Executive Director and Co-Founder David Markland described leaving Long Beach as “bittersweet,” while pointing to just how much the event has grown over the years.

“The amazing community of Halloween and horror fans continues to grow, and we’re excited to be able to grow with it,” Markland said.

We attended Midsummer Scream this past weekend, and firsthand, it was easy to see why more space is needed.

The Long Beach Convention Center is a great venue, but Midsummer Scream has reached a size where parts of the convention felt extremely overcrowded. At certain points, simply walking through some of the vendor areas and main walkways was difficult.

The heat was noticeable too. Despite being indoors, several areas were uncomfortably warm, and the air conditioning appeared to struggle to keep up with the massive crowds throughout the weekend.

That’s not necessarily a knock on the convention center. Midsummer Scream has simply become a huge event, and accommodating more than 50,000 attendees, hundreds of vendors, panels, attractions and the Hall of Shadows requires a lot of space.

The Anaheim Convention Center gives organizers significantly more room to work with as Midsummer Scream continues to grow.