It seems this time around Angelenos are celebrating Halloween all month long. Here are all different types of activities to join in all the way til November:
“WOK-ing DEAD”
Experience the largest Halloween party on the Westside with Top 40 and House music by DJ Frankie, costume contests, a photobooth, and food & drink specials from 8-10 pm. Enter the costume contest for the chance to win hundreds in prizes. Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 week of, $25 for VIP (front line access); October 26, 8pm-2 am; 1413 5th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401; VIP/Bottle Service and Group Tickets available: 310.497.6324 or here.
Bar Marmont Day of the Dead
Bar Marmont is rolling out a special menu for Mexico’s Day of the Dead, including items like oxtail tacos, ceviche and margaritas. October 29-November 2, 6 pm-1 am; 8171 W Sunset Blvd., 323.650.0575
The Echo’s Halloween Bash
The Echo’s free, yearly Halloween Bash is October 29th and features bands dressing as other musicians, with this year’s lineup including members of the classic punk band The Germs covering Iggy & the Stooges, and Manhattan Murder Mystery as Wesley Willis. 1822 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, 90026; 213.413.8200
Bigfoot West
Get here early because best costume which is chosen by patrons, has submissions between 9-9:45 pm. Winners get Bigfoot Bucks- redeemable at any of the six 1933 Group Bars (La Cuevita, Sassafras, Thirsty Crow, Oldfield’s, Bigfoot West, Bigfoot Lodge): $200 Bigfoot Bucks for Best Overall Costume, $150 Bigfoot Bucks for second prize, and $100 Bigfoot Bucks for third prize. Groove to classic Halloween tunes and an 80’s dance party with music by DJ Sum. October 31, 9 pm; 10939 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, 90034; 310.287.2200
Tortilla Republic‘s Boo Ball
During the West Hollywood Halloween Costume Carnaval get drink specials, bar bites, enjoy the DJ and take advantage of the photo booth! They will be serving the TR Witches Brew and contemporary Mexican tapas menu from 8 pm-2 am. Signature Boo Bites include Shrimp Cakes; TR Sliders; and Seared Albacore Tuna Bites. They will also have a four-course prix fixe menu for Día de Muertos on Friday, November 1, 5-11 pm. The menu features a choice of Albondigas (meatballs) Potato Soup or Jicama, Avocado, Radish and Orange Salad with cilantro, followed by Esquites, creamy corn parfait. The main course choices include Pulled Chicken Mole Tamales or Salmon Pibil baked in banana leaves with roasted acorn squash and garlic spinach. Guests will finish with a Pumpkin Flan for a sweet ending. 616 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069; 310.657.9888
Dead Celebrity Party at Thirsty Crow
Dress as your favorite dead celeb, walk the red carpet and pick up an Oscar for best costume. Costume winners chosen by Thirsty Crow bar staff, while you drink Thirsty Crow’s Blood Punch for only $5 a drink. October 31, 9 pm; 2939 W Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, 90026; 323.661.6007
33 Taps
Head to the Hollywood sports bar for some Halloween cocktails and bar bites! They are serving up the Graveyard Martini with Vanilla Absolut, Kahlua, amaretto and whipped cream topped with oreo cookie “dirt” & gummy worms; the Pumpkin Hummus Flatbread with pumpkin hummus, caramelized onions, sliced apples, bacon, Fontina cheese; and Jack’s Spooky Turkey Chili with Turkey, Pumpkin and Black Bean Chili with Pumpkin Spice. 6263 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, 90028; 323.962.1400
Picca-boo
Come in costume for a welcome shot and it’s only $20 for open bar to those who enjoyed dinner earlier in the evening ($25 open bar to general public). Enjoy Pisco Halloween Punch, Peruvian beer, and house wines! Join in the costume contest, “Thriller” dance competition, and bobbing for apples. 9 pm-11 pm; 9575 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035; 310.277.0133
Mo-chica’s Treat
Come in costume for a welcome shot and $25 open bar featuring Peruvian Pisco Halloween Punch, Peruvian beer, and house wines 2:30-10 pm. Plus join in the dance competition. 11:30 am – 10 pm; 517 West 7th St., Downtown Los Angeles, CA 90014; 213.622.3744
Paiche’s 666
$25 open bar with special-themed cocktails, beer, and house wine, 9:00 pm-midnight. Plus, the 666 Menu featuring 6 dishes for $6 each2:30-10 pm; 13488 Maxella Avenue, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292; 310.893.6100
La Sandia
Celebrate Dia de los Muertos with two special food and drink offerings including a Mole Rojo, Oaxaca (slow roasted pork carnitas with a red mole sauce) and a Habanero Blood Orange Margarita that is sweet and spicy. Enjoy modern Mexican cuisine, an outdoor bar and lounge, plus sweeping views of downtown Santa Monica, it’s a winning combo, dead or alive. November 1; 395 Santa Monica Place, 305 N, Santa Monica, 90401; 310.393.3300
Melisse
Chef Josiah Citrin is offering a Halloween menu ($75) in addition to his regular menus. The menu includes an amuse of Squash Ravioli with black sage, pomegranate and mushroom broth; Hokkaido Scallop with cauliflower, apples, black walnuts, bitter greens; Potato Crusted Rhode Island Skate Wing with potato gnocchi, Bloomsdale spinach, brown butter Chardonnay; Wagyu Beef Flat Iron Steak with potato and Parmesan galette, slow roasted carrot, herb jus or Devil’s Gulch Quail with charred turnip, broccoli, quinoa and rabbit tobacco; and a dessert of Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Coffee. Remember to mention the Halloween menu when you make your reservation: 310.395.0881.
Celebrates All Hallows Eve & Day of the Dead
La Cuevita will be featuring their Day of the Dead house made sugar skulls and crafts table so you can decorate a skull and Instagram your work @lacuevitabar. Best skulls will be chosen by November 3rd. Available now through November 2nd. Plus, “The Poison Affair” punch for $4 a drink during happy hour. Available from October 24th-November 2nd, from 7 – 9 pm. November 2, Day of the Dead Costume Party from 9 pm. Best costume winners announced at midnight. 5922 N Figueroa St., Los Angeles; 323.255.6871
Fourth Annual Halloween Candy & Wine Tasting Event
Old school candy us paired with old world wines in the latest installment of the non-traditional tasting series at Vintage. Featured Pairings include: Runts & Nerds withVerdejo: Buil and Giné “Nosis,” Rueda, Spain, 2011; Tootsie Rolls & Charleston Chews withTempranillo: Bodegas Sáenz de Santamaría Crianza Rondan, Rioja, Spain, 2009; Chunky & Heath Bars with Primitivo: Vini Menhir “Primo,” Puglia, Italy, 2010; and Pop Rocks & Good & Plentys withPascal Bellier “Rêverie” Brut Rosé, NV, Loire Valley, France. $30/person, excluding tax and gratuity, October 30 & 31, 7 pm; 7554 W Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, 90046; 323.512.5278
LACMA’s Muse Costume Ball
Dress in your Halloween best and win in categories: Best Black-and-White Costume, Best Classic Movie Monster, and Best Ghost of Hollywood Past. Judges include costume designer, Judianna Makovsky (The Hunger Games, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), costume designer Julie Weiss (Hitchcock, American Beauty), and costume designer Daniel Orlandi (Saving Mr. Banks, Down With Love). Prizes include one year of Dual + Muse LACMA membership, two tickets to the 2014 Muse Costume Ball, a leather tote from BAGGU, a pair of orchestra tickets to closing night of Wait Until Dark at the Geffen Playhouse, a pair of tickets to Cirque du Soleil’s Totem at the Port of Los Angeles, a tote and a tee from the Johnson Hartig for Libertine Wear LACMA collection, and a gift certificate for use at any restaurant on the LACMA campus. Share your costume-making adventures and they will repost the best of the best on our social-media channels.Use hashtag #LACMACostumeBall; Tickets here.
Santa Monica Zombie Crawl
Dress in your best zombie garb for a bar crawl in the heart of Santa Monica, starting on the Santa Monica Pier. Makeup artists will be on-site at the starting location at Rusty’s Surf Ranch on the Pier, to assist with a great zombie look and an official zombie group photo will be under the Pier sign at 8 pm. Registration is from 6 – 9 pm at Rusty’s Surf Ranch on the Pier and participating bar include: Rusty’s Surf Ranch, Big Dean’s, Ye Old King’s Head, Barney’s Beanery, Brittania Pub, West 4th & Jane, and Wokcano. The official Zombie Crawl wristband will get you great food and drink specials along with $4 drafts, $5 wells and $5 shots all night, and entrance into the Official Zombie After Party at Wokcano on 5th street. Tickets: $10 in advance, $15 day of which includes a wristband for specials at participating bars.
Barsha Wines and Spirits’ Halloween party
This Hallo-wine event will showcase seasonal beers and wine club wines perfect for the Fall and Halloween. Participate in the costume contest and the winner will be announced at the end of the night and win a $200 gift basket! $15 (includes your first drink and light appetizers); October 24, 6-10 pm; 917 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266; 310.318.9080
Nightmare on Selma
AV Nightclub and Aventine are presenting Nightmare on Selma on October 31. From 10 pm-2 am, enjoy an open bar, 5 DJs, and $1,000 prize for best costume. $100; 1607 N Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywoood, 90028; 323.500.0969
The Purge is being presented at the historic Variety Arts Center in Downtown LA. Be part of a frightening world where all crime is legal for one night each year. The experience takes over six floors and 70,000 square feet. Performances are held Thursday-Saturday, with moreshowtimes during Halloween week. $65; until November 2; there are eight timeslots per evening, beginning at 7:15 pm; 18+
The area surrounding the “Old Zoo” and “B Rock” in Griffith Park has been called one of the most paranormally active sites in all of Cali. This year, the extended trail returns with an entirely new 25-minute experience and new special effects. Experience The Haunted Hayride, “The In-Between” (Dark Maze), and “Purgatory” sideshow. $30+ and include options for VIP (front-of-line) and group rates; until october 31, 7 pm-midnight: Friday & Saturday, 7-10:30 pm: Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday and Halloween.
This action-packed event features heroic Mexican masked wrestlers performing acrobatic feats while battling evil luchadores. Lucha VaVOOM is inspired by the odd world of 1960’s Mexican Lucha Cinema, where masked wrestling crime fighters saved the world from evil brains, vampires, Martians, but also had tome to get down at the go-go club. Expect wrestling matches, burlesque acts, pogo-stick peelers, hula-hoopers and more. This year’s theme is ¡Noche de los Salvajes! (“Night of the Savages”) and costumes are encouraged. “The crazier, the better!” $35/General Admission, $55/Ringside Seating; October 30 & 31; Mayan Theatre; 1038 S Hill St., Los Angeles, 90015; 213.746.4287
Get to Heritage Square Museum on Saturday to learn about death and mourning etiquette during the Victorian era, the movement of Spiritualism, and how other cultures celebrate and remember their loved ones. Sunday is less heavy and children ages 2-12 can play period games, make 19th-century harvest crafts, and listen to spooky stories. October 28 & 29, noon-4 pm
This event screams Los Angeles (pun intended) and takes place among the final resting places of some of Hollywood’s most famous. Join in this Mexican ceremony that celebrates life and ancient traditions. The event features over 100 altars created to honor ancestors and loved ones; musical and dance performances on three stages; hundreds of Aztec ritual dancers in full costume; an art exhibition in the Cathedral Mausoleum; arts, crafts and food vendors; and a children’s art project area presented by LACMA. This gets pacled, so get there early or cab/uber it! $15 , children eight years old and under, and Seniors age 65 and over, are free until 4 pm; Ceremonial Altar Set-Up is on November 1, 5 pm; full celebration Novemebr 2, noon-midnight; Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90038; 323.469.1181
Explore the mystery behind Los Angeles including celebrity scandals, deaths, and infamous crime scenes. Options include the Hollywood Tragical History Tour and the Helter Skelter Tour. Just for Halloween, Dearly Departed will take you on a Halloween tour devoted to famous horror film locations around Hollywood and Pasadena. Check the Dearly Departed website for tickets and schedule.
The oldest street in Los Angeles spends most of the week before Halloween celebrating those who have passed. Head Downtown for several days of Dia De Los Muertos festivities, including piñata breaking, children’s workshops, face painting, strolling Mariachi and Ballet Folklórico. Beautifully decorated altars, entertainment and Novenaria processions.Starline Haunted Hollywood
Every day at 12:30 pm and 6:30 pm, Starline Tours presents a special two-hour tour that shows the paranormal activity around Los Angeles. Stops include landmark hotel (aka “Hollywood’s Most Haunted Building”), TCL Chinese Theatre and the Witch’s House. Tours depart from the Starline Tours Terminal at the TCL Chinese Theatre. Selected hotel pick-ups are also available.
The largest and longest-running horror film festival in the U.S. takes place at the Laemmle NoHo 7, in the heart of the in North Hollywood. They premiere and showcase new work from American and international independent horror filmmakers. Founded in 2001 by film producers Rachel Belofsky and Ross Martin, they wanted to give filmmakers and writers in the horror/sci-fi genres a venue to have their work showcased to people in the industry. October 8-17
This is the largest Halloween street party in the world! If you haven’t experienced it yet, get there! Every year, nearly 500,000 partiers head to Santa Monica Boulevard between Doheny Drive and La Cienega Boulevard. Two of the evening’s highlights are the Halloween Costume Contest and crowning of an Honorary “Queen of the Carnaval.” There’s also live entertainment and food vendors. Free; October 31, 6-11 pm.KCRW’s 5th Annual Masquerade
Returning to the historic Park Plaza, get ready for music throughout the five themed rooms by 16 KCRW DJs. Additions to this year include Harlow Gold’s vintage burlesque revue Blind Tiger, live screen printing by Hit + Run, and Haunted Dance halls. Also enjoy, Vaudeville circus troupe Lucent Dossier, ghost stories from LA’s storytellers, food trucks and more. $100 (purchase of a ticket makes you a KCRW member); Octpber 26Cabaret de L’Enfer
The Edison brings “the Unique, the Unusual and the Wondrous” to downtown Los Angeles. Pre-sale: $25, with a limited number of tickets held at the door for $30 in costume or $35 as yourself; October 31, doors open at 7 pm, resys: 213.613.0000
Dark Harbor returns to the Queen Mary in Long Beach for several nights of scary fun. This year, it’s circus-themed with a maze and a “Ferrisqueal”. There’s also food, drink and entertainment. $20–$109; October 11–13, 17–20, 24–27, 31, 7 pm–midnight nightly; 1126 Queens Hwy., Long Beach, 877.342.0742LACMA’s Muse Costume Ball
The 10th-annual LACMA Muse Costume Ball is a red-carpet event with some added spook. Works of art and exhibitions on view include See the Light—Photography, Perception, Cognition: The Marjorie and Leonard Vernon Collection, John Divola: As Far As I Could Get, plus Bruce Nauman’s For Beginners, Metropolis II by Chris Burden, Richard Serra’s Band, LACMA’s modern art galleries, and more. October 26, 8 pm; $100/$80 LACMA members, $60 MUSE members; LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., 323.857.6010Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton
Listen to music from 15 film collabos of the legendary composer Danny Elfman and visionary director Tim Burton. Elfman will be there performing his songs from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” (He was the singing voice of Jack Skellington). The concert includes songs from Batman, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Alice In Wonderland, that will accompany the large screen film clips, and the artwork of Tim Burton. October 29-31; Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, 777 Chick Hearn Ct., downtown, 88-929.7849Dia de los Muertos with Loteria Grill and Artbites
Celebrate this holiday with art and Mexican cuisine.The evening begins with an intimate gallery discussions led by art and food historian Maite Gomez-Rejon of Artbites. You will tour LACMA’s collection of Latin American art with highlights of objects of life and death while tracing the evolution of Mexican art and cuisine from pre-Hispanic to Colonial times. Then, dine at Loteria Grill in Hollywood for a regional Mexican three-course dinner prepared by Executive Chef Jimmy Shaw. $80; Saturday, November 2, 5:30 pm; meet at the BP Grand Entrance on the LACMA Campus in front of the Urban Light display followed by dinner at Loteria Grill Hollywood; 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036; 323.857.6000; resys (by October 25) are required: artbites.net and click on “Day of the Dead”Ray’s and Stark Bar’s Wurst Halloween Party Eve
Enjoy food, drinks, and a deep fried stuffed whole hog’s head carved with a chainsaw by Executive Chef Kris Morningstar. Come dressed in costume to participate in the “Wurst Costume Ever” contest following the carving. Wurst plates including: Wesisswurst, Braunschweigner, Bratwurst and more. Cocktails include the Dragon’s Tail made with blended scotch, allspice, dram, lime and bitters and The Blood Sucking Brady Bunch including Rum, Calvados, Velvet, Falernum, lemon juice and Angostrua Bitters. Wine and beer specials will be featured as well. $25 for all you can eat; $9-12 for individual small plates; October 28, 7-10 pm; Carving begins at 9 pm; Costume contest at 9:30 pm; 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036; resys: 323.857.6780
The 24th Annual “Boo at the Zoo”
“Boo at the Zoo” will take place over two weekends this year. Wear your wildest costumes and enjoy trick-or-treating throughout the Zoo. Additional activities include pumpkin carving demonstrations, arts and crafts, creepy-crawly animal encounters, chomp n’ stomp animal feedings, and interactive storytelling and music with Campfire Cathy. $18, $13 for children 2-12; $15 for seniors 62 and up, free for GLAZA members and children under two; October 19 and October 20, 10 am – 4 pm; October 26 and October 27, 10 am – 4 pm; Members’ preview: October 19 and October 27, 8:30 – 10 am.
First-ever “Night of the Living Zoo”
A one-of-a-kind, 21-and-over Halloween celebration, “Night of the Living Zoo” will transform the Zoo into a theater of mysterious and macabre delights: enjoy stunts of the Sideshow Sirens, DJ Johnny Hawkes spinning at the Tom Mankiewicz Conservation Carousel, and live musical performances by Batwings Catwings and Edgar Allan Poets, as well as a costume contest, fortune tellers, cocktails, and food trucks. $45/pre-sale general admissions, $40/members of GLAZA, $50/general admission at the door, $45/members at the door; October 25, 7 pm -12 am
