So, you want to have yourself a spooky little celebration with your friends while staying safe. Fret not, for we have curated a range of socially-distanced events that are still happening this year in Los Angeles!
- For If You’re a Little Bit of a Scaredy-Cat
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Your best bets are anything deemed ‘Family Friendly’ and lucky for you, we’ve found two drive-through experiences!
Happy Halloween LA in Pico Rivera promises four different themed zones and an in-car photo-op spot for $10 to $60. Head down between October 15th to November 1st (Thursday to Sunday evenings) for the chance to see massive monster inflatables (Zone D: Monster Alley) or to relive those childhood fantasies of being trapped in a Jurassic Park movie (Zone A: Jurassic Adventure). Completing the loop will take up about 30 minutes, so head down before nightfall if you’re easily frightened. Ticket bookings can be made on the website.
Haunt’O Ween LA in Topanga boasts a socially-distanced trick-or-treating in addition to a pumpkin giveaway for every vehicle. Tickets run at $70 per vehicle to be booked in advance on the website, and the event will take place every day from 3pm to 9pm, from October 9th to November 1st. Featuring Insta-worthy vignettes with themes like Hulu’s ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ tunnel and costumed actors that vow to stay six feet away, you can pass through their loop in about 25 to 35 minutes with the windows down and masks on.
- For If Literally Nothing Can Scare You
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Rock your world with the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride in San Dimas. With a ‘too intense’ warning for children 12 and younger, you know that the event’s promise of a ‘first of its kind immersive experience’ will be fulfilled. Rather aptly, the theme is that of a haunted Midnight Drive-In Theater experience, complete with a 40-foot screen. Pop down on select dates up till November 1st. Tickets range from $49.99 to $199.99 per vehicle, although you may add on additional passengers at $9.99 per person. Just make sure that you’re leaving with the same number of passengers that you started out with!
- For If You’re Always Hungry
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Swipe right on the Bite LA: Halloween Food Crawl and Creature Safari at South El Monte for a frightfully delicious experience. A vegan, vegetarian and gluten free-inclusive event, Bite LA is a drive-through experience allowing you to sample eight different bites, a campfire dessert, and a hot autumnal drink while skirting around Legg Lake and other eerie exhibitions. Bring a flashlight as part of the interactive experience so you can search for creatures roaming the surrounding bushes. Purchase tickets ranging from $49 to $250 on the website for a slot up till November 1st.
- For If You’re Basically Gordon Ramsay
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Join the waiting list for the Gourmandise School’s DIY Halloween Candy class via Zoom to whip up sweet treats like pumpkin brittle, sticky apple cider caramels and peanut butter cups. For $45, you’ll receive the relevant menu, recipe, shopping and equipment list and a Zoom link to the live three-hour session taking place on October 25th. Even if no spots open up, this could be the sign you’ve been looking for to create your own unique desserts and traditional Halloween candies, without the guidance of a pastry chef! I believe in you!
- For If You Love Museum-Hopping on the Weekends
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Purchase a $20 ticket online for the live Victorian Mourning Walking Tour taking place outside Heritage Square Museum, on October 24th and 25th from 12 to 5pm. This is a mask-on event that guides you to traipse through multiple outdoor stops exploring Victorian Death Practices, photo stops and all. Have you ever wanted to see the art of Divination in action, doll up in Victorian Mourning Attire or photograph a cheeky poltergeist? You know what to do.
- For If You Miss the Drive-In Movie Experience
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In LA, you’re spoiled with various options this Halloween, so this will be a little more niche: To all the Halloween film fans that just want to relive their old favourites, this one’s for you! Street Food Cinema is organizing various $20 per vehicle showings of Beetlejuice, Hocus Pocus and other classics in Arcadia on select dates up till November 1st. Pre-order your tickets and food (or you can mobile-order food on site) on the website, at which you can also check for the seasonal food truck offerings! Alternatively, bring your own food for a self-catered decadent feast.
- For If You Want a Quiet Night In
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Two words: Fall Harvest (at Moorpark). Head down before October 31st to select your own pumpkin from a massive 50-acre patch! The do-it-yourself aspect to the selection and harvesting guarantee a more socially-distanced option, and you can always reserve tickets for the weekend online for $15! If you’re planning to go on a weekday, purchase tickets at the gate for $8. The patch is open between 9am to 6pm everyday for you to ride-through their corn trails, snap pictures of yourself frolicking through rows of produce and of course, pick the most gorgeous pumpkin(s) imaginable. Bring that home for a small apartment-exclusive carving party, or slow-roast it after to bake pumpkin pie from scratch.
So here you have it: seven uniquely different ways to celebrate Halloween this 2020. If you’re going above and beyond to source your own Halloween events, I recommend Time Out LA, LA Mag and Spectrum News 1 for suggestions. Just one final tip: don’t forget to look up the safety requirements—a safe Halloween celebration is a good Halloween celebration.