Halloween events, from fun to frightful, in Southern California

What are you doing for Halloween? Don’t be the last one left indecisively standing (or you might turn into a pumpkin). Here, we treat you to a bagful of Southern California options to consider for super-spooky good times. Some are great for the little children; others—like, perhaps, Scareview Farms, from where the above image originates—are not.

Balboa Park, San Diego
Museums at Balboa Park are going all out for Family Day on Oct. 31. Attractions include costume contests and parades, as well as museum-specific activities such as a science-themed pumpkin contest at Reuben H. Fleet Science Center; craft sessions to build paper pumpkins with parachutes at San Diego Air and Space Museum; and a scavenger hunt at the San Diego Automotive Museum

Queen Mary, Long Beach
Ongoing most evenings through Nov. 1, “Shipwreck: 15 Nights of Terror” at the Queen Mary seems set to scare the wits out of you (just have  to look at the event website for a taste). The nighttime event —not recommended for mortals younger than 12— features vampires and ghosts, among its ship full of creepy creatures, and mazes on board and onshore.

Fairplex, Pomona
Goodbye, cows, monster trucks, gigantic onion rings and other highlights of the Los Angeles County Fair. Hello, ghouls and zombies, and, ahoy, dead pirates. For “Nightmare at Scareview Farms,” on weekends through Oct. 31, the Fairplex turns into a haunted attraction featuring three scary mazes. This one’s recommended for adults and youths ages 12 and older.

Universal Studios Hollywood
See L.A. Times staff writer Brady MacDonald’s recent post for the skinny on the mazes and scare zones at Universal Studios’ “Halloween Horror Nights,” as well as the sum-up of attractions at other theme parks this season.

West Hollywood
On Oct. 31, the 22nd annual West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval is — what can we say — sure to be the grandest time you can have with many thousands of your closest, painted, costumed, sequined and yes, some barely clad friends. To be in the thick of it, this is the free street party to hit in Southern California on Halloween night. Crowds this year are expected to number half a million, according to the event website.

Santa Barbara Zoo
Sure to inspire squawks and shivers, the family-friendly Boo at the Zoo event at the Santa Barbara Zoo takes place Oct. 23-25. Read more about it in our recent post.

For the scoop on more Halloween happenings in Greater Los Angeles, including a Michael Jackson “Thriller” zombie dance in downtown L.A., haunted houses and hayrides, consult the L.A. Halloween Events 2009 list in the Guide.

– Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

Photo: Shenanigans at Scareview Farms, set up at the Fairplex in Pomona. Credit: Carlos Tesoro

Permalink | E-mail | Print | Add to My Trips

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 6:00 am by Susan Derby and is filed under California, Fall, Family & Kids, Festival, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Weekend Getaways. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.