Fall and harvest time festivals are gearing up here in the Bay Area. Get these family events on your October calendar.
East Bay
Boo at the Zoo
OCT. 17-NOV. 1 WEEKENDS. Enjoy Oakland Zoo’s Halloween festivities including costume contests, collecting Boo at the Zoo trading cards and meeting the zoo’s creepy crawly residents. 9:30am-5pm. Tickets start at $27.
Oakland Zoo, 9777 Golf Links Road, Oakland
Pleasanton Downtown Business Trick-or-Treat Boo Bash
OCT. 17. Enjoy trick-or-treating at downtown businesses, a costume contest and children’s activities. 10am-1pm. FREE.
Museum on Main, 603 Main St., Pleasanton
pleasantondowntown.net/boobash
Trunk-or-Treat With Unhaunted House and Make-a-thon
OCT. 24. Celebrate Halloween with an afternoon of costumes, creativity and family fun at Kennedy Park in Hayward. Collect treats from creatively decorated trunks and enjoy live entertainment, games, crafts, scavenger hunts and festive photo opportunities. 11am-3pm. FREE.
Kennedy Park, 19501 Hesperian Blvd., Hayward
Marin
Goblin Jamboree
OCT. 3-31 WEEKENDS. This spooktacular Bay Area Discovery Museum fundraiser includes joyful costumes, hands-on magic, bug buddies, Build-a-Beast, the after-hours family celebration Sunset Spooktacular and not-so-spooky surprises in every corner. Check website for details.
Bay Area Discovery Museum, 557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito
Peninsula
Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival
OCT. 17-18. One of the Bay Area’s most iconic festivals, the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival features giant gourds, live entertainment, arts and crafts, a parade, costume contest, food and more. The festival kicks off 7am Oct. 12 with the Safeway World Champion Pumpkin Weigh-off at the IDES Ground, 735 Main St. The Great Pumpkin Parade is at 12pm Sat. on Main Street. 9am-5pm. FREE.
Downtown Half Moon Bay, Main Street
Haunted Hanger
OCT. 23-NOV. 1. Come in costume and see the Hiller Aviation Museum decked out in its spooky Halloween decorations and enjoy the Great Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt. During these dates on weekends, there will also be special activities for kids, including the Halloween Paint-a-Plane and Kids’ Festival. 10am-5pm. $16-24, 3 and under FREE.
Hiller Aviation Museum, 601 Skyway Road, San Carlos
Nightfall at Filoli
THROUGH NOV. 1. Filoli’s Halloween harvest party transforms the entire estate into a spooky story. The mansion has been reclaimed by nature into a growing woodland, and visitors can explore to find a witch’s hidden village, eerie pumpkin scarecrows, a miniature train display and more. 5:30-10pm. $35-65.
Filoli, 86 Cañada Road, Woodside
San Francisco
Halloween Hoopla
OCT. 31. Enjoy family-friendly frights and delights for children under 10 and adults. This year’s festivities include awe-inspiring performers from Circus Bella accompanied by live music from the Circus Bella All-Star Trio. The Hoopla Grand Finale is the popular Halloween Costume Parade. 12-3pm. FREE.
Children’s Garden at Yerba Buena Gardens, 799 Howard St., San Francisco
Randall Museum’s Family Halloween Day
OCT. 24. The Randall Museum fills with Halloween delights and monster mischief. Enjoy games, crafts, activities, creepy critters, a costume contest, live entertainment and more. An adult must accompany children under 8. Parking is limited; public or alternative transportation is encouraged. 10am-2pm. Admission is FREE with low-cost activities.
Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way, San Francisco
“SuperNatural” at Cal Academy
OCT. 24. California Academy of Sciences’ annual Halloween celebration features trick-or-treat stations, a silent disco in Steinhart Aquarium, a Halloween ride, mad scientists, crafts, face painting, a teen lounge and more. 6:30-9pm. Adults $60 ($55 members), 3-17 $45 ($40 members).
Golden Gate Park, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco
Silicon Valley and South
Festival Fright Nights at the Winchester Mystery House
THROUGH NOV. 1 ON SELECT NIGHTS. The entire estate comes to life through four immersive festival zones featuring 13 attractions and experiences – including haunted houses inside the historic mansion, eerie entertainment, photo ops, seasonal food and drink offerings and mysterious encounters hidden throughout the grounds. The format allows visitors to pick and choose from a variety of attractions, from traditional haunted houses to theatrical experiences. Tickets start at $59.99.
Winchester Mystery House, 525 S. Winchester Blvd., San Jose
Halloween at the Boardwalk
OCT. 31. Enjoy trick-or-treating, a costume contest and a “Fright Walk” underneath the boardwalk. Trick-or-treating is 11am-8pm. $12 trick-or-treating package includes a collectible candy bag that can be filled from participating food and shopping locations on the Boardwalk and a $10 MyBoardwalk card. “Fright Walk” details TBA.
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz
New Ballet Halloween GalaOCT. 17. The fundraising event will feature a performance and Halloween gala for the whole family. Kids (and grown-ups) come in costume and enjoy a night of ballet, Halloween treats and fun surprises. Check website for times and ticket prices.
Hammer Theatre Center, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose
Thomas & Percy’s Halloween Party
OCT. 10-25 WEEKENDS. Enjoy a train ride on Thomas the Tank Engine and his friend Percy, as well as themed entertainment, a costume contest, live music, arts and crafts, a pumpkin patch and an opportunity to meet Sir Topham Hatt. Train rides start at 10am. Tickets are $24.85-28.85.
Roaring Camp Railroad, 5401 Graham Hill Road, Felton
The Great Big BOO!
THROUGH NOV. 1. Gilroy Gardens presents this not-too-spooky Halloween event for the whole family with live musical shows, themed rides, trick-or-treating along the BOO Trail, food and drinks and dazzling light displays. 5-10pm Fri., 1-9pm Sat. (Oct. 31 11am-5pm), 1-9pm Sun.. $65-80.
Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park, 3050 Hecker Pass Highway, Gilroy
