Are you counting down the days to Halloween? Or is it just us? Halloween is one of our absolute favorite holidays. But what can you do in a COVID Halloween world? Halloween in Los Angeles 2020 certainly won’t look the same as usual. Sadly no Weho Halloween Carnaval or haunted hay rides. And while trick-or-treating is off the table this year, Halloween is far from cancelled. There are plenty of Halloween activities you can do with your friends and family. But one of the most unique experiences has to be Haunt ‘O Ween, an immersive drive-thru event.
The event comes from Experiential Supply, an award-winning company that the Hollywood movie industry turns to for large-scale, immersive experiences. But how did they move into creating a Halloween-themed drive thru adventure? According to its Founder and Chief Experience Officer Jasen Smith, he didn’t want the pandemic to ruin Halloween this year. He decided to create something that could bring the whole LA community together.
Halloween In Los Angeles 2020: Pandemic Or No Pandemic, Planning A Fun Night Out
My husband Kevin loves Halloween. But he has a very specific taste — all things witches, goblins and of course plenty of Reese’s peanut butter cups. Pretty much, it needs to channel the spirit of Halloween. But if it involves, slashers, gore or horror, watch out. He once nearly dumped an entire cup of diet soda on my lap while watching the trailer for The Conjuring. You know that kind of person I’m talking about. Every year, it’s my job to find Halloween movies and activities that capture Halloween…but aren’t scary. I mean, that eliminates about 95 percent of Halloween things. But hey, we make it work. Luckily Haunt ‘O Ween passed with flying colors. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that candy will be passed throughout.
Is Haunt ‘O Ween Safe For The Entire Family
After reading through all of the safety precautions in place, I feel like the organizers are taking great care to keep everyone socially distanced and sanitizing anything touched. We recently had twin babies and feel completely comfortable bringing them. And let’s just say, I’m about as protective as it gets with the kids! If the car windows are down, masks must be worn by all adults. Also, all staff working in the pumpkin patch and trick or treating areas will wear gloves and masks. Items such as pumpkins and candy will be sanitized and handled by gloved staff.
What Can We Expect During Haunt ‘O Ween?
Here is just a quick rundown on what will take place during the 25-35 minute drive through experience.
- “DOOR TO DOOR” TRICK OR TREATING – It’s an ordinary neighborhood with a beautifully spooky Halloween overlay. Vehicles will pass down two streets, stopping door to door. Costumed (and safely masked) actors coming out from their “homes” with poles and buckets filled with wrapped candy will provide a re-imagined trick or treat experience.
- IMMERSIVE INSTALLATIONS – Vehicles will pass through an immersive Jack-O-Lantern tunnel with over 1,000 pumpkins and many more mesmerizing installations.
- SCENIC PATHS – The traditional Halloween vibe will be brought to life with an array of Halloween environments and mini-maze routes, including giant pumpkins, headless horsemen, and countless spider webs.
- INTERACTIVE PUMPKIN PATCH – Each vehicle’s passengers will choose a pumpkin, which will be sanitized and placed in a plastic bag. As vehicles drive through a windy-themed pumpkin patch, families can retrieve their pumpkins from a drive-up container or have them placed in their trunks.
- VIDEO OP AND PHOTO OP – Each car will pull up to a green screen to create a video/photo memory of your experience that will be emailed directly to you for easy sharing on your socials.
So here’s to another not-so-scary Halloween adventure. And this year, we’ll get to do it with kids. Let’s hope there won’t be many tears and screams (from the babies…no guarantee from my husband!). But at least, we’ll be in the comfort of the car!
THE LOWDOWN:
- DATES: Friday, October 9 through Saturday, October 31, 2020
- TIMES: 3:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time, 7 days a week
- WHERE: 6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91367
- TICKET PRICE: $70 per vehicle. Advance purchase is highly recommended. A limited number of drive up tickets will be available.
- TO PURCHASE TICKETS: Visit the HAUNT ‘O WEEN LA website HERE. Private experiences for families, groups and businesses are available. For further information, please email info@experientialsupply.com.
