Anaheim to host Midsummer Scream in 2027, as officials announce move from Long Beach

After concluding what officials called their most successful year yet, Midsummer Scream announced the horror-themed convention will move to Anaheim next year after a decade in Long Beach.

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“Midsummer Scream will move to the Anaheim Convention Center for its 2027 show, scheduled for August 6-8,” according to a news release sent out late Sunday, Aug. 9. “The expanded venue offers greater space to accommodate the event’s growing community of fans, haunters, vendors, artists, and celebrities.”

Attendees who stayed for the conclusion of what’s become known as the world’s largest Halloween and horror convention heard the announcement from Midsummer Scream executive director and co-founder David Markland himself. Markland took the stage during the final panel of the convention, a presentation about Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights, to speak to the crowd gathered in the Grand Ballroom at the Long Beach Convention Center.

“The demand for people who want to come that can’t come is pretty big, and we need to do something about that,” he said before a video montage showed images of the Anaheim Convention Center. The video announcement was posted to Midsummer Scream’s social media accounts with the caption “The [black] cat’s out of the bag. See you next year, Anaheim 2027.”

Fans can be heard cheering during the video, some even yelling out “thank you!” Comments on the social posts though lamented the move to what some called an already overcrowded market. The Anaheim Convention Center is down the street from the Disneyland Resort and also hosts massive events such as Disney’s D23, WonderCon, the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) and more.

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“The amazing community of Halloween and horror fans continues to grow, and we’re excited to be able to grow with it,” said Markland in the release. “It’s bittersweet to leave a venue as amazing as the Long Beach Convention Center, but we look forward to all the new opportunities awaiting us in Anaheim.”

This year’s Midsummer Scream welcomed more than 50,000 fans between Aug. 7-9 with 350 vendors that included major theme parks such as Universal Studios Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm and SixFlags Magic Mountain. Attendees could be seen lining up hours ahead of the scheduled door opening each day before flooding into the Hall of Shadows haunted mazes, leaving standing room only during star-studded panels and bumping elbows while shopping on the exhibition hall floor.

Midsummer Scream isn’t leaving Long Beach completely behind, though.

“Organizers also announced that their fan-favorite holiday horror event, Season’s Screamings, will return December 5-6, 2027, at the Long Beach Convention Center,” according to the release. “The winter event will feature the Hall of Yuletide Spirits, spooky vendors, and other surprises to celebrate the holidays with a healthy dose of scares.”

Tickets for both Midsummer Scream 2027 and Season’s Screamings will go on sale early next year.

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