For families living in Downtown LA, the traditional experience of walking from house to house for Halloween candy can be a little different in a city surrounded by high-rise buildings. The DTLA Alliance Halloween Festival for Kids is bringing that experience to Grand Hope Park by offering a trick-or-treat trail with custom-built doors, candy and other activities.
The festival is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Grand Hope Park, part of ASU California Center Grand. The annual event, now in its 19th year, will include trick-or-treating, carnival games, character meet-and-greets, arts and crafts, a DJ, face painting, balloon twisting and a hot dog dinner.
Admission is $13 per person when purchased in advance and $15 at the door. Children ages 3 and younger are admitted free. The ticket includes all activities and entertainment, the trick-or-treat trail, candy and a hot dog dinner.
“What I love about it is that it offers downtown families, especially those with really young kids who are into trick-or-treating, the opportunity to have a safe experience in the heart of the city, which is really unique,” said Gabriel Yeager, director of placemaking and events for DTLA Alliance.
The DTLA Alliance creates its own version of a neighborhood trick-or-treating experience with custom doors for the event, complete with doorbells, paint and different themes. This year, seven doors will be part of the trick-or-treat trail, and each door will be adopted by a downtown business, organization or community group that will help decorate and staff it during the event.
“Everyone comes for the candy,” Yeager said. “So we have plenty of candy behind each door.”
Along with the trick-or-treat trail, families can participate in carnival games such as ring toss, a rubber duck pond and basketball free throws. The festival will also have a kids’ dance party with DJ Q the Jedi and puppet and magic shows every 30 minutes.
A hot dog dinner is also included with admission, and a vegan hot dog option will be available again this year after families requested it through event surveys. Yeager said feedback from families helps the DTLA Alliance make changes to the festival each year, and planning for the next event begins about a year in advance.
“We start responding and tweaking the events to better serve the people who are coming,” Yeager said. “It’s a year-round process for us to think about how do we improve the Halloween festival? How do we add to make sure it’s a new experience while keeping what is beloved about the event?”
The festival typically brings in about 1,200 to 1,300 people during the three-hour event, and Yeager said they are expecting a slightly higher turnout this year because Halloween falls on a Saturday.
The event has also become a tradition for some downtown families. Yeager said the DTLA Alliance is beginning to see people who attended the festival when they were younger return with children of their own.
The event is supported by presenting sponsor ASU and neighborhood champion sponsor El Corazon Art Park. Community partners include Ketchum-Downtown YMCA, Majestic Art Gallery, Bring Something to the Party, Broadway West, Downtown Dental, Equitas Academy, GRAMMY Museum, Omni Los Angeles and Orangetheory Fitness.
The DTLA Alliance has increased the amount of candy available this year after hearing from families that they wanted more. Yeager said the organization ordered more candy than it has in previous years to make sure the supply lasts throughout the event.
“We have 26,400 pieces of candy on that order alone. There might be another order of candy, but that is quite a bit,” Yeager said.
Families are encouraged to arrive at 5 p.m. when the event begins so they have enough time to participate in the activities throughout the three-hour festival. Attendees are also encouraged to come dressed in family-friendly costumes.
“It really does feel like a small-town Halloween festival, and I think that makes the event so magical,” Yeager said. “It’s really unique for a downtown as large as Downtown LA with a neighborhood of 90,000 residents.”
For more information and tickets, visit downtownla.com/dtla-alliance/signature-events/halloween-festival.
2026 DTLA Alliance Halloween Festival for Kids
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 31, 5 to 8 p.m.
WHERE: Grand Hope Park, 919 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles
COST: $13 before and $15 at the door
INFO: downtownla.com/dtla-alliance/signature-events/halloween-festival