Midsummer Scream in Long Beach, CA is a massive horror convention and my personal favorite. The first time I went, I was ill prepared, so here are some things I wish I knew.
Wristband Pickup
The convention will have two lines to get in:
1) Wristband/credential pickup
2) Security screening
The wristband pickup line is long, especially if you are getting there on time and it’s Saturday (the busiest day). It looped all the way back to the Long Beach Terrace theater last year. My number one recommendation: pickup your wristband/credentials early. They offer early pickup at the Long Beach Convention Center the Thursday before and you can avoid all of that hassle. Otherwise, just get there early. I would recommend lining up at least one hour before the doors open for general admission. The lines do move pretty quickly, but it’s worth not being at the very back.
Parking
There is parking at the convention center and as of writing this, it’s $20, but the cars get backed up on every street headed to that structure. Long Beach has some solid public transit, but if you are going to drive, I recommend one of the many parking structures between Broadway and Ocean. It’s $12, a 10 minute walk at most, and you avoid the traffic and wait.
Water
The days are long, the drinks are overpriced, and you will be so thirsty, but you cannot bring water in with you. All bottles must be empty upon entry, but metal and glass bottles are prohibited, even if empty. You can, however, bring an empty plastic water bottle, and use their refill stations inside, which I highly recommend.
Convention Layout
Midsummer Scream is massive, but you’ll get the swing of things after one good walk around, but if you’ve never been, here is how I think of the layout. I break it into three main sections:
1) The Vendors: You’ll find the majority of them in Hall A and B, though some may be in the lobby. You will also find the photo-ops and signings here!
2) The Haunts and Attractions: These are in Hall C better known as the Hall of Shadows.
3) The Panels, Presentations, Screenings, etc: These are throughout the con in different theaters, conference rooms or ballrooms depending on the size.
There are also stages in the vendor hall and hall of shadows where some of the performances will take place.
The Hall of Shadows
If you are not familiar with the Hall of Shadows, this con has a hall filled with mini haunts, attractions, and photo-ops. The main draw are the mini haunts imo: think of a Knott’s Scary Farm maze, but incredibly short. The lights are low, there are scare actors popping out, and there will be fog. There are some smaller haunts that do previews here and Lionsgate has started hosting a haunt featuring characters and world from upcoming movie releases.
There will be lines, and sometimes they will be long. Every year while waiting in these lines I tell myself “next year I’m getting the Gold Bat pass,” and every year I still end up with general admission. Next year is my year.
Priorities
My first year I went in blind and still had a blast, but I wish I knew how to prioritize all of the things to do.
Knowing what I know now, I would prioritize:
1) Panels, presentations, signings and photos ops (most are one time snooze and you lose moments)
2) Performances (some performances are multiple times a day)
3) Haunts (these are available during the main event hours, but I try and prioritize when the crowds wane)
4) Vendor hall (it’s perfect when you don’t have something on your schedule and the hall of shadows lines are too long)
To be clear, the vendors are amazing and where I spend 50% of my time, but because it’s not at the mercy of schedules and crowds, it’s easiest to put at bottom of the planning list.
App
Download the app and do it ahead of time because the signal isn’t great at the convention center. They released a new app for 2025, so last year’s will not work.
Direct download links:
You can also visit the Midsummer Scream homepage, scroll down and click the “Check Out The Program on the MSS App!” button, and click the “Download the App” button in the top right corner.
Plan
From here, make your plan. Once you have the app you can view the full schedule for presentations and performances, get details on the haunts, check the vendor list and see the map. For some of the biggest panels (*cough cough* Halloween Horror Nights), plan to line up early, at least 45 min if you want to snag a seat (note to self, this is why I should have gotten the Gold Bat pass).
Don’t Stress & Enjoy Midsummer Scream
Even though I like to over-research and over-plan everything, it’s part of my DNA, you can’t really go wrong. If the worst case scenario is you didn’t download the app, you spent 45 min in line for your wristband, and you missed a panel you would have liked to see, you’re still gonna have a blast as long as you don’t beat yourself up over it. Catch the panel on YouTube later, browse the hundreds of vendors, catch a screening, and get crap scared out of you in the Hall of Shadows.