Across California, festivals and fairs have fallen victim to the coronavirus, but this doesn’t mean we can’t still have some fall fun, for scary adult fun as well as family friendly good times. Many venders have chosen to opt for drive thru Halloween experiences. In the counties where the cases of COVID have dropped to low levels, such as San Bernardino and Orange County, events are able to take place outside of people’s cars, for in-person fun, with certain capacity restrictions and masks required.
Freeform’s Halloween Road
Heritage Square Museum, Montecito Heights
Oct 2 2020-Oct 4 2020
Roll up to those familiar holiday doors and into Halloween Town in this new car-based event inspired by Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas as well as some other cult favorites. Freeform’s Insta-friendly Halloween House won’t let social distancing stop it altogether, so for this third annual iteration it’s returning in a safer drive-through format. From October 2 through 4, you’ll be able to drive through still-to-be-detailed tricks and treats plus games and performances inspired by nostalgic picks like Hocus Pocus and Ghostbusters. Halloween Road promises more sets inspired by the channel’s October-long marathon of family-friendly Halloween movies (that series includes everything from Casper to Willy Wonka to The Goonies). It all goes down at Heritage Square Museum, Northeast L.A.’s final resting place for some very-Halloween-appropriate Victorian homes. Tickets are totally free; look for reservations to open (and probably immediately fill) on Saturday, September 12 at 10am.
Address:
3800 Homer St, Los Angeles
Price:Free
Nights of the Jack
King Gillette Ranch, Santa Monica Mountains
Oct 1 2020-Nov 1 2020
Cruise across the grounds of the scenic King Gillette Ranch as the Santa Monica Mountains hideaway is illuminated with thousands of hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns. Nights of the Jack returns this year with a drive-through edition, with timed tickets required each night. Expect to spend about 25 minutes on the mile-long trail, and just a heads up that there will be no food or beverages for sale, nor will bathrooms be available.
Address:
26800 W Mulholland Hwy, Calabasas 91302
Price: $69 per vehicle
Stranger Things: The Drive-Into Experience
Location T.B.A.,
Oct 1 2020-Oct 31 2020
This Stranger Things-themed experience will bring the Netflix series to life with an hourlong adventure that transports visitors to Hawkins and the Starcourt Mall circa 1985. And as the name implies, you’ll be able to take it all in from the safety of your own car. Hatched by the UK’s wildly creative Secret Cinema, the experience will take groups of 24 cars at a time through “a world of bitchin’ tunes, mullets and monster hunts,” including sets complete with actors in costume and special effects. You’ll drive through the Starcourt Mall, Russian labs and the Upside Down and stop for extended periods of time at each to see different scenes play out.
Event website: https://strangerthingsdriveinto.com/
Venue name: Location T.B.A.Address: Downtown Los Angeles
Price: $59 per car
Urban Legends of Southern California
OC Fair & Event Center, Costa Mesa
Oct 1 2020-Nov 1 2020
Halloween is basically canceled and seemingly every other event in SoCal has made the jump to the drive-in. So it was only a matter of time: A drive-through haunted house is coming to Costa Mesa this fall. Urban Legends of Southern California will roll into the OC Fair & Event Center most evenings in October. The experience will translate bits of spooky folklore into a series of special effects and creature-filled sets, plus three interactive show zones that you can park inside of. (Fingers crossed there are sets about earthquake weather and the death of the streetcar—oh, not those kinds of urban legends? Whoops.) The event comes from the producers of Winter Fest OC and the creators of the Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor; you can hear them talk a bit more about the experience here. As you might expect, you’ll need to remain in your vehicle the entire time and keep to a 3mph speed limit. You can open your windows if you want, but you’ll need to wear a mask—and don’t worry, the monsters will be practicing social distancing, too. Urban Legends of Southern California runs Wednesday through Sunday nights from October 1 through November 1. Tickets cost $50 per vehicle on Wednesdays, $60 on Thursdays and Sundays, and $70 on Fridays and Saturdays—but prices will increase on August 23.
Address:88 Fair Dr, Los Angeles
Price: $50–$70, VIP $70–$90, large groups $90–$110
Halloween at Descanso Gardens
Oct 1 2020-Oct 31 2020
Neither experienced from your car nor bent on scaring the gourd out of you, Descanso Gardens’ new monthlong event is bringing some fresh air and family-friendly fun to Halloween. Throughout October, you can take a socially-distanced stroll through the La Cañada Flintridge gardens and its seasonal displays: a hay maze, a pumpkin arch, wooden jack-o’-lantern boxes, a scarecrow trail through a forest and a house made entirely out of pumpkins. And the Oak Grove—which hosted the tranquil sound experiment “The Sky Beneath Our Feet” over the summer—will see another meditative installation with a mandala of orange, white and green pumpkins bursting from the trunks of trees.
Halloween is included in regular admission ($15, kids $5), and reservations (and masks, of course) are required. Timed tickets go on sale starting Monday, September 28 at 10am. You’ll be able to visit Descanso daily from 9am to 5pm, with extended 5 to 8pm hours the final week of October (Halloween night is reserved for Family Plus members).
Address: 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge 91011
Price: Included in admission ($15)
Event website:https://www.descansogardens.org/programs-events/halloween/
Knott’s Taste of Fall-O-Ween
Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park
Sep 25 2020-Nov 1 2020
The park is technically still closed, but Knott’s Berry Farm is still finding a way to make the season spooky. Normally California’s oldest theme park goes all-out for Halloween with haunts and trails during Knott’s Scary Farm, but this year, it’s instead throwing a brand new food festival on just a portion of the grounds. The new Taste of Fall-O-Ween is set to include food stations packed with all the pumpkin-spiced treats, apple cider, funnel cakes, soup bread bowls and other fall fare you could want, plus more eerie options such as frozen “bloody” lemon slime margaritas. And while there will be adult concoctions to purchase, it’s a family-friendly event—so much so that there’s even a children’s trick-or-treating trail. There’s no admission needed for the fest, but you will need to purchase a tasting card, with five tastes for $35, or $20 for a kids card with three tastes. Find the full story on Taste of Fall-O-Ween here.
Address: 8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park
Price: $20-$35, with additional food and drink for purchase
Event website: https://www.knotts.com/play/events/taste-of-fall-o-ween
Pumpkins in the Pines at Skypark: Santa’s Village
Lake Arrowhead, CA
October 10, 2020 through November 1, 2020
There are a wide range of attractions during Pumpkins in the Pines at Santa’s Village. Visit their Pumpkin Patch where Santa has hand picked each pumpkin for you. There will be a variety of sizes to choose from. Extra sanitation Protocols and capacity will be monitored within the Pumpkin Patch. Open Saturdays and Sundays 10a-5p.
The Wacko Show is for parents and children of all ages. Laughs will mingle with expressions of awe and excitement. Watch as Wacko makes a table float, objects will melt though each other, and magical moments will be created in a few volunteers hands. Including his special guest Mony, his mischievous but lovable monkey puppet. Shhhh, don’t tell Mony he’s a puppet. Wacko is the Winner of LA’s Best family entertainer, current performer at Downtown Disney, and regular paid performer at the Magic Castle. Guests will be expected to keep face coverings on at all times in our outdoor theatre and be required to adhere to strict social distancing rules. Limited capacity, please plan your day accordingly to see the shows.
Pumpkin Painting: Visit Santa’s Workshop for some good old fashioned pumpkin painting. Chose a size and create you very own masterpiece! Santa may even stop by! Guests will be expected to wear face coverings while participating and use social distance practices at all times. Saturdays and Sundays 10a-5p.
Fantom Forest: Have you ever wondered what happens in the forest after dark? Join us this Fall for a spooky walk in the woods where you never know what will be around the next turn. It is said an elf named Toby roams the woods. Saturday Nights 5p-7p. *The first hour of this attraction is meant for smaller children. The second hour may be a bit more scary.
Location: Skypark at Santa’s Village. 28950 CA-18, Skyforest, CA 92385
Admission: $45-adults $35- Children https://skyparksantasvillage.com/attractions-pumpkins-in-the-pines/
Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest Celebrates 50 Years
Big Bear Convention Center Outdoor Grounds, CA
50 years ago, the Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest started as a small, intimate backyard celebration for just a small group of friends and family. 2020 will be no different! This year they go back to their roots to enjoy a more intimate celebration filled with laughter, cheers and lots of Oktoberfest love!
Reservations: With limited capacity, advanced seating reservations are required. Entry will be with advanced reservations only!
Where Does Oktoberfest Take Place?: The good news is when we’re not hosting Oktoberfest, the Oktoberfest grounds transform into Wyatt’s Grill and Saloon throughout the rest of the year, which means we’re already prepared to present a safe and healthy environment by following necessary CDC guidelines.
Oktoberfest will take place outdoors under the majestic mountain pines! Seating and tables will be set-up restaurant-style in our expansive outdoor area, all socially distanced from one another. Guests can also expect more table service for food and beverage.
Remember. . .the Fall is absolutely gorgeous in the mountains; however, evening temperatures can get a bit chilly. Be sure to bring a light jacket!
Entertainment: Expect the same great zany Oktoberfest fun! We’ve put together a high energy Oktoberfest celebration. We’ve got you covered musically! We’ve combined some of the best of the great bands we’ve had on our outside stage over the years with DJ’s spinning everything from traditional Oktoberfest tunes to today’s favorites. Due to the current circumstances, unfortunately none of our bands can travel from Germany to the U.S. but two of our very favorite German bands – Mat’s Infinity and Aalbachtal Express will definitely be here in spirit with special appearances on the big screen!
Over the summer months their team has been working diligently to put together a plan to safely host everyone’s favorite Oktoberfest contests. They will have Log Sawing, Stein Holding and the Safe Slam contests all socially distanced and safe for everyone. Of course, there will be plenty of Chicken Dances and many a Prosits! For their 50th Anniversary, it will be an Oktoberfest celebration that captures the heart and excitement of what has always been the Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest!
The Bier and Fare: Because this year’s Oktoberfest will be taking place at Wyatt’s Grill & Saloon, they will be able to offer even more German food favorites including Sauerbraten, a limited Wyatt’s menu and, as always great German beers by Warsteiner and a full bar!
And, finally, rest assured that Oktoberfest will be following the current guidelines diligently. All seating, contests, and entertainment will be socially distanced. They encourage guests to wear a mask and visit one of the many hand sanitizing stations often!
Location: 42900 Big Bear Blvd., Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
NW Corner of Big Bear Blvd. & Division
Thursday, September 24 – 4 p.m. – 9 p.m. $25 per person
Friday, September 25 – 4 p.m. – 10 p.m. $45 per person
Saturday, September 26 – 2 p.m. – 10 p.m. $85 per person (Includes special commemorative T-shirt)
Sunday, September 27 – 12 noon – 7 p.m. $45 per person
WATCH BELOW FOR BIG BEAR OKTOBERFEST 2018
