Anaheim, CA — Wicked Lit returns for its first season since 2017 with 10 performances from October 29 through November 2, 2026 at a new venue, the Chance Theater in Anaheim. Presented by Unbound Productions, the 2026 event will feature fully-produced immersive theater adaptations of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Las Lloronas, a Mexican folklore-inspired original. Tickets go on sale August 1, 2026.
What is confirmed for 2026
- Dates: 10 performances, October 29 through November 2, 2026.
- Location: Chance Theater, 5522 East La Palma Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92807.
- Performances: Nightly at 7:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
- Plays: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Las Lloronas.
- Producer: Unbound Productions. Artistic Director: Jonathan Josephson.
- Tickets on sale: August 1, 2026.
The two plays for 2026
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is Wicked Lit’s adaptation of Washington Irving’s original text. The production tells the story of school teacher Ichabod Crane and his fateful encounter with the Headless Horseman.
Las Lloronas is a Mexican folklore-inspired original that presents five different La Llorona stories across five different points in history and historical fiction. Each story centers on mothers driven to horrific acts by a madness that will not stop. Wicked Lit has flagged Las Lloronas as mature audiences only.
What is included beyond the plays
Ticket holders can arrive early or stay after their performance for the full Wicked Lit experience, which includes:
- Halloween Arts and Artisan Fair: Booths from local horror, literary, and Halloween-themed small businesses selling artwork, jewelry, games, and gifts. Small businesses interested in exhibiting can contact Unbound Productions through the Wicked Lit website.
- Wicked Lit Museum: An interactive walk-through featuring artifacts from past Wicked Lit productions, including historic costumes, puppets, and set backgrounds.
- Photo Suite: A photo experience with the historic costumes, puppets, and backgrounds from iconic Wicked Lit productions.
- Nightly prize drawings: Ticket holders can enter drawings for prizes across the run.
The eight-year hiatus and the return
Wicked Lit ran annually from 2010 through 2017 at the Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery in Altadena, staging literary adaptations across the cemetery grounds as an immersive walk-through theatrical experience. The 2018 season did not happen, and Unbound Productions paused Wicked Lit indefinitely.
The 2026 return marks a new chapter for the event at a new venue. The Chance Theater in Anaheim represents a shift from the outdoor cemetery-and-grounds staging of the Mountain View era to a professional-theater setting in Orange County. The 2026 event compresses the run into a five-day window centered on Halloween week, versus the multi-week October runs of the Mountain View years.
Where Wicked Lit fits in the Southern California Halloween market
Wicked Lit is Southern California’s premier literary-adaptation immersive theater Halloween event, and one of the few haunt-adjacent events built around fully-produced adaptations of published horror texts. Its positioning is distinct from the theme park haunts and the scare-actor-driven maze events that anchor the SoCal calendar.
The event’s programming has historically leaned into adaptations of works by Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and other classic horror authors, along with folkloric traditions like La Llorona. That literary focus and immersive-theater staging make Wicked Lit closer in spirit to Los Angeles’s immersive theater scene than to Fright Fest at Six Flags Magic Mountain or Knott’s Scary Farm, while sharing the seasonal Halloween window with those events and with Los Angeles Haunted Hayride.
What to watch for 2026
- August 1 ticket on-sale: Wicked Lit has a limited 10-performance run at a theater venue rather than an outdoor grounds format. Historical demand suggests earlier performances will move quickly.
- Artisan fair vendor lineup: Unbound Productions is accepting applications from local horror, literary, and Halloween-themed small businesses.
- Additional programming: The Wicked Lit page notes “and more” beyond the confirmed plays, artisan fair, museum, and photo suite. Watch for additional announcements ahead of the October opening.
Event details
- Event: Wicked Lit 2026
- Producer: Unbound Productions
- Location: Chance Theater, 5522 East La Palma Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92807
- Dates: October 29 through November 2, 2026, 10 total performances
- Performances: 7:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. nightly
- Age rating: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is broadly accessible. Las Lloronas is for mature audiences only.
- Tickets: On sale August 1, 2026 at wicked-lit.org/wicked-lit-2026
