Various locations in L.A.

This traveling horror-themed Halloween cocktail pop-up will have three locations in L.A. this year: Melrose Umbrella Club in Beverly Grove, the Corner Door in Culver City and the Ordinarie in Long Beach. Halloween lovers can sip expertly mixed cocktails amid metal music and goth decor, including the famous 12-foot-tall skeleton from Home Depot. Drink highlights include the Corpse Flower (tequila blanco, ube syrup, Giffard Banane, lime juice, sherry) and the Creature’s Curse (rice-washed rye and rum, sherry, sweet potato or pumpkin syrup, bitters). Non-alcoholic options will also be available.

The term CicLAvia stems from a similar Spanish word for “bike way,” and in L.A. it’s become a shorthand for the temporary, festival-like closing of L.A.’s streets. The event (inspired by the first Ciclovías in Bogotá, Colombia) welcomes bikes, tricycles, skateboards, strollers and basically anything else without an engine to ride a rotating cast of car-free routes. You’ll inevitably always find a route each year around Downtown, but past events have taken it anywhere from the harbor to the San Gabriel Valley. Expect music, street performances and food trucks, as well as general whimsy and shenanigans along the way. Shop owners and restaurants along the CicLAvia route also tend to host specials. It goes without saying that you should bike or take the Metro to your desired spot along the route.

Have a drink at seven of the Sunset Strip’s best haunts over the span of one night during this Halloween bar crawl. Register and pick up your wristband and map at Saddle Ranch Chop House, and you’ll be granted no-cover bar access and themed drink specials at some of the liveliest hot spots in West Hollywood: the historic Andaz hotel, Hotel Ziggy, the Naughty Pig, Skybar at Mondrian (which is throwing its own Halloween parties), State Social House and Wokcano.

This is one of the largest Halloween street parties in the world, and there’s really no better place to be on October 31st. Sure, the crowd is huge (like, a half-million people huge) and a bit belligerent, but the amazing display of costumes and general merry-making spirit deem it at least a worthy stop, if not your main destination for the evening. There will be dancing, drinking and many impromptu costume contests. Even if you don’t plan on entering one, it’s best to still come dressed to the nines—no one likes a party pooper in jeans and a T-shirt. Find it along Santa Monica Boulevard, between Doheny Drive and La Cienega Boulevard. See our guide to the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval.

Last year, L.A. joined the ranks of other cities across the country that host Porchfests—local performance art festivals that stage live shows on literal porches. Admittedly the concept is a little trickier here than it is in smaller towns, given how sprawling Los Angeles is. But the L.A. organizers have a fix, creating walkable hubs in East Hollywood, Los Feliz and Silver Lake—Mar Vista and Culver City are even getting in on the action this year. This second annual fest will double in size, with 46 stages hosting 170 different acts. See shows by local musicians, storytellers, stand-up comics, clowns and comedians on stages, stoops, lawns, porches and patios—even in front of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House. Oh, and did we mention it’s completely free?

Midcity Mercado’s third-annual Day of the Dead block party in West Adams celebrates the heritage of the community with live music and dancers, free carnival rides and games, workshops, an art gallery, food trucks and a marketplace. Latin Grammy-nominated artist Danny Lux will headline the Sonidos Stage presented by Adidas this year. The centerpiece of the event is the community altar, which everyone is invited to contribute their photos to. It’ll all go down in the heart of West Adams, at 5640 W Adams Blvd.

Walk, run, skate, bike and explore car-free stretches of El Monte and South El Monte during the latest “Corazón-del-Valle” edition of this open streets event series (formerly known as 626 Golden Streets). The Metro-presented Active Streets clears cars off the road in different parts of the San Gabriel Valley for one day only: On Sunday, November 2, you’ll be able to set foot on five miles of streets sans cars—on a new route that runs from Emery Street in El Monte, down Tyler Avenue and along Garvey, Potrero and Klingerman Avenues toward Central and Santa Anita Avenues in South El Monte—and enjoy music, food, art and entertainment along the way.

Get ready: In 2028, Los Angeles will host the Summer Olympic Games. After initially vying for a bid in 2024, L.A. was awarded the ’28 Games back in 2017.