Creep It Real OC: Camp Creep It Real 2023
One of the fun photo backdrop locations within the Camp Creep It Real 2023!
Creep it Real OC is a Halloween event that takes place twice annually at the Heritage Museum of Orange County, California. There is limited free parking, food trucks, spooky drinks, and lots of fun vendors. For me the real draw was a spooky themed event and a chance to dress up and see other folks from the community! For the TLDR version of this event, watch our Tiktok!
It seems that this event is usually a two-day event and they offer single day or weekend passes and for our first time attending we grabbed the Sunday only tickets. We decided to go because we happened to be free, and why not? The single day tickets were only $15. The theme for 2023 was "Camp Creel It Real” and I am a big Jason Vorhees girly; I had to do it. We had never been to the Heritage Museum in OC not attended a Creep It Real event before, but it’s in an easy spot to find in Santa Ana and we were able to easily park for free. The staff was in costume and greeted us upon gate opening which I thought was a perfect touch. Their map was super helpful and they also had way-finding signage scattered throughout the property. Keep in mind the event hours are during the day and it is outdoors so check the weather + wear appropriate footwear that you don’t mind getting a little dusty.
Our first stop was the bar (shocking) and we tried 2 of the featured cocktails from Barmaid Beauties which came with fun cup wraps and drink toppers. They were both tasty! I hope to see them at future spooky events. We then wandered through vendors and I picked up a few things (the new hard case clear clutches from Blackthorn LA are TO DIE). I really love finding new and unique shopping experiences in this way. Even if you aren’t all about spooky all the time and you just enjoy unique art I would really recommend attending one of these kinds of events with friends or as a date just to see what local artists have to offer that you might not otherwise find!
We were not looking hard for vegan food, so unsure if there were any options. I would say if you have dietary restrictions to just check the food truck vendor menus ahead of time and plan accordingly! The Heritage Museum itself is a beautiful outdoor space + historic home, but I’m glad some extra attention to detail was put into decorating the grounds to fit within the camp theme. Samhain’s Lot x The Farm Haunt and Murder House Productions also put together some spooky photo backdrop areas which helped to elevate the experience.
This year they also had 3 actors from Hocus Pocus doing meet and greets as well as a Sunday panel which they coupled with a Hocus Pocus museum in the house on the property. The museum was cute! I thought they did a great job with the space they had, it’s always fun seeing film stills and behind-the-scenes images used in this way since that’s what I do for my day job! We did see them setting up lawn chairs in preparation for the Hocus Pocus panel but we didn’t stay for that - this was held in the same gazebo space that they do live music as well as magic shows. It’s a super intimate way to check out new music. They also had a vinyl dj spinning, the music vibes were immaculate.
All in all, I thought this was a really cute spooky date option. You could see everything in a couple hours, or you could extend your time by sitting by the gazebo for live music with a drink. This was in no way scary, so it is also perfect for Halloween fans that don’t like being truly creeped out or scared. Creep It Real also does a winter festive event at the same location and those tickets are on sale now! Until next time, keep it creepy…
