Halsey will be a special guest during the run of performances.
Just ahead of Halloween, Danny Elfman and friends will bring a live stage adaptation of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas to the Hollywood Bowl. Read for everything you need to know about attending the show.
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in-concert performances will take place on Oct. 27, 28 and 29. The Friday and Saturday shows begin at 8 p.m., while the Sunday show starts at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 and 5 p.m., respectively, and attendees are encouraged to come early and explore how the Bowl has been transformed into Halloween Town with trick-or-treating and a costume contest hosted by Greg Proops of Who’s Line Is It Anyway? Also, be sure to have those digital tickets downloaded and ready on your phone before leaving the house.
Featuring conductor John Mauceri, violinist Sandy Cameron and a full orchestra, the stage will welcome Elfman as Jack Skellington, Fred Armisen as Lock and Ken Page as Oogie Boogie. What’s more, Halsey will perform as Sally on Friday and Saturday, while role originator Catherine O’Hara will take over as both Sally and Shock on Sunday. Ricki Lindhome will be Shock the other two nights.
One of the many reasons the Bowl is one of the best venues in town is its bag flexibility. Bags don’t need to be clear, nor the size of your hand. Just be sure it’s not bigger than 15” x 15” x 22”. And while sealed outside food and beverage and reusable liquid containers are allowed, leave the wine and beer at home. This concert isn’t an LA Phil-presented event, so no outside alcohol is allowed.
If you plan to drive, be ready to commit to a stacked parking lot and purchase in advance. It may take a while to get out, but you do have the peace of mind of not trying to track down an Uber on Highland. Alternatively, a happy medium is a shuttle ride. You can park your car in a number of places around town and hop on a direct bus ride over. On the other hand, one straight-shot method is parking your car at Universal City, hopping on the Metro and taking it to Ovation Hollywood. Finally, if you do choose rideshare, drop-off and pick-up is at Lot B, for which the address is 2149 N Highland Ave.
Sure, you can bring food in, but the Hollywood Bowl’s food and wine program is run by James Beard Award-winning chef Suzanne Goin and restauranteur Caroline Styne of a.o.c., Cara Cara and Caldo Verde. You’re surely set on the food and wine front if you decide to purchase dinner at the venue (Pro tip: order the fried chicken). If you want to grab dinner before heading in, consider nearby restaurants like Lemon Grove or Saltie Girl. Read our full list of suggested pre-show restaurants.
No matter which performance you attend, The Nightmare Before Christmas in concert will be a night full of holiday magic, live music joy and Halloween spookiness. You can take part by dressing in full costume or a Jack Skellington t-shirt because fashion will undoubtedly be on theme and embracing the wondrous journey of the Pumpkin King. Just don’t skip out on that jacket. It can get a little cool inside the Bowl once the sun sets.
Are you ready to chant “This is Halloween!” all night long?
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Photography by: Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com
