Halloween Events for Kids Near Me: Boo at the L.A. Zoo Weekends

Boo at the L.A. Zoo returns for two weekends, October 24 and 25 and October 31 and November 1, 2026, with six trick-or-treat stations open from 10am to 3pm each day at 5333 Zoo Drive in Griffith Park. It costs nothing beyond regular zoo admission or an active membership, and parking is free. For Los Angeles families searching halloween events for kids near me, this is the zoo's biggest family tradition of the season, presented by MARS.

The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens opened on November 28, 1966, and it is owned and operated by the City of Los Angeles. It spreads across 133 acres at the junction of the Golden State and Ventura freeways and houses more than 1,700 animals representing over 270 species, more than 60 of them endangered. Its plant collection adds over 800 species.

That size matters on Boo days. The candy stations line the route from the Children's Zoo up to Treetops Terrace, which is a real walk with small legs and some uphill stretches. The zoo also runs a shuttle, priced at $9 for adults, $5 for children and $2 for seniors, which can save a melting-down five-year-old on the climb back.

The six trick-or-treat stations hand out Halloween candy from 10am to 3pm, while supplies last, so the stations are best visited before lunch. Bring your own bag; the zoo asks families to carry one or buy one at its gift shops. Starting at the Children's Zoo and working uphill puts the steepest section behind you while the kids still have energy.

Halloween Headquarters at Treetops Terrace runs games and activities all four days. Children can paint a pumpkin for an additional fee, and partner groups add free programs: Give Kids Art on October 24 and the Los Angeles Public Library on October 25. On October 31, the Bob Baker Marionette Theater performs live at 11am and 1pm, the best reason to pick Halloween day itself.

New this year is an inflatable corn maze, sized for kids who want to get lost and found again in a few minutes. At the Children's Zoo, wandering costume characters from family Halloween films and TV pose for photos, and the lineup changes every day, so a child who loved Saturday's characters may meet new ones on Sunday.

Five decorated photo spots are spread across the grounds at Selig Plaza, the Marketplace, the Children's Zoo, the Rose Garden and Treetop Terrace. Selig Plaza is near the entrance and gets crowded first thing, so save that one for your exit. Treetops Terrace has the most going on and makes the natural midpoint for snacks.

The zoo leans into animals that people associate with Halloween. Each Boo day at noon, keepers bring out vultures and condors at the World of Birds Show Theater and explain why vultures matter to the environment year-round. The Conservation Expo at the Rose Garden, near the flamingo habitat, covers bats, vultures and condors with the zoo's conservation partners.

Pumpkin and Halloween enrichment demonstrations, where animals get seasonal treats, are a favorite, and the zoo will post the schedule closer to the dates. For kids who like a real shiver without decorations, the LAIR houses rare snakes, poisonous frogs, hairy arachnids and venomous lizards. It is a better fright than any haunted house for an eight-year-old.

Adults and children are encouraged to wear costumes, but the zoo does not allow full face masks, weapons, obscenity or anything that could disturb visitors or animals. Leave the toy swords at home and choose face paint over a rubber mask. Costumes that are easy to walk in matter here, because the route covers a lot of ground.

Boo works best for children from about two to nine. Toddlers get the costume characters and the corn maze, while older kids get the vulture talk and the LAIR. An honest call: skip the opening hour on Saturday, October 24, if you are not a member, because members at the Family Deluxe level and above get an exclusive early session from 8am to 10am and the candy stations open to everyone afterward.

For the sixth straight year, the zoo is partnering with Plaza de la Raza Cultural Center for the Arts and Education on the Beloved Pets Ofrenda, an altar where any guest can honor a cherished animal companion that has died. It is a quiet, gentle stop for a child who has lost a dog or cat, and it pairs naturally with the Día de los Muertos season that follows Halloween.

If your weekends are booked, the zoo's next big family event is L.A. Zoo Lights, running November 20 to January 10 from 6pm to 10pm with glowing sculptures, lanterns and projections.

The zoo is open 10am to 5pm, last entry is at 3:45pm, and the animals start to go in for the night at 4pm. Plan to finish the candy route by 3pm, then spend the last hour with the animals. Parking is free until further notice, and food and drinks from home are welcome, though the zoo asks guests not to bring glass, disposable straws or alcohol.

Rentals are first come, first served and credit card only: strollers cost $15, double strollers $20, wheelchairs $15 and electric scooters $40. The carousel runs daily from 10:30am to 4pm, weather permitting, for a nominal fee, and children under 42 inches must ride with an adult, who rides free.

Address: Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027, inside Griffith Park. Boo dates: October 24, 25 and 31 and November 1, 2026. Trick-or-treat stations: 10am to 3pm. Cost: included with zoo admission or membership; pumpkin painting costs extra.

Best plan for Halloween day: arrive at 10am, walk the candy route uphill from the Children's Zoo, catch the 11am marionette show at Treetops Terrace, see the noon vulture talk, then let kids loose in the corn maze. If the stations run out early, the photo spots, keeper talks and LAIR still make a full afternoon.