Halloween is finally here and there are oodles of ways for kids and adults to get their trick and/or treat on locally this weekend. I couldn’t find much in the way of non-holiday happenings, but there are still a few compelling educational webinars and in-person classes to check out, including many offerings from LA County Parks.
Halloween Happenings
Local favorite The Cat and Fiddle is fittingly celebrating a Cat’s & Witches Halloween all weekend long, with happy hour and a pre-fixe menu ($28-39 per person) available for takeout, dine-in and delivery. Swing by the Cat in a costume on Halloween day and get a raffle ticket for a chance to win a $50 Cat & Fiddle gift card. Kids will also have a chance to win a Halloween activity basket courtesy of the folks at Kitchen Mouse. A reservation is recommended for dining in and the pre-order window is available until Saturday, October 30. Events dates and times: Saturday, October 30 from noon-10 p.m. and Sunday, October 31 from noon-10 p.m.
Trick and Treat Happy Hour at Go Get Em Tigeris going on in the Village (and all locations) from 12-2 p.m. every day now through Sunday. The offering is BOGO drinks, so come with a friend or drink two all by yourself. Get the same drink, or mix and match (costumes optional.)
Next, on the Boulevard, the Wilshire Rotary Club will have trick or treating on Saturday, October 30 from 1-3 p.m. at its Pumpkin Patch on North Larchmont. A free bag will be given to the first 100 trick or treaters. Bonus: Boy Scout Troop 10 will be selling Krispy Kreme donuts and hot chocolate on Saturday as well, to raise funds for their projects.
And the festive fun continues a little farther north on Larchmont at Café Gratitude, which invites local and non-local folks to partake in a Halloween costume contest >on Sunday, October 31. The contest will take place from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.; winners will be announced on November 1 and receive a $100, $50, or $25 Café Gratitude gift card. In addition, there will be a photobooth, and health-based, flavor driven, spooky themed DIY Halloween cookie kits for sale ($28), in-store and online. But hurry, there is only a limited amount of these organic, superfood cookie kits available. The Café is open daily from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
For other kinds of holiday fun, a screening of Hotel Transylvania presented by Uplift Family Services will be shown at Larchmont Charter’s Hollygrove School campus (815 N. El Centro, Los Angeles) on Saturday, October 30. The event will take place from 5-8 p.m., and will include dinner by Bludso’s BBQ, popcorn, candy, kids activities and costume contests. The cost is $25 per person; masks and proof of vaccine required. Click here for more information or send an email to [email protected].
And there’s still a chance to get tickets for an immersive trick or treat experience on Cemetery Lane at Heritage Square Museum this Saturday and Sunday, October 30-31. Experience trick or treating like you never have before…at real haunted houses! Enjoy 13 themed stops in the “neighborhood” with other surprises for kids of all ages, too. Entry times are from 1-5 p.m. ($25) and 6-10 p.m. ($30).
Dust off that go-to costume from years past or go all out for a Halloween Party at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s Tropicana Pool on Saturday, October 30 from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Eat, drink, and dance the night away to music from DJ Tommie Sunshine, and 2 other top LA DJs, with specialty Halloween themed food and cocktails from the Tropicana Café. Tickets range from $50-$2750.
And one of my personal favorites this time of year is the annual Dia y Noche de Los Muertos at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, happening this Saturday, October 30. The event will have two separate sessions from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (and 5 p.m. – midnight, which has sold out), but tickets are still available for the day session, so bring the kiddos and enjoy some family time strolling through rows of beautifully crafted altars, face painting, folklorico dance, art and food vendors, and more. Tickets are $40 for general admission and $150 for VIP.
Last but not least, there are a few more creepy movie screenings around town: Pan’s Labryinth on Saturday, October 30 and Get Out on Sunday, October 31 at the Academy Museum. The Complex directed by Hideo Nakata at The Japan Foundation Los Angeles on Halloween Sunday, October 31. Friday the 13th at on Sunday, October 31 at the Roosevelt Theater. The Birds at Hollywood Legion Theater on 35mm film, Sunday, October 31. And the New Beverly Cinema will have some classics, including Beetlejuice and new releases, showing all weekend.
History, Community, Arts and Culture
Chevalier’s Books is having an in-store event on Wednesday, November 3 with author Farah Ali. You can be part of the conversation as Ali discusses her debut collection of stories, People Want to Live, about “togetherness and reckless faith in a world that’s built to break us.” Set in Pakistan, these award-winning stories follow people living on the brink of abandonment in their personal relationships and their place in the world. RSVP and pre-order a signed copy of the book here.
Two more compelling webinars come from the Holocaust Museum LA this week, starting with If You Heard What I Heard Monday, November 1 webinar at 7 p.m. This newly launched collection of interviews with the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, the last generation to hear these stories firsthand, will emphasize the importance of passing this knowledge along to the next generation. Click here to register. Then on Thursday, November 4 at 5 p.m., join leaders from diverse Jewish communities, as they discuss the critical issues these communities still face around the globe today, during the Building Bridges: Jewish Cultural Diversity webinar. This Holocaust Museum LA online series will feature representatives from the museum, as well as JIMENA and 30 Years After<. This program is part of the Holocaust Museum LA’s series. Click here to register.
And community education continues with Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation in-person and online classes. Each season, the county contracts community members to teach and share their expertise with their communities and the Fall 2021 classes are now open. Classes include gardening, cooking, dance & theater, writing, crafting, exercise and fitness, computer and technology, and much more. There is something for the whole family and a whole season to enjoy! Click here for more information and to sign-up.
Local Government
The Mid City West Neighborhood Council will gather virtually on Monday, November 1 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. for the HRRRT (Homelessness, Refugees, and Renters’ Rights) Committee meeting (click here for details) and Thursday, November 4 from 6:30-9 p.m. for the Planning and Land Use Committee. See midcitywest.org for agendas and details.
And finally, the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council will have two Zoom meet-ups this week, with the Transportation Committee holding a Special Meeting on Tuesday, November 2, at 7 p.m…and the Resilience Committee this week on Wednesday, November 3 from 7-8:30 p.m. See greaterwilshire.org for details and agendas for both meetings.
