California Events
Thursday, October 8, 2026
ANAHEIM: Halloween Time August 21-October 31, 2026 at Disneyland. Main Street Pumpkins, Halloween Screams show, Nightmare Haunted Mansion, Halloween confections, and photo ops galore. Location: 1313 S. Harbor Blvd. Anaheim, CA.
AVALON: Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival Opening Weekend October 8-11, 2026; Closing Weekend October 15-18, 2026. Peter White, David Benoit Trio, Chase Huna and Blake Aaron are some of the performers. Location: Avalon Casino Ballroom and other venues. Avalon CA Tickets: jazztrax.com
BREA: Halloween Costume Exchange October 6-9, 2026 at Brea Resource Center. Exchanging costumes can be fun and rewarding! Location: 1 Civic Center Circle, Brea, CA. cityofbrea.gov
BUENA PARK: The 17th Door, a Halloween scream returns with new thrills, September 18-November 1, 2026, 7-11 p.m. at Buena Park Downtown Mall. Location: 8420 On the Mall Buena Park, CA 90620 $39-up, the17thdoor.com
CALABASAS: Night Of The Jack September 25-November 1, 2026, 6-10:30 p.m. at King Gillette Ranch. Jack o' lanterns along a 3/4th mile trail, activities, and spooky fun. Location: 26800 Mulholland Hwy., Calabasas, CA. $, pre-purchase required, nightofthejack.com
CARLSBAD: Taste of Carlsbad Village October 8, 2026. This incredible culinary event is hosted by Carlsbad Village Association. carlsbad-village.com| taste
CORNING: Corning Olive Festival Cruise Night Show N Shine with live music by Whiskey Kronic. corningchamber.org
COSTA MESA: Seasonal Adventures Pumpkin Patch October 1-31, 2026 at Orange County Fairgrounds. Inflatable slides, kiddie rides, a petting zoo and a train. Location: 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA. Free admission; Free parking Mon-Thur; $12 parking Fri-Sun, ocfair.com
DELANO: Delano Harvest Holidays October 8-10, 2026 with Grand Parade on Saturday, 10-11:30 a.m. on Main Street & 8th Ave. Pop up car show follows parade 12-9 p.m. in Memorial Park. sites.google.com/view/delanohha
EL CAJON: The Scare Trail at Haunted Amusement Park September 25-November 1, 2026. Mile-long trail includes a Haunted Manor, Mausoleum, Graveyard, Witch's Cottage and Spider Cave - just for starters. Location: 14039 Ridge Hill Road, El Cajon, CA. $25-40, scaretrail.com
FRESNO: Big Fresno Fair October 7-18, 2026 at The Big Fresno Fair, 1121 S. Chance Ave., Fresno, CA fresnofair.com | fairs
HANFORD: Brown Sugar, variety, 5:30-9 p.m., Hanford Market Place Concerts Downtown Hanford Between Doughty & Irwin St. Hanford, CA. Free, mainstreethanford.com
HOLLISTER: Swank Farms Fall Festival Pumpkin Patch, Trail of Lights October 2-31, 2026. Corn Maze + Trail of Lights + Terror in the Corn attractions, food, music and more. Location: 4751 Pacheco Pass Hollister, CA $15-up, swankfarms.com
HOLLYWOOD: Screamfest October 6-15, 2026 at TLC Chinese Theatre. The Sundance of Horror is the longest running horror film festival in the United States. Location: 6801 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA $, screamfestla.com | film
HUNTINGTON BEACH: Oktoberfest September 12-November 8, 2026 at Old World Village. German Beers & Bands, Brats & Kraut, Shot Girls, and the Chicken Dance at every event! Hosting SoCal's biggest party since 1978, the indoor/outdoor Bavarian Biergarten features free admission nights Wed & Thu; adult nights Fri-Sat; and daytime family Sundays. oldworldhb.com
LA CANADA-FLINTRIDGE: Carved October 2-November 1, 2026, 6-10 p.m. at Descanso Gardens. Wander paths at night with your steps illuminated by the glowing, carved pumpkins that shine through the dark. $25-45 general admission, descansogardens.org
LAKEWOOD: The Hollow Awakens September 12-October 31, 2026 (Wednesday-Sunday evenings) at Lakewood Center Mall. Check out Imaginarium's new Halloween themed attraction with nine haunt zones, circus entertainment and trick or treats. Location: 326 Lakewood Center Mall, Lakewood, CA. $22-24, thehollowawakens.com
LATHROP: Dell'Osso Family Farm Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch October 2-31, 2026. One of the largest, most popular Halloween pumpkin patch & maze attractions in the nation gets over 250,000 visitors annually. Location: 501 Manthey Road, Lathrop, CA. $24-33, pumpkinmaze.com
LONE PINE: Lone Pine Film Festival "Reel Adventure in Lone Pine" October 8-11, 2026. Celebrate over 400 films shot in the Eastern Sierra, and the Alabama Hills of Lone Pine with celebrity panels, meet & greet, film viewings where you can tour the filming locations of the festival's featured films. Location: Museum of Western Film History, 701 South Main Street, Lone Pine, CA and other locations nearby. $, lonepinefilmfestival.org
LONG BEACH: Dark Harbor at Queen Mary September 18-November 1, 2026. Scary Mary, The Ringmaster, terrifying mazes, carnival rides and ghostly experiences. There's drinking, dining, dancing, swinging (axes) and lots of screaming! $, queenmary.com
PERRIS: Southern California Fair October 8-11, 2026. Concerts, community performances, food trucks, fair vendors, exhibits, animals, games and carnival rides, daily contests on two stages with game shows, pie eating contests, lip sync contests, and much more. Location: 18700 Lake Perris Drive W Perris, CA. Free, socalfair.com | Fairs
SAN FRANCISCO: Fleet Week October 4-12, 2026 between Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz is headlined by The U.S. Navy Blue Angels. It's the only air show in the United States with a commercial airliner, the United 777, to perform a fully choreographed act. San Francisco, CA. Free to $, fleetweeksf.org
SAN FRANCISCO: Quinteto Latino, 12:30-1:30 p.m. at Yerba Buena Gardens, Mission Street between 3rd & 4th Streets, San Francisco, CA. Free, ybgfestival.org
SACRAMENTO: Sacramento Ultimate Terror Scream Park September 12-November 7, 2026, select days. Four radically different nightmares in one all-access ticket. Location: 4909 Auburn Blvd., Sacramento CA. $, screamparkcalifornia.com
SAN CLEMENTE: Carnival Colossal October 8-11, 2026 at Vista Hermosa Sports Park includes a food truck festival, carnival rides, games and music. Hours: Thur 6-10p; Fri 5p-12a; Sat 2p-12a; Sun 12-10p. Location: 987 Avenida Vista Hermosa San Clemente, California 92673 Hosted by the Friends of San Clemente Foundation: friendsofsanclemente.org
SAN DIEGO COUNTY: BONITA, DEL MAR, ESCONDIDO & NATIONAL CITY: Pumpkin Station September 25-October 31, 2026. Five locations include 2 farms: Rancho Bernardo Farm in Escondido or Bonita Pumpkin Farm in Bonita with corn mazes, hayrides, petting zoos and Sunflower Fields. Pumpkin Stations at National City's Plaza Bonita, and Del Mar Fairgrounds include kiddie rides, giant slides and petting zoos. Free admission, $5/ea. ticketed attractions, pumpkinstation.com
SAN DIEGO: Haunted Trail in Balboa Park September 25-November 1, 2026 includes two walk-through scares - The Experiment Maze plus Haunted Trail - with zombies, ghouls, loud noises and flashing lights. $34.99-up, hauntedtrail.net
SAN JOSE: Festival Fright Nights at Winchester Mystery House select nights September 18-November 1, 2026. Eerie Halloween adventure through a haunted mansion designed by Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester Rifles fortune. Inspired by her communication with spirits, the 160-room estate and grounds are filled with mysteries, oddities and resident ghosts. Location: 525 S. Winchester Blvd., San Jose, CA. $ tickets, festivalfrightnights.com
SAN RAFAEL: Mill Valley Film Festival October 1-11, 2026. mvff.com | film
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY: Santa Ynez Valley Scarecrow Fest October 1-31, 2026. Spooky, whimsical, creative and cool scarecrows are on view in Ballard, Buellton, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez and Solvang on California's Central Coast! See map / locations: syvscarecrows.com
SOLVANG: Solvang Farmer Pumpkin Patch September 25-October 31, 2026, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Back for another season with 50 varieties of pumpkins and a 14-acre corn maze! Location: 1035 Alamo Pintado Road, Solvang, CA. Free pumpkin patch admission
UNIVERSAL CITY: Halloween Horror Nights September 3-November 1, 2026, at Universal Studios Hollywood is back. New this year is Ozzy Osbourne: The Prince of Darkness at Southern California's scariest Halloween event with terrifying haunted houses, the Terror Tram, sinister scare zones, live entertainment and attractions. halloweenhorrornights.com
WHEATLAND: Bishop's Pumpkin Farm open daily September 4-November 15, 2026. It's a fair of fun foods and drinks, barnyard animals, carnival rides, hayrides, firepits, entertainment and free admission! Location: 1415 Pumpkin Lane, Wheatland, CA. Free, parking fees select days, bishopspumpkinfarm.com
WOODSIDE: Spooky Nightfall September 26-October 31, 2026 at Filoli is a Gothic dream. The fantasy 16-acre estate & 54,000 sq. ft. mansion in Santa Cruz mountains has surprises - Shadow Creatures, Blacklight Mushroom Forest, Witches Apothecary, Pumpkin Meadow, Hay Maze and more. $, filoli.org
WILLITS: Skunk Train Pumpkin Express October 1-31, 2025 on select days in October take a train trip from the heart of the Redwoods to the magical pumpkin patch. Pick your own pumpkin and enjoy some tasty fall treats, then return to the station. $59.95 general seating,
Events are not guaranteed. It is your responsibility to confirm before going.