Midsummer Scream Celebrates Halloween In July

Midsummer Scream is an annual weekend-long convention celebrating all things spooky and it is back for its fifth year.

The convention runs from July 29-31. Friday’s hours are 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday’s hours are 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sunday’s hours are 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

“We are one of the original summer Halloween and Horror conventions and we are by far the largest. And largest not just in attendance but the amount of activities to do at the event. There is truly too much to do in one weekend, and that is by design!” said Claire Dunlap, Producer and Co-Creator of Midsummer. “We are like a Halloween Theme Park that takes over the entire Long Beach Convention and Event Center for a weekend while entertaining over 30,000 guests with everything the Halloween and horror industry has to offer.”

For those who love a good haunted house, there will be a Hall of Shadows which features at least 12 haunted houses.

There will be over 300 vendors to purchase goods from. Vendors in attendance will include Lilpapercuties, Krampus Los Angeles, Haunters Against Hate, and Fiendish Thingies. 

Black cats will be available to cuddle and/or adopt courtesy of The Black Cat Lounge, benefitting local animal rescues. There will also be a horror short film fest, spook and burlesque shows, and a Museum of Halloween.

Special guests include James Jude Courtney (Michael Myers in ‘The Shape of Halloween’ ‘Haloween Kills’ and Halloween Ends). Greg Nicotero (‘Executive producer, director, and special fx make-up supervisor on the ‘Walking Dead’)

Other guests include Mary Gibbs (Boo from ‘Monster’s Inc’), Grimm Life Collective (horror, paranormal, and dark history tourists on Youtube), and Bob Gurr (Imaginer and creator of Disney’s Haunted Mansion ‘doom buggy’).

For a full list of special guests, visit their website here. 

Panels will include Winchester Mystery House Presentation, Sweet Sorrow: A Zombie Ballet, 

and various Haunt previews.

Midsummer Scream does feature a kid-friendly area called Paranormal Pixie’s Pumpkin Patch which has family-friendly programming that includes magic acts, face painting, and arts and crafts.

Midsummer Scream After Dark is the official party for attendees over the age of 18. It will be held Saturday, July 30 from 8 p.m. to midnight in the Grand Ballroom. There will be a costume contest with a $500 prize, special programming, and music and dancing. Admission is included with the Gold Bat passes or available for purchase by ticket holders. 

General Admission tickets range from $32-$63 for access to the show floor, admission to the mini-haunts over the weekend, and first-come-first-serve access to various entertainments including panels and live performances. 

Kids age 10 and younger receive General Admission for free with a paid adult admission. There is a limit of two children per adult.

The Gold Bat Pass is $150 and includes weekend admission with a one-hour early entry each day, priority access to panels and presentations, front-of-the-line access to select attractions, a collectible lanyard, limited edition enamel pin, and admission to the MidSummer Scream after Dark party on Saturday. The pass is nontransferable and children must have their own Gold Bat pass.

Costumes and cosplay are encouraged. Prop weapons are not allowed. If you are wearing a mask, you may be asked to remove it by security. 

The venue does not allow outside food or beverages but there are plenty of snacks available to purchase and outside food options near the convention center. 

The Convention Center allows for trained service animals that are under the control of their assigned human by a leash and the owner is fully responsible for the animal.

All guests to Midsummer Scream are required to follow all local City of Long Beach COVID-19 health guidelines.

For more information on this event, follow ‘Midsummerscream’ on Twitter and Instagram, or visit  facebook.com/midsummerscream or www.midsummerscream.org. For the most comprehensive information, including up-to-the-minute programming, attendees are invited to download the ‘Midsummer Scream’ app that is available for iPhone and Android devices.

The Long Beach Convention Center is at 300 E. Ocean Blvd.