West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval 2026: LA's Biggest Halloween Parade Near Me

For adults in Los Angeles searching halloween parade near me, there is one answer that dwarfs the rest: the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval, on Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 6 to 11 pm. The City of West Hollywood closes a one-mile stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard, the historic Route 66, between North Doheny Drive and North La Cienega Boulevard, and more than 100,000 people in costume walk it end to end. There are no floats. The crowd is the parade, and admission is free with no ticket.

The Carnaval was first launched in 1987, and in the decades since it has grown into what Visit West Hollywood describes as an event that draws hundreds of thousands of participants and spectators over its history. Its home is the Rainbow District, the stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard lined with LGBTQ+ bars and clubs, and the costumes lean theatrical to match: drag looks, group concepts with a dozen people, and handmade pieces months in the making.

The city organizes it, with safety guidelines from the West Hollywood Sheriff's Station. Unlike a traditional parade with a reviewing stand, the fun is walking the mile, stopping to photograph costumes and being photographed in turn. If you have a big group costume, this is the place in Los Angeles to bring it.

The official programming is simple. One stage sits at Santa Monica Boulevard and North San Vicente Boulevard with a live DJ set, and food trucks line the closed street. Everything else happens on the asphalt. The stage at San Vicente is the natural magnet, so the ends of the mile near La Cienega and Doheny are where to go when you need room to breathe.

A good route for first-timers is to enter near La Cienega around 6 pm while the crowd is still moving, walk west toward the stage, and plan a meeting point before you lose signal in the crush. Pick something fixed, such as the corner of Robertson Boulevard, rather than a person in a costume, since there will be a hundred similar ones.

Security checks are part of the night. Alcohol and public drinking are not allowed on the street, and you cannot buy alcohol on the boulevard. Backpacks, camera cases and tote bags are banned, though clear plastic bags are allowed. Weapons, fireworks and drones are prohibited, and the city strongly discourages bringing children or pets. The safety message is the familiar one: if you see something, say something.

Plan costumes around the bag rule. A costume with built-in pockets or a clear bag beats a prop that hides a purse. You can come and go from the bars and restaurants along the route, which is where drinking happens. Once you step back onto the street, the no-alcohol rule applies again.

Santa Monica Boulevard closes long before the party. The city closes the boulevard from La Cienega to Doheny, and from Croft and Holloway to La Cienega, from 10 am on October 31 until 6 am on November 1, with full closure to cars by noon, and side streets close at the boulevard from 7 am. North San Vicente from Santa Monica Boulevard to Melrose closes from midnight on October 31, and West Hollywood Park, including its dog parks and basketball courts, is closed until 7 am on November 1.

Parking is tight. The five-story West Hollywood Park structure is closed all day on October 31, and the Library Garage closes from 5 am. One helpful change: residential permit parking restrictions are lifted citywide from 11 am on October 31 until noon on November 1. Even so, the city strongly encourages rideshare or free public transit.

On Halloween the city suspends its regular PickUp and Cityline shuttles and replaces them with the free WeHo Halloween Ride, running from 6 pm to 3 am along Santa Monica Boulevard between North La Brea Avenue and North Kings Road. Some vehicles connect to the Hollywood/Highland Metro station from 6 pm to midnight, which links the party to the B Line subway.

Metro buses that serve West Hollywood include the 4, 10, 30 and 330, 105, 212 and 312, 217 and 218, though detours around the closure are expected. The event hashtag is #wehohalloween, which is also the fastest way to find friends who have already posted where they are.

The Abbey at 692 North Robertson Boulevard, is the best-known bar in the district, open until 2 am, and its menu lists a Cosmo Martini at $18. Expect a line at the door on Halloween; going in before 6 pm, while the street is still filling, gives you the best shot at a table.

Micky's at 8857 Santa Monica Boulevard sells a Halloween Pass wristband for $50 in presale, valid from noon on October 31 to 4 am on November 1, which lets you come and go between the club and the street. On ordinary weekdays its happy hour runs $5 well drinks, house wine and beer, but Halloween is a ticketed night.

Hamburger Mary's at 8288 Santa Monica Boulevard, sits just east of La Cienega, outside the closed mile, and opens from 11 am on weekends, which makes it a natural place to eat before walking in at 6 pm. The food trucks on the closed boulevard cover snacks once you are inside the event footprint.

Eat a real meal before the gates open. Once the street fills, restaurants along the route are packed, and leaving to find food means fighting the crowd twice. A late lunch around 4 pm, then changing into costume, keeps the evening simple.

Event: West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval, Saturday, October 31, 2026, 6 to 11 pm, free, no ticket. Where: Santa Monica Boulevard between North Doheny Drive and North La Cienega Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069. Stage: Santa Monica and San Vicente. Rules: no alcohol on the street, no backpacks or totes (clear bags OK), no weapons, fireworks or drones; children and pets discouraged. Shuttle: free WeHo Halloween Ride 6 pm to 3 am.

Ask Karpo in the Karpo APP for a pre-Carnaval dinner in West Hollywood or the quickest rideshare drop-off point near Santa Monica Boulevard.