If you already feel behind in your spooky season celebrations, we have the solution: here is a curated list of some of the best ways to spend October in Long Beach. The best part — these can all be done on your own time, in your own way. Some have age limits, but most are open to the whole family.
A few of these places are hosting their own curated celebrations throughout the month, so bust out the calendar and plan your perfect spooky day in Long Beach.
Mix and match some of the fall treats we found throughout the city, then head to a few unique shops, and end the night exploring a haunted ship, watching a Halloween classic in a 100-year-old theater or at a horror-themed bar.
Morning Treats
Verdes Kitchen + Drinks – Spooky Smoothies
Enjoy a wide range of cold pressed juices and smoothies from this small business in the quaint Wrigley neighborhood, with three Halloween concoctions that are more treats than tricks. These drinks are not only seasonal, but good for you, with organic healthy offerings to start off your spooky day in Long Beach.
- The Ghost smoothie comes with cutesy ghouls adorning the sides of the cup. Inside is coconut water, banana, blueberries, spinach, coconut, probiotic yogurt and activated charcoal.
- Their Halloween Swirl looks Insta-worthy with its purple and orange haze. It’s made up of orange juice, carrot juice, pineapple, banana, mango, activated charcoal, and coconut probiotic yogurt.
- The Frankenstein smoothie not only looks adorable, but is packed with nutrients. This drink comes with coconut water, apple, pineapple, banana, kale, spinach, activated charcoal, and coconut probiotic yogurt.
Verdes Kitchen is located at 1106 E Wardlow Road and is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Good Time – Fall Coffees and Drinks
Tasty, affordable coffees, teas and food are a regular staple at this Zaferia neighborhood coffee shop, along with beers, wine, house plants and trinkets galore. What’s new — a menu of seasonal drinks incorporating flavors like champurrado, brown sugar and orange ginger to fully ‘tis the season for coffee and little treat lovers.
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- Champurrado Latte; Iced or hot: Latinos will know this familiar fall and winter staple, which is usually served hot and before pozole or tamales. Good Time makes this drink with a champurrado syrup (made with the famed Abuelita’s chocolate), cinnamon, vanilla, piloncillo, and your choice of milk and a double shot of espresso.
- Brown Sugar Pumpkin Spice Latte; Iced or hot: This housemade drink is made with pumpkin spice syrup, a touch of maple, your choice of milk and a double shot of espresso.
- Salted Maple Latte with Cold Foam: This iced coffee comes with maple syrup, your choice of milk, a double shot of espresso and house-made salted maple cold foam.
- Orange Ginger Shrub (Iced): Good Time’s house-made shrub made of orange, ginger and pear is paired with sparkling water for a refreshing fall-themed, non-caffeinated drink.
Good Time is located at 1322 Coronado Ave. and is open Saturdays through Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Rad Coffee – Spooky Crafted Fraps, Lattes and Other Drinks
If you haven’t tried the creepy, creative coffees, fraps and teas from Rad Coffee since they came to town last year, now is the perfect time. This coffee shop is in homage to all things punk and horror, with monster-themed fraps offered year-round and special themes announced regularly. This year they’ve announced a lineup of pumpkin-y delights available the rest of the year.
Horror-Chata: This drink comes with a hint of cinnamon and caramel blended together to create a candy corn-flavored concoction. Substitute the coffee with a cold brew for an extra kick.
Chai: Rad Coffee’s specialty chai is getting a fall upgrade with pumpkin sauce and pumpkin spice sprinkled on top.
Bonesbrew: Take two shots of espresso, cold brew concentrate, a bit of cream and pumpkin, and you have a caffeine kick strong enough to take on Frankenstein himself.
Cold Brew: Their regular cold brew is mixed with cream and pumpkin for those who are content without the frills.
The Pumpkin King: Deemed “the biggest and strongest pumpkin latte in the coffee game,” this drink comes with a white chocolate sauce, cinnamon, four shots of espresso, cold brew concentrate, and is shaken with ice and cream. It’s then topped with caramel drizzle and spices as a finishing touch.
The S-keto-ten: For those on a low-sugar, high fat and protein diet Rad has introduced this shaken keto delight. It’s a cold brew with pumpkin, spices and a hint of heavy cream.
You can also pop into Rad Coffee and as for any drink, iced, hot or blended, to be mixed with a pumpkin pie blend, pumpkin sauce or spice. All of these drinks have vegan options upon request.
The coffee shop also has a Haunted House menu for October, including “Berry Worms,” “The Creep,” “The Spook Show,” a burnt sugar latte, an apple caramel oat chair and a peanut butter checkered with mocha.
Rad Coffee is located at 3502 Atlantic Ave. and is open every day from 6 a.m. to midnight.
Afternoon Outings
Dainty Disco – Spooky, Cutesy Craft Time
This North Long Beach Latina-owned small business has become a staple for creatives and local crafters. Dainty Disco continues to expand on its founding purpose of spotlighting and selling locally-sourced crafts, and has added a slew of Halloween-themed stickers, charms, jewelry and clothing.
You can also reserve a spot for one of their creative workshops with the option to pick out and decorate your own jewelry boxes, purses, mirrors, frames, claw clips and more — with a spooky twist for October. They offer multiple time slots a day, so check their online calendar to reserve a date and add a creative experience to your eerie Long Beach outing.
Dainty Disco’s themes throughout the month include kawaii and Beetlejuice, Discoween, horror and spooky Halloween. More details will be shared on their Instagram.
All of this will be at the forefront of Dainty Disco’s Discoween pop-up from Oct. 10-13.
Attendees can come enjoy a creative-filled weekend of 15+ local vendors, bringing their best spooky crafts. You can also come and create your own spooky craft, take part in the free coloring station, or enjoy the live DJ and sip on Halloween-themed coffee and drinks.
Costumes are highly encouraged at this girl-powered Halloween get-together.
Dainty Disco is located at 5659 Atlantic Ave. and is open Wednesdays through Fridays from noon to 6 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.
Long Beach Creamery – Seasonal Ice Cream Scoopings
Everyone deserves a sweet treat, even goblins and ghouls. Long Beach Creamery not only offers weekly fresh batches of organic handcrafted ice cream, but they’ll be rolling out fall flavors all month long. You can grab a $14 pint or mix and match scoops to create your own creamy concoction.
Current offerings include the Great Pumpkin, made with kabocha squash, maple syrup, orange juice, cognac, cinnamon, and Chinese 5 spice. It will be available in pints and single scoops beginning Oct. 5. Another twist on an ice cream classic is their Crispy Mallow, with vanilla ice cream, candied rice crispy cereal and pink marshmallow fluff with dragon fruit for coloring. This flavor is running low, so don’t miss your chance to grab a pint. Follow their Instagram for more updates on their fall flavors.
Signature flavors include their Black Ring Coffee, made with coffee from a Long Beach roaster of the same name, Burnt Caramel, Mexican Vanilla, Whiskey Vanilla, and Saltine Dream. Vegan sorbet options include sweet lime, pineapple whip, boysenapple and ginger peach.
Round out your sweet tooth craving with one of Long Beach Creamery’s baked goods, such as their famous buttercake or whoopie pie sandwiches, or bring the festivities home with a container of their take-and-bake chocolate chip cookies.
Long Beach Creamery has two locations, one at 222 East Broadway, and the other at 4141 Long Beach Blvd. Hours of operation vary at each location.
The Elemental Shop – Witchy Stuff Galore
Now is the perfect time to explore your witchy side, and The Elemental Shop in Downtown Long Beach has everything to get you started safely. Its shelves and tables are filled with crystals, guiding books, candles, tarot decks, dried herbs, liquids and oils and jewelry.
For those who truly want to jump into the world of casting and manifesting, The Elemental Shop has tools that are bonafide rare finds — a small cast iron cauldron, ritual tea spoons, chakra voodoo dolls, smudging feathers, crystal and emblem wands, tuning forks, pendulum boards — you can come here and leave ready to explore your spiritual prowess.
The Elemental is hosting a trio of fun events in October for anyone who wants to visit and get to know their fellow witch-curious neighbors before diving into the world.
- Oct. 12 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Evening Sound Bath – Enjoy an hour of soothing sounds from crystal bowls, gongs and other tools. This is meant to help attendees release stress, balance your energy and connect with calming energies. Bring a mat, a journal, and anything else you need to be comfortable. Tickets are $30.
- Oct. 19 from noon to 4 p.m.: Enchanting Exchange – Witches can come and share stories, connect with kindred spirits and swap their mystical tools with one another. Entry is free with an item to swap or donate.
- Oct 26 from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.: “Hocus Pocus” Party – From 5 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., attendees can enjoy astrology, pendulum and tarot readings, snacks, beverages, a live DJ, games and prizes. The “Hocus Pocus” screening will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and guests are encouraged to dress in their witchiest best.
The Elemental Shop is located at 312 Elm Ave. and is open on Tuesdays through Fridays from noon to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Haunted Evenings
The Bamboo Club – Creepy Cocktails
While The Bamboo Club is usually a cozy, warm place to grab a fruity drink, they’re transforming into a Halloween must-visit during October.
Their six-cocktail menu features colorful and creatively adorned drinks with tropical, spicy and minty offerings — with the occasional skeleton arm rising from the ice cubes. Drinks included in this pop-up are Frankie Freako, Witches of Eastwick, Day Walker, Basic Witch, Welcome to The Dark Tai’d, and the Fall of Romulus, each more tasty and decorated than the last.
The Bamboo Club has rebranded itself as the Tremble Club for the month of October, with skeletons, black lights, spiders and webs and much more, making it the perfect way to end your spooky night in Long Beach. They will also continue their weekly live music nights and occasional vinyl listening parties, so check their Instagram to keep up with events.
The Bamboo Club is located at 3522 E Anaheim St. and open Mondays through Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Queen Mary – Graveyard Tours
While the general public will visit The Queen Mary’s extravagant Dark Harbor nights throughout the month, you can explore the areas of the ship rarely seen by the public in the dead of night and well into the witching hours. Groups will be led on a tour through abandoned classrooms, boiler rooms and more while hearing the legend behind some of The Queen Mary’s notorious spectors.
Attendees must be at least 16 years old to take part in the tour. Due to the age of the ship, some parts of this tour are not accessible to everyone.
Tours will take place from midnight to 2 a.m. with extensive walking and standing, so make sure to eat beforehand. Dates include Oct. 4, 5, 11, 12, 17-19, 24-26 and 31. Tickets start at $90 and can be purchased online.
4th Horseman – Halloween Drag Nights – every Tuesday in October at 8 p.m.
This Downtown Long Beach bar offers spooky vibes year-round, but it’s the perfect way to round out a Halloween night on the town. Keep in mind this bar is for those 21 years and older.
4th Horseman offers their handcrafted specialty pizzas every night, as well as their “flavors of the month,” like the current pepperjack, coppocola, green bell pepper and shallot pizza, complete with a jalapeño garlic hot sauce pentagram.
If you want to enjoy pool, beer on draft, cocktails and food — not to mention live music on most weekends — while being watched over by photos of Hannibal Lector and looming skeletons hanging from the ceiling, this is your place. This year, the goth-themed bar is also hosting weekly Dragula shows every Tuesday in October, taking the art form at its face and going even further. Long Beach drag queen Girl Haggard will be hosting these weekly Extermination shows, with all the lip synching and outfits drag enthusiasts are used to, with an extra dose of creep and horror.
4th Horseman is located at 121 W Fourth St. and is open Sundays through Thursdays from noon to 11 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from noon to midnight.
Long Beach Art Theatre – Not Your Average Scary Movies
Long Beach’s 100-year-old independent theater has a reputation of playing movies that are hard to find anywhere else, and their October lineup is no different.
From classic Halloween cartoons for the whole family to late night horror films, you can find a fun, new way to wrap up your spooky night on the town at this Fourth Street staple. Along with a lineup of Halloween essentials, attendees can enjoy a live shadow cast at “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” screening, who will act along with the movie on stage as the film plays. This screening will also include virgin games and a preshow for those who arrive early.
The Halloween night “Nosferatu” screening comes with the original score played live in-person by the Jack Curtis Dubowsky Ensemble.
Halloween movie dates include:
- “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) on 16mm: Friday, Oct. 11 at 10 p.m.
- “Betty Boop Halloween Party” (1933): Sunday, Oct. 13 at 11 a.m.
- “Shaun of the Dead” (2004): Friday, Oct. 18 at 10 p.m.
- “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Part 2” (1986): Friday, Oct. 25 at 10 p.m.
- “Interview with a Vampire” (1994): Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 26 and 27 at 11 a.m.
- “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975): Saturday, Oct. 26 at 11:45 p.m.
- “Nosferatu” (1922): Thursday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m.
