By Khalil Reed, October 20, 2026
Zombie fast-food workers, a haunted house and a techno club with a line around the block drew crowds to Downtown Pomona Oct. 10 for its annual Halloween trick-or-treat, Art Walk, night market and costume contest along West Second Street.
Two of those zombies won the adult costume contest and a $150 prize. Dressed as undead In-N-Out employees, a man and a woman wore bloodstained uniforms, paper hats and decayed prosthetic faces. They declined to give their names, asking to remain anonymous.
“We just want to give people a taste of Hollywood,” the man said.
He said he designs costumes and has been going to costume events for many years. The pair said their costumes took a long time to make and they usually compete in other costume events across Orange County and Los Angeles. It was their first time at this event, but they said they would return. Throughout the night, they posed for pictures with attendees and jumpscared some who walked past.
When asked about winning, the woman credited the man who designs the costumes and said people seem to like In-N-Out. The pair said they plan to donate the prize money to charity but did not specify which organization.
“Everybody’s pretty screwed up financially right now, everybody’s hurt,” the man said. “It was nice to bring some humanity together tonight.”
The contest began around 8 p.m. at Shaun Diamond Plaza and was divided into children, teen and adult categories. Adult winners received $150, teen winners received $100 and the children’s category winner received a bike. About 20 adults, five or six teenagers and 20 children competed.
Contestants introduced their costumes before walking around the audience to display them. Winners were selected based on the volume of the crowd’s cheers, measured with a decibel reader. The readings were not announced, but the reader showed nearly the same level of noise for the In-N-Out workers and the runner-up in the adult contest, with the In-N-Out workers drawing slightly louder cheers.
“I think the voting was fair, I just wish it was a bigger stage,” contest participant Jesse P said.
Jesse P., who provided only his last initial when asked for his name, placed second in the adult category dressed as Patrick Star from “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.” He wore fishnets, stiletto boots, a pink wig and was covered in pink body paint. The crowd cheered and laughed as he introduced his character.
He said it took about a month to gather the materials for his costume and that a friend’s text encouraged him to enter, although it was not his first costume contest.
“Last year I won ‘funniest costume’ at another event, wearing the same thing,” he said.
Rain began during the teen round and lasted five to 10 minutes, but it stopped by the time the winners were announced. Before the event began, the Downtown Pomona District announced on Instagram the event would go on, rain or shine.
The teen category ended in a tie between a contestant dressed as Jack Box, the Jack in the Box mascot, and a contestant wearing a black dress and lace tights. She wore a brown mask with a wide, toothy grin and glowing yellow eyes. She walked slowly with a hunched posture, emphasizing her costume’s menacing appearance.
In the children’s category, a Speedy Gonzales costume from “Looney Tunes” drew the loudest cheers from the crowd, beating Luisa from “Encanto,” Edward Scissorhands and Michael Jackson.
“Ándale! Ándale!” the child said into the mic when introduced and again after winning.
The Art Walk began at 5 p.m. and most booths handed out free candy throughout the night. Children approached vendors saying “trick or treat” and left with handfuls of treats.
For two Cal Poly Pomona students, the Art Walk is a regular part of their college experience.
“I’ve been coming to this for the past three years,” said political science student Caesar Saavedra Sanchez. “It’s just a little college town thing, you know what I mean? Like in the movies.”
Saavedra Sanchez and his friend Jeremy Mendez, an art history student, said they come to venues in the Art Walk every month. They were not competing in the contest but were dressed as SpongeBob and a blue Crayola crayon.
Saavedra Sanchez and Mendez said the churros and funnel cakes were the stops they were most looking forward to. They recommend their friends and other CPP students come to the event as well.
I try to come here for other events, but specifically I try to come for Halloween because that’s the most lively and interesting one,” Mendez said.
Attendees walked along the block, stopped to speak with people in costume and gathered near the stage before the contest.
Food trucks sold burgers, Mexican food and hot dogs, while drink stations offered agua frescas, coffee and fountain drinks. Vendors sold handmade jewelry, tote bags, plants, stickers, T-shirts, incense and crystals.
“All of my pieces are one of a kind,” said Carrie Massey, owner of Carrie’s Creations and Anointed Pieces. “My customers don’t have to worry about other people having their stuff. Whatever they get, it’s going to be theirs.”
Massey sold woodwork, ceramics, resin pieces, candles and messages in bottles. Unlike most booths, she had no candy for trick-or-treaters, she joked.
She started selling at art walks this year, including this one and similar events in Chino Hills, after attending with her daughter, who goes to school in the area.
“I love the interaction with everyone and seeing people from all walks of life come here and look at everything,” Massey said. “I just love it.”
For Bri Shue, owner of Slice of Bri Products, it was her first time selling at the event. Her boss at the salon where she works told her about it a few days earlier. Shue sells mostly art and jewelry, along with animal crochet sculptures. She said she has been selling her artwork since she was 11.
Shue said she sold at least four bracelets, which were the most popular item at her booth, and that sales were steady but not especially profitable.
“I get recognition for my hard work and people show how much they appreciate it,” Shue said. “They’ll eventually say how it makes them feel and it makes them feel happy.”
Barnum’s Feast of Freaks, a haunted house, drew a steady crowd, while children played in a bounce house. Haven, an all-ages music venue, became a techno club for the night, with a line around the block.
Sweet Revenge, a Southern California-based My Chemical Romance cover band, was the only live music act for the night. For Caden Recendez, a student at Riverside City College, the band was his main reason for attending.
It was his first time at the event, and he said he typically attends events like this only when a band he likes is performing.
“I didn’t come here to see any specific costumes or vendors, but I tried a few of the food vendors here, and they’re good,” Recendez said.
When the contest ended at 8:40 p.m., the winning pair posed for photographs with their prize certificate in front of the stage as the crowd began to thin, though the event ran until 10 p.m.
