Halloween in Long Beach 2011

Are you looking for tricks or treats? Halloween in Long Beach always has plenty of both. Whether you want to dance the night away at a costume ball or prefer more family-friendly entertainment, there are more than enough events to make adults and kids shriek with delight.

We’ve rounded up a list of terrifying Halloween events including Dark Harbor on the Queen Mary, costume contests for people and pups, Halloween festivals in Long Beach, and dramatic Halloween-themed performances from the symphony, HSLB and more.

We’ll add to the list as we find more fun things to do for Halloween in and around Long Beach.

Queen Mary Dark Harbor

The ship’s crew have ensured this Long Beach halloween tradition’s unforgettable and macabre makeover at the hands of fright masters long responsible for some of Southern California’s biggest scare-fests. More than 45,000 scares per hour await, along with 160 monsters and 20-foot tall flames. Three shipboard and two onshore mazes confuse and ensnare visitors, and although visitors will have every opportunity to turn back, the food, drink and entertainment inside will ensure leaving is unthinkable.

Dark Harbor aboard the Queen Mary begins October 7. The event takes place Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in October from 7pm until midnight. For more information visit www.queenmary.com/Dark-Harbor.aspx. Tickets start at $24 per person or check out the special packages with Fast Fright Pass or Pre-Haunt dinner.

Long Beach Zombie Walk

The 4th Annual Long Beach Zombie Walk continues its legacy in 2011! This year the organizers expect attendance to be more than 20,000 people, which could break two simultaneous Guinness World Record titles: Most people dancing simultaneously in one place to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and largest Zombie Walk of all time! The Halloween-weekend event kicks off at 2pm on Saturday, October 29, 2011 for a full day of family-fun with entertainment for all ages along Pine Avenue in downtown Long Beach including Halloween-themed art, music, vendors, food, drinks, and surprises!

Tickets are $8 in advance and $10.00 at the event. More info and pricing is available online at http://zombiewalklb.com

Mars Attacks on Halloween Weekend

Visit the Richard Goad Theatre in Bixby Knolls to relive the theatrical performance that stunned the nation. The 1938 radio broadcast “interviewed” scientists, military personnel and government officials, all following the progress of alien invaders. The terrifying practical joke will be recast on October 22-31 at 8pm. Get more details about the War of the Worlds broadcast.

Long Beach Comic and Horror Con

Join Long Beach’s most animated revelers for the newly renamed Long Beach Comic and Horror Con at the Long Beach Convention Center over the Halloween weekend, Saturday and Sunday, October 29-30, 2011. With a large horror-loving population in Southern California, many of whom have professional costuming cred in Hollywood, the Masquerade Ball is an event not be missed! . Registration is currently open for 2011′s Long Beach Horror & Comic Con and tickets range from $25-$50.

Historical Society of Long Beach Annual Cemetery Tour

On Saturday, October 29, the dead come to life to tell you about the lives they lived and the way they died at the neighboring Long Beach Municipal and Sunnyside Cemeteries. The event is sponsored by the Historical Society of Long Beach with graveside presentations by actors and costumed volunteers. Tickets the 16th Annual Cemetery Tour go on sale at 8:30 a.m. the day of the event just inside the entrance to Sunnyside Cemetery. Guests can take either guided or self-guided tours. The tour takes approximately two hours to complete, the last presentation is given at 2:00 p.m. Get more details about the annual cemetery tour on the HSLB website or check out this article about the annual cemetery tour in Long Beach.

Long Beach Symphony Pops Halloween Costume Party

A star player in the New York cabaret circuit, Tony DeSare is taking the entertainment world by storm with his smooth crooner style—often compared to Michael Bublé and Harry Connick, Jr. This concert features the music of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer and Irving Berlin. Take a retro-hip trip to the days when the Rat Pack were American royalty! The LBSO Halloween Party is set for October 29 at 8 p.m. More information is available at the LBSO website.

Annual Halloween Kids Costume Contest: Sunday, October 30

Costumed kids are invited to lead the Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade this year and there will be a few $10 prizes to those kids with the best outfits. There is no charge to enter the kids costume contest, but a signed entry form by parent or guardian is required. Be at the parade start line (meet inside the kids playground front gates, corner of Livingston Dr. & Park Ave.) by 2:20 p.m. with your entry form. Kids will step off at 2:25 p.m. Judges will be on the parade route. (See entry below for more information about the parade.)

Read the full list of Halloween fun for kids in Long Beach.

Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade

The Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade will also include a vendor and pet adoption fair. The annual pooch parade is the world’s largest Halloween pet event and more than 500 dressed-up dogs are expected to put their best paw forward.

The 6-block parade starts and ends at Livingston Park in Belmont Shore on Halloween Day, Sunday, October 30 at 2:30 p.m. The Pet Fair is from noon to 5pm. The event is free to spectate. For more information visit www.HauteDogs.org or email [email protected]

Halloween in Downtown Long Beach

More than 30 businesses will offer discounted food, drink and merchandise specials as part of the Downtown Long Beach Associates’ (DLBA) Halloween in Downtown promotion starting at 6 p.m. Monday, October 31. Described as an ‘adult trick-or-treat,’ Halloween in Downtown will feature a variety of activities, discounts and special offers for the over-21 crowd. For more information, call the DLBA at (562) 436-4259 or visit the DLBA website.

Know of a Halloween party, festival or event that we missed? Leave a note in the comments or send your event announcement by email to [email protected]

Photo: Halloween Bokeh by Ginnerobot