Choose your poison, so to speak, for Halloween. Scary or mildly spooky? Family-friendly or minimum age 13? Ready for Oct. 31 or boo, you need the weekend? Candy for nothing or you’ll pay a fee?
Here is a sampling of Halloween events today, Oct. 31, and also some that run through Nov. 2.
Halloween at Los Angeles City Department of Recreation and Parks – Spooky, Fright Night, Fun, Thriller Events: Some events are geared more for children, but most say all ages. And some of the Nov. 1 events may have a Día de los Muertos theme. Check the individual recreation centers for details and flyers (some events have fees for food/drinks and haunted houses. List of LA Department of Recreation and Parks Halloween 2025: tinyurl.com/mtm7jezw.
Oct. 31: Delano Recreation Center, 3-7 p.m., Van Nuys. Hubert H. Humphrey Recreation Center, Pacoima. North Weddington Recreation Center, 3-7 p.m. – a Dia de los Muertos festival, North Hollywood. Northridge Recreation Center, 3-7 p.m., Northridge. Stonehurst Recreation Center, 3-7 p.m., Sun Valley. Tarzana Recreation Center, 3-7 p.m., Tarzana. Victory Vineland Recreation Center, 3-7 p.m., North Hollywood. Branford Recreation Center, 4-8 p.m., Arleta. North Hollywood Recreation Center, 4-8 p.m., North Hollywood. Panorama Recreation Center, 4-8 p.m., Panorama City. Sepulveda Recreation Center, 4-8 p.m., Panorama City. Sunland Recreation Center, 4-8 p.m., Sunland. Sylmar Recreation Center, 4:30-8:30 p.m., Sylmar. North Hills Community Park, 5-8 p.m., North Hills.
Nov. 1: Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. – a Día de los Muertos theme event, Pacoima. Cardenas Recreation Center, Panorama City. Encino Community Center/Balboa Sports Complex, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Encino. Winnetka Recreation Center, 4-8 p.m. – haunted house. Van Nuys Recreation Center, 1-5 p.m. Lanark Recreation Center, 6-10 p.m. – A Day of the Dead theme event with a costume parade, $1 admission, bring cash for refreshments.
Trick or Treat Village – County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation: Crescenta Valley Park, 3-6 p.m. Oct. 31. Location, 3901 Dunsmore Ave., La Crescenta. 818-249-5940. Website with details: parks.lacounty.gov/halloween
Haunted House – The Last of Us: A new, immersive Halloween maze, from the student who created the 2023 haunted house “The Purge Reawakening,” 6-10:30 p.m. Oct. 31 (no scares, family-friendly walk-through). Free admission. Location, 4335 Cherry Hills Lane, Tarzana. Details: arnoldhalloweenexperience.com
Trick-or-Treat at the Pioneer Cemetery: The San Fernando Valley Historical Society holds the event, 6:30-8 p.m. Oct. 31. Location, 14451 Bledsoe St., Sylmar. Details: www.facebook.com/SFVHS/
Nights of the Jack 2025: Family-friendly Halloween event with illuminated jack-o-lanterns set in theme installations on a nearly one-mile walking trail, plus live pumpkin carving demonstrations, face painting, a psychic, a souvenir shop, food trucks and, for ages 21 and older, a “Spookeasy” bar, dates through Nov. 1. Admission is by timed ticket entry, from 6-9 p.m. No tickets sold at the door. No refunds. Gates open, 5:30 p.m. Parking pass $15.98 (required in order to park on the grounds). Admission $39.64 and up (price varies by day of the week; plus fees); free for ages 2 and younger; there is also a VIP “any time” price. King Gillette Ranch, 26800 Mulholland Highway, Calabasas. nightsofthejack.com/faq
Los Angeles Haunted Hayride – Midnight Falls: Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group presents the 17th season of Midnight Falls, a mysterious village where it is always Halloween, through Nov. 2. This year Elvira, Mistress of Darkness (Cassandra Peterson), has a partnership with the event (“Elvira’s Trick or Treat Mayhem”). Scare zones: Haunted Hayride, Hellbilly Halloween, and Monáe Manor (a maze collaboration with Janelle Monáe). Also, the “Monte Revolta Show,” a “theatrical macabre experience,” “Madame Aurora’s Seance Theatre,” “Elvira’s Scary-Go-Round” carnival ride and “Midnight Falls Axe Throwing” ($5 extra to learn how to throw an axe and five tries to hit the bullseye). Minimum recommended age: 13. Hours and ticket prices vary by date. Ticket purchase is online only ($38.99 and up; depending on date). Parking suggestions on the website (losangeleshauntedhayride.com/location). Location, 4730 Crystal Springs Drive (Griffith Park), Los Angeles. www.losangeleshauntedhayride.com
Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights: The 2025 event includes the haunted houses: “Fallout,” “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” “The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks,” Jason Universe,” “Monstruos 3: The Ghosts of Latin America,” “Poltergeist,” “Scarecrow: Music by Slash,” “Terrifier,” and the “Terror Tram – Enter the Blumhouse.” In addition, four “sinister” scare zones: “Carnival of Carnage,” “Chainsaw Clownz,” “Murder of Crowz,” and “Noche de Brujas.” Plus live entertainment shows and selected rides will be open. Hours: 7 p.m. (end time varies) on selected dates through Nov. 2. Minimum age recommended: 13. No costume masks; check the website for costume policy. Halloween Horror Nights is a separately ticketed event. No rain checks, returns or refunds. General admission starts at $77. Check the website for special deals and passes. Universal Studios Hollywood, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City. https://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/hhn/en/us
Reign of Terror Haunted House: Walk-through 12 connected but different haunts, 7-11 p.m. Oct. 31. Also, Nov. 1; and Nov. 2 (on this date all shows are “lights out,” with a glow-stick). Minimum age: 13. No costumes or masks allowed for patrons. Tickets are by time and priced for regular or peak nights: $42.99 regular nights (or $67.99 skip-the-line regular nights); $47.99 on peak nights (or $72.99 skip-the-line on peak nights). Purchase online or cash-only at the ticket window. No refunds or exchanges. For other rules and details: rothauntedhouse.com/faq. Location, 285 N. Moorpark Road (in Janss Marketplace; across from the parking structure), Thousand Oaks. General details and to purchase tickets online: rothauntedhouse.com