Wardrobe tag
- West Hollywood’s Halloween Carnaval runs on Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 6pm to 11pm on Santa Monica Boulevard between Doheny Drive and La Cienega Boulevard.
- No alcohol, no backpacks or tote bags (clear plastic bags are allowed), and no weapons, fireworks or drones.
- California bans openly displaying an imitation firearm in public; an orange tip alone does not meet the exemption, the entire surface must be brightly colored or transparent.
On Halloween, the City of West Hollywood closes a mile of Santa Monica Boulevard for a free street party in costume. Before you go out in costume, two sets of rules matter: the event’s own safety rules, and a couple of California laws that apply to masks and costume weapons anywhere in the state. Here is what the official sources say for 2026.
West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval 2026
The City of West Hollywood says Halloween Carnaval is back and free to attend. It takes place on Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 6pm to 11pm along a one-mile stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard, part of historic Route 66, between North Doheny Drive and North La Cienega Boulevard. The city’s page promises a stage at Santa Monica and North San Vicente Boulevards with a live DJ set, food trucks and thousands of wildly dressed revelers, with more celebrations at bars, restaurants and venues around the city.
| Item | Details from the City of West Hollywood |
|---|---|
| Date and time | Saturday, October 31, 2026, 6pm to 11pm |
| Route | Santa Monica Blvd from N. Doheny Dr to N. La Cienega Blvd, about one mile |
| Cost | Free |
| Main stage | Santa Monica Blvd at N. San Vicente Blvd |
| Text updates | Text “halloween” to (323) 848-5000 |
What you cannot bring
The city and the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station list the safety rules:
- No alcohol or public drinking.
- No backpacks, camera cases, tote bags or similar bags; clear plastic bags are allowed.
- No weapons, fireworks or drones.
- Kids and pets are strongly discouraged.
Tip: Plan your costume around the bag rule. If you need to carry anything, use a clear plastic bag or pockets, and leave prop weapons at home; the event bans weapons, and California’s imitation firearm rules are explained below.
Street and parking closures
- Santa Monica Boulevard between Croft Avenue/Holloway Drive and La Cienega Boulevard: closed from 10am Saturday, October 31, until 6am Sunday, November 1.
- La Cienega Boulevard between Holloway Drive and Melrose Avenue: same hours, with barricades on side streets earlier.
- North San Vicente Boulevard between Santa Monica Boulevard and Melrose Avenue: closed from midnight October 31 until no later than 7am November 1.
- West Hollywood Park: closed from midnight October 31 until 7am November 1; its five-story parking structure is closed all day October 31.
- The Library Garage closes from 5am October 31 to 7am November 1, and the Crescent Heights lot from October 26 to November 4.
California law: masks
California Penal Code section 185, last amended in 1873-74, makes it unlawful to wear a mask, false whiskers or any personal disguise, complete or partial, for the purpose of evading discovery or identification while committing a public offense, or for concealment, flight or escape when charged with, arrested for or convicted of one. Violating it is a misdemeanor. The offense, as the section is written, lies in the purpose of the disguise: evading identification for a public offense, or escaping after being charged, arrested or convicted.
California law: costume guns
Prop guns are covered by a separate law. Penal Code section 20170 says no person may openly display or expose any imitation firearm in a public place, and it defines public place broadly: streets, sidewalks, parks, parking lots, front yards, vehicles and buildings open to the public, including places that serve food or drink or provide entertainment.
Section 20175 lists the exceptions. The rule does not apply when the imitation firearm is packaged or concealed from view, or used in a theatrical production, motion picture, video, television or stage production. Others cover parades, ceremonies and fairs that have a permit from a local or state government, historical reenactments and color guards, museum displays, and devices shown on a wall plaque or in a presentation case. A costume party on a public street is not on the list. The exception that matters for most costumes is about color:
- The entire exterior surface must be white, bright red, bright orange, bright yellow, bright green, bright blue, bright pink or bright purple, alone or as the predominant color.
- Or the entire device must be transparent or translucent, so its contents can be seen.
- An orange tip alone, as in federal rules, does not satisfy the exemption. The entire surface must be colored, transparent or translucent.
A realistic black prop pistol would not meet the color exemption, and West Hollywood bans weapons at the Carnaval in any case.
Getting the costume
Los Angeles has studio costume departments and union costume houses with large period stocks, as well as vintage clothing. Start with Renting Costumes in Los Angeles: Studio Costume Departments and Union Costume Houses and Buying Vintage Clothing and Costumes in LA: How to Inspect, What the Labels Tell You, and What to Avoid. For inspiration from the screen, A Short History of Hollywood Costume Design, Decade by Decade runs from the silent era to today.