Midsummer Scream Takes Over Long Beach This Weekend, But Tickets Are Getting Hard to Find
The world’s largest Halloween and horror convention returns to the Long Beach Convention Center August 7 through 9, bringing haunted mazes, hundreds of vendors, horror celebrities, costumes and a massive Saturday night party.
Emily Nguyen
Halloween is coming a little early to Long Beach.
Midsummer Scream officially kicks off today, Friday, August 7, and will take over the Long Beach Convention Center through Sunday, August 9. The three-day event bills itself as the world’s largest Halloween and horror convention and has become one of the biggest annual events held in the city.
And if you’re just hearing about it and thinking about going, you probably shouldn’t wait much longer to grab a ticket.
So what exactly is Midsummer Scream?
Think of it as a giant Halloween convention in the middle of summer.
More than 350 vendors are expected inside, selling everything from horror collectibles and artwork to masks, props, clothing and other Halloween stuff. There are also panels, live performances, previews of upcoming Halloween attractions and appearances from people connected to horror movies, television and theme parks.
One of the biggest attractions is the Hall of Shadows, basically a huge section of the convention center turned into a darkened haunted attraction area. This year’s version, themed “Descent Into Darkness,” includes more than a dozen haunted walk-throughs, displays, characters, photo opportunities and live entertainment.
You’ll also see plenty of people walking around in costumes. Dressing up isn’t required at all, but costumes and cosplay are encouraged by the event, so don’t be surprised if you’re standing in line next to Ghostface, Michael Myers or somebody covered in fake blood.
This year's event has some pretty big horror names
The 2026 convention comes during the 30th anniversary of Scream, and Midsummer Scream has brought in several people connected to the franchise.
Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy and Roger L. Jackson, the voice of Ghostface, are among the guests scheduled to appear. John Carpenter is also part of this year’s lineup, along with a much larger list of actors, filmmakers, performers and people from the horror world. Some guests only appear on certain days.
The convention itself runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Gold Bat passholders get into the convention an hour early Saturday and Sunday.
And then there's the Saturday night party
The convention doesn’t completely shut down when the show floor closes Saturday.
Midsummer Scream After Dark takes over from 8 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, August 8. It’s essentially the convention’s big after-party, and guests are encouraged to show up in costume. Admission was included with Gold Bat passes, while separate party passes were also sold.
So if you’ve seen people talking about some sort of Midsummer Scream “ball” or costume party, this is probably what they’re referring to. It’s officially called Midsummer Scream After Dark.
Tickets are almost completely sold out
As of Friday morning, tickets are pretty much sold out. If any are still available, they’re for Sunday. If you’re thinking about going, check the official Midsummer Scream website for the latest ticket availability.
Official Site: https://midsummerscream.org/
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