Halloween 2010 Is Closer Than You Think

Costumes and trick-or-treats are just over a month away

Halloween is still more than five weeks away, but before you know it, everyone will be donning their masks and wigs at a party or trick-or-treating with the kids. Every year, all around Los Angeles there are parties, parades, haunted houses, haunted hayrides, mazes and countless other events open to the public to celebrate the year's spookiest holiday. We have put together some of the best and biggest events that will be happening this year to help you decide where you want to go.

  • West Hollywood Halloween Costume Carnival
    • Celebrating its 23rd anniversary, this carnival has transformed from an adult-only event into something for the whole family. This year, more than half a million people are expected to show up to the carnival, which is located between La Cienega Boulevard and La Peer Drive on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. There are many free events in the week leading up to Halloween, including a youth carnival, a pet costume contest, drag races, featuring competitive relay races for people dressed in drag and stiletto heels, pumpkin carving contests and more. The carnival itself will take place on Oct. 31 from 6 p.m. until midnight. 
    • Hollywood Halloween Street Fair: A more child friendly version of the West Hollywood street fair without the parade. There is no official event in Hollywood, but 100,000 people show up anyway. Costumed kids can trick-or-treat from shop to shop on Hollywood Boulevard.
  • Universal Studios Hollywood Horror Nights
    • This year Universal Studios is debuting five new mazes based on some of the most popular horror themes and movies of all time, including "Nightmare on Elm Street," "Friday the 13th," "Saw," "House of 1,000 Corpses," and "Vampyre: Castle of the Undead." In addition to the mazes, there will be "scare zones," which will be terrorized by killer Klownz, flesh-eating Freakz, asylum Lunaticz and La Llorona. Of course there are the regular attractions like "The Simpsons," "The Mummy" and "Jurassic Park" rides that will be incorporating their own Halloween themes.
    • Dates: Sept 24-25, Oct 1-2, 8-9, 15-17, 21-24, 28-31
  • Disney’s Halloween Time 2010
    • Disneyland is getting a makeover during October as the happiest place on earth gears up for Halloween. Character jack-o-lanterns, mini pumpkins, and more will be lining Main Street as well as the entrance of the park and the fireworks show will be hosted byJack Skellington and jam packed with spooky special effects. At  the Haunted Mansion, Jack Skellington and Halloweentown characters from Tim Burton's "Nightmare Before Christmas" take over in New Orleans Square for the "Haunted Mansion Holiday," and Space Mountain introduces Ghost Galaxy, an even more thrilling version of the classic ride. California Adventure’s the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror gets a few more cobwebs, enhanced decor and some spooky new staff. Kids are invited to come in costume and get their pictures taken with Mickey, Minnie and other characters that are all in costume.
    • Dates: Sept. 17- Nov. 1
  • Six Flags Magic Mountain Fright Fest
    • Six Flags is continuing its annual Fright Fest again with its usual attractions transformed into a Halloween playground. You will be able to enjoy all your favorite rides in the dark in addition to terrifying shows, roaming zombies, electrifying street entertainment and thrilling haunted houses.
    • Dates: Friday-Sunday, Oct. 8-31.
  • Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt
    • Knott’s annual Halloween Haunt returns this year with everything you could want from a haunted theme park. The rides will be upgraded to fit the Halloween theme and will continue to run in the dark after nightfall. There will be 13 terrifying mazes to explore, seven chilling live shows, and 1,000 monsters roaming the park looking for their next victim. The park will close at 5:30 p.m. each evening and will reopen at 7 p.m. as Knott’s Scary Farm.
    • Note: Guests are not allowed to wear their own costumes.
    • Dates: Sept. 24-Oct. 31
    • Closed Sept. 27-29, and Mondays and Tuesdays in October
  • Queen Mary Halloween Dark Harbor 2010
    • This October, the elegant Queen Mary cruise ship transforms into one of the most haunted and terrifying vessels on the West Coast. Five mazes both on the boat and onshore will attract and confuse those brave enough to enter. There will also be a massive dance party with music provided by live DJs in the 20,000 square foot Queen Mary dome with endless food and drink that will make you never want to leave.
    • Dates: Oct. 1-3, 8-10, 15-17, 21-24 and 27-31 from 7 p.m. through midnight

Here are some more events that will be happening this Halloween season.

  • Anaheim Fall Festival and Halloween Parade- The Anaheim Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 30 will feature a pancake breakfast, a children’s costume contest, a Halloween parade, and much more, making for a great event for the whole family.
  • Los Angeles Haunted Hayride- There will be much more than a horror-filled hayride through the forest here. Guests will also be able to enjoy a spooky carnival, a haunted hay maze, delicious food and drink, and much more.
  • Halloween Harvest Festival At Pierce College- This family friendly festival includes events such as a corn maze, kids activities, a haunted house, hay rides, live shows, a pick your own pumpkin patch, and much more.
  • Booo-tiful Downtown Burbank- Kids and pets will enjoy downtown Burbank on Halloween this year as the shops and stores on San Fernando Boulevard will feature trick-or-treating for kids and the annual Downtown Dog Parade on the AMC Walkway.
  • The Whitecliff Road Haunted Manor- In its 16th year in business, The Whitecliff Road Haunted Manor provides a walk-through attraction complete with chilling monsters, special effects, and a graveyard that will make your skin crawl.
  • Rotten Apple 907- Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Rotten Apple 907 presents its 2010 theme, Nightmare at the Museum. Enjoy a great evening of haunts and thrills that is sure to give you goose bumps.
  • The Empty Grave- The Empty Grave features 50,000 square feet of haunted special effects just a block from Disneyland at Garden Walk.
  • Haunted Hollywood Tours- This haunted tour visits famous death and scandal sites, homes and hotels housing celebrity spirits, as well as visits to the cemetery of stars and the Hotel Roosevelt, Hollywood’s most haunted hotel.
  • The KCRW Masquerade- The finest DJs straight from the kingdom of DJs (and 13 of 'em, too). A glam-loving crowd. The Park Plaza. THE PARK PLAZA. The one building we'd ask to marry us if blogger-building weddings were permitted (oh whoops; Castle Green, we're betrothed to you, too). Costumes you'll talk about for days or envy, quietly, in memory, for years.

For even more Halloween happenings, take a look at these websites, which contain many more frightful events:

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