West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval 2023

Back with a bang after a hiatus due to COVID-19, the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval is the premier event on October 31 to celebrate this spooky day in the greater Los Angeles area. The epicenter of this exciting evening is Santa Monica Boulevard, and aside from tons of people dressed in their best costumes, the Hollywood Halloween Carnaval offers upbeat music and food to complete the experience.

The West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval is considered the most massive street party in the area, and the first Halloween Carnaval was celebrated in West Hollywood in 1987. The Halloween event is so big that there are various closures to be aware of. For example, West Hollywood Park itself, plus the dog parks, basketball courts, and five-story parking lot there, will close all day on October 31 and only re-open at 7 am on November 1.

As one of the most colorful Halloween celebrations around, Halloween carnaval goers will want to totally immerse themselves in the action all along Santa Monica Boulevard. When you attend, you'll want your costume to shine, and nothing distracts more from the character you're trying to portray than dragging a heavy suitcase behind you. So, along with making plans for parking or transportation to the carnaval, make sure you also have a plan for your luggage or any other unneeded items like coats, backpacks, and umbrellas. Visit a Bounce luggage storage location in the Los Angeles area, and you won't be laden down with any extra stuff.

About the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval 2023

It's important to note that although Halloween is often a day dedicated to kids, this event isn't one for children (or pets, for that matter). Have your family-friendly Halloween celebrations earlier in the evening, and then head out to Santa Monica Blvd for the colorful Halloween celebrations for adults at the carnaval. Although this is still a safe Halloween carnaval, the West Hollywood Sheriff's station and the event itself generally encourage you to leave the kids at home.

As you might expect, the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval takes place on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, and runs from 6 pm to 11 pm. The entire event gives carnaval goers the chance to celebrate in a one-mile stretch of Halloween fun.

The event takes place along Santa Monica Boulevard between the intersections of North Doheny Drive and North La Cienega Boulevard. The main stage is located at Santa Monica Boulevard at North San Vicente Boulevard, so you'll likely want to focus your attention on this area.

The stage area features tasty food trucks, so there's no need to eat before you arrive. The stage will host live DJ sets to keep the energy up, so make sure your costume gives you enough range of movement to dance the night away.

Anyone planning to visit the Santa Monica Boulevard area for the event is encouraged to dress in costume, and when you see the thousands of people all dressed up, you'll want to make sure you have your camera handy. There's no better spot to capture the magic of wildly dressed Halloween revelers than this!

When it comes to transportation, the City has extended service on certain lines to accommodate everyone. The Cityline and PickUp will provide expanded service from 5 pm until 3 am. Additionally, services will be available from 5 pm to 11:30 pm from Kings Road to La Brea Ave, which will connect eventgoers to the convenient Hollywood/Highland Metro Station.

Planning to drive instead of using public transportation? The City of West Hollywood will actually lift the standard residential-only permit parking limitations between 11 am on the 31st and noon on the 1st. Just don't forget to move your car before the deadline, or you're likely to get an expensive ticket.

One last thing to remember when you go to the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval is that due to the large crowd on Santa Monica Blvd specifically, which is exactly what you want for an event like this, keep your wits about you. Keep your valuables safe, or better yet, leave them at home or at a Bounce luggage storage facility.

Luggage storage in Los Angeles

No luggage storage is provided at this event, and the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval has a strict clear bag policy. That means that no suitcases, tote bags, backpacks, or camera cases will be permitted inside the Santa Monica Boulevard area on October 31. The exception is if you can use a clear bag. As long as security can see through your bag completely, you'll be able to bring it in.

Instead of trying to find a suitable clear bag, the better solution is to find some convenient luggage storage nearby. That's when it's a good idea to partner with Bounce. Our luggage storage locations are scattered all over Los Angeles in the places you need them.

Have a couple of costume choices with you in case you need them? Once you get dressed, leave the extras with us. Don't carry your coat with you, or worse, wear it over your costume just because you have nowhere to put it. We can provide a safe place to store whatever you don't need while you attend the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval, and you can pick everything up the next day.

Bounce can store items of just about any size for as long as you need, so you won't feel pressured to pick your things up immediately after the Halloween Carnaval. Add this flexibility to convenient locations around the city, 24/7 customer support, and the $10,000 BounceShield™ guarantee, and it's easy to see why Bounce is the top choice for luggage storage in LA.

Things to do in West Hollywood during the Halloween Carnaval

The Halloween fun in the Los Angeles area isn't strictly limited to the Halloween Carnaval. Bars, restaurants, and other businesses all lean into the theme and put on some great Halloween-themed events. Many of the events require purchasing tickets in advance, so plan ahead if you can.

When you need an activity for the family, head to the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride in Griffith Park. It's a nighttime tractor ride through the 30-acre park with lots of incredible costumes and scary characters along the way. Want to go even bigger? Universal Studios puts on Halloween Horror Nights at this time of year, which will immerse you in the best horror movies and TV shows you can think of. It's a three-dimensional experience that shouldn't be missed if you have the stomach for it.

Another spooky event in LA is the Night of the Jack. This one is also family-friendly with things like pumpkin carving, a Halloween-themed walking trail, food trucks, face painting, and even the "Spookeasy," which offers Halloween cocktails, wine, and craft beer for the adults.

Still haven't had enough Halloween fun? The Boo at the LA Zoo is another great option that you can do during the day. There are trick-or-treat stations, animals chowing down on pumpkins, festive decor, spooky story time, and the chance to get up close and personal with some of the zoo's scarier creatures like snakes and venomous lizards.

If you want a little balance and prefer to do a few non-Halloween things before or after the Carnaval, LA definitely won't let you down. For museums, there's the Getty, the La Brea Tar Pits Museum, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, to name but a few.

You can also visit iconic sights around town, like the Hollywood Sign, the Griffith Observatory (which can be paired with a haunted hayride), and the Santa Monica Pier nearby.

We can't talk about attractions in Los Angeles without adding Universal Studios, which is just a 10-minute drive north of West Hollywood. If you don't mind going a little further and crossing the entire city, Disneyland is another fantastic thing to do in Anaheim. The drive will take you about half an hour without traffic, but because this is LA, you should plan for it to take double that (at least).

See you at the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval in 2023?

Aren't you glad that the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval is finally back in 2023? Anyone in LA around the end of October should definitely add this lively event to their schedule. Put on your favorite costume and be prepared for a night full of music, dancing, and fun. Don't eat before you go, or you'll miss out on sampling the cuisine from some of LA's best food trucks. To ensure you can dance, eat, and maneuver through the crowds, drop off any unneeded luggage or items with Bounce before you arrive.