The Bay Area knows how to dress for an occasion, and Halloween is no exception. From San Francisco’s costume-filled streets to East Bay neighborhood celebrations, Peninsula haunted attractions and North Bay pumpkin patches, there are plenty of ways to make a weekend of it. Whether your ideal Halloween involves little ones collecting candy, a good movie scare or a night out with friends, there’s room for your kind of fun.
For the weekend of October 30 through November 1, we’ve gathered Halloween coverage from local publications and regional guides to help you find your plans. Browse the articles below for ideas close to home or an excuse to cross a bridge. Some guides cover the entire season, so check individual event dates, age requirements and ticket availability before heading out.
Halloween Event Highlights
Looking for a place to start? These 15 Halloween-weekend highlights bring together family fun, neighborhood celebrations and after-dark scares across the Bay Area.
- Boo at the Zoo — Oakland, October 31–November 1. Follow a trading-card scavenger hunt, meet animals and enjoy a costume-filled weekend at Oakland Zoo. Event details
- Halloween Hoopla — San Francisco, October 31. Circus Bella, a costume parade and creative activities bring Halloween fun to the Children’s Garden at Yerba Buena Gardens. Event details
- Goblin Jamboree — Sausalito, October 31. Bay Area Discovery Museum turns Halloween into hands-on play, with seasonal activities, curious creatures and creative fun for young visitors. Event details
- Halloween Jam: Mad Magic — Oakland, October 31. Children’s Fairyland mixes trick-or-treating, costumes and hands-on activities for a playful Halloween afternoon. Event details
- Festival Fright Nights — San Jose, October 30–November 1. Winchester Mystery House combines Halloween festivities with haunted attractions; check the ticket type, as festival-only admission does not include the haunts. Event details
- Boo at the Zoo — San Francisco, October 31. Animal pumpkin treats, crafts, candy and a costume parade give San Francisco Zoo its own Halloween celebration. Event details
- Fourth Street Halloween Festival — Berkeley, October 31. Head to Fourth Street for merchant trick-or-treating, magic, music and crafts, with festival activities at Delaware Street. Event details
- Spooky Garden Reverie — San Francisco, October 31. The Portola’s Green Between becomes an illuminated Halloween garden with a DJ, seasonal treats and food for an all-ages evening. Event details
- Nightfall at Filoli — Woodside, October 30–November 1. Explore a mysterious mansion, illuminated woodland and Witches’ Village during Filoli’s seasonal evening experience. Event details
- Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde — San Francisco, October 30. Grace Cathedral screens the 1920 silent film with a live pipe-organ score performed by Dorothy Papadakos. Event details
- Scaregrove — San Francisco, October 30. Stern Grove hosts a free Halloween gathering with a haunted house and maze, rides, crafts and live entertainment. Event details
- Haunted Hornet — Alameda, October 30–November 1. Step aboard the USS Hornet for a timed-entry haunted attraction through the historic aircraft carrier’s dark corridors. Ages 13 and up. Event details
- Crawloween — San Francisco, October 30–November 1. Costumes, DJs and participating bars turn this Halloween pub crawl into a citywide night-out option. Event details
- Nightmare on Front Street — San Francisco, October 30. A free, all-ages block party brings DJs, costumes, themed food and drinks to the Front Street Entertainment Zone. Event details
- Fruitvale Día de los Muertos Festival — Oakland, November 1. Fruitvale Village hosts a community celebration of remembrance, art and Día de los Muertos traditions. Event details
Local Halloween Guides
- 7×7: The weekly things-to-do roundup mixes Halloween museum parties, haunted attractions and family-friendly performances with other ways to enjoy the weekend.
- 48 Hills: The Big Week Halloween roundup brings together costume parties, music, cinema and Día de Muertos arts programming in San Francisco and Oakland.
- {510} Families: The East Bay Halloween guide focuses on children and families, with neighborhood trick-or-treating, costume celebrations and activities across Oakland, Berkeley and surrounding communities.
- Axios San Francisco: The Halloween guide covers neighborhood celebrations, dance parties and seasonal scares.
- Bay Area Brief: The East Bay Halloween roundup collects family outings in Alameda, Berkeley, Hayward and Walnut Creek, drawing on local reporting and event information.
- Bay Area Parent: The Halloween and fall celebrations guide includes zoo outings, museum festivities, illuminated gardens and other family options around the region.
- Funcheap: The Bay Area Halloween party guide highlights neighborhood block parties, costume contests, comedy and dancing, including plenty of free and lower-cost possibilities.
- KQED: The October 31 movie guide rounds up spooky screenings across the Bay Area, from family-friendly choices to horror films.
- Marin Mommies: The October 30–November 1 family weekend guide includes Halloween outings in Marin and beyond. Its Marin trick-or-treating guide offers another useful starting point.
- Oaktown Weekly: The Oakland weekend roundup includes Halloween stops such as Boo at the Zoo, Fairyland festivities, Haunted Hornet and costume parties.
- San Francisco Chronicle / Datebook: The family-friendly Halloween guide covers trick-or-treat trails, spooky science and seasonal outings across the Bay Area.
- Santa Rosa Signal: The Sonoma County Halloween guide brings together haunted attractions, pumpkin patches, neighborhood displays and Halloween-week celebrations.
- Secret San Francisco: The Halloween activities guide spans haunted experiences, neighborhood celebrations, museum events and other seasonal outings in and around the city.
- SF Bay Weekend: The Halloween weekend guide surveys regional options, including haunted attractions, zoo celebrations, pumpkin patches and movie screenings.
- SFist: The Terror Vault preview explores the Old Mint’s immersive, 1980s-inspired horror attraction, whose advertised run continues through November 1.
- Sonoma Magazine: The Día de los Muertos celebrations guide includes October 31 and November 1 gatherings, including a combined Halloween and Día de los Muertos celebration in Guerneville.
