Halloween Horror Nights — September 18

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Halloween Horror Nights — September 18

Name: Halloween Horror Nights — September 18
Start: 2026-09-18T17:00:00-07:00
End: 2026-09-19T00:00:00-07:00
Location: 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608

Going? You can check in after it ends.

Fri, Sep 18 – Sat, Sep 19, 2026

Fri 5:00 PM PDT – Sat 12:00 AM PDT

100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608

From $79

“New houses, fresh scares, the full experience up and running.…”

— @falkorcommunity

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About

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood brings IP-based haunted houses and scare zones to the backlot every fall. The houses rotate by year — some years it's horror sequels, some years it's entirely original concepts, always at least one or two that justify the ticket price on their own.

Lines build up fast on weekends. The strategic move is to hit the most popular houses in the first 90 minutes, then let the crowds redistribute. Express passes exist if you want to skip the math entirely.

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So-Cal Cosplay Scene holds their Halloween edition community photoshoot at Balboa Park on October 25, 2026 — any fandom, any character, free to attend, in the most photogenic park in San Diego on the weekend before Halloween. Balboa Park in late October is a different experience than summer: the light is lower and warmer, the air has finally cooled, and the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture reads more atmospheric. A horror costume against the Museum of Man facade looks like a production still from something that cost millions. A villain build catches the afternoon light in the fountain plaza in ways genuinely difficult to replicate anywhere else. The park does the work. So-Cal Cosplay Scene runs this as an open call — no entry requirements, no costume quality threshold, no hierarchy. Halloween-themed costumes are expected but not required. Any fandom, any build. Photographers of all skill levels are encouraged to bring their gear. Morning hours give the best light before the park fills. Follow @socosplayscene on Instagram for the exact meet point and start time. Come in costume. Come with your camera. Come alone and you won't stay alone.

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