More Halloween Events in Los Angeles open this weekend

Knotts Scary Farm officially launched Halloween Season 2009 last night, getting a jump on the competition. Not wanting to be left behind, four other Halloween haunts are opening today: Old Town Haunt in Pasadena, the Halloween Harvest Festival near Pierce College in Chatsworth, and Disneyland Halloween Time and The Empty Grave, both in Anaheim.

Old Town Haunt (20 N. Raymond Avenue, near the corner of Colorado Blvd in “Old Town” Pasadena) is one of our favorite Halloween haunted houses, thanks to its unique underground setting. The lengthy maze has been expanded this year, making it even bigger and better than before. Hours are 7pm-midnight on Friday and Saturday, until 10pm on Sunday.

Halloween Harvest Festival (Pierce College parking lot on Victory Blvd at Mason Avenue in Chatsworth) offers daytime Halloween events for children and a nighttime Fright Fair Factory of Nightmares. The Harvest Fest runs from 10am to midnight on Friday and Saturday, closing at 10pm on Sunday. The Factory of Nightmares (which includes a haunted house and a haunted corn trail) begins at dusk and closes at the same time as the rest of the fest.

Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort (1313 S. Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, CA 92802) is another Halloween haunt for children. You can ride the Haunted Manion in Disneyland park, dressed up as THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, and enjoy the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at the Disneyland California Adventure park. Unlike most other haunts, which operate only on weekends (at least until the last month of October), Halloween Time is open all week long. Disneyland is open from 9am to midnight Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; California Adventure closes at 8pm on weekends, at 6pm on weekdays.

THE EMPTY GRAVE is located at Anaheim Garden Walk, 321 W. Katella Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92802. Its hours are 6:30pm to midnight on Friday and Saturday; it closes at 10pm on Sundays and weeknights. Formerly known as The Haunted Cellar, this attraction promises to be 100 times larger than before, with “over 50,000 square feet of terror.” Get more information under this haunt’s listing on our Halloween Haunted Houses page.

Typically, Halloween events that open this early get off to a slow start on their first weekend; however, the big advantage is that lines are short so you can get in without waiting. If you like what you see, you can always go back…