The Best Pre-Halloween Weekend Events in Los Angeles

Whether you are looking for a good fright this pre-Halloween weekend or if you scare easily and would just like wonderful dinner and a nice glass of wine, Los Angeles is offering you plenty of options before the big city-wide Halloween celebration on Wednesday the 31st. Events include The Nightmare Before Christmas with a live score by Danny Elfman, the Haunted Hayride, Disco Dining Club, An Evening with Yotam Ottolenghi, An Evening with Rupaul, the P-22 Day Festival in Griffith Park, the KCRW Masquerade Ball, A Dog Day Brunch at Angel City Brewery, and, of course, Dia de Los Muertos at Hollywood Forever. Check out the weekend’s best pre-Halloween events below!

The Nightmare Before Christmas with a Live Score by Danny Elfman
Friday to Sunday
Hollywood Bowl
The one and only Danny Elfman will perform songs as Jack Skellington alongside a full orchestra and Catherine O’Hara and Ken Page reprising their roles of Sally and Oogie Boogie.

Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Los Angeles Comic Con
Friday to Sunday
Los Angeles Comic Con
Attend three days of comic book panels, anime screenings and celebrity appearances hosted by the Marvel icon. More than 200 panels, parties and special programs are scheduled throughout the weekend, including Tenacious D presenting their animated show, “Post-Apocalypto”; a celebration of four decades of “Fangoria”; and Elijah Wood and other SpectreVision founders talking about their cult hit, “Mandy.”

The Contemporary Crafts Market
Friday to Sunday
Pasadena Convention Center
Meet hundreds of artisans producing hand-crafted furnishings, ceramics, jewelry, textiles, blown glass, metalwork, wood, fiber art and basketry. Get your holiday shopping done early.

Disco Dining Club
Friday to Sunday
A Private Residence in LA
Disco Dining Club returns to Los Angeles for a horror themed botanical dinner party on October 26-28. Chef Laurent Quenioux will prepare a five course dinner, Timothy Baxter of Baxter Speakeasy will shake up thematic cocktails, Bugible will prepare bug pairings and musical performances and immersive theatrical moments will play out throughout the evening.

An Evening with Yotam Ottolenghi
Friday
New Roads School
Live Talks L.A. hosts an evening with the London-based chef known for putting his unique spin on Middle Eastern fare. He co-owns several restaurants in the U.K., including the fine-dining spots NOPI and ROVI. He’ll discuss his latest book, Ottolenghi Simple. “No chef captures the flavors of the moment better than Yotam Ottolenghi.” —Bon Appétit

Haunted Halloween Hunt
Saturday
Throughout Downtown L.A.
They’ll be tricks… They’ll be treats… You’ll conjure clues, undertake chilling challenges and have a frighteningly fun time that you’ll never forget in a fast-paced, fun-filled race to be first to finish with the highest score! Dust off your broomstick, sharpen your fangs and sign up today for this very special one-day-only event! This haunt/hunt is recommended for those ages 14+.

Mourning and Halloween Tours
Saturday and Sunday
Heritage Square Museum
This interactive presentation for adults reenacts an Edwardian funeral,circa 1918. Learn about early 21st century customs and attitudes toward death. Watch the re-creation of a Phantasmagoria and then participate in a séance. A children’s program takes place only on Sunday and includes period games, crafts, trick or treating and a pumpkin patch.

K&L Champagne Tent Event
Saturday
K&L Wines Hollywood
A group of K&L’s favorite artisanal grower/producers will be flying in from France to present their wines exclusively to K&L guests. Producers include Aspasie, Franck Bonville, Coutelas, Le Brun de Neuville, Louise Brison, Jean Josselin, Arthur Marc, Ergot and Charles Ellner. This is a rare opportunity to engage with the people that grow the grapes and make the wine, and to learn more about their approach to Champagne. We will also have many of the big-name producers on hand to present their selections. From the big houses they will have representatives from Louis Roederer, Billecart-Salmon, Laurent Perrier, Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Krug, Bollinger, and more. For $85 per person plus tax you will be able to sample more than 60 Champagnes plus enjoy small bites from Barbrix. This event will benefit our good friends at the Hollywood Police Activities League (PAL), a community-based crime prevention program that provides young people with positive alternatives to gangs and drugs.

P-22 Day Festival
Saturday
Shane’s Inspiration
The city of L.A. declared Oct. 22 as P-22 Day to recognize the importance of its resident cougars. The Friends of Griffith Park hosts its third annual P-22 festival, capping off Urban Wildlife Week. Check out a VR experience of wildlife crossings and the L.A. River, photo opps with a P-22 likeness, meet-and-greets with rangers and experts, urban wildlife installations, music, food and kid-friendly activities.

Noche de Ofrenda
Saturday
Grand Park
For the sixth year, the park partners with Self Help Graphics & Art and LORE Media & Arts for a night of altars and offerings to honor the dead. View installations created by local artists and community groups, performances by L.A.-based artists, including Quetzal and Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet Company, and traditional blessings led by the local indigenous community. The night coincides with Grand Park’s weekend celebration (Friday through Sunday) of Día de los Muertos, with free guided tours of the artwork, altars and traditions of the holiday.

Eat Like Your Orijen Dog Halloween Brunch
Saturday
Angel City Brewery
Orijen dog food hosts a brunch for you and your pooch. It’s going to be the ultimate dog Halloween party – and to show their appreciation for joining the event, the first 50 people who arrive will be treated to the ultimate “doggie” bag of items valued at over $50. The menu is inspired by fresh, regional ingredients but since it’s an event for humans, too, there will be plenty of beer, wine and coffee to accompany the food. Pups that come in costume can win treats and goodies. One dog per guest. This event is 21+.

The Boulet Brothers 18th Annual Los Angeles Halloween Ball
Saturday
Globe Theater
A Massive 3 level Haunted House Nightclub packed with DJs, dance floors, horrifying stage presentations, interactive areas, mazes, Halloween carnival games and an army of Los Angeles monster superstars.  You’ll get to see performances by Trixie Mattel from Rupaul’s Drag Race, and Vander von Odd and Victoria Elizabeth Black from Dragula. There’s a costume contest with the winner taking home a $1,000 cash prize.

Día de los Muertos Festival
Saturday
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
This year’s celebration honors the divine feminine in Coatlicue, the Mexica-Aztec goddess who gave birth to the moon, the stars and Huitzilopochtli, the god of the sun and war. Come dressed in calaca/Day of the Dead apparel and spend the day viewing altars, purchasing arts, crafts and food and enjoying the celebrations. Music by Panteón Rococó, Mexican Institute of Sound, Hello Seahorse!, Y La Bamba and Loli Molina. Community altars will be on view through Nov. 2, with live entertainment, face painting and kid activities taking place both weeknights and weekends. Each night at 7 p.m., a Novenario Procession through the street leads to a ceremony that incorporates pre-Columbian, Aztec, Mayan and Catholic rituals surrounding death.

KCRW Masquerade Ball; Los Angeles Theatre
Saturday
Santigold and White Denim top KCRW’s beloved Halloween masquerade party.

Boo at the Zoo
Saturday and Sunday
Head to the Los Angeles Zoo for a large assortment of seasonal activities for the whole family. Featuring live, expert pumpkin carvings, Halloween games, a mini pumpkin patch and plenty more, this weekends Boo at the Zoo  will host trick-or-treating, with treat stations lodged all over the premises from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and a special overnight admission on Saturday, with entry into the following day’s Boo at the Zoo included.

An Evening with RuPaul
Sunday
The Montalban Theatre
Live Talks L.A. holds an evening with the drag queen, performer, actor, model, author and producer, who has won two Emmys for RuPaul’s Drag Race. RuPaul discusses his new book, GuRu, a collection of philosophies and photographs explaining how he (and you) can build a fabulous life from the inside out.

Vegan Sunday Street Fair
Sunday
North Hollywood
Vegan Sunday is a weekly 100% vegan market on the streets of NoHo from October through February. These events are family friendly and free to enter. There will be 20-30 vendors from all over Southern California participating each week.

“Rauschenberg: The 1/4 Mile”
Opening Sunday
LACMA
See Robert Rauschenberg’s magnum opus, a nearly quarter-mile display of 190 painted panels, on display at LACMA.

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