The 21 Best Halloween Events in Los Angeles, from Drive-Throughs to Haunted Houses

• Location: Anaheim and Fontana
• Dates: Thursday through Saturday, October 6 to October 30

Not only is the Tunnel of Terror back, but it’s expanding to two locations this year. It's worth the drive to Anaheim or Fontana to experience a haunted car wash in which ghouls tease, taunt and torment you even while you're in line to enter the soapy and scary drive-through. While we don't recommend this one for the littles, in case it forever scars them from going through a car wash again, but for tweens and up it's a fast and fun jump-scare experience that will leave you with great snaps for social media and a shinier vehicle, all for $30 per car.

• Location: Calabasas
• Dates: Select dates, September 30 to October 31

Stroll through the King Gillette Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains hideaway at this event that's appropriate for all ages. There are thousands of hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns arranged in various themes, from local sites (like the Hollywood sign) to classic Fright Night displays (like a cemetery). We recommend having your kid put on their costume before you go, so you’ll have some great pics for the family album (and look like you actually made an effort this Halloween, even if the night itself turns out to be a bust).

• Location: Duarte
• Dates: October 31

The Duarte Parks & Recreation Department is once again sponsoring this annual, family-friendly event. The festivities will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Monday October 31 at the five-acre Royal Oaks Park. There will be trick-or-treating stations, zombies, and even prizes for the best costumes in different age groups. Happy Halloween!

• Location: Los Angeles
• Dates: Select nights, September 23 to October 31

An LA favorite for more than a decade, the Haunted Hayride is back again at Griffith Park this year. There will be the iconic wagon hayride (of course), and guests can also walk around the fictional town of Midnight Falls for trick-or-treating and scare zones, tour the mortuary and more. Monte Revolta and His Band of the Living Dead will also be entertaining guests with 30-minute shows every night.

• Location: Los Angeles
• Dates: Thursday through Sunday, October 15 to October 30 and Monday, October 31

What makes a Halloween haunted house experience even better? Some cocktails, of course. At House of Spirits, guests can sip on drinks while exploring the Rasputin-inspired haunted manor. Just enjoy the ambiance if you’re skittish, or venture deeper and interact with the actors and props if you’re adventurous. Four miniature cocktails are included with a standard ticket, but you can upgrade your ticket for more, and additional food and drinks will be available for purchase.

• Location: La Canada Flintridge
• Dates: October 7 to 31

For one of the less spooky activities on our list, Descanso Gardens will be lit up with hundreds of jack-o’-lanterns this fright night season. In addition to the mile-long trail of glowing pumpkins and the opportunity to enjoy the garden itself at night, there will be Halloween-themed sculptures, parking carving demonstrations, a hay maze and harvest-themed food and drink offerings.

• Location: Downtown L.A.
• Dates: October 31

The Walt Disney Concert Hall is holding a showing of the silent 1920s horror film classic, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, also considered to be one of the most influential films in the German Expressionist genre. The film will be accompanied by the concert hall’s monster pipe organ, played by Clark Wilson, one of the most prominent organ virtuosos and conservators. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m., so there’s time to grab an early pre-show dinner.

• Location: Downtown LA
• Dates: Wednesdays through Sundays in October

Gather your girlfriends for a classy and a little spooky afternoon tea celebration of All Hallow’s Eve. The underground bar Lilly Rose at Wayfarer DTLA is serving up a special high tea menu for the month of October with Spooky Tea, featuring deviled eggs, bourbon spiced apples and tea-infused cocktails. The Spooky Tea will be available from 2 to 6 p.m. and costs $60 per person. Costumes welcome.

• Location: Universal City
• Dates: Select nights, September 8 to October 31

The theme parks are back with a full lineup of Halloween events this year, and Universal Studios will have their Halloween Horror Nights on select nights starting from September 8 to October 31. In addition to the rides, there will be more than half a dozen haunted mazes with themes like The Walking Dead and The Haunting of Hill House. The tram tour is also transformed into The Terror Tram complete with actors jumping at the tram to scare you.

• Location: Hollywood
• Dates: October 1 to October 31

Black Lagoon is a cocktail pop-up for horror lovers created by two well-known bartenders, Erin Hayes from Los Angeles and Kelsey Ramage from Toronto, with themed cocktails in custom glassware. The two first did their pop-up at Tales of the Cocktail and it was so popular they decided to bring it to nine cities this October. In Los Angeles, Black Lagoon will be popping up at Lost Property Bar in Hollywood, which will be decked out in spookiness.

• Location: Los Angeles
• Dates: October 5 to November 13

The Willows from JFI Productions has combined the haunted house and dinner theater experiences and elevated it to a new level. The part-interactive, part-theatrical performance experience takes place in a 10,000 square-foot mansion with a group limited to just 18 guests. Each session is two hours long and includes passed appetizers and drinks. The Willows is the brainchild of the people behind Creep LA and has become such a popular production and tickets sell out quickly every year.

• Location: Altadena
• Dates: September 30 to November 6

This immersive theater experience is hosted by the Downtown Repertory Theater Company and based on the true story of the Pendle witch trials in 1612. Guests will have one-on-one encounters with performers and explore a haunted mausoleum and abandoned chapel. Complimentary drinks will be offered before the show, and comfortable clothing and walking shoes are recommended (we’re serious about the exploring part). Masks are required.

• Location: Long Beach
• Dates: Select nights, September 29 to October 31

There’s a new Halloween fest down in Long Beach this year and it came by way of Shaq—yes, Shaquille O’Neal. Shaqtoberfest will take place next to the famously haunted Queen Mary and there will be everything from a pumpkin patch, street carnival with games and rides, trick-or-treating stations, and more. The festival will be family friendly during the day and turn into one geared towards adults at night.

• Location: Hollywood
• Dates: Open year-round

Karnevil is a dinner theater in Hollywood that is open year-round with a 1920s steam circus vibe and a tapas-style menu, but in September and October they are throwing a special performance with an American Horror Story: Freak Show theme, whisking you to the town of Jupiter, Florida in the 1950s. Reservations are $50 per person and includes four small plates with additional food (including drinks and desserts) available a la carte.

• Location: Buena Park
• Dates: Select nights, September 22 to October 31

Knott’s Berry Farm’s annual Halloween experience, the aptly named Knott’s Scary Farm, is known to be one of the amusement parks that goes all out for Halloween and it is returning now for its 49th year. This Halloween season, there will be 17 different spooky experiences including nine haunted mazes and an improvisational puppet show. Of course, there will be more scare zones throughout the park and the rides will be running for a different kind of thrill.

• Location: Arts District, Downtown LA, El Segundo
• Dates: Every day in October

Rooftop Cinema Club is bringing Angelenos all kinds of Halloween films this October, from kid-friendly Halloween movies to horror flicks both classics and modern. Between their three locations throughout the city, there are multiple showings every day throughout the month. Make it a dinner date—Rooftop Cinema Club allows guests to bring their own food from outside, although drinks must be purchased on-site. Since temperatures can drop in the evening, we also recommend bringing your own blanket.