Haunted Little Tokyo is a Halloween season put on by the Little Tokyo neighborhood in downtown Los Angeles, with ghost tours, a free family scavenger hunt, and a 21+ block party at a secret location you only learn by RSVPing. In 2026 the block party falls on Halloween itself, Saturday, Oct. 31, from 6 to 11:59 p.m., and the RSVP opens closer to the event.
For the rest of the region’s Halloween events, see our guides to haunted houses in Los Angeles and haunted houses in California.
Top photo: costumed guests at Haunted Little Tokyo. (Image: Little Tokyo Community Council)
Watch: Haunted Little Tokyo in 2021
We filmed Haunted Little Tokyo in 2021, its fifth year, and talked with co-founder James Choy about how it started. That was also the first year of the secret location: organizers moved the block party off Second Street as a COVID precaution. The 2025 and 2026 parties kept it.
Haunted Little Tokyo 2026 Schedule
The Little Tokyo Community Council posts the schedule on its Haunted Little Tokyo page and adds community events there through the season.
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 24, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Scavenger Hunt (all ages) | Terasaki Budokan, 249 S. Los Angeles St. | Free, register ahead |
| Sat., Oct. 24, 5 p.m. | Ghost Tours | Union Center for the Arts, 120 Judge John Aiso St. | $25 |
| Sun., Oct. 25, 1 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. | Halloween Emoji Workshop | Nellita’s Craft, 248 E. 1st St. | $40 |
| Sat., Oct. 31, 6 to 11:59 p.m. | Block Party (21+) | Secret location, shared with guests who RSVP | RSVP required |
Scavenger Hunt
The scavenger hunt runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, and it is free for all ages. Terasaki Budokan is the hub, with games and activities, and the hunt leads families through Little Tokyo. Families are encouraged to dress up, and collecting all of the stamps earns a treat. Registration is free on the Terasaki Budokan’s event page.
Ghost Tours
The Little Tokyo Historical Society leads the ghost tours along the historic 1st Street block at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24. Guests check in at the Union Center for the Arts courtyard and leave in three groups at staggered start times. Along the way, community members share their ghost encounters at the Union Center for the Arts, Far Bar, and the Japanese American National Museum. Tickets are $25 a person and sold in advance through the Little Tokyo Community Council.
Halloween Emoji Workshop
Nellita’s Craft at 248 E. 1st St. runs a Halloween emoji workshop on Sunday, Oct. 25, with sessions at 1 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. The $40 ticket covers three breads to decorate and the supplies, and each session has limited space. The Haunted Little Tokyo page lists the workshop under Saturday, but the ticket form says Sunday, and Oct. 25 falls on a Sunday this year.
How the Haunted Little Tokyo Block Party Works
The block party is the main event, presented by the Little Tokyo Ghost Club. In 2026 it runs from 6 to 11:59 p.m. on Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31, and it is for guests 21 and up.
The location is a secret until you RSVP. The RSVP form goes up on the Haunted Little Tokyo page closer to the event, and it closes before the party: in 2025, RSVPs closed two days ahead. The block party has been free with an RSVP in past years.
Expect a security checkpoint at the entrance. Organizers can also ask a guest to leave, or to change a costume they find offensive.
Costumes are a big part of the night. Past block parties have had a costume contest, music, and a full bar, and in our experience the costumes are usually great.
Haunted Little Tokyo also sells Little Tokyo Ghost Club merchandise, and all proceeds benefit the Little Tokyo Community Council.
How a Slow Season Started Haunted Little Tokyo
Haunted Little Tokyo started in 2017 with a block party on Second Street, and it grew out of a slow season. James Choy, the owner of Cafe Dulce and a Little Tokyo Community Council board member when we spoke in 2021, told us that a couple of years after the cafe opened in 2011, business in the neighborhood kept dropping off every fall. “We always noticed that September and October were dead, super slow in the community,” he said.
The idea came from Japanese horror, which Choy called “some of the scariest movies known to mankind.” “Halloween lends itself perfectly to like a Haunted Little Tokyo, and that’s where that was born,” Choy said. He pitched the block party with Matthew and Michael of the Wolf & Crane bar, who already threw Halloween parties, and the first one closed Second Street, where the party usually ran between San Pedro and Central.
From the start, the plan was bigger than one night. “Instead of just doing one block party, which brings a lot of people surrounding neighborhoods to Little Tokyo for one night, let’s bring people to the community as much as possible,” Choy said. The first year added a pumpkin patch with Tanaka Farms every October weekend and a Friday movie night, often Japanese horror. “Year one we bit off a lot more than we could chew,” he said.
The schedule grows through October because Haunted Little Tokyo works as an umbrella for the neighborhood’s Halloween programming. “If you’re doing ghost, horror, or anything related to Halloween, let us know, and we’ll put it on our calendar,” Choy said.
The reason behind all of it is foot traffic for the whole neighborhood. “All boats rise in a rising tide. Everyone will do better, and everyone have a chance of doing better, if more people are in the area,” Choy said.
Choy, who is Korean American, told us Halloween fits Little Tokyo as it is. “Little Tokyo was never meant to be Disneyland of what Tokyo is in Japan,” he said. “It’s like we’re very much an Asian American part of town.”
Closing a city street takes trust. Choy credited Nancy Yap, one of the event’s primary organizers in 2021, with the explanation: neighbors back them “when we say we want to do outlandish things, like close down second street and throw a block party,” because “we’ve said yes and followed through on so many things before.”
Haunted Little Tokyo FAQ
What is Haunted Little Tokyo? A Halloween season of community events in Little Tokyo, downtown Los Angeles, started by local businesses in 2017. It includes ghost tours, a family scavenger hunt, neighborhood workshops, and a 21+ block party.
When is Haunted Little Tokyo 2026? The 2026 events run from Oct. 24 through Oct. 31. The block party is Saturday, Oct. 31, from 6 to 11:59 p.m.
Where is the Haunted Little Tokyo block party? At a secret location shared with guests who RSVP. The RSVP form goes up on the Haunted Little Tokyo page closer to the event.
Is the Haunted Little Tokyo block party free? It has been free with an RSVP in past years.
Can kids go to Haunted Little Tokyo? The block party is 21+. The scavenger hunt is free for all ages, and families are encouraged to dress up.
Do the ghost tours need tickets? Yes. Tickets are $25 a person, bought in advance.
How do I get to Little Tokyo? Little Tokyo is in downtown Los Angeles, and Metro’s Little Tokyo/Arts District Station is in the neighborhood.
