Long before “trick-or-treating” was a thing, Halloween was typically a time for mischief and pranks by neighborhood children. In the tranquil little community of Anaheim, soaped windows, uprooted fences, and damaged property were turning “All Hallow’s Eve” into a major headache for residents and businesses. To steer the energies of Anaheim’s kiddies toward more “wholesome fun,” a Halloween Festival and Carnival with games and costume contests was devised by the local merchants association in 1923.

Anaheim’s Fall Festival & Halloween Parade became one of the biggest Halloween celebrations in the U.S. The Walt Disney Studios became involved two years before the opening of Disneyland in 1955 and have participated each year since. Over time, however, Anaheim shifted from being a rural small town into a popular tourist destination. 

Today, the Anaheim Fall Festival and Halloween Parade in downtown Anaheim continues to be one of the most exciting and popular events of the year while still keeping true to the event’s vibrant history. The event takes place on 26 October.

See more here.

Festive frights and fun await you at the Disneyland Resort from 23 August - 31 October.

At Disneyland Park, you can enjoy the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay inspired by Tim Burton’s ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ and meet all your favourite Disney characters for a meet & greet around a giant Mickey pumpkin on Main Street, U.S.A.

Head over to Disney California Adventure Park and check out the Guardians of the Galaxy - Monsters After Dark attraction, where the popular Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT!  attraction gets a special after dark mission to rescue Groot.

See more here.

Knott’s Scary Farm is the longest-running and most haunting Halloween theme park event in Southern California. With over 50 years’ experience in nightmares, unimaginable scares and innovative thrills, Knott’s Scary Farm is the king of Halloween! 

On select nights from 19 September to 2 November, you can experience the fully transformed theme park, with uniquely haunted mazes and attractions, sinister shows, and more than 1,000 terrifying creatures lurking in the fog and hiding across every inch of the park.

Find your way to fear here.

If you enjoy being scared, you must visit the 17th Door in Buena Park for 30–45 minutes of spooky thrills and screams. Want to take it further and meet real ghosts? Embark on one of Haunted OC’s paranormal tours, hosted at one of the six most haunted spots in Orange County. 

If you’d rather face your fears from the comfort of your rental car, drive through Tunnel of Terror OC, Southern California’s First Haunted Car Wash.

The Anaheim Hills Festival Halloween Spooktacular is a fun, free and very spooky event for the whole family. This Halloween event has all the ingredients of a truly ghoulishly good time. Trick-or-treaters can visit stores and restaurants throughout the shopping center and costume contests, live music, free face painting, balloon art and much more.

 

The Witches Brew Night Market is a curated spooky shopping and photo op experience that showcases all things Halloween! This year’s theme will be Beetlejuice on Saturday-Sunday, 12-13 October from 5-9 pm at Anaheim Packing District’s Farmers Park. Freakily fantastic vendors will be selling magical items, including crystals, intention candles, soaps, body products, spooky home décor, fashion, art and other unique oddities.

 

Anaheim Packing District and URBANA Mexican Gastronomy will co-host Dia de los Hambrientos, a Day of the Dead celebration with food, spirits and entertainment. Guests can interact with a welcome community altar by writing a note to a loved one. There will be cocktail and food specials from participating restaurants and bars, along with live mariachi and Chilan-gringo grooves from the Gustavo Galindo Experience. The festivities will take place on Saturday, November 2 with specials available all day and entertainment from 5:30pm-9pm inside the historic Anaheim Packing House.

 

Hotels in Anaheim love ensuring their guests have a hauntingly good time during Halloween and will arrange grown-up parties with eerie cocktails, costume contests and dance parties. There’s also plenty of trick-or-treating goodies for the kids as well across all of September and October.

For more information about Halloween in Anaheim see www.visitanaheim.org