If you feel like you’re too old to do any trick-or-treating, the next best thing you can do is to travel and party wherever you land on this coming Halloween 2016. In the US, where can you party like there’s no tomorrow on Halloween weekend and get a few scares on the side too? Check out our list of the five places in the US which we think are the best destinations for your Halloween holiday.
Los Angeles, California
If you love street parties, you’ve got to head to Los Angeles, California for the annual West Hollywood Carnaval. This year’s party is going to be on Monday, October 31 on Santa Monica Boulevard between La Cienaga Boulevard and N. Doheny Drive. The Carnaval officially starts at 6PM and closes at 11PM, but there are plenty of bars and clubs where you can party on for the rest of the night.
What can you expect from attending the WeHo Carnavale? Well, be prepared for crowds, for one. The Carnavale attracts nearly half a million party people every year. Most of them are dressed in outrageous, even risqué, costumes. So, you’d better dress up for the party and blend in. You can also look forward to a number of live performances. The highlight of the Carnaval, though, is the crowning of the Queen of Carnaval. Past queens include Rihanna, Queen Latifah, and Ryan Seacrest.
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans prides itself as the most haunted city in the US. Whether that’s true or not, New Orleanians love Halloween almost just as much as they love Mardi Gras, and they show it through endless street parties and festivals all Halloween month long. Their biggest street party this year will be held October 27 to 30 at the French Quarter, with the theme of “Pirate’s Revenge: The Curse of Jean Lafitte.” You can also take the party to the Voodoo + Music Arts Experience happening on October 28 to 30 at the New Orleans City Park.
If you do get tired of the noise and the rowdiness of New Orleans during Halloween weekend, you can always visit one of its centuries-old cemeteries. Additionally, New Orleans’ claim to be the most haunted city in the US is not an empty claim – it has many old and reputably haunted houses, many of which are located in the Garden District. You can join a tour and visit these homes.
Salem, Massachusetts
Given the legacy left behind by the Salem witch trials of 1692, is it any wonder that Salem, Massachusetts marks Halloween month by honoring witches? So if you’re into witches or the occult, or if you simply like the idea of dressing in your best goth costume for the night, come party with the witches at the Salem Witches Halloween Ball on Friday, October 28, at the Hawthorne Hotel.
The Halloween Ball is a fun night of dancing flavored with some occult rituals. Among these rituals are a ceremonial dance and a casting of a sacred circle to honor the departed dead, as well as free psychic readings. While you’re in Salem, you might as well visit the Witch House Museum, the last building left intact from the witch trials.
Las Vegas, Nevada
It’s hard to beat the experience of partying the night away in Las Vegas, the city of sin and bright lights. Partying in Las Vegas takes an even more extravagant turn on Halloween weekend, when the city’s clubs and casinos open its doors to costumed denizens of the night so they can go trick-or-treating Vegas style.
So, what can you do in Vegas on Halloween weekend? You can dance the night away at Hard Rock Hotel’s annual Fetish & Fantasy Ball, dress like a supervillain and join the champagne shower at Bellagio’s Hyde, or shamble like a zombie from one bar to the next. If you want more sober fare, you can always watch a Cirque du Soleil production, a zombie burlesque, a revue, or even a horror movie musical.
Sleepy Hollow, New York
Who hasn’t read or heard of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow? If you have, then you’re familiar with the terrifying Headless Horseman that haunted the town of Sleepy Hollow. If you’re not, then you have the chance to acquaint yourself with the creature and get a few scares in between by visiting Sleepy Hollow on Halloween weekend. You can meet the Horseman at Philipsburg Manor’s themed haunted trail full of special effects and professional actors.
You can also pay tribute to Washington Irving by visiting his resting place at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery or his home at nearby Tarrytown. If you want to see a scarier side to your favorite fairytales, you can see Jay Ghoul’s House of Curiosities at Lyndhurst Mansion.
Trick-or-treating isn’t the only fun you can have on Halloween weekend. Get the kind of ghoulish fun you want by traveling to these awesome destinations this Halloween 2016.
