If you feel like you’re too old for trick-or-treating, too young to stay in and pass out candy, get out of that mindset and remember that you live in Southern California and there is so much Halloween fun to be had. Here are five event suggestions for Halloween night.
1. Halloween on Halloween… in a cemetery
What could be more fun than watching Halloween on Halloween… in a cemetery… with a costume contest!? Lola’s Outdoor Retro Cinema is screening the classic John Carpenter film at Sunnyside Cemetery in Long Beach. According to the event ticket page, guests are encouraged to come in their “spooky best.” The venue will be “hosting a Costume Contest before the screening with some fun prizes – with [the] Sunnyside Cemetery audience as judges!” Plus, all guests in costume will get hooked up with a free ticket to enjoy a film at The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana.
Don’t forget to bring picnic blankets or low-back chairs (If you bring taller chairs, you will be asked to sit to the sides of audience).
Doors: 6:30pm / Costume contest: 8:15pm / Film: 8:30pm
1095 East Willow Street, Long Beach, CA 90806
Tickets: $12 or $15 at the gate (cash only)
Bonus: Use coupon code HAPPY-HALLOWEEN for $3 off your ticket if you purchase before Oct. 23 at 8pm.
2. Rocky Horror Picture Show… also in a cemetery
If you’ve never visited the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for a movie night, this is your last chance for this year’s season! Costume is required for entry, so dress up as your favorite Rocky character and dive into spooky “Hollyweird” madness. Space fills up quickly, so make sure to get there early, get yourself a good seat on a deceased famous person’s grave, and enjoy a pre-movie picnic with your friends.
Doors: 5:15pm / Film: 7:00pm
6000 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Tickets: $25 + $10-$15 for parking
Torrance-based Joyce Manor always play great holiday shows and have hinted at covering some spooky seasonal songs like the Misfits’ “Halloween”… I can only imagine how fun that would be. Not to mention, the Los Angeles native Girlpool is on the lineup too… Enough said.
Doors: 8:00pm / Show: 9:00pm
6126 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Tickets: $17.50
4. Ceremony at Chain
What better way to spend your Halloween than getting down to hardcore punk band Ceremony in the beautiful grime of Anaheim’s beloved Chain Reaction? Let loose to the anger in Ceremony’s older-style hardcore and groove to their newer echoey shoegaze. Get in the spirit and throw on your Halloween costume, but only if it won’t contribute to your fainting from heat exhaustion in the tiny body-heat-filled venue.
Doors: 7:00pm / Show: 8:00pm
1652 W. Lincoln Avenue, Anaheim, CA
Tickets: $12
5. Knott’s Scary Farm
This one is arguably either a classic or a cliché, depending on your viewpoint, age, and how many times you’ve been to the theme park in the mystic nights of October. Whatever that may be, keep your mind open to the new mazes and don’t forget to visit Elvira’s Asylum for some dark comedy and talented singing by the 62-year-old Mistress of the Dark.
Scary Farm opens at 7:00pm
8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90620
Tickets: $40-$70, $20 parking
If all else fails, you’re really never too old to go trick-or-treating. No shame.