Family Halloween Fun

Discover SoCal activities & costume stores, plus get costume ideas!

Halloween Clearance Sale: Online clearance sales are in progress! Clearing out old 2009 merchandise is a top priority; now's a great time to stock up for 2010! Here's a link to the Clearance Costume Section at BuyCostumes.com, where you can reap big bargains.

2010 Halloween Costume Contest: 400 entries joined the Family-Vacation-Getaways.com Halloween costume contest. Would you like to see the winners? (Or make your own plans for joining in on the fun in 2010?) For details about the contest and 2009 winners, please see the Halloween Costume Photo Contest page of this site!

Southern California is a great place to celebrate Halloween!

1.) Temperatures in Southern Cali range from warm days to cool nights. Gone is the extreme heat of summer, yet the chilly winter nights have not arrived yet. Will it snow? When zebras have spots instead of stripes!

2.) Costume shops are easy to find. Whether you have a favorite year-round costume store where you're a regular customer...or if you visit a seasonal shop, you'll find all of SoCal's metro areas dotted with Halloween stores filled with costumes, accessories and home decor.

3.) Many family Halloween activities take place throughout Southern California Disney's Halloween Time, a huge non-scary event, is a favorite choice for families with smaller kids. Teens and young adults flock in hordes to the popular "Knott's Scary Farm," Six Flags Fright Fest and Universal Studios Halloween Horror nights. Smaller celebrations are widely attended, too, such as festive pumpkin farms, haunted houses and mall trick-or-treating (which takes place at nearly every major chain of shopping malls.) If you're ready to celebrate, you'll find an activity in your price-range just waiting for you to show up!

On this page, we'll talk about Southern California Halloween activities; costume store locations; and family-oriented Halloween costume ideas. In the first section, you can discover what Halloween pages are available on this website...and in the second section, you'll discover other resources to explore in your quest for finding some Halloween fun.

Family Halloween Fun, pages on this site

Costume ideas to get you decked out for seasonal fun!

1.) Captain Jack Sparrow Costume, pt 1: Discover how to pull together a Pirates of the Caribbean-style Captain Jack Sparrow costume from clothing you may already own. Also find out about how to apply Jack Sparrow's makeup to finish off "the look."

2.) Captain Jack Costume, pt 2: Find out options for sewing your own (or your partner's) Jack Sparrow costume from a pattern, as well as options you'll have when buying a pirate's costume from a store.

3.) Celebrity & Movie Costumes: Elvis impersonators, Marilyn look-alikes, junior Michael Jackson's, Star Trek crew members...anything's possible with a celebrity, TV or movie outfit. What a fun type of Halloween to choose!

4.) Cheap Halloween Costumes: How low can you go? Discover ideas for finding cheap kid's and adult's costumes this year.

5.) Children's Animal Costumes: Whether you'd like to sew or purchase a child's animal costume for Halloween, this page can help you find a costume that will look absolutely precious on your little one.

6.) Clown Costumes: Get ideas for making an adorable children's clown costume for Halloween trick-or-treating.

7.) Darth Vader Costumes: Become the terror of the Universe! Choosing to be Darth Vader for Halloween can be great fun for Star Wars fans...and other party guests may even feel a bit of fear---who knows!

8.) Disney Princess Costumes: Discover options for sewing or purchasing costumes for the Disney princesses...Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, and Tinkerbell.

9.) Fairy Costumes for girls and women emphasize their natural grace and beauty. Plus, these costumes are just plain fun; not many people ever get to have wings!

10.) Halloween BuildABears: We can't forget Halloween costumes for your stuffed animals! Explore the selection of Halloween Costumes you can get for own Build A Bear when you visit your local workshop, and see pictures of Halloween-themed Build A Bear stuffed ghosts and bears.

11.) Inexpensive Homemade Costumes: see some of the inexpensive costumes this website's readers have created...some of them good for last-minute Halloween disguises.

12.) Nightmare Before Christmas costumes: Wouldn't it be fun to dress like Jack Skellington or Sally this Halloween?

13.) Pirate Costumes: Get tips for buying or sewing pirate outfits for girls and boys...even babies and toddlers!

14.) Pirate Costumes/Adults: Dashing...or cute...pirate costumes are a favorite of grown men and women, too! On this page, discover different pirate styles you may not have considered.

15.) Pet Costumes: Get ideas for helping your four-legged friend celebrate in style. Who knows? Maybe you'll end up having the best dressed pooch at one of Southern California's Halloween pet parades and contests!

16.) Plus Size Costumes-- See an overview of Plus Size Costumes actually for sale during the 2008 Halloween season, and get tips for planning an attractive, even sizzling, Halloween disguise.

17.) Star Wars Costumes: Whether you're alone or if you'll be part of a group costume effort, the beloved and classic Star Wars movie characters make a very good choice for Halloween disguises.

18.) Superhero Costumes: Is your son or daughter interested in dressing as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Spiderman or a Ninja this Halloween? Here are some ideas for buying or sewing superhero suits!

19.) Witch and Vampire costumes, a page where you can get shopping & sewing ideas for updated looks on these old "classic" costumes.

20.) Wizard of Oz Costumes-- Here's a great group costume idea: how about dressing as the Wizard of Oz movie characters? Get tips on sewing or buying your outfits & accessories for Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and other Oz characters.

21.) Unique costume ideas from our readers! Discover the clever and creative homemade costume ideas which have been sent in by Family-Vacation-Getaways.com's readers. You won't believe all the fun ideas they've had---and all the steps are included so you may try them yourself!

Get costume ideas from our contest winners!

1.) October 2008 Prize Winners, Part 1

2.) 10/08 Halloween Costume Prize Winners, Part 2

3.) September, 2008 Halloween Costume Contest Winners

Halloween Stores; find your perfect costume!

SoCal costume store pages---

1.) Party City Stores/Los Angeles: For 2 months every year, the popular party-goods chain, Party City, goes "gung ho" for Halloween. Discover where you can find a Party City location in Los Angeles County on this page.

2.) Party City/other So Cal: Here's where you'll find the list of Party City stores in Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura counties.

3.) Spirit Halloween Stores/Halloween Adventure Stores: Temporary Halloween stores spring up all over Southern California each fall. Two good temporary Halloween shops featuring a wide selection of costumes, decorations and accessories are the Spirit Halloween stores and the Halloween Adventure stores. These companies sell a huge selection of costumes year-round...but only on-line. Then, when the months of September and October roll around, stores sprout up all over California (and other states) selling a great array of costumes and home decor in a location not far from your home.

*To see a listing of costume stores in other locations besides Southern California, see the following pages:

Northern & Central California: List of Central and Northern California Year-Round Costume Stores

Arizona costume stores: Arizona costume & party stores

Colorado costume stores:Colorado costume and party stores

Texas costume stores: (1) Year-round Texas Costume Stores and (2) Texas Seasonal Costume Stores

SoCal Halloween Theme Park Celebrations

1.) List of Disney Halloween activities

Disneyland Halloween: Learn details about the Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure theme park Halloween celebrations!

Woody's Halloween Roundup pictures: Kids will love the cute show, crafts, and barnyard animal-petting at Woody's Halloween Roundup, while adults will be dazzled by the beauty of Disneyland's fall decorations!

Holiday Haunted Mansion pictures: See photos of Disneyland Park's Haunted Mansion all trimmed & decorated for the Halloween & Christmas holidays!

Holiday Haunted Mansion photos, pt 2: See inside the Nightmare Before Christmas-themed Haunted Mansion for a view of how Jack Skellington & his crew have "taken over" for the holidays!

Disney Halloween Pumpkins: There's a Pumpkin Festival going on at Disneyland Park for Halloween! From mini-pumpkins used a part of larger autumn-themed decorations to a giant pumpkin so large it can be used as a photo backdrop, you'll find a real variety of them. See photos of Disneyland's creative use of pumpkins...including intricate Disney & Pixar character Jack O Lanterns!

Disney's Halloween Candy Corn:: Part of the Disney Halloween Time celebration includes whimsical Candy Corn Acres at Disney's California Adventure Park. You'll find a more imaginative and adorable use of giant candy corn than you ever thought possible. Come take a look!

Mickeys Halloween Treat Parade: Mickey's Halloween Treat is an extra-fee special event which takes place after-hours at Disney's California Adventure theme park. See photos and learn about this party's brand new interactive parade...where you can dance along with costumed Disney and Pixar characters!

Dance w/Disney Characters: Dancing at the parade is great...but it's just the beginning! Rock 'n roll the night away at 3 character-filled dance parties within the Mickey's Halloween Treat event. See pictures & get the scoop on this page.

Halloween Disney Characters: Discover what Disney Characters you can meet, greet and take photos with...when you visit Disneyland Park or the Mickey's Halloween Treat even in Anaheim, California.

2.) Knott's Halloween Events

Knott's Halloween Events: Get info about the world-famous Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt...or discover the light-hearted, lesser-known children's Halloween attraction called "Camp Spooky."

Scary Farm Pics: See photos taken at the Knotts Berry Farm's Halloween Haunt!

Halloween Haunt Pics, pt 2:: One page just isn't enough for showing a good variety of Knotts Scary Farm pictures...so here's page 2!

3.) Other Southern Califoria theme park Halloween Celebrations!

Legoland Halloween Fun-- Discover the fun your family will have at Legoland Theme Park in San Diego County! You can trick-or-treat, enjoy decorations, or head to a nighttime family Halloween Party that's included with the price of your general admission ticket!

SeaWorld Halloween Spooktacular-- Enjoy Clyde & Seamore's adorable Halloween Sea Lion Show, catch the popular nighttime Shamu Rocks presentation, and take the kids to fill their bags at Halloween trick-or-Treat stations.

Six Flags Magic Mountain Fright Fest pics: See pictures of Magic Mountain's after-dark Halloween celebration...when the lights go dim and scary monsters are on the prowl!

Six Flags Magic Mountain Halloween pictures, pt 2: Just like Knotts Berry Farm, the Magic Mountain Halloween festival includes fun---and tame---activities for kids during the daytime. See photos of the 6 Flags children's activities and other Magic Mountain Halloween decorations

Universal Studios Hollywood's Horror Nights-- Grab your teens & head to the gore-fest known as Halloween Horror Nights. Some of Tinseltown's most famous horror flicks come to life on the Universal Studios back lot--where these movies were actually filmed! Freddy Krueger and other famous evil-doers try to give you a scare as you walk through haunted mazes; will you scream or be brave?

SoCal Halloween Haunted Houses!

Theme parks aren't the only places to have some spooky Halloween fun in Southern California!

Southern California's haunted houses are now closed...and won't reopen until Halloween 2010. Until that information becomes available, here's last Halloween's information so you can get an idea of what to expect for next year's fun!

Anaheim: The Haunted Cellar Haunted House will become the Empty Grave for 2009!-- If you have visited the Haunted Cellar in years past, you'll be intrigued to know that it's being reincarnated as the Empty Grave...and it will be bigger and better than ever! In fact, they're stating it will be about 50,000 sq ft, an astonishingly huge size for a haunted house. Once again in 2009, this scary Halloween attraction will be held at the Anaheim GardenWalk mall. An attractive new outdoor mall, your family can enjoy shopping, dining and entertainment at the Garden Walk year-round...and it's within walking distance of Disneyland Park! But during the Halloween season---beware! You can also enjoy some scary, spine-tingling fun! The Empty Grave event dates for 2009: The Empty Grave haunted house hosts its opening night on September 25th. The other event dates are Sept 26th & 27th; October 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31; and November 1st, its final night. The Empty Grave opens at 6:30 pm on all of its operating dates. On weekdays, it closes at 10 pm. On weekends, the Haunted Cellar's closing time is midnight. Cost is $13, but if you purchase 2 tickets, you'll get a good discount. Here's the The Empty Grave's website. To get directions to the shopping center, please see the Anaheim Garden Walk page of this site.

Calabasas: Los Angeles Haunted Hayride--Is everything scarier in the woods? That's what the Haunted Hayride believes...and they would like nothing better than the chance to terrorize you! The Haunted Hayride has some of the easiest dates and hours of operation to memorize of any SoCal haunted house: they're open every evening beginning at 6:30 pm starting October 2nd through Halloween night, October 31, 2009. The Haunted Hayride's address at the King Gilette Ranch is 26800 Mulholland Hwy Calabasas, CA 91302. For prices and further information, here's a link to the www.losangeleshauntedhayride.com website.

Del Mar: The Scream Zone-- Every October, the Del Mar Fairgrounds turns into the Del Mar "Scargrounds!" Events at the Del Mar Scream Zone include scary Haunted House walk-throughs and a Haunted Hay Ride. Dates for the 2009 Del Mar Fairgrounds Halloween event have already been announced. They well be September 25 & 26; October 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31st, Halloween night. The Del Mar Fairgrounds Scream Zone address is 2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard, Del Mar, CA 92014, just off the Via de la Valle exit of I-5. Here's a Google map to the Del Mar Scream Zone to help you plan your route to this eerie Halloween activity. For complete information, see the Scream Zone section of the Del Mar Fairgrounds website.

Hollywood/Universal City: Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights-- Universal Studios Horror Nights feature scary mazes, shows...and a haunted tour of the park's back lot (movie filming sets.) The 2009 dates for the Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights are as follows: October 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, and 31st, Halloween Night. Horror Nights are an extra-ticket event at Universal Studios theme park, and take place at night after the normal park closing time. For further information, here's a link to the official Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Night website. Or, to see pictures from last year's event, you may check out the Halloween Horror Nights page of this site.

Long Beach: Queen Mary's Shipwreck haunt--You'll discover 5 creepy mazes at this year's Shipwreck event (both on and off of the boat.) Opening weekend is Friday, October 2nd and Saturday, October 3rd...and you'll get a substantially discounted ticket price if you go on these 2 opening nights. Other dates this scary event will be held are October 9, 10, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 (Halloween night) and Sunday, November 1, 2009. For further information and to purchase tickets, here's a link to the "Shipwreck: 15 Nights of Terror" page of the Queen Mary's website. Or, you may wish to see the fancier www.shipwreckhalloween.com special-event website.

Ontario: Scandia family fun center's Haunted House-- All year long, your family can enjoy playing miniature golf and going on rides at the Scandia Fun Center in Ontario. For Halloween every year, you can also get your chills & thrills in their annual Haunted House! Event dates for 2009 are weekends from September 25th through October 25th, then nightly from October 28th through 31st, Halloween night. Here's the Scandia Haunted House page from their official website. Or, to see our pictures of Scandia's fun rides and attractions, please see the Scandia Family Fun Center page of this website.

Pasadena: Old Town Haunt-- Creepy things are happening in Pasadena...the foul smell of decay, mysterious shreiks, missing persons... You can be a part of the terrifying action by attending the Old Town Haunt! Dates for 2009 are September 25 & 26; October 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31; and November 1st. Less-frightening "lights on" children's matinees will be held on the afternoons of October 17, 24, 25 & 31st from noon until 4 pm. The Pasadena Old Town Haunt address is 20 N Raymond, Pasadena, CA 91103 (at Colorado Blvd.) Here's a Google map to the Old Town Haunt to plan out your route. For full information about this scary Halloween attraction, see the www.OldTownHaunt.com website so you can make plans.

Pomona: Scare View Farms at the Fairplex-- Once the LA County fair ends, its time for the Fairplex in Pomona to gear up for its another annual event. Fearplex at the Fairplex has been held in the past...but this year there's a new event---Nightmare at Scareview Farms! Attractions at the Scare View Farm event include 3 scary mazes, each one with a different theme. 2009 dates for the Fairplex Halloween event will be October 16, 17 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 30, and 31 (Halloween Night.) The Fearplex Scare View Farms address is 1101 W. McKinley Ave, Pomona, CA 91768. Here's a Google map to the Pomona Fairgrounds Fearplex Haunt. Get the full & gory details on the Pomona Fairplex website.

Thousand Oaks: Reign of Terror Haunted House--Here's a special haunted house that's had a significant amount of community volunteer effort go into its creation. This year, it "hits the big time," by moving up to a new, large space at the Janss Marketplace--and promises to be scarier...and more fun...than ever! The Janss Marketplace address is 215 N Moorpark Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA. For dates, times and details, please visit the Reign of Terror Haunted House website.

Other Family Halloween Fun resources

Try these interesting websites to find fun seasonal activities!

Are you from another state of the USA? No problem. This pumpkin patch-finding website has pages for other states and regions, too! Instead of using the Southern California link, simply use the following link to the www.PumpkinPatchesAndMore.org home page, where you'll find a master index for pumpkin patches throughout the 50 states of the USA...AND from the countries of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, as well!

Halloween crafts: www.How-To-Arts-And-Crafts.com: Families who enjoy making crafts projects will delight in seeing the clever Halloween ornaments and other artistic projects which can be found on this new website for crafters. Sections are available for Christmas crafts, as well...if you'd like to use the autumn time to get a head-start for December decorating.

Photo note: To your left, you can see the picture of a cute Southern California pumpkin patch. This one, located near US 101 and the Fallbrook exit, offers pony rides and inflatables for jumping in addition to selling Halloween pumpkins.

More Southern California Halloween activities: www.AlleyCatScratch.com: Here's a must-view site if you'd like the details about various Halloween festivities which will be happening around Southern California (both family-style and for teens or adults.) The events cover a wide span of types...everything from doggie Halloween costume contests to Haunted Houses. You'll find large-scale, expensive events (like haunted evenings aboard the Queen Mary) and inexpensive or free celebrations (like local street fairs.)

San Diego Halloween Activities: If you're living in or visiting greater San Diego, you'll naturally be more interested in Halloween activities going on in San Diego County. You can find out about San Diego area pumpkin patches at the Sign On San Diego website; and from the "Pumpkins" page, you'll find links to still MORE info about San Diego Halloween events and celebrations.

Halloween activities throughout California: www.BeachCalifornia.com's October 2009 events calendar: Here's still another good Halloween events calendar. It focuses on SoCal events, but includes October festivals in other parts of California, too. Secondly, it covers all types of events going on in October, not just Halloween activities. So, you'll also find out about Oktoberfest events, Fall festivals, and misc events (like jazz festivals, art festivals, car shows, etc.

Disney's printable Halloween fun for kids: The Disney company publishes a family-oriented activities magazine and website called Family Fun. If you're looking for professional-looking Halloween coloring pages and pencil games (such as Halloween mazes & connect-the-dots puzzles,) then this is a great website for finding a whole treasure chest's load of them! Also on this website, you'll find fun family arts & crafts activities, children's Halloween party ideas...and Halloween-themed games to play at those parties! Use the following link to check out the Halloween section of Disney's Family Fun.com Website.

Halloween coloring pages: If you have children who love to color, you won't want to miss checking out the Halloween coloring pages of the www.ColoringBookFun.com website. This website is a real "find" for families, baby sitters, day care centers, etc needing a constant supply of printable coloring pages. When your group gets done coloring the Halloween pictures...which will take awhile, because there are so many...you can explore the site and find hundreds of other pictures to color. You'll find coloring pages to fit all of the major holidays, as well as many popular children's cartoon, movie and TV characters.

Jack Skellington Merchandise on Ebay!

See more Southern California Halloween pictures!

How about taking a short photo tour of fun SoCal Halloween activities? Simply punch the eerie snakeskin-grey button above, and you'll head to the next Halloween page!

Or, choose a page from some of the categories on this website in the links below---

Backwards Links:   Family-Vacation-Getaways.com HOME ::   Latest News ::   Privacy Policy ::   Back to top of "Family Halloween Fun"

Discover fun SoCal Halloween activities:   Disneyland Resort:   Disneyland Halloween Events ::   Woodys Roundup pics ::   Haunted Mansion pics ::   Haunted Mansion, pt 2 ::   Disney Pumpkins ::   Disney Candy Corn ::   Mickeys Halloween Parade ::   Dance w/Disney Characters ::   Halloween Disney Characters ::   Knotts-- Knott's Halloween Events::   Scary Farm Pics::   Halloween Haunt Pics, pt 2::   Six Flags-- 6 Flags Fright pics ::   Magic Mtn pics, pt 2 ::   Other parks: Legoland Halloween ::   Seaworld Halloween ::   Universal's Horror Nights ::

Explore different Halloween costume ideas:   Halloween Costume Photo Contest 2009 ::   Halloween Creative Design Contest ::   Captain Jack Sparrow ::   Captain Jack, pt 2 ::   Celebrity & Movie costumes ::   Cheap Halloween Costumes ::   Children's Animal Costumes ::   Clown Costumes ::   Darth Vader ::   Other Star Wars Costumes ::   Disney Princesses ::   Fairy Costumes ::   Inexpensive Homemade Costumes ::   Nightmare Before Christmas costumes ::   Pet Costumes ::   Pirates/kids ::   Pirate Costumes/Adults ::   Plus Size Costumes ::   Superhero Costumes ::   Witch/Vampire costumes ::   Wizard of Oz ::   Contest Winners 9/08 ::   Contest Winners 10/08, pt 1 ::   Contest Winners 10/08, pt 2 ::

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