Highland Park's Halloween happens mostly in two places. One is a marionette theater on York Boulevard. The other is a village of rescued Victorian houses at the bottom of the Arroyo. As of Oct. 8, both have already sold out their biggest family events. What's still open for the rest of the month is mostly for grown-ups after dark, plus one all-ages community afternoon on Nov. 1 that closes out the season.
Here's what was still on the calendar as of this week:
- Oct. 9: Heritage Square Museum: After Dark, a paranormal investigation with investigators Tammie Merheb-Chavez and Tawney Lewis
- Oct. 10: Sensory-friendly Hallowe'en Spooktacular at Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 10:30 a.m.
- Oct. 10–11: Magic Market's Bewitched at Heritage Square
- Oct. 16, 17, 23, 24: Bo-oze, Bites and Frights at Heritage Square, 21+
- Oct. 24: Bob Baker's 4th Annual Hallowe'en Costume Ball, 21+
- Nov. 1: Avenue 50 Studio's 13th annual North East Los Angeles Día de los Muertos Festival, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Two sold-out signs at both ends of the neighborhood
At Bob Baker Marionette Theater, the Hallowe'en Spooktacular runs Sept. 5 through Nov. 8, 2026, and the theater's page now says the whole season is sold out. The show is an hour-long, family-friendly "boo-sical revue" with more than a hundred puppets. This year it includes a Día de los Muertos sequence the theater describes as a tribute to the holiday and to its community. In its Oct. 1 roundup of Halloween events across Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times called it an annual run.
Two openings are still listed. The sensory-friendly performance on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 10:30 a.m. has its own ticket link, and it's for guests who'd prefer a show with sensory modifications. For showtimes with ASL interpretation, the theater asks you to email its office at [email protected].
About two miles south at Heritage Square Museum, the daytime Hallowe'en Faire on Oct. 31 is also marked sold out. It was the museum's family event of the season, with historical Halloween party displays from the 1880s through the 1950s, penny dreadful storytelling, and trick-or-treating.
So the two biggest kid-friendly Halloween events in this corner of Northeast LA were both gone by the second week of October. Apart from the sensory-friendly matinee and the Nov. 1 festival, everything left on the list above is 21+.
The York Boulevard costume ball is also a building fund
Bob Baker's 4th Annual Hallowe'en Costume Ball is Saturday, Oct. 24, from 8 p.m. to midnight at the theater, 4949 York Boulevard. Tickets come in tiers from $35 to $500, and it's 21+. The theater presents it with The Elysian. The night includes a special performance of Hallowe'en Spooktacular and a costume contest, and all proceeds go to the nonprofit theater.
That last part matters more this year. Bob Baker has been in Highland Park since 2019, when it moved to York Boulevard from its original home at 1345 W. 1st Street and signed a 10-year lease. In April 2026, the Los Angeles Times reported that the theater had agreed to buy the York Boulevard building for $5 million. At that point it had raised $4.5 million, and rent for the year was approaching $500,000.
By May 20, 2026, the Times put the total at $4.7 million toward the $5 million purchase, with another $2 million hoped for building upgrades. That's the most recent public figure. The theater's campaign page is still taking donations to secure its permanent home, and it doesn't show a running total or a closing date. The costume ball page carries the same message in a banner across the top: "Keep BBMT in LA to stay… forever!"
What's public, then, is a purchase agreement, a gap of a few hundred thousand dollars as of May, and a Halloween party whose proceeds go toward closing it.
Down at the Arroyo, the October nights are 21+
Heritage Square is a strange and lovely place to spend a Halloween night. The museum says it has acquired and begun restoring eight historically significant Los Angeles buildings that were moved to the site to save them from demolition. Its stated mission is to preserve, collect, and interpret Southern California history. In October, that means haunted Victorian mansions.
Street Food Cinema's Bo-oze, Bites and Frights takes over the grounds for four nights. Heritage Square's own listing promises haunted pathways, cocktails, street food, trick-or-treating, and Halloween double features. Each night, doors open at 5:30 p.m., and Victorian home tours run from 6 to 8:30 p.m. before the films:
| Night | First feature | Second feature |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 16 | Obsession, 7:00 p.m. | Companion, about 9:00 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | A Nightmare on Elm Street, 7:00 p.m. | Wes Craven's New Nightmare, about 8:45 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Sinners, 6:45 p.m. | Blade, about 9:20 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Jennifer's Body, 7:00 p.m. | Bodies Bodies Bodies, about 9:00 p.m. |
General admission is $45 in advance and $50 at the door. On the ticketing page for Oct. 16, a $45 ticket came to $53.26 after fees and taxes. The event is 21+.
Oct. 24 is the busiest night of the season. Bo-oze is running at the Arroyo while the costume ball is happening on York, and both are adults-only.
The earlier weekend has a different feel. Magic Market's Bewitched on Oct. 10 and 11 is a Samhain market with tarot readings, live music, workshops, picnicking, and tours of the historic homes. The After Dark paranormal investigation on Oct. 9 lets guests explore historic parts of the museum at night and try out the investigators' equipment.
Getting there from Highland Park changes with the event
Heritage Square's two kinds of events use different entrances and different parking rules, so it's worth checking which one you're going to:
- Regular weekends and the Nov. 1 festival. The museum's parking lot is off Homer Street at 3800 Homer St., and the museum says it's always free. To find it, go to the end of the road; the lot entrance is on your right at the end of the cul-de-sac. Regular weekend grounds hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for ages 6 to 12, and free for kids 5 and under. Guided interior tours run at noon, 1, 2, and 3 p.m. for $16, which includes general admission. Tour tickets must be reserved in advance.
- Bo-oze, Bites and Frights. The entrance is at 3545 Pasadena Ave. instead of Homer Street. Parking is limited, and the listing recommends rideshare. Event parking was selling for $25 plus fees, or $31.07 total, for general parking on Oct. 16.
- By train. The museum's directions point to the Heritage Square stop on Metro's A Line, which the museum's page still calls the Gold Line. From there it's about a 25-minute walk via Carlota Boulevard and Avenue 43. If you're starting from Highland Park, that's a short ride south before the walk.
Nov. 1 is the one afternoon open to everyone
The season ends at Heritage Square too, and this event works differently from the rest. Avenue 50 Studio's 13th annual North East Los Angeles Día de los Muertos Festival runs Sunday, Nov. 1, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The studio is producing it with several community organizations and neighborhood councils. The lineup includes face painting, mariachi performances, altars, Aztec dancers, and food and craft vendors.
The studio says it has been coordinating this community event since the early 2000s. Its invitation is to "the whole family." After an October full of 21+ ticketed nights, it's the one big event on the season's calendar that brings kids back in. The flyer doesn't list an admission price, so check with the studio at [email protected] if that matters for your plans.
Avenue 50 Studio's gallery is now listed at 3714 N. Figueroa St. Its homepage lists afternoon hours of 1 to 5 p.m., but the open days it posts don't agree with each other, so it's worth calling (323) 352-3010 before you head over. If you'd like to see the people behind the festival before Nov. 1, that's the place to start.
Where to eat before or after
Your October plans probably run along Figueroa and York anyway, and a few places there are new since the summer. Our Second Saturday guide covered the York Boulevard spots that opened earlier this year. These came after it:
- Mokja, 5715 N. Figueroa St., #102, is a Korean market-café that opened Aug. 7. It has drinks, grab-and-go food, and a build-your-own ramen bar. It's a quick stop before a matinee or a Sunday afternoon at the festival.
- Zero Fox, 4607 York Blvd., is an all-day brunch restaurant and bar that held its grand opening Sept. 16 and 17, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days. It's on the same boulevard as Bob Baker.
- Palomino, 5630 N. Figueroa St., is a new bar in the former ETA space, according to The Eastsider. It's a nearby stop if you end the night on Figueroa after a Heritage Square double feature.
For more of the everyday side of the neighborhood, our Highland Park neighborhood page keeps the longer list.
At Alex Lozano, we follow places like Bob Baker and Heritage Square because they're a big part of what makes Highland Park feel like Highland Park. If you're thinking about a home near York or the Arroyo and want to talk through how the neighborhood feels from one season to the next, Let's Connect.
