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Best Halloween Events in San Francisco for Kids and Families

All aboard the Pumpkin Patch Express, headed straight for Halloween fun. Photo by @thelizw, via the Sacramento River Train, Facebook
All aboard the Pumpkin Patch Express, headed straight for Halloween fun. Photo by @thelizw, via the Sacramento River Train, Facebook
9/22/24 - By Sandra Lee

Halloween events in San Francisco are haunting all corners of the Bay Area and are springing up at a supernatural rate. There are terrifyingly terrific Halloween activities for kids of all ages, from trick-or-treating to pumpkin patches to Halloween train rides. 

Keep reading below for scary, good Halloween events in San Francisco. Halloween events continue to brew, so check our calendar of events for more haunts and happenings. 

For more spooky and festive fun, enjoy gourds galore at the best pumpkin patches near San Francisco and fall into the best harvest & pumpkin festivals in San Francisco. There are more not-so-frightening festivities to discover in our Halloween Fun and Activities Guide for San Francisco Kids.  

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Halloween Sausalito features a Halloween parade, trick-or-treat lane, dog costume contest, and haunted house. Photo courtesy of the event
Halloween Sausalito features a Halloween parade, trick-or-treat lane, dog costume contest, and haunted house. Photo courtesy of the event

Halloween Events in San Francisco with Trick-or-Treating

Halloween 2024: Fun For the Entire Family at Gamble Garden

Palo Alto
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Pokemon is hiding at Gamble Garden this Halloween. Search for Pikachu and friends in a scavenger hunt. Enjoy tattoos, face painting, crafts, prizes, trading cards and more. The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo will showcase Sequoia, the great bald eagle, for our learning astonishment.  READ MORE

Monster Bash

Mountain View - FREE
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Rengstorff Park in Mountain View is transformed into a Halloween wonderland filled with a treat trail, spooky games, enchanting performances, stilt walkers, inflatables, a creepy, crawly, ooey gooey zone, lil ghouls corral, bike circus, and more. READ MORE

Halloween Spooktacular in Martinez

Martinez - FREE
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Put on your Halloween costume and join local businesses for some fun and safe trick-or-treating in downtown Martinez.  Kid's crafts, games, and trunk-or-treating are also part of the fun while families stroll the streets with creatively themed and decorated car trunks and shops.  READ MORE

History Park Children's Halloween Haunt

San Jose
Saturday, October 26, 2024
History Park transforms into a haunted, family-friendly location with a ton of activities to celebrate Halloween! Crafts, activities, and trick-or-treating, with a grand finale of a single showing of the traditional Light Show.  READ MORE

Hometown Halloween 2024

Napa - FREE
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Downtown Napa transforms into a boo-tiful Halloween festival where families can wear their favorite costumes and kids can go trick-or-treating. Just head over to Oxbow Commons ad other areas of downtown and look for the black and orange balloons.  READ MORE

Trick-or-Treat on Fourth Street

San Rafael - FREE
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Bring the whole crew to 4th St. in Downtown San Rafael for a day of Halloween fun. Merchants are welcoming kids and families to come dressed in their favorite costumes for some trick-or-treating, trunk-or-treating from the festive SR Police Car, costume contests, and music by the Marin Girls Chorus.  Stick around for the pet costume contest where winners get prizes and goodie bags.  READ MORE

Boos on B Street and Trick-or-Treating

San Mateo - FREE
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Ready for a BOO-tiful day in San Mateo when downtown fills the streets with activities for Halloween?  Enjoy carnival games, live DJ music, photo opportunities, and trick-or-treating.  READ MORE

Thrill-O-Ween at Thrive City

San Francisco - FREE
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Thrive City will host its 4th annual Thrilloween celebration, filled with themed activities such as trunk-or-treat, a pumpkin patch, a costume contest, slime making, a screening of “Despicable Me 4" and more. READ MORE

Trick-or-Treat at the Ferry Building

San Francisco - FREE
Sunday, October 27, 2024
The Ferry Building is joining in on the Halloween spirit with a trick-or-treating event inside the Marketplace. Wear your costumes and enjoy face painting, live pumpkin carving demonstrations, tarot reading, and even a scavenger hunt.  Grab a trick-or-treat bag and head inside for all the Halloween fun.  READ MORE

4th Annual Great Hauntway

San Francisco - FREE
Sunday, October 27, 2024
A Halloween block party with a beachside twist, the Great Hauntway at Great Highway Park is open for trick-or-treaters and the community to come together for a safe, car-free Halloween. Arts & crafts, big bubbles, and pumpkin decorating are all available for families to enjoy.  READ MORE

Trick-or-Treat The Row Halloween Family Festival

San Jose - FREE
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Santana Row in San Jose is going festive for its annual Halloween Family Fest. Activities include trick-or-treating, pumpkin decorating, live music, entertainment, balloons, arts and crafts, stilt walkers, and Halloween surprises.  READ MORE

Halloween Sausalito

Sausalito - FREE
Thursday, October 31, 2024
A Halloween parade, trick-or-treat lane, dog costume contest, and themed movie night are all taking place in Sausalito on Halloween evening. Bring the whole family (including your four-legged family members) and have some spooky but not-so-scary fun.  READ MORE
Don't miss the famous Great Pumpkin scavenger hunt at the Haunted Hanger. Photo courtesy of the Hiller Aviation Museum
Don't miss the famous Great Pumpkin scavenger hunt at the Haunted Hanger. Photo courtesy of the Hiller Aviation Museum

Halloween Events at San Francisco Zoos & Museums

Family Halloween Day at Randall Museum

San Francisco - FREE
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Randall Museum’s annual Family Halloween Day is back! The museum is transformed - inside and out - and filled with spooky, but not scary, delights for the Halloween season.  READ MORE

Laser Spooktacular Halloween

Cupertino
Saturday, October 19 & 26, 2024
Celebrate Halloween with a display of laser-drawn images and music under the Planetarium sky at DeAnza College. The show features songs from Ghostbusters, Monster Mash, The Time Warp, and more.  READ MORE

Goblin Jamboree

Sausalito
Select dates, October 19 - 27, 2024
The Goblin Jamboree is back at the BADM. Wear your favorite costume and enjoy activities like a hay maze, a glow party, a slime banquet, web weaving, interactive spooky science, and pumpkin hollow. READ MORE

Halloween Haunted Hangar

San Carlos
Saturday & Sunday, October 19 - 27, 2024
Halloween is on full display at the Hiller Aviation Museum, with decorations and the famous Great Pumpkin scavenger hunt. The weekends are enjoyable with activities like aircraft checkouts, cockpit exploration glider, and helicopter construction, as well as Kids' Carnival, Haunted Hanger Festival, and Pumpkin Drop.  READ MORE

Boo at the Oakland Zoo

Oakland
Friday - Sunday, October 25 - 27, 2024
Boo at the Zoo is back at the Oakland Zoo. This family-friendly event is super popular and this year includes a 500-bale hay maze, larger-than-life Halloween decorations, and animal x-ray scavenger hunt. READ MORE

FUNtazmagoria 2024

Santa Rosa
Friday - Sunday, October 25- 27, 2024
The Children's Museum of Sonoma County transforms into a family-friendly art studio to celebrate Halloween. The Mad Scientist lab has potions, creepy critters, and tons of cool things to explore. The Art Studio is Glow in the Dark-themed with spider webs, ghostly shapes, and even slime. It's a not-so-scary Halloween event for the whole family.  READ MORE

Supernatural at the Academy of Arts & Science

San Francisco
Saturday, October 26, 2024
This beloved event is back at the California Academy of Arts & Sciences! The family-friendly event has all sorts of activities for kids of all ages: a silent disco, trick-or-treating, magic shows, live animal demonstrations, photo booths, crafts, face painting, mad scientist meet 'n' greets and more.  READ MORE

Boo at the San Francisco Zoo

San Francisco
Saturday & Sunday, October 26 & 27, 2024
Boo at the Zoo returns to the SF Zoo with a costume parade and contest, a giant hay maze, animal feedings, candy treat bags for kids, and tons of trick-or-treating.  New this year is the Franken-stomp Dance Party which will take place after the costume party at the playground area.  READ MORE

Creepy Crawly Critters: Live Spiders and Snakes!

Berkeley
Saturday, November 2, 2024
Commemorate the spooky season with a celebration of misunderstood creatures! Come dressed in your Halloween costume and learn about our skittering and slithering friends from eight legs to no legs. Get up close and personal with our resident snakes in the Animal Discovery Zone and observe live spiders from UC Berkeley researchers. Go on a spider hunt in the Outdoor Nature Lab, and more spider activities! READ MORE
Chug through pumpkin patches. Photo courtesy of the Sacramento River Train Facebook page
Chug through pumpkin patches. Photo courtesy of the Sacramento River Train Facebook page

Halloween Train Rides in the San Francisco Bay Area

Pumpkin Patch Express

Sacramento
Select dates, October 5 - 30, 2024
Take a train ride through Yolo County for fall fun for the whole family. Activities include trick-or-treating at the private park, carnival games, photo opportunities, and a pumpkin patch. Costumes are encouraged! READ MORE

Thomas and Percy’s Halloween Party

Felton
Saturday & Sunday, October 12 - 27, 2024
Roaring Camp Railroads is hosting the opportunity to take a ride with Percy and Thomas all decked out for Halloween. Other activities include storytelling, video viewing, temporary tattoos, a pumpkin patch, and an Imagination Station with arts and crafts. Sir Topham Hatt will be there for meet n' greets.  READ MORE

Pumpkin Patch Festival

Suisun Valley
Saturday & Sunday, October 12 - 27, 2024
Take a train ride to the famous Gum Grove Farm and pick a pumpkin at one of the best patches in Solano County. The annual festival has food and activities like pumpkin chucking, a hay fort, a zipline, tractor rides, a petting zoo, and more.  Live music, food, and beverages are also available for purchase. READ MORE
Halloween Hoopla is spook-tastic. Photo by Jim Watkins Photography, courtesy of Yerba Buena Gardens
Halloween Hoopla is spook-tastic. Photo by Jim Watkins Photography, courtesy of Yerba Buena Gardens

Halloween Festivals & Celebrations in San Francisco

Unhinged Hotel at the Winchester Mystery House

San Jose
Select dates, September 13 - November 2, 2024
Winchester Mystery House is at it again with a scary haunted house show. This immersive indoor/outdoor experience has dark walks, special effects, and professional actors to scare you. The show is not suitable for kids under 13 years old, or older kids that are sensitive to scary elements. But if you have big kids who like jump scares, this is a unique-to-San Francisco Halloween event! READ MORE

Halloween Spooktacular 2024 in Redwood City

Redwood City
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Step right up for some Cool Carnival Games, Muah-ah-ah Monster Maze, Creepy Crafts, Spooky Photo Back Drops, Mini Pumpkin Patch, prices, and more.  READ MORE

13 Days of Halloween on the Wharf

Santa Cruz - FREE
Daily, October 19 - 31, 2024
Enjoy 13 days of Halloween fun on the Santa Cruz Wharf. Print a BINGO card to find hidden pumpkins on the Wharf, snap a photo with your crew with the Monterey Bay and lighthouse as a backdrop, dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller", and taste delicious food specials each day.  READ MORE

Halloween at The Center in Mill Valley

Mill Valley - FREE
Friday, October 25, 2024
Enjoy many fun and spooky trunks while Trunk or Treating at the Mill Valley Community Center. Make crafts and discover fun and creepy surprises. Costumes are encouraged.  READ MORE

The Haunted Trail of Pleasant Hill

Pleasant Hill - FREE
Friday, October 25, 2024
Take a Halloween-themed stroll at Pleasant Hill Park with the whole family for a fun nighttime adventure.  Starting behind the Teen Center, families can stroll the not-so-scary trail to see Halloween displays and themed activities. Each participant gets a goody bag at the end of the trail.  READ MORE

2024 Japantown Halloween Carnival

San Francisco
Friday, October 25, 2024
Little ghosts and goblins are welcome to the annual Japantown Halloween Carnival with JCYC! Come out for a great night of Halloween fun including Halloween crafts activities, cultural and community performances, a bounce house, and a costume parade and contest for kids.  READ MORE

Halloween Hoopla at Yerba Buena Gardens

San Francisco - FREE
Saturday, November 2, 2024
Celebrate Halloween at Yerba Buena Gardens at the 24th Annual Halloween Hoopla. Enjoy performances, activities, and a costume parade to end the day! READ MORE
The Great Big BOO is not so scary. Photo courtesy of Gilroy Gardens
The Great Big BOO is not so scary. Photo courtesy of Gilroy Gardens

Halloween Events at Bay Area Theme Parks

Tricks and Treats at Great America

Santa Clara
Select dates, September 20 - October 26, 2024
Great America is back with Tricks and Treats this year, a Halloween event that is all fun with none of the scary stuff. Guests can choose the path of Tricks, which includes Icky Ville and Spooky Spires, or the path of Treats, with Sweet Tooth Acres and Everfall.  READ MORE

Six Flags Boo Fest

Vallejo
Select dates, September 21 - November 3, 2024
Six Flags Boo Fest is a family-friendly Halloween event with no scary rides or activities, just fun for even the littlest of ghosts. Taking place during the daytime only, families can enjoy Halloween-themed animal shows, trick-or-treating, and family-friendly rides.  READ MORE

Howl-O-Ween at Great Wolf Lodge Northern California

Manteca
Daily, September 26 - October 31, 2024
Time to get spooky at Great Wolf Lodge Northern California as it gets ready to kick off one of its famed seasonal celebrations, Howl-O-Ween! Fa-boo-less fun awaits all month long as the lodge is decked out with fall leaves, pumpkins, and other festive décor to celebrate the color-changing season.  READ MORE

The Great Big BOO at Gilroy Gardens

Gilroy
Friday - Sunday, September 27 - October 27, 2024
The Great Big BOO is back at Gilroy Gardens, with fun, not-so-spooky decorations, themed programming, live musical shows, games, rides, crafts, and light displays. Trick-or-treating on the BOO trail is a great event for the kiddos!  READ MORE

Halloween Weekends at Jellystone Park

Lodi
Friday - Sunday, October 4 - 27, 2024
To celebrate the spooky season, Jellystone Park™ Tower Park is going all out with themed weekends piled high with activities for the whole family. Costume and campsite decorating contests, Halloween-themed crafts, haunted trails, pumpkin patches, trick-or-treating, spooky soiree, and so much more are all in store.  The resort also has a water park, dining area, mini golf, and more for families.  READ MORE

Halloween Jam at Children's Fairyland

Oakland
Saturday & Sunday, October 19 - 27, 2024
This five-day event is filled with spooky (but not scary) creepy, crawly Halloween fun. Families can enjoy special performances, decked-out storybook sets, arts and crafts, puppet shows, treat stations, games, and new surprises.  READ MORE
Woah! The Pumpkin Patch at Lemos Farm is amazing! Photo courtesy of the farm
Woah! The Pumpkin Patch at Lemos Farm is amazing! Photo courtesy of the farm

Pumpkin Patches & Fall Harvest Festivals in San Francisco Bay Area

The Pumpkin Patch at Lemos Farm

Half Moon Bay
Daily, August 31 - November 24
Halloween is on full display at Lemos Farm with hay, spooky decor, corn stalks, and pumpkins galore. Enjoy pumpkin ice cream, go on a hayride, snack on pumpkin bread, ride a pony or a train, go through a not-so-scary haunted house, pet farm animals, and pick a pumpkin to take home! READ MORE

Petaluma Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze

Petaluma
Daily, September 20 - November 1, 2024
One of the top local pumpkin patches to visit in the fall, the Petaluma Pumpkin Patch and Amazing Corn Maze draw crowds from all over the Bay Area. This one is worth the drive as the whole family can pick from over five acres of pumpkins, a four-acre corn maze (with only one way out), and tons of free and special events offered daily.  READ MORE

Fall Farm Fest - Pumpkin Picking Festival

Pescadero
Saturday & Sunday, September 28 - October 20, 2024
It's fall, and what better way to celebrate than with a pumpkin-picking festival? Rancho Siempre Verde in Pescadero is hosting a monthlong weekend-only event where families can pick some pumpkins and apples, cut flowers, make a fall wreath, have a picnic, and so much more overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  Kids can take a tractor ride, play on the swings, go on the slides, and run around the open fields.  READ MORE

Smith Family Farm’s Pumpkin Harvest

Brentwood
Daily, September 28 - October 31, 2024
More than just a pumpkin patch, the Pumpkin Harvest is a celebration of fall with live music, meetings with farm animals, an observation beehive, an herb garden, and a pumpkin house.  Weekends are the best time to visit, with extra activities like face painting, musical guests, animal encounters, and beekeeper visits, as well as food trucks, and arts and craft vendors.    READ MORE

G&M Farms Pumpkin Patch

Livermore
Wednesday - Sunday, October 2 - 31, 2024
G&M Farms in Livermore has fall festivities running throughout the month of October.  Families can walk through the pumpkin patch and pick one to take home, go through a six-acre cornfield maze, ride a pony, grab a pedal cart, jump on the jump pillows, and go on a hayride or cow train. There is even a haunted corn maze for older kids and grown-ups.  READ MORE

Swank Farms Fall Experience

Hollister
Select dates, October 4 - 31, 2024
For a day full of fall fun, check out Swank Farms in Hollister. Admission for guests three years and up includes access to the farm, photo opportunities, a beautiful sunflower field, a corn maze, a jumping pillow, a cow train, and a corn box.   READ MORE

Harvest Festival in Berkeley

Berkeley - FREE
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Dance to live music, shop local, and take in the new Fall season with Berkely's annual Harvest Festival for the whole family.   Kids can have a ton of fun at the Kids Zone with activities like a climbing wall, decorating or bowling with pumpkins, making a scarecrow, or going through a fall-themed obstacle course.  READ MORE

Half Moon Bay 52nd Annual Pumpkin and Art Festival

Half Moon Bay - FREE
Saturday & Sunday, October 19 & 20, 2024
The Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival is one of the most popular local fall events, with activities for the whole family, including pumpkin carving and costume contests. Spanning more than two fun-filled days, guests can enjoy live music, shop from local vendors, eat and drink from local restaurants, play games, participate in a family fun run, and even meet mascot "Gourdy." The main attraction is the enormous pumpkins on display hoping to win the grand prize in a weigh-off championship. READ MORE
Enter the Land of the Dead with Coco. Image courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures
Enter the Land of the Dead with Coco. Image courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Halloween Movies & Shows in the Bay Area

Sundown Cinema

San Francisco - FREE
Friday, October 18, 2024
See a movie outdoors in beautiful San Francisco at a different park each week. With 7 films in 7 different locations around the city, families can get together and enjoy company, good food, and a family-friendly movie.  READ MORE

Piedmont Movie in the Park

Piedmont - FREE
Friday, October 18, 2024
PRD invites your family and friends to watch a family-friendly movie under the stars. Movie lineup includes Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Super Mario Bros., Charlotte's Web, and Addams Family.  READ MORE

Movies in the Park in Petaluma

Petaluma - FREE
Friday, October 25, 2024
This is a series of outdoor movie showings held on various Friday evenings during the Summer and Fall at Lucchesi Park. Food and beverages are available for purchase from local food and beverage vendors.  READ MORE

Friday Movie Night at Marin Country Mart

Larkspur - FREE
Friday, October 25, 2024
Hang out with friends and family and see a family-friendly classic film under the tent at Marin Country Mart. READ MORE

Family Movie Night in Novato

Novato - FREE
Friday, October 25, 2024
Get in the Halloween spirit and join Park Rangers for a family-friendly, spooky movie night. Bring blankets and chairs and cozy up in the redwood grove to watch The Haunted Mansion (2003). Enjoy complimentary s'mores, popcorn, hot chocolate, and water. READ MORE

Film with Live Orchestra: Coco

San Francisco
Friday, November 1, 2024
Lights, Camera, Music! Watch favorite films on the big screen at Davies Symphony Hall as the scores are performed live by the SF Symphony. The Academy Award-winning smash hit Coco (Best Original Song, Best Animated Feature Film) stars a music-loving boy who makes a dazzling journey to the Land of the Dead to reunite with his great-great-grandfather. Rated PG READ MORE
Celebrate Día de los Muertos traditions. Photo courtesy of the Oakland County Museum of Art
Celebrate Día de los Muertos traditions. Photo courtesy of the Oakland County Museum of Art

Dia de los Muertos Celebrations in San Francisco

30th Annual Día de los Muertos Celebration at OMCA

Oakland
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) is celebrated at the OMCA with all the festivities and cultural traditions of the day. A beautiful procession opens the day of celebration, followed by hands-on activities food, dance performances, live music, and more.  READ MORE

Halloween Dia de los Muertos

Oakland - FREE
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Head over to Jack London Square for a family-friendly event celebrating Dia de los Muertos.  Activities include chalk artists, crafts, costume contests, mariachi, and Mexican Folklorico dancers READ MORE

Museum-on-the-Go at Día de Muertos

Healdsburg - FREE
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Join Museum-on-the-Go for Día de Muertos hosted by Corazón Healdsburg and the City of Healdsburg. This annual celebration touches the heart and connects the community with music, food, a car and truck show, activities for kids, and more! Día de Muertos features live music from various artists and traditional dance performances from Aztec dancers, folkloric dancers, and more throughout the day. READ MORE

Día de los Muertos at the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose

San Jose
Saturday, November 2, 2024
The Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose is transformed to honor the beloved Mexican tradition, Día de los Muertos, with a day-long celebration. Highlights include bigger-than-life skeleton puppets, a Calaveras procession led by Teatro Familia Aztlan, and Lupe, the 14,000-year-old "muerto" mammoth.  READ MORE

Dia de los Muertos Concert

San Francisco
Saturday, November 2, 2024
The Davies Symphony Hall is hosting a celebration in honor of Dia de los Muertos with lobby installations by local artists. Head over to the performance hall for a traditional music concert conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya with vocalist Edna Vazquez and Casa Circulo Cultural.  READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Great Wolf Lodge Northern California
Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose

About the Author

Sandra Lee
Sandra Lee is the community publisher and social media manager for Mommy Poppins Bay Area. With nearly a decade of writing in the parenting space, she’s passionate about helping parents create unforgettable memories with their kids. Her work has appeared in Tiny Beans, Zulily, and more. When she's not exploring or creating content, you’ll find her baking or practicing her hip-hop moves.
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