Culver City's busiest trick-or-treating this year isn't on October 31. It happens this weekend. Between 11 a.m. Saturday, October 24, and 6 p.m. Sunday, October 25, three different organizers each run a free event in a different part of town: the Hayden Tract edge at Ivy Station, the west end along Washington Boulevard, and Downtown. Each one handles parking its own way. When Halloween arrives the following Saturday, the main event for families is a free orchestra concert.
That makes the week a sequence to plan, with each stop's hours, location and parking terms worth knowing before you go. Here it is in order.
Saturday morning begins at the Ivy Station tent
The weekend opens with the Halloween Boo Bash at Ivy Station, 8840 National Boulevard, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 24. It's run by Ivy Station Public Events, and every activity is free.
The setup is simple. You start at the Ivy Station tent, where kids get a trick-or-treat bag and some sweets. The parking detail matters most, because the tent also hands out complimentary two-hour parking validation. Since the event runs exactly two hours, the validation covers the whole thing if you arrive at the start.
From the tent, families follow a Trick-or-Treat Trail through the businesses around the plaza. The event listing names these participants:
- Butterfly
- Carbon Health
- Go Get Em Tiger
- Milk + Honey
- Solidcore
- Sushi Nigiriba
- Sweetfin
- The Shay
- Training Mate
- Turning Point School
- YogaSix
Ivy Station Plaza also has free Halloween crafts, face painting, glitter tattoos, balloon twisting, games and the Kids Boo(k) Cart. The list mixes a coffee bar, two restaurants, a hotel and several fitness studios, so this is the stop for kids who want a tightly packed route with their candy.
The west end has its own afternoon
The Boo Bash ends at 1 p.m., and Spooky Saturday in West Washington starts at 2 p.m. That leaves an hour to eat lunch and drive west. This event is the City of Culver City's, with Economic Development as the contact. It runs from 2 to 5 p.m. on Washington Boulevard between Centinela Avenue and Wade Street, and it's free.
Ivy Station has one tent. West Washington splits its afternoon between two hubs on the same stretch of the boulevard, according to the City's event page:
- Vintage Faith Foursquare Church, 12668 Washington Blvd. Music, crafts and a trunk-or-treat.
- EYRC parking lot, 12524 Washington Blvd. Live music, games and a 4 p.m. costume contest.
The costume contest is open to kids and to "fur babies," so dogs in costume have a category too. Between the two hubs, participating businesses along the corridor offer trick-or-treating or specials.
The 4 p.m. contest is the one fixed time in the afternoon. Families coming from Ivy Station can arrive by 2, visit the church hub first, and still reach the EYRC lot in time for the contest.
Sunday, Downtown goes by the BOO CREW sign
On Sunday, October 25, the Culver City Downtown Business Association holds its annual Hip & Historic Halloween from 4 to 6 p.m. Families walk Downtown in costume and collect treats from participating businesses.
Downtown doesn't use a starting tent or set hubs. The Downtown Business Association's event page says each participating business displays a "BOO CREW" sign, so you choose your own route. Admission is free. Parking is free for up to one hour in any of Downtown's three municipal parking structures.
Because that free hour is shorter than the two-hour event, Sunday needs a bit more planning than Saturday morning did. Families who want the full two hours can arrive partway through or plan to pay past the first hour.
The weekend at a glance
Here are the three events side by side. Each district has its own organizer, layout and parking terms:
| Halloween Boo Bash | Spooky Saturday | Hip & Historic Halloween | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When | Sat., Oct. 24, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. | Sat., Oct. 24, 2–5 p.m. | Sun., Oct. 25, 4–6 p.m. |
| Where | Ivy Station, 8840 National Blvd. | Washington Blvd., Centinela to Wade | Downtown Culver City |
| Organizer | Ivy Station Public Events | City of Culver City, Economic Development | Downtown Business Association |
| Layout | Tent start, then the trail | Two hubs plus corridor businesses | Any business with a BOO CREW sign |
| Parking | Two-hour validation from the tent | No parking details on the event page | One free hour in three municipal structures |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free |
All three are free and all three welcome costumes. They differ mainly in how much each one plans the route for you. Ivy Station's is the most structured, Downtown's is the most open, and West Washington falls in between.
Halloween falls on a Saturday, and the evening belongs to the symphony
Since the business districts hold their trick-or-treating the weekend before, the week leading up to October 31 shifts to the Culver City Julian Dixon Library and then to Veterans Memorial Auditorium.
The library has two Halloween programs, both in its Meeting Room and both sponsored by the Culver City Friends of the Library. Teens can make Clay Ghost Votives on Wednesday, October 28, from 3 to 4 p.m. On Halloween morning, Build a Beast offers monster-making and science activities for ages 6 to 12 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Registration for Build a Beast is already full, but the LA County Library listing has a waitlist.
Saturday evening's main event is the Culver City Symphony Orchestra's Happily Haunted Halloween Concert, at 7:30 p.m. October 31 at Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Admission is free. It also opens the orchestra's new season. Culver City Crossroads reports that conductor Clyde Mitchell will lead in costume. The program brings in the SoCAL Chorale and members of the Westside Youth Orchestra, and the music ranges from J.S. Bach, Gustav Holst and Mozart to Andrew Lloyd Webber and John Williams.
The organizers' pitch, as Culver City Crossroads published it, invites families to "put on your costumes and bring your family, friends and neighbors to Veterans Auditorium for some special Halloween Musical Treats!" With the start time at 7:30, families can trick-or-treat on their own street in the early evening and still get to the auditorium.
The next date on the fall calendar
After Halloween, the next big item on Culver City's fall calendar is the Asian World Film Festival. According to the festival's official site, its 12th edition returns to Culver City from November 12 to 19, 2026. The schedule has room for it. Halloween week fills the last week of October, and the festival week arrives about two weeks later.
If you're in Culver City this weekend, here's the order. Start at the Ivy Station tent at 11 a.m. Saturday and pick up your validation. Head west to Washington Boulevard by 2 for the 4 p.m. costume contest. On Sunday afternoon, look for the BOO CREW signs Downtown. Then on Halloween night, the doors at Veterans Memorial Auditorium open for a 7:30 concert.
Living within a short walk or drive of Ivy Station, the West Washington corridor or Downtown is part of what a Culver City home is worth, and we can help you put a number on it. Zacha Homes can show you how your street fits into the local market. Find out what your home is worth.
