Get your costumes ready! Autumn is here, and Westchester/Playa is full of frightening fun events and activities that the whole family can enjoy this month. Mark your calendars for weekends filled with spine-tingling mazes, carnivals with rides and scary delicious treats, creepy ghost stories and more!
Here are our top picks for Halloween happenings and fall fun!
Carnival in the NINE double oh FOUR FIVE
Friday, October 18th through Sunday, October 20th | Various times
For more than 50 years, Visitation has been hosting its every-other-year carnival and the beloved community tradition is back this month for the whole neighborhood to enjoy. Visit this three-day carnival for classic rides, games, music, a beer garden, bingo, face painting, raffles, a prize room and more!
The event will run Friday from 5 to 10 p.m.; Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
Visitation is located at 8740 Emerson Ave. in Westchester. Discounted presale tickets are available through October 11 at VizCarnival.givesmart.com.
Courtesy LMU.
Haunting of Hannon XII
Friday, October 18th & Saturday, October 19th | 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Ghosts, witches and other mysterious creatures will be lurking in the stacks at LMU’s 12th Annual Haunting of Hannon Library! Attendees are guaranteed to have a wickedly fun time at this literary fright fest, courtesy of LMU’s Theater Arts program, and written and directed by Kevin Wetmore.
This year’s theme is “Secret, Dark, and Midnight Things,” and will take attendees through a labyrinth of books, while they explore the haunted plays of Shakespeare.
An adult version of the event will take place on October 18 and 19 from 8 to 11 p.m. A family-friendly version, featuring notable characters from children’s literature, will take place on October 19 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
For more info and to RSVP, visit https://cal.lmu.edu/event/haunting-of-hannon-xii-secret-dark-and-midnight-things.
Trunk or Treat with the LAX Airport Police
Friday, October 18th | 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Join the LAX Airport Police for a Trunk or Treat Celebration!
Stop by during the event for a nail-biting good time, featuring games, treats, a DJ and of course, a chance to fill up on candy! The event will also feature an appearance by Star Wars characters from the 501st legion!
The Trunk or Treat will be held at the Airport Police Facility parking lot at 9160 Loyola Blvd. in Westchester.
Kids’ Halloween Scary Story & Picture Contest at The Book Jewel
Deadline to submit: October 23 at 7 p.m.
Ready to write the next great horror story that would make R.L. Stine and Mary Shelley shiver? Westchester’s favorite independent bookstore, The Book Jewel, is inviting kids 4-12 to participate in its annual Halloween-themed Scary Story and Picture Contest!
Aspiring writers (ages 7-12) are asked to submit their best original weird tales to the shop by October 23 at 7 p.m. Stories should be scary, yet family-appropriate, and be five minutes or less when read aloud. Participants must be available to share their creative fiction at The Book Jewel during its authors’ reading night on October 27 at noon.
Artists ages 4-6 are invited to have their parents drop off a drawing for the Scary Picture Contest by October 23 at 7 p.m.
The Book Jewel will be awarding gift cards to winners in every age group.
The shop is located at 6259 W. 87th St. in Westchester. More details will be available at thebookjewel.com.
Photo by Venice Paparazzi and courtesy RUNWAY Playa Vista.
Howl’oween Costume Contest and Pawrade
Sunday, October 20th | noon to 3 p.m.
It’s time for your pooch to get creative and strut down the runway at the 5th Annual Howl’oween Costume Contest and Pawrade!
The event is free to attend, and tickets to enter the contest are $15, with a percentage of proceeds going to a local dog rescue.
Pups will be judged in categories like “spookiest,” “funniest,” and “most creative DIY,” as well as best overall. Prizes will be awarded to the winners!
RSVP at runwayplayavista.com/events2/howlo-ween-costume-contest-parade-2024. RUNWAY is located at 12775 W. Millennium Drive in Playa Vista.
Photo by Robert Higgins.
Halloween Spooktacular at the Westchester Family Y
Friday, October 25th | 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Westchester Family YMCA is ready to thrill and chill attendees at its annual Halloween Spooktacular! RSVP before space runs out for this can’t-miss family-friendly event featuring a haunted maze, food trucks, games, activities, a monster parade, lots of candy and more!
Feeling ghoulishly generous? The Y is asking the community for donations of candy and Halloween decorations, which can be dropped off at their front desk through October 25.
For more info and to RSVP, visit https://shorturl.at/OvSWl. The Westchester Family YMCA is located at 8015 S. Sepulveda Blvd. in Westchester.
Marina Spooktacular
Saturday, October 26 & Saturday, October 27 | 4 to 10 P.M.
Head to Burton Chace Park for the Marina Spooktacular! This year’s event features tons of fun for all ages, but the event gets spooky after dark!
Festivities include a Graveyard Treasure Hunt, magic shows, crafts, carnival games, food trucks, face painting, mazes, an outdoor showing of Hocus Pocus and more!
Burton Chace Park is located at 13650 Mindanao Way in Marina del Rey.
For more details on the full event line-up and parking, visit https://beaches.lacounty.gov/halloween.
Courtesy Monster Dash 5k.
Annual Monster Dash 5K
Sunday, October 27th | 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Celebrate the spooky season–and prepare for all the Halloween treats you’ll be eating–by signing up for the Sixth Annual Monster Dash in Playa Vista. Grab your friends and your best costumes to participate in this bewitching fun run/walk that takes place along the neighborhood’s Bluff Creek Drive.
The cost to register is $50 for adults and $20 for children 18 and under (plus fees). A family bundle of four tickets is also available!
A costume contest, live DJ, giveaways and custom finisher medals for runners, round out the event.
For more info and to RSVP, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/6th-annual-playa-vista-monster-dash-5k-tickets-894421858857.
Halloween fun at the Farmers’ Market
Sunday, October 27th | 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Celebrate Halloween with festivities at the Westchester Farmers’ Market! Stop by the market on October 27th for tricks and treats, including community booths, Halloween story time with The Book Jewel, and other fall fun! The farmers’ market is located in the 6200 block of 87th St. (between Coffee Co. and Truxton’s).
Follow them on social media @westchesterfarmersmarket for more details as they get announced.
Photo by Venice Paparazzi and courtesy RUNWAY Playa Vista.
Halloween Bash at RUNWAY
Sunday, October 27th 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Visit RUNWAY Playa Vista for a family-friendly day that is sure to scare up some fun!
The shopping center will be transformed into a spooktacular party, featuring crafts, photo booths, petting zoo, creepy characters, games and more! local businesses will also be handing out candy from 2:30 to 3 p.m. For an extra special treat, buy a ticket for a visit to the Candy Coach, for a five-minute dash to fill up your bag with chocolate and more!
RSVP at runwayplayavista.com/events2/runway-halloween-bash-2024 RUNWAY is located at 12775 W. Millennium Drive in Playa Vista.
Westchester Recreation Center’s Halloween Zone
October 31st | 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Stop by Westchester Park for a wicked good time on Halloween!
Attendees will enjoy lots of candy, a moon bounce, costume contest, games, face painting and more. The event is free to attend, but RSVPs are required to participate.
The park is also celebrating 41 years of striking fear in the hearts of anyone who dares to enter its haunted maze! This year’s event is the Zombie-themed “The Final Phase.” Tickets are $10. The haunted house will run October 25, 26, 29, 30 and 31 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
For more info on both events and to RSVP, visit laparks.org/reccenter/Westchester.
Is your organization or business holding a Halloween event this month? Email us at westchesterhometown@yahoo.com to be added to our online event calendar!