What to Know
- Sept. 23 through Oct. 31 (select nights)
- Pre-sale tickets are available on Aug. 25; general tickets on sale Sept. 1
- Hayrides, attractions, mazes, and photo opportunities are haunting hallmarks at the outdoor event
Autumn is atmospherically awash in instantly recognizable icons, from pumpkins to apples to all of those colorful leaves.
But there's another staple of the season, one we may not encounter quite as often but definitely know to be something a bit sweet and/or spooky when deployed in the right way on the right night: a needle of hay.
For when bunches of hay are all bunched together and placed on something that can move and transport people — say, like a flat wagon pulled by a tractor — then you are officially enjoying a hayride, one of the nostalgic touchstones of fall.
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Hayrides are often depicted in vintage films, but less so in our modern lives, unless we call upon Griffith Park on select September and October evenings.
For that's where the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride will return to hold colorful court, giving fright fans a nostalgia-centered spin on a real hay-laden tractor-pulled wagon.
And the wagons will again roll just off Crystal Springs Drive, through the Old Zoo area, beginning on Sept. 23, 2022.
Along with this centerpiece offering, which will move just a littttttle too slowly by several low-lit displays, scary scenes that may or may not be populated by various monsters and fright figures, there are other eerie sights.
Attractions, wandering characters, and plenty of photo opportunities, including the event's famous tower of jack o'lanterns near the entrance, add fear-tastic flavor to the dastardly diversion, which mainly takes place outdoors, with a few interior adventures.
Midnight Falls, the fictional town where all of this haunted hayriding occurs, will be back to deliver chills, along with a couple of classic mazes such as "Trick or Treat," a mischievous, light-hearted spin on the tradition. (Guests really do receive treats and, on occasion, a not-too-dastardly "trick" that often prompts more laughs than shrieks.)
"Haunted Hayride is a Halloween staple in Los Angeles, and one of the nation's most recognized Halloween attractions, we're thrilled to be bringing it back to Griffith Park," stated Christopher Stafford, CEO and Founding Partner of Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group.
"We're excited to bring fans back into Midnight Falls with an experience that just keeps getting better every year!"
Pre-sale tickets became available on Aug. 25, while general tickets may be purchased beginning Sept. 1.
