Haunted houses and Halloween nights in Los Angeles, and where to eat after

Halloween 2026 is a Saturday. The clocks go back one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, so Halloween night gets an extra hour at the end. The hard part in Los Angeles is distance, not choice. Halloween Horror Nights is in Universal City. Fright Fest is at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, at the north end of the county. Knott’s Scary Farm and The 17th Door are in Buena Park in Orange County. Dark Harbor is on the Long Beach waterfront, and the Haunted Hayride is in Griffith Park. Pick one area per night. This is the scary half of a night out. The eating half is at the end.

I write the haunt guides on Mr. Fear, a Halloween site, and I am a guest here. Top of Los Angeles asked for the haunted houses. They supplied the tables.

The night, in order

Pick the haunt before the costume, because the rules differ. Knott’s prohibits costumes and face coverings that conceal identity, Dark Harbor’s ticket help page rules out costumes, masks and face paint, and the Haunted Hayride allows no costumes or props inside its attractions. Universal allows costumes that follow its costume policy. Then buy ahead: Knott’s Scary Farm and Dark Harbor sell tickets online only, every guest at Knott’s needs a paid ticket regardless of age, and Dark Harbor and Haunted Hayride sales are final, rain or shine. Eat after, not before, and bring a layer, because evenings in Griffith Park, Long Beach and Valencia run cooler than downtown. California Penal Code 185 is not a general ban on costume masks, so the venue rules are the ones that apply to you.

The haunted houses

• Halloween Horror Nights, Universal City: eight haunted houses, including Stranger Things 5 and Hellraiser, three of which Universal says are exclusive to Hollywood, plus six scare zones and the Terror Tram. September 3 to November 1, select nights, from 7 p.m.
• Knott’s Scary Farm, Buena Park: ten mazes, including the new Inked and Unearthed, plus scare zones and shows. September 17 to October 31, select nights.
• Fright Fest, Valencia: seven mazes at Six Flags Magic Mountain, including the new Final Destination: Death’s Playground, plus rides after dark. September 18 to November 1, select nights. The mazes need a separate Haunted Attractions Pass.
• The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor, Long Beach: six mazes beside the historic ocean liner, including the new Shipwreck. September 18 to November 1, select nights. Published hours differ between sources, so check the entry time on your ticket.
• Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, Griffith Park: the hayride plus Fallen Angel, a new haunted theater. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. on operating nights. The operator’s pages show two different 2026 date ranges, so confirm yours on the official calendar.
• The 17th Door, Buena Park: a contact haunt where actors may grab you and you may get very wet. The organizer recommends it for 16 and older, and a parent must sign the waiver on site for anyone under 18.
• Esotouric: Evergreen Cemetery, 1877, Boyle Heights: a crime and history walking tour on Halloween Day, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

With kids

I found no official trick-or-treat hours for Los Angeles or Orange County, so the organized days are the plan. Boo at the L.A. Zoo runs October 24 and 25 and October 31 and November 1, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free with zoo admission. Knott’s Spooky Farm is the park’s daytime event with no scares, Thursdays to Sundays from September 24 to October 31, plus Monday, October 12. Tricks and Treats at Six Flags Magic Mountain has a Looney Tunes trick-or-treat trail on select days. Carved at Descanso Gardens is a timed-entry jack-o’-lantern walk from October 2 to November 1, with trick-or-treating on October 31. Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark runs its corn maze and pumpkin patch daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. West Hollywood’s free Halloween Carnaval on October 31 has no age limit, but the organizers strongly discourage bringing children.

Día de los Muertos

Hollywood Forever Cemetery holds its 27th annual celebration on Saturday, October 24. Gloria Molina Grand Park downtown displays 19 artist altars from October 24 to November 2, free and open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., with an Opening Celebration on Sunday, October 25. Self Help Graphics & Art in Boyle Heights holds its 53rd annual celebration outdoors on Anderson Street on Saturday, November 7, from 3 to 10 p.m.

What is not open this year

Boney Island has ended. The organizer says it will not return because of permitting and production challenges, even though its site still shows planned October 2026 dates in Valencia. Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort is not on my list because its official page still showed the 2024 season when I checked. Sinister Pointe in Brea had not posted 2026 Halloween dates, and I could not confirm a 2026 season for Reign of Terror in Thousand Oaks.

The full list

Dates, ticket rules, ages and directions for every one of these, plus the pumpkin patches, the Carnaval rules and the Screamfest horror film festival, are on my beat, not a restaurant site’s. The full Los Angeles haunted house and Halloween events guide on Mr. Fear has all 18 listings checked against each organizer’s own page, with the links to buy.

Where to eat after

Two of these are downtown, which sits between Universal City to the north and Long Beach and Buena Park to the south, and one is on South La Brea Avenue. On Saturday they close at 1 a.m., 11 p.m. and 10 p.m., so the latest one suits a full haunt night and the other two suit an early haunt slot or an evening at the Grand Park altars. These three are on the Top of Los Angeles romantic restaurants list. The scores are theirs, not mine.