The Los Angeles Zoo is gearing up for its annual "Boo at the L.A. Zoo" celebration, offering two weekends of Halloween-themed fun for Southern California residents. Starting this Saturday, the festivities will run on both Saturday and Sunday, and again on October 31 and November 1, with activities scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
Visitors can look forward to six trick-or-treat stations scattered along the route from the Winnick Family Children’s Zoo to Treetop Terrace. According to the zoo, candy will be distributed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily while supplies last. Guests are encouraged to bring their own trick-or-treat bags, though they will also be available for purchase at zoo gift shops.
The Halloween Headquarters at Treetop Terrace will host various games and activities throughout the four-day event. Among them, pumpkin painting will be available for an additional fee. Free activities are also on the schedule, with Give Kids Art providing entertainment on Saturday and the Los Angeles Public Library taking over on Sunday. Live entertainment will include performances by the Bob Baker Marionette Theater at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on October 31.
Adding to the festive atmosphere, costumed characters from family-friendly Halloween movies and television programs will greet visitors at the Winnick Family Children’s Zoo, with different characters appearing each day. Officials said children can navigate a new inflatable corn maze, and five Halloween-themed photo locations will be set up across the zoo, including at Selig Plaza, Marketplace, the children’s zoo, the Rose Garden, and Treetop Terrace.
For those interested in the zoo's inhabitants, animal activities will feature pumpkin-themed enrichment demonstrations, allowing guests to observe animals interacting with seasonal treats and objects. Zookeepers will also present talks about vultures and condors at noon each event day at the World of Birds Show Theater, highlighting the birds’ importance to the environment. The Conservation Expo, located at the Rose Garden near the flamingo habitat, will provide information on bat, vulture, and condor conservation efforts.
Guests can also explore the zoo’s LAIR exhibits, which house a collection of reptiles, amphibians, rare snakes, poisonous frogs, arachnids, and venomous lizards.
One unique opportunity for visitors will be to suggest a name for one of four new Boer goat kids residing at the Winnick Family Children’s Zoo. While three of the young goats have already been named Karoo, Imbuzi, and Bokkie, their one-horned sister currently remains unnamed. Name suggestions can be submitted at the barnyard area from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the event, with zoo officials indicating the chosen name will be announced later on social media.
Visitors are encouraged to don their best Halloween costumes, though certain restrictions apply: full-face masks, weapons, obscenity, and anything that could disturb other guests or animals are prohibited. The Halloween activities are included with regular zoo admission or an active zoo membership. Additional information is available from the zoo for those planning their visit.
