Halloween in Los Angeles can mean a huge street celebration, a ticketed horror production or a smaller indoor experience. The right choice depends on how you want to spend the night, not simply which event appears first in a search. Start with one main destination and plan the journey around it.

Halloween 2026: Quick Picks

Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31 in 2026. West Hollywood’s free Halloween Carnaval is scheduled for 6-11 p.m. that evening. Universal Studios Hollywood runs Halloween Horror Nights on selected nights from September 3 to November 1. For a different kind of visit, the Medieval Torture Museum is a permanent attraction on Hollywood Boulevard.

Choose by format:

  • Costumes and a large outdoor crowd: West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval.
  • Staged horror and haunted houses: Universal Studios Hollywood’s separately ticketed event.
  • An indoor exhibition about punishment and confinement: Medieval Torture Museum Los Angeles.
  • A quieter night: a film, dinner or a small gathering chosen around your group’s interests.

These are different experiences in different areas. Trying to combine all of them into one evening is likely to make transport the main event.

West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval: October 31

The City of West Hollywood’s event listing confirms Halloween Carnaval for October 31, 2026, from 6-11 p.m. It takes place on Santa Monica Boulevard between North Doheny Drive and North La Cienega Boulevard. General attendance is free.

This is the choice for elaborate costumes and the atmosphere of a major street gathering. The city discourages bringing children and pets because of dense crowds. Nearby businesses may run their own events with different charges and entry requirements.

Check the city’s current road-closure and transport information before leaving. Arrange a meeting point outside the busiest area, and do not assume a vehicle can pick you up at the event boundary. A free street event still requires a practical plan for getting home.

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood

Halloween Horror Nights runs on selected nights September 3-November 1, 2026. This is a separately ticketed event; an ordinary daytime park admission does not automatically cover it.

Choose the actual date first, then compare the admission products and terms. An upgrade, early-entry option or multi-night pass is useful only if it suits your intended visit. Prices and availability vary, so use the current booking calendar instead of a rate copied from a previous year.

Read the 2026 costume policy before preparing an outfit. Costumes are permitted subject to detailed restrictions, including rules for face coverings, makeup, props and oversized items. An outfit accepted at a street party may not be accepted at a theme park.

Make this your main evening plan. Allow for arrival, entry and the journey back, rather than adding a second distant event immediately afterward.

Dark History on Hollywood Boulevard

Medieval Torture Museum Los Angeles is at 6757 Hollywood Boulevard. Its permanent exhibition focuses on punishment and confinement, with reconstructed devices and an intentionally disturbing subject. It offers a different pace from a street party or a staged haunted-house production.

Check the museum’s content and age guidance before choosing it for the group. A ghost-hunting feature is entertainment, not proof that apparitions or supernatural events have occurred. Nor should a reconstruction be assumed to be an original object used in every period named by popular folklore.

Review current tickets and visitor information for the date you want. This guide does not promise a special Halloween show, a discount or extended hours beyond the posted schedule.

For a different historical angle before your visit, read our guide to haunted places in Los Angeles. That is an evergreen history-and-folklore article; the event dates in this seasonal guide serve a separate planning purpose.

Build One Realistic Halloween Plan

A Hollywood afternoon and evening

Choose the museum or another Hollywood attraction, leave time for food, and decide whether a film or a local evening booking will complete the plan. Keep enough flexibility to enjoy the first stop without watching the clock throughout it.

A West Hollywood costume night

Treat Carnaval as the focus. Eat before entering the busiest area, check the route and restrictions, and agree where the group will meet if separated. If a restaurant or club is part of the evening, verify its own booking and identification requirements.

A theme-park horror night

Build the day around the ticketed departure or entry arrangements. Check the event calendar, restrictions and return journey. Leave other sightseeing for another day if it would create pressure to arrive late.

A Halloween date without a big crowd

Choose a film, an indoor visit or dinner that both people want. A good Halloween date does not require the strongest scare level available. For more low-pressure possibilities, our spooky weekend planning article offers ideas to adapt.

Costumes, Families and Booking Details

Check the rules of the strictest venue in your plan. Separate street-event advice from attraction-specific policies, and verify the actual booking rather than a promotional photograph. If children are attending, compare intensity, content warnings and physical requirements as well as the minimum age.

Halloween and Día de los Muertos are distinct observances. If you add a Day of the Dead event to your October plans, use its organizer’s current program and approach its remembrance traditions respectfully rather than treating it as another haunted-house theme.

FAQ

When is the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval in 2026?

The city lists Saturday, October 31, from 6-11 p.m. Check current event notices before travel.

Is Halloween Horror Nights included with daytime Universal admission?

It is a separately ticketed event. Consult the terms of the specific product you buy.

Can you wear a costume to Horror Nights?

The 2026 policy permits costumes subject to restrictions. Read the current rules for face coverings, makeup, props and size before arriving.

Is Carnaval a good choice for small children?

The City of West Hollywood discourages children and pets because of dense crowds. Choose a clearly family-oriented event if that better fits your group.