A Southern California Halloween tradition is pulling into its biggest season yet, with a drive-through scare experience taking over four carwashes across the region from Oct. 2 through Oct. 31. The Haunted Carwash keeps guests locked inside their own vehicles while performers, fog machines and eerie lighting turn a routine wash into something considerably more unsettling.
The 2026 lineup includes Big Wave Car Wash in Anaheim, Carwood Car Wash in Lakewood, Splash N Go Car Wash in Montclair and Eco Friendly Auto Spa in Carlsbad, according to KTLA. It marks the event's largest footprint in its six-year history, according to a guide from Haunted Attraction Network, which notes prior seasons ran with just one to three locations.
The Carlsbad stop at Eco Friendly Auto Spa, located at 6010 Avenida Encinas, has specific dates locked in: Oct. 16-17, 23-24 and 29-30, per Visit Carlsbad. That same listing describes the Haunted Carwash as a Southern California Halloween tradition that has drawn thousands of guests each year, and notes 2026 marks its seventh season overall.
What Happens Inside the Tunnel
Guests never step out of their cars. Per the event's official site, thehauntedcarwash.com, visitors are asked to remain inside their vehicles at all times throughout the experience, and one ticket covers the entire vehicle regardless of how many passengers are packed inside. As reported by NBC Los Angeles, the scares go well beyond the brushes and sprayers, with figures lurking around the tunnel to catch riders off guard.
The site also warns that vehicles taller than 7 feet 2 inches will not clear the tunnel, a detail worth checking before pulling in with anything oversized. KTLA describes the production as featuring live performers, cinematic lighting, dense fog, sound effects and other scary surprises layered throughout the drive-through course.
Pricing Gets Murky
Ticket pricing is where the sources diverge. The official Haunted Carwash site and news coverage both cite admission starting at $30 per vehicle, while the Haunted Attraction Network guide lists 2026 tickets at $25 per vehicle, with one ticket admitting the entire car regardless of passenger count. Prospective visitors may want to confirm current pricing directly before heading out, since the dossier does not resolve which figure is final for this season.
From Pandemic Pop-Up to Regional Franchise
The event's roots trace back to 2020, when it launched as Tunnel of Terror OC during coronavirus-era social distancing measures that encouraged sparse in-person interactions, according to the Orange County Register. The Haunted Attraction Network guide notes the event rebranded as The Haunted Car Wash in 2023 as it grew beyond its original single-site format.
The 2024 run included Anaheim, Lakewood and Duarte, with select nights running Oct. 3 through Nov. 2, the Register reported. That 2024 season paired a creepy circus theme at the Anaheim location with an eerie ghost graveyard theme in Lakewood, and shifted to a nightly schedule starting Oct. 26, according to NBC Los Angeles' earlier coverage of the attraction. Tickets that year also started at $30 per vehicle, the Register noted, with guests required to stay inside their cars throughout.
This year's expansion to four carwashes suggests the concept has outgrown its pandemic-born origins and settled into an annual Halloween fixture for drivers who would rather scream from behind a windshield than on foot.
