My first Creep It Real OC is in the books, and it certainly won't be my last because it was unlike any other Halloween event I've been to.
This trip brought my total to six Halloween cons I’ve checked out (many are in the event archives), but none felt like I’d stepped into a literal Halloweentown the way this one did.
Maybe it was the theme (80s/90s nostalgia). Maybe it was the company. Or maybe I was just ready to soak in Halloween the way only SoCal seems to do it, but my first visit to Creep It Real OC made a big impression, and I will definitely be back.
What I Saw at Creep It Real OC 2024
Here are some of my favorite things I saw this year.
To give you a lay of the land, Creep It Real OC takes place at the Heritage Museum of Orange County, a 12-acre space with historic homes, hands-on educational opportunities, and more. It’s also utilized as an events space, most often weddings.
And it was the perfect slightly spooky setting for the weekend.
Museum of Halloween Nostalgia
Both days started with a walk through the Museum of Halloween Nostalgia inside the Kellogg House on property. The first floor was filled with some fun memorabilia from 80s and 90s Halloweens past.
Inside, we were first greeted with this Halloween night scene that took me straight back to my childhood.
I adored this little trick-or-treater enjoying her candy and some spooky 90s Halloween commercials.
And what 90s kid didn’t stay up at night reading their latest “Goosebumps” acquisition by flashlight? Just me? I have such great memories of doing that because I had to know what happened next.
The kitchen in this house had this little trick-or-treater fueling up for a day of Halloween fun.
The final room in the museum had a ton of great movie and TV memorabilia. While I didn’t take a ton of photos in here, I did take some video which you can find in my recap over on Instagram.
These stills from various iconic 90s films were my favorite though — especially the “Casper” ones!
Photo Ops
All around the event space, there were SO many cute, themed photo ops. These giant Boo Buckets were definitely a crowd pleaser.
I loved the floating ghosts and pumpkin pails in this tree…
…and the little skeleton family enjoying their Monster Cereals.
Over at the Magg Family Farmhouse were a few more porch displays, just for fun, like this “Scream” set-up.
Personally, I loved these dual Beetlejuices with a certain thrilling wolf hanging around in the background.
We even found a few photo ops while wandering around shopping!
Vendors
And speaking of vendors…there were SO many! It was great to say hi to old friends, like Lauren from The Punkin Shop…
…and meet new ones like October Rds! (More from him in my haul post.)
After eyeing Black Mast’s Midnight Mischief dress on Instagram for the last month, I loved getting to meet the shop owner, Brandon, and pick one up in person. I also loved their spooky button-up!
John Wayne was tucked away in a little alcove I’m so glad I wandered down because his book, “Toured to Death,” sucked me right in and I walked away with a signed copy.
The line for Deadly Sweet is always monstrous at Midsummer Scream, so I was thrilled we found a lull and were able to grab a couple treats.
And finally, a stop by Gladracket was a personal fave. They had some really killer and cute Halloween designs on T-shirts and art prints.
Entertainment
It was a packed house Sunday for the “Nightmare Before Christmas” panel featuring Ken Page (voice of Oogie Boogie) and Chris Sarandon (voice of Jack Skellington). This space was so cool for watching these convos!
One thing I didn’t do nearly enough of was check out the live music! Kitty Antix’s band was all dressed as characters from “Nightmare Before Christmas,” which was amazing.
Sunday featured Radioactive Chicken Heads, who drew a huge crowd and were a ton of fun to watch as we wandered by.
I loved that both bands played a ton of Halloween hits — which is what I always want to hear at a Halloween event!
Miscellaneous Fun
I loved seeing SO many great costumes, but this pumpkin guy was a personal fave. The pumpkin head was paper mache and looked super cool.
The Creep It Real team really leaned into the theme, which I loved, right down to this mall directory-style event map.
Barmaid Beauties showed up with a full menu of themed drinks, served in pumpkin pails, and you better believe we ate up the novelty of it!
I opted for a pumpkin margarita, which was a touch sweet for my normal taste but was a fun seasonal drink for the hot afternoon Saturday.
And Fien Coffee was slinging spooky iced drinks all weekend too.
Saturday, That Halloween Bro and I both grabbed the Pumpkin King’s Brew (iced coffee with pumpkin foam) to fuel ourselves up for our evening plans. James went for a second round Sunday while I opted for the Nightmare Brown Sugar Blend (pictured here).
Both were SO so good.
Over in the plaza where the entertainment activities took place, you could also find EO working on two themed pieces all weekend. They turned out amazing.
But by far…my favorite thing from this weekend? These pumpkin bags. Nothing says my childhood Halloween like these guys.
Did you go to Creep It Real OC this year?
Let me know in the comments what your favorite part of the event was!
If you just can’t get enough, tickets for their holiday event, Creep It Real Festive, are on sale now.
(And you better believe I’m already scheming for ways to attend…)
