Hauntoween 2022 Review
SoCal’s biggest Halloween playground is back and bigger than ever–Hauntoween is here!
This past weekend, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the official opening of Hauntoween. This is the third year this event has been in Los Angeles. I guess you can call me a lifer because I’ve gone every year. This event has always been a trailblazer of Halloween events in Los Angeles, beginning with its drive-through event, and then transitioning into what it has become today—an all-out Halloween town!
Hauntoween is a full-fledged 200,000 sq. ft. family-friendly event that goes on throughout the month of October at Westfield Topanga Canyon. Last year it was known for its incredible partnership with the animated version of The Addams Family, and this year they have partnered with several different brands to give it another unique feel. The list of this year’s partners includes Happy Dad and Netflix, among others, with a special, digital scavenger hunt throughout the experience to promote “Daniel Spellbound,” a new animated show coming to Netflix. I didn’t end up doing the scavenger hunt because I was too busy enjoying all of the photo opportunities, but I did have a chance to stop by the Photo Booth for a quick pic!
If you were in attendance last year, you’d remember that this event had a carnival theme, whereas this year the theme felt more like a haunted rave. There were tons of neon lights, glowing effects, and even a few party zones. In one area, there was a graffiti table where guests could make their mark on the event. I tried doing this, but by the time I got there, all of the paint cans were empty. Guess I’ll just have to leave my mark on Hauntoween another way!
Some of my highlights for this event were, of course, trick-or-treating and simply immersing myself in a true Halloween world. There are not many chances for adults to collect candy from strangers anymore, so whenever the opportunity presents itself, I will always jump at the chance! I especially love trick-or-treating at Hauntoween because they’ve created a row of faux houses that are decorated for Halloween, which makes the experience feel a little more authentic.
Hauntoween is one of my favorite events each year because I feel that so much love and attention to detail has gone into its production. Each zone is beautifully decorated and transports you to a new spooky world. As a content creator, I love that there are so many places where you can take photos and it makes you feel like you’re in different areas throughout the night.
I truly enjoyed this year‘s Hauntoween, and only a few things could make it better. Unless you really love taking photos, I think that Hauntoween is best suited for people with families. I am 27 years old and I went to this event with my 30-year-old fiancé, and while we had a great time hanging out in all of the different areas, taking lots of pictures, and feeling the nostalgia of trick-or-treating, I don’t feel like there was too much else for us to do. Of course, they did have a beer garden set up which was nice, but we’re not big drinkers so we didn’t spend much time there.
However, if you have a big family or even a small family with young kids, this event is absolutely perfect for you. There are so many activities for the little ones, including the scavenger hunt, face painting, and carnival rides. They have a giant slide that you can ride down, a haystack that the kids can climb, and even baby roller coasters that are similar to what you would find at a county fair.
This year over all the other years felt the most geared towards families. In the future, I would love to see more activities geared towards adults that don’t have to do with alcohol. I’m not sure what that would look like, but I know that I still plan on going next year, and I especially plan to go when my fiancé and I have kids down the line.
All in all, I’d say that Hauntoween 2022 was an amazing experience that I would recommend for people of all ages, but especially those with kids! Be sure to check out my Hauntoween highlight reel on Instagram and TikTok and come back for more Los Angeles Halloween event reviews!
Highlights from Hauntoween 2022!
