Reimagining Fun: EPIC Entertainment Group Transforms Pacific Park's Iconic Funhouse at Santa Monica Pier

Courtesy Epic Entertainment Group

The masterminds of immersive storytelling and expert production, EPIC Entertainment Group, have designed, built, and produced a slice of Santa Monica’s amusement history with the debut of the all-new Funhouse at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier. Officially opened on Wednesday, September 10, the 2,800-square-foot attraction resurrects the long-lost spirit of the legendary “Toonerville Funhouse” through a modern, spine-tingling lens, just in time for the Halloween season and beyond.

Drawing on their decades of experience creating large-scale themed entertainment and spooky, story-driven spaces across the country, EPIC crafted a fully realized narrative rooted in the Pier’s rich past. The original Toonerville Funhouse first thrilled guests at Ocean Park Pier in the 1920s, later returning at Pacific Ocean Park in 1958. Hidden away for decades, its whimsical-yet-unnerving spirit has now been revived in nine mysterious chambers, each filled with optical illusions, disorienting twists, and delightfully eerie surprises.

“Creating the Funhouse for Pacific Park allowed us to blend nostalgia with new innovations in storytelling,” said Charity Hill, Co-Founder and Executive Producer of EPIC Entertainment Group. “We love digging into history, finding what made people fall in love with these experiences in the first place, and then reinventing them for today’s audiences. With the Funhouse, we’re not just paying homage to Santa Monica’s amusement legacy, we’re creating a whole new chapter that will surprise and thrill guests for years to come.”

Just past Snackville, guests will stumble upon what appears to be an abandoned storage area tucked into the century-old pier. Inside, guests will discover that the Funhouse is far more than a maze of mirrors and tricks. At the heart of its lore lies a sinister pact: Sprinkles the Clown and a mysterious Fortune Teller are in cahoots, luring unsuspecting visitors deeper into the maze and toward their chilling fate in the ice cream freezer. Among its decayed relics lies a sigil granting entry into a labyrinth of curiosities, including nine distinct rooms such as Mirror Madness, Puppet Master, Gumball Glazy, and Vanilla Chill. Visitors may even come face-to-face with the mischievous Sprinkles the Clown as they attempt to escape the attraction’s disorienting paths.

For EPIC, the project is another example of the company’s ability to transform a client’s vision into reality: bridging history, theatrical design, and immersive production to deliver unforgettable guest experiences. Known for designing and producing some of the most imaginative live events, seasonal attractions, and brand activations across the country, EPIC once again proves its expertise in blending narrative with environment.

With a client roster that includes Hotel del Coronado, Crayola, Hersheypark, Ritz-Carlton, Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens, and now the Santa Monica Pier, EPIC Entertainment Group has become a trusted creative force for destination brands and legacy properties. The team is credited with elevating Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary into one of Southern California’s most acclaimed Halloween attractions and continues to play a major role in Hersheypark’s Dark Nights, managing everything from costume and makeup to stage and talent.

Whether reimagining seasonal events, developing immersive worlds, or producing large-scale spectacles, EPIC consistently delivers bold creative design and world-class production that transform spaces into unforgettable guest experiences. For more information about Epic Entertainment Group, visit EpicEntertainmentGroup.com and follow on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.