Most Southern California theme parks have launched their Halloween events for 2023, and the stragglers are about to start. This has become the busiest time of the year at some parks and certain events sell out within hours. Here’s what all of the various local parks are doing.
Disneyland Resort
Disneyland and Disney California Adventure have been decorated for Halloween since before Labor Day. Decorations and ride overlays will be up through Halloween. The Oogie Boogie Bash, a separate-admission event that takes place on 25 evenings between early September and Halloween, sold out its allotment of tickets for the general public in 12 hours on July 11. If you missed out on buying tickets this year, don’t try to purchase them on secondary-market sites such as eBay because tickets are non-transferable. Daily admission tickets for the Halloween season range from $104 to $179 for single-park tickets and $169-$244 for park-hopper tickets. 714-781-4636; disneyland.disney.go.com
Knott’s Berry Farm
The 50th anniversary version of Knott’s Scary Farm kicked off on Thursday, Sept. 21. This year’s lineup features 10 haunted mazes, five scare zones and four live shows on select nights through Oct. 31. The live shows include the return of the controversial pop-culture parody “The Hanging.” New mazes will include Cinema Slasher, which pays tribute to four former mazes from Scary Farm’s first half-century, Chilling Chambers — based on the first maze created for Knott’s in the 1970s — and Room 13, which takes intrepid visitors inside the Blind Tiger speakeasy. Knott’s Scary Farm tickets range from $59.99 for admission only, $74.99 for admission bundled with a meal, $145 for Fright & Fast Lane (priority access to mazes and rides) and $199 for a Nightly All Inclusive pass, which includes a meal and priority access. 714-220-5200; knotts.com
Legoland California
The Carlsbad theme park, which caters to families with younger children, brings back its Brick-or-Treat event on select weekend evenings through Oct. 29. Brick-or-Treat features a Monster Party with Lego characters, not-so-scary shows and trick-or-treating with lots of candy handed out. The event is included with park admission, which ranges from $104 to $119 on Brick-or-Treat dates. legoland.com/california
SeaWorld San Diego
The park is a late arrival to the Halloween haunt game, having launched its Howl-O-Scream event in 2021. Howl-O-Scream features haunted houses, scare zones and shows starting Sept. 29 and running on select nights through Oct. 31. It’s a separate-admission event with tickets ranging from $44.99 to $49.99 for Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and $39.99-$41.99 for Sunday nights and the one Tuesday (Halloween itself). An upgrade for front-of-the-line access can be added for $49 to $99, depending on the date. 619-222-4732; seaworld.com/san-diego
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Magic Mountain’s annual Fright Fest will feature two new mazes inspired by the horror movie franchises “The Conjuring” and “Saw,” taking a page from Universal Studios’ playbook. Returning haunted houses include Willoughby’s Resurrected, Truth or Dare, Vault 666, Sewer of Souls and Aftermath. The haunted event, which runs on select evenings through Oct. 31, is an add-on to regular park admission. Fright Fest tickets are $25 or $45 for a line-skipping upgrade while regular attendance runs $65-$75 depending on date. Bundled tickets including admission and Fright Fest range from $90 to $110, while a bundle with line-skipping access is $115-$150. 661-255-4100; sixflags.com/magicmountain
Universal Studios Hollywood
The park’s Halloween Horror Nights is considered by many to be the most intense haunted event at Southern California parks, with mazes and scare zones drawing from the intellectual property of horror franchises such as “Stranger Things,” “The Exorcist,” “Child’s Play,” “Evil Dead” and classic Universal monster movies. Admission for Halloween Horror Nights only starts at $74, day/night combo tickets start at $149, Universal Express starts at $209 and Universal Express Unlimited starts at $249. 800-258-6546; universalstudioshollywood.com
