Halloween is almost upon us, and Downtown streets will soon be filled with ghosts, goblins, and ghoulies who are rarin’ to go after being denied a proper Halloween last year, due to the pandemic. While the pandemic has impacted several events, here are a few major Halloween weekend options for Downtown trick-or-treaters.
- SCARIUM OF THE PACIFIC
The Aquarium of the Pacific will be hosting its twenty-second annual Halloween event on Saturday and Sunday, October 30 and 31. Surround yourself and your family with mysterious animals of the deep while enjoying a kid’s costume contest, storytelling, and magic shows. Advanced reservations are required, and masks are required for entry. Perhaps you can incorporate your mask into your costume! Click here for more information, reservations, and ticket purchases.
- HALLOWEEN ZOMBIE CRAWL
Support Downtown restaurants and bars on Saturday night, October 30 by putting on your costume and joining a mob of zombies as they roam Downtown streets, invading the 10+ participating bars and nightclubs for a night of Halloween revelry. Purchase your all-access pass and receive drink specials, free admission to selected nightclubs, and a map to make sure you keep crawling in the right direction. Visit the Zombie Crawl website for more information.
- FIRST ANNUAL LONG BEACH OCTOBERFEST
The Scottish Rite Event Center at 855 Elm Avenue will be the site of this new event, happening on October 22-24 and Halloween weekend, October 29-31. Dress in your dirndl or lederhosen and partake of bratwurst and other traditional Octoberfest eats while swinging your beer stein to the sounds of Festmeister Hans und Die Sauerkrauts. Friday and Saturday nights are for the 21 and older crowd, but Sundays — including Halloween — are Family Days, and kids 15 and under get in for free! Click here for tickets and additional information.
- HALLOWEEN HOOTENANNY CRAFT BEER FEST
Beer lovers will be delighted that there’s a brand-new Halloween weekend beer-tasting option in town; The Museum of Latin American Art will be hosting 45 craft beer breweries, cideries, and local winemakers in this inaugural event, which takes place on Saturday, October 30. Your ticket will entitle you to all the craft beer, wine, kombucha, hard seltzer, and water you can drink while you enjoy live music and the wares of local art vendors. Plenty of great food will be available for purchase as well. For tickets and more information, please visit www.obscuralbc.com.
- DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
Although Dia de los Muertos and Halloween are distinctly different holidays, both are causes for a mid-autumn celebration in the
streets of Downtown Long Beach. On Saturday, October 30, the City will be presenting its sixth Dia de los Muertos celebration on Pine Avenue between Fourth and Sixth Streets. Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Jazz Band will be headlining the FREE festivities, which will include live art, Aztec dance performances, a costume contest for kids, plentiful food and drink, and more live music, including mariachi and a tribute to local legend Jenni Rivera. Visit the City’s events page for more information and COVID protocols.
- FALL FEST AT THE PIKE OUTLETS
The FALL FEST at the Pike Outlets, near Pine Avenue south of Ocean Boulevard, is another FREE event on Saturday, October 30, where you and the kiddies can do some trick-or-treating and shopping while taking in a magic show with your freshly-painted Halloween face. Purchase a Halloween craft for $2, which will be donated directly to Long Beach BLAST (Better Learning for All Students Today), an organization that helps improve academic and personal success for at-risk youths. Enter the Pike’s social media costume contest at the event for a chance to win a $100 Pike gift certificate! Click here for more info.
- MAYA MASH
Fuego Executive Chef Victor Juarez is cooking up Halloween and Día de Los Muertos spook-tacular menus as “Hotel Maya Does The ‘Maya Mash,’ A Waterfront Smash” October 15 through November 2. The Latin-infused restaurant sets the holiday mood with a frighteningly decorated “Creepy Cabana” with scary views of the Queen Mary – one of the most haunted locations in America.Eerie props, mood lighting, giant spiders and cobwebs chillingly decorate Fuego’s “Creepy Cabana” that is available nightly by reservation only for up to 10 people from October 15 to November 2. To confirm availability and reserve the “Creepy Cabana,” which requires a deposit and minimum in food and beverage spend, contact Fuego at The Maya directly via website http://www.hotelmayalongbeach.com/special-events or call 562-481-3910.
With its huge assortment of bars, nightclubs, and eateries situated among naturally spooky old buildings, Downtown Long Beach is an ideal place to celebrate Halloween. We hope you will choose Downtown to celebrate what promises to be a spooktacular, fun-filled Halloween weekend!