, and a pumpkin patch. READ MORE
Bob Baker’s Halloween Spooktacular is an LA fall classic. Photo courtesy of Bob Baker's Marionettes via Facebook
Bob Baker’s Halloween Spooktacular is an LA fall classic. Photo courtesy of Bob Baker's Marionettes via Facebook

Halloween 2023 Movies & Shows

Bob Baker’s Halloween Spooktacular

Highland Park - Saturday & Sunday, September 16 - November 5, 2023
A beloved Bob Baker tradition returns! The Bob Baker Marionettes presents Halloween Spooktacular, a family-friendly musical revue, set to haunting and jazzy holiday-themed tunes celebrating nearly every decade. READ MORE

Hocus Pocus (PG)

Hollywood - Daily, October 6 - 19, 2023
I put a spell on you, and now you're going to see Hocus Pocus at the El Capitan.  The film begins its engagement with a special opening night Fan Event. READ MORE

Absolutely Halloween

Santa Monica - Saturday & Sunday, October 7 - 29, 2023
Santa Monica Playhouse presents the tale of a sweet young girl named Candy, who learns some surprising lessons about life, love, laughter, and sugar. A colorful array of characters takes her on a magical All Hallows Eve adventure, and the audience must help Candy save Halloween. READ MORE

Halloween Cinemalibu Outdoor Movie Night

Malibu - Friday, October 13, 2023
Free
They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky ... and they're coming to Malibu for Halloween! The 2019 animated version of The Addams Family screens under the stars in Malibu Bluffs Park for this Halloween edition of Cinemalibu. READ MORE

The Nightmare Before Christmas (PG)

Hollywood - Friday - Wednesday, October 20 - 31, 2023
Jack Skellington returns for his annual appearance at the El Capitan: how spooky is that! The El Capitan adds ookie-spooky 4D effects to screenings. Plus, guests can enjoy specialty concession items, a prop display from the Disney archives, and a themed photo op. READ MORE

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas In Concert with Danny Elfman

Hollywood Hills - Friday - Sunday, October 27 - 29, 2023
What's this? What's this?  There's people singing songs... Disney Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas screens at the Hollywood Bowl with the music performed live to screen, with special guests sure to give you chills. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Boney Island at the Natural History Museum
Kidspace Children's Museum
Long Beach Municipal Cemetery & Sunnyside Cemetery
Zimmerman Automobile Driving Museum
Cal Poly Pomona Pumpkin Festival at AGRIscapes