Two of our biggest holidays are also specifically night holidays, in many a mind, and celebrating them in any real and robust way ahead of sundown is a mite unusual.
But things are a-changin' for both New Year's Eve and Halloween. Look to the "Noon Year's Eve" parties that've been cropping up in recent years, those top-of-the-day bashes for both kids and those who get too sleepy to ring midnight in.
And look to Halloween, which has a bunch of sunnier incarnations, especially in 2015, since the spooky holiday falls on a Saturday. You will not have the pleasure of seeing a jack o'lantern flicker down a dark driveway, and spying the moon through some bare branches just won't happen. But you can still get your less-than-eeky adventures on around Southern California, long before sundown on Oct. 31, is you make for...
Old Pasadena: Halloween Day doings that aren't too dastardly? They'll be plentiful around the historic quarter, from pumpkin decorating in the morning to a doggie treat give-out. Trick-or-treating starts before dusk, at 5 o'clock, if you want to push your party into the veryyyy start of the (still sunlit) evening.
The OC Zoo: A bunch of the animals, all animals that hail from the Southwest, shall receive squashy, pumpkin-yummy treats on Saturday, Oct. 31. You can watch a prairie dog dig into his jack o'lantern, or you can make for the scavenger hunt, craft tables, or trick-or-treating. Everything wraps at the still-sunny hour of 4 o'clock.
Boo at the LA Zoo: The month-long Griffith Park-based bash is preparing to wrap up, but not without one final Saturday of getting up close with "scaly, slithery, creepy crawly creatures," a graveyard safari, and a trek into some atmospheric caves.
Haute Dog Howl'oween Parade: It's been barking it up for a decade and a half 'round Long Beach, and now over 500 costumed pups turn up for the afternoon shaggy strut. Several families go for a full-on themed costume, but if you just want to spectate, that's a-ok, too. Woof. Oct. 31 at 2:30 p.m. is the date/time.
The Scene
Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.
Underwood Family Farm: The Moorpark destination is famous for its tractor-pulled hay rides, its sweet farm animals, its fun food booths and its games. On Oct. 31 it's celebrating Halloween day with a full-on All About Pumpkins theme. Fresh air, goats, pumpkin bowling, and the orange icon rule the school at the agricultural fun place.
