Ghost Train opens: What's a bit spooky, so quaint, and widely loved by families, couples, and just about every Halloween maven 'round SoCal? It's this sweet Griffith Park treat, which debuts for the season on Saturday, Oct. 13. Something even sweeter for 2018? Ghost Train, which is helmed by the LA Live Steamers Railroad Museum, has a natty new neighbor in Boney Island, the longtime Sherman Oaks yard haunt that needed more elbow room (that's opening on Oct. 11). Tickets for each? They're separate, so visit the sites for the Ghost Train and Boney Island now.
Pumpkins All Around: Love jack o'lanterns, cool gourds, and trains that take you to patches? So much stem-topped terrific-ness is flourishing around the region as October enters its middle part. Nights of the Jack heads into its first weekend in Calabasas, while the glowful Pumpkin Nights debuts at the Fairplex in Pomona. And up in Fillmore? The PumpkinLiner begins its annual choo-choo-chugga-chugga run, whisking families to a squashy spread of pumpkin goodness.
LA Decompression 2018: Haven't gotten over Burning Man just yet? Or didn't get the chance to attend? Make for LA State Historic Park on Saturday, Oct. 13 for the "decompression" gathering, which is full of art and music and a lot of the elements seen around Black Rock Desert at Labor Day. A ticket is twenty five bucks. And while there's no camp-over scene, the hours are pretty long: One in the afternoon right through to an hour before midnight. Find your esoteric and art-tastic expression, in DTLA, at the annual wind-down.
Strange 80s II: Have you never quite gotten over the decade that came before the decade that came before the last one? It was a pretty magical time, music-wise, and in all the -wise ways. Make for The Fonda in Hollywood on Friday, Oct. 12 to dance to live tunes from a host of favorites from the era, including members of "The Offspring, No Doubt, Fall Out Boy, Sum 41, Slipknot, and so many other major acts. Don't forget your neon, your acid-washed jeans, or whatever else you want to rock. Tickets start at $43.
Games, Art, More Art, and Space: Enjoy playing the games of tomorrow as independent makers gather in Santa Monica at IndieCade, through Oct. 13. Two free art-focused walk-arounds are coming up: ArtNight in Pasadena on Oct. 12 and the Brewery ArtWalk on Oct. 13 and 14. And at the Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena? Be there, lovers of all things cosmic, for the science-minded destination's annual open house. The date: Oct. 14 from 2 to 5 o'clock.
