The Samhain season is so rich with witchy, magic-y, fun, spooky (and sacred) events that I have created a list of all the ones I know about for this year. Some are scary, some are not - if it includes costumes or pumpkins or honouring the Beloved Dead, I've probably included it!
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Halloween Virtual Advent Calendar
Silly, Spooky, Gothy Fun!
Parental discretion advised. May not be safe for work, unless you work some place super awesome!
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Alameda Point Pumpkin Patch
October 1-31, 10:00AM-10:00PM
Speer Family Farms, 2153 Ferry Point, Alameda
Free admission, $20 for all-activity wrist band
The inaugural Alameda Point Pumkin Patch produced by Speer Family Farms will be the Halloween destination in 2015!
More than a place to pick a pumpkin, the Patch attractions include:
Petting Zoo
Jumpy Houses
4 Story Ship Slide
Extreme Air Jumpers
Food Trucks
Entertainment for the Family!
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Piedmont Avenue Pumpkin Patch
October 1-31, 9:00AM-8:00PM
Piedmont Avenue Pumpkin Patch, 4414 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland
Free admission, $8 for Haunted House
http://pumpkinpatch.info (site plays music)
Walk through our Halloween store at 4414 Piedmont into a Pumpkin Wonderland. We carry over 15 varieties of pumpkins, from tiny Muskins up to Atlantic Giants, Orange, Red, White, Bumpy, Ribbed, Green, and Multi-Colored. We also carry corn stalks, corn, gourds, straw, and straw bales. After you pick out a pumpkin, come into the store and purchase a carving kit and candles to make your Jack O’ Lantern unique. Also, decorate your house and yard with spider webs, giant spiders, tombstones, skeletons, and scarecrows.
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Halloween on Lemos Farm
October 1-31
Lemos Farm, 12320 San Mateo Road (Hwy 92), Half Moon Bay, 650-726-2342
see website for detailed schedule and prices
Getting your Halloween Pumpkin is more fun at Lemos Farm! We have large pumpkin patches with hundreds of beautiful pumpkins for you to choose from.
In the Halloween Season (September and October), our Choo-Choo Train turns into a spooky Ghost Train (not too spooky, fun for the whole family). Don't forget to visit our Scare Zone! One Haunted House is for little kids. The other Haunted House is for kids of all ages, where we'll scare the yell out of you!
All the 3-6 year olds I know love this place!
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Arata Pumpkin Farm
October 1-31
Arata Pumpkin Farm, 185 Verde Road, Half Moon Bay, 650-726-7548
see website for schedule, list of attractions and prices
You can lose yourself in our 6 acre corn field and pumpkin river. Try to challenge yourself intellectually and physically in our 2 acre world famous Minotaur's Labyrinth Hay Maze. Take a walk on the wild side and adventure into our Haunted Barn. Relax and enjoy yourself on our Hay Ride. Step back in time while you watch our Gladiators do battle in our coliseum built out of hay bales. Or you can let the kid's play in our Play Land playground with Miniature Hay Maze, on the Children's Train Ride or have fun with our animals in the Petting Zoo. We also have many picnic areas throughout the farm, at Arata Pumpkin Farm we have something for everybody.
We also have dozens of varieties of pumpkins and sizes. We have a special pumpkin for everyone in your family! Feel free to give us a call, send us an email or just come to the farm. We would love to see you.
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Cornfield Maze in Livermore
October 1-31
G&M Farms, 487 E Airway Boulevard, Livermore, 925-447-3276
see website for detailed schedule and prices
It twists, it turns, it dead-ends - it’s six green acres of good old-fashioned family fun!
It’s the G&M Farms Cornfield Maze and Pumpkin Patch in Livermore, the farm that is so fun it has been featured TWICE on the David Letterman Show! Bring the whole family - there’s harvest fun for all ages at G&M Farms, and it’s easy to find, right off I-580 at Isabel Avenue in Livermore.
Find your way through the maze, then enjoy G&M Farms’ huge Pumpkin Patch with pumpkins of all sizes - the kids can pick their own! For Mom, there’s fresh produce, decorative gourds and Indian corn. Your little ones will love G&M’s farm animals and the free straw bale maze and corn box. Weekends feature Pony Rides, Pedal Carts, and our new attraction The Barnyard Blasters! plus don’t forget to ride G&M Farms’ famous Cow Train!
G&M Farms Cornfield Maze and Pumpkin Patch was voted Best Seasonal Attraction in the East Bay by Diablo Magazine, and when you see it, you’ll believe it!
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Santa Rosa Pumpkin Patch
October 1-31,
see website for detailed schedule
Santa Rosa Pumpkin Patch, 5157 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa, 707-331-6653
Free admission, see website for cost of some activities
Get lost in Sonoma County’s largest corn maze! The Patch is family owned and offers a unique experience to the Northern Bay area. Our family looks forward to seeing you and your family this fall season. Our award-winning pumpkin patch offers 8 acres of pumpkins to choose from, a huge 8 acre corn maze (with a long and short route) and a variety of fun family activities.
10 hay bale high pyramid - can you make it to the top?
Corn play box - come jump in!
Challenge one another to a game of tether ball.
Touch the sky in our country tire swing set.
Giant hay bale maze.
Pedal trike races - Who will win?
Take a stroll through the pumpkin patch with one of our wagons
Come play with our farm animals! Bunnies, calves, goats, piggies and more!
Corn Maze
Hay Ride
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Uesugi Farms Pumpkin Park
October 1-31,
see website for detailed schedule
Uesugi Farms, 14485 Monterey Road, San Martin, 408-778-7225
Free admission, $5 parking on weekends, see website for cost of some activities
Train
Take a nostalgic ride aboard our Allan Herschell Iron Horse or our blue and yellow Arrow Streamliner trains. Visit Morgania, where our scarecrows live.
Pumpkin Pete’s Enchanted Hayride
Meet Pumpkin Pete and travel through some of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring lands of Uesugi Farms. Visit Pumpkinland, our gorgeous Sunflower Gallery, and the spectacular Marigoldland, filled with over 100,000 hand-sown flowers. This one of a kind hayride is completely narrated and complemented with charming music. It’s a must see!
Corn Maze
Take a stroll through this 2 acre corn maze
and try to find your way out. Interactive trivia cards will help you navigate through this aMAIZEing Corn Maze. Fun for the whole family. Children under the age of 10 need to be accompanied by an adult.
The Cow Train
This may be the silliest fun you have all year!
A favorite with the kids!
Butterfly Valley
Take a stroll along this path and learn about the fascinating lives of butterflies through interactive storyboards.
Bootsie The Bee
Follow the corn path to discover all of Bootsie’s colorful, textured friends, and learn fascinating ‘bee-facts’ too. Be sure to visit Bootsie at night. All the storyboards are lit up with blacklights.
Carousel
Everyone can remember riding a carousel as a youngster, and this one rivals the best.
Pumpkin Blasters
Come and shoot targets with mini pumpkins out of this gun… at 90mph.
What a blast!! Safe for all ages.
Bootsie’s Honey Hut
Bee sure to stop by Bootsie’s Honey Hut. You can see live bees in their hive working away. You can purchase all kinds of bee-made goodies such as jars of honey, honey sticks, candy and candles. Get your honey all year long by visiting http://www.allhoneystore.com.
Pony Rides
Our sweet ponies will bring joy to everyone’s faces. Stop for a photo to cherish this memory forever.
Petting Corral
Don’t forget to visit our friendly farm animals. Featuring goats, chickens, rabbits, ducks and our favorite, Henry the miniature donkey!
Pumpkin Pyramid
It takes over 4000 pumpkins to cover our pyramid. A splendiferous site of epic proportions. Have your picture taken while sitting in our king or queen thrones.
Hay Jump
Have the kids jump on this ginormous jumper made of giant haybales. What a great way for the kids to burn some energy!
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Scarecrows in Downtown Benicia
October 2-31
on display in front of businesses throughout downtown Benicia
Free
Scarecrows are on display starting October 2 through October 31. Businesses on First Street and throughout Benicia will show off imaginatively created scarecrows. A directory of participating businesses will be listed on Benicia Main Street’s website and available at all participating businesses. Three mystery judges will pick 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in Best Scarecrow. The public is invited to vote on “People’s Choice” by picking up a ballot at participating businesses, Benicia Main Street, or during the Thursday night Farmers Market. Voting ends Monday, October 19; selected winners from the mystery judges and “People’s Choice” will be announced shortly thereafter.
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Haunted Hornet
on board the USS Hornet
Thursdays-Sundays, October 2-November 1,
Thursdays & Sundays 7:00-11:00PM, Fridays & Saturdays 7:00PM-Midnight
USS Hornet Museum, 707 W Hornet Avenue, Pier 3, Alameda, 510-521-8448
$40, Ages 10+
The Haunted Hornet is a high impact, actor-driven, haunted attraction located on board the Historic aircraft carrier USS Hornet.
After being decommissioned in 1970, the USS Hornet aircraft carrier was used to house a secret research facility specializing in deep sea research and Bermuda Triangle phenomena. Undergoing secret and extreme retrofitting, the ship and its crew set out to document what they might find. While out at sea, the crew were involved in the discovery of an unexplained occurrence which began to affect the entire team and the ship. Immediately after, the program was cancelled, items locked into storage and the ship was returned to Puget Sound for final mothballing.
Now 45 years later, we are finally able to access these secret parts of the ship…
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Pirates of Emerson Haunted Adventure
various dates October 3-31,
see website for detailed schedule
Alameda County Fairgrounds, 4501 Pleasanton Avenue, Pleasanton
5 thrilling haunted attractions plus dead entertainment nightly!
One price admission includes these 5 attractions:
Pirates of Emerson
Mental Maze
Cursed Cavern
Demonic Voodoo
The Haunted
In addition to our 6 Haunted attractions, other events include:
Frightmare Slideshow
Bone Ball
Misfortune Teller
Emerson’s Oddities
Nightly Entertainment
...and more!
Scary fun for adults who like to be scared! Beware!
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Shocktoberfest 16: Curse Of The Cobra
presented by the Thrillpeddlers
Wednesdays-Saturdays, October 7-November 21, 8:00PM
The Hypnodrome, 575 10th Street, San Francisco
Wednesdays and Thursdays $25, Fridays and Saturdays $30
Shocktoberfest 16: Curse Of The Cobra - Theatre of Terror and Taboo
Thrillpeddlers announces their 16h Annual Extravaganza of Terror & Titillation which includes five new one-act performances:
Cracking the Vein - A World-Premiere Black Comedy by Andy Wenger and Damien Chacona
Down At The Donner Party Diner - A Song in Bad Taste by Scrumbly Koldewyn
The Model House - A World-Premiere Terror Play in Two Parts by Rob Keefe
The Revenge Of The Son Of The Cobra Woman - A New Musical Fantasy Adventure by Scrumbly Koldewyn
...and A Lights-Out Spookshow Finale - created by Nicholas Torre!
"Spooky" is not quite the word for Grand Guignol Theatre - it's more like "horrifying". Possibly even “grossenating”. If you like that sort of thing, you’ll love Shocktoberfest!
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Shrouded Tales
presented by the Hayward Area Historical Society
Fridays-Saturdays, October 9-10, 16-17, 7:00PM and 9:00PM
see locations below
$15
Tickets must be purchased in advance. Please call 510-581-0223 xt131 for reservations.
Meek Mansion, 17365 Boston Road, Hayward
Friday-Saturday, October 9-10, 7:00PM and 9:00PM
McConaghy House, 18701 Hesperian Boulevard, Hayward
Friday-Saturday, October 16-17, 7:00PM and 9:00PM
Learn true tales of tragic ends, Victorian death traditions and superstitions all sprinkled with a touch of the paranormal.
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Ghost Tours of Old Sacramento
Fridays and Saturdays, October 9-24, tours leave every 30 minutes 6:30-9:00PM
meet at Sacramento History Museum, 101 I Street, Old Sacramento
$15 adults, $10 youth ages 6-17. Children under 6 years old not permitted.
Advanced ticket reservation is required.
Come join the “ghosts” of early Sacramento on an eerie journey back in time! Beware of wayward miners, murder victims, and other colorful Gold Rush characters. Hear tantalizing tales of how folks lived - and died! - in our fair city.
Old Sacramento Ghost Tours depart from the Sacramento History Museum at 101 I Street in Old Sacramento. This mile long guided walking tour lasts approximately one hour. Each tour can accommodate up to 20 people.
Come dressed for the weather outside and wear comfortable walking shoes. Tours run rain or shine!
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HEROMONSTER
presented by We PLayers
Thursdays-Sundays, October 9-25,
Begins at Sunset, times to vary - see website for detailed schedule
The Chapel, Upper Fort Mason, 2 Marina Boulevard, San Francisco
$45
Heroes and Monsters live among us and within us. Encounter them up close.
Be a part of this stunning original production transforming the Fort Mason Center Chapel into King Hrothgar's mead hall.
Created and performed by Nathaniel Justiniano & Ava Roy
Original Music by Charlie Gurke
Produced by Lauren Chavez & Ava Roy
The ancient poem Beowulf serves as a provocation, a jumping off point and as source text for this new work of intensely physical theatre. Through rigorous intellectual and physical investigation, we explore and challenge conceptions of heroism and monstrosity, good and evil, light and dark, and how this dynamic lives in all of us.
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Both Sides Now: The Thresholds of Birth and Death
Saturday, October 10, 9:00AM-4:00PM
Rudolf Steiner College San Francisco, 470 West Portal Avenue, San Francisco
Free, donations welcome
Nancy Jewel Poer and Karen Nani Apana will speak about empowerment when caring for loved ones at death and how to support individuals and families when they are at the threshold.
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Pumpkins in the Park
Saturday, October 10, 10:00AM-4:00PM
Guadalupe River Park / Discovery Meadow, 180 Woz Way, San Jose
Free
Pumpkins in the Park is a harvest fair for families with a strong environmental education component. It is designed to promote awareness of the Guadalupe River Park and celebrate the fall season. Pumpkins in the Park is held to raise funds and enlist supporters for Guadalupe River Park Conservancy. But, just as importantly, its purpose is to create awareness of the park and gardens and to bring families into the park for a day of learning and fun.
Giant Pumpkin Patch
Costume Swap with Children’s Discovery Museum
Costume Parade
Carnival Games
Kid-Sized Straw Bale Maze
Great Food
Fresh Apple Cider
Guadalupe River Education
Lots of Free Kid’s Activities
Children’s Concert
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History for Half Pints: Day of the Dead
Saturday, October 10, 11:00AM-2:00PM
HAHS Center for History and Culture, 22380 Foothill Boulevard, Hayward
Free
Come celebrate DÃa de los Muertos with us! Join us in making tin art, sugar skulls, and marigolds as we learn about customs of the DÃa de los Muertos celebration.
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Ruby Rose, The Mouse Witch
with Denise Marshall
Saturday, October 10, 11:00AM–5:00PM
Castle in the Air, 1805 Fourth Street, Berkeley, 510-204-9801
$105 includes materials, limited to 8 students
Ruby Rose is not an ordinary mouse witch - she carries an extra dose of special magic in her ruby-red shoes! In this class, you’ll learn the basics of needle felting wool over a cotton-wrapped wire armature to create the mouse body. Ruby Rose’s hat is also created with wool and finished with a black velvet brim and any embellishments you care to add. Ruby stands a little over 10 inches from her wee red boots to the tip of her witchy hat. You’ll also sew a velvet cape and skirt for her. Denise will provide the magic red boots. Your mouse witch will sport a broomstick made from pine needles and twigs, as well as a tiny pumpkin fresh from her garden.
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Paranormal Exploration at the Cohen Bray House
Saturday, October 10, 7:00PM-Midnight
Cohen Bray House, 1440 29th Avenue, Oakland
$50, All proceeds benefit the Cohen Bray House
The beautiful Stick-style home was built in 1882-1884 by Julia Moses and Watson A. Bray for their daughter Emma, upon her marriage to Alfred H. Cohen, attorney. The families of both the bride and groom were wealthy and socially prominent. Watson Bray was a successful commodities broker, while A. A. Cohen had established the first railroad and ferry system in Alameda County. He also served as chief attorney for the Central Pacific Railroad.
The house has never been sold out of the family and contains the original furniture, wallpaper, woodwork, and many personal objects. It also holds the spirits of several family members and at least one person who worked on the property.
Join veteran investigators Karen Zimmerman and Chuck Thurston as they lead small teams through the three stories of the historic home. Participants will learn about capturing audio and video evidence, and aerospace engineer Chuck will demonstrate some of his homemade ghost hunting gadgets. Alternative methods of spirit communication, such as dowsing rods and pendulums will also be explored, as well as popular smartphone apps. Everyone will receive a pendulum to take home.
There's also a snack break, where everyone can chat and share experiences.
Ghostly activity during previous investigations includes "shadow people," footsteps, knocking, tugged-at clothing, electromagnetic field disturbances, and plentiful Electronic Voice Phenomena.
Space is limited, and you must be at least 18 to attend.
What to bring: A digital recorder, a digital camera, EMF detector or other ghost hunting equipment and observational skills.
Dress code: Soft soled shoes, no perfume or heavily scented lotion or oils, no loudly clanging jewelry.
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Souls of the City: Dia de los Muertos in Old Sacramento
This month, the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation will once again partner with Sol Collective to provide a month of programs and activities in celebration of Dia de los Muertos. These programs honor Sacramento’s diverse heritage and celebrate our community.
Pop Up Art Labs
Saturdays, October 10 & 17, 11:00AM-2:00PM
The Stanford Gallery, 111 I Street in Old Sacramento
Free
Join us for a series of pop up art labs! You will learn to make traditional arts and crafts for Dia de Los Muertos. You will make your own mini altar replica, decorate a variety of Calaveras sugar skulls, and make cempasuchil marigolds. These craft workshops are free to the public, but please arrive early, as space and supplies are limited.
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Alden Lane’s Annual Scarecrow Building Contest
Saturday-Sunday, October 10-11, 10:00AM-4:00PM
Alden Lane Nursery, 981 Alden Lane, Livermore
Free, please call 925-447-0280 to register
Excerpt:
Get a group or family together and build a fabulous creation for our scarecrow contest! We provide the frame and the straw; you provide the garnish and inspiration.
Choose from one of the following categories:
Traditional
Minion Madness
Star Wars
Under the Sea
Get a group or family together and build a fabulous creation for our scarecrow contest! We provide the frame and the straw; you provide the garnish and inspiration. Choose from one of the following categories:
Traditional: This is your down on the farm version of scarecrow, burlap, denim overalls, buttons, flannel shirts and anything recycled works for this category. Any organic scarecrows welcome.
Minion Madness: Help Stuart, Kevin, and Bob keep the crows out of the corn patch and save all of Minion kind! Anyone from the Minion movies is welcome in this category.
Star Wars: Bring out the Wookiees, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia to help scare the crows from the patch. Darth Vader would be really scary, wouldn’t he? Reach for the stars in this category.
Under the Sea: Dive deep into the ocean for this category. All mermaids, sea creatures, and shell scarecrows are invited to join the quest to keep crows out of the corn patch.
Scarecrow clothing and accessories must be picked up by November 6. After November 6, clothing, etc. will be donated to a local charity. Scarecrow must remain on display at Alden Lane until Friday October 30th. Plan to build for strong winds and rain!
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Candle Lighters' Ghost House
October 10- 30
see website for detailed schedule
Chadbourne Carriage House, 39169 Fremont Boulevard, Fremont
It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness. I don't know who said that first; I learned it from Linus van Pelt*.
But it's even better to have fun with the spooky darkness, so the Candle Lighters organization raises money for several Bay Area charities with their annual Ghost House.
Candle Lighters is a non-profit organization of nearly 130 women volunteers dedicated to raising funds for non-profit groups and community-based projects in the Tri-City Community. (Fremont, Newark and Union City). We consider ourselves a service and a social organization.
Candle Lighters raises donatable dollars solely through our annual Ghost House. Open during the last two weeks of October and based in a historical 19th century Carriage House, the Ghost House is an evolving family-oriented event.
Using a different theme each year, Candle Lighter members, families, sponsors and friends transform the site into an arena of goblins, ghosts, witches and warlocks, providing fun for the community.
In addition to the Ghost House itself, a midway of games, caramel apples, a country store and delightful food treats is created, again geared to entertainment for the entire family.
*My sweet baboo, of course. He has the sincerest pumpkin patch!
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The Unheard of World
presented by foolsFURY
select dates, October 10-31,
see website for detailed schedule
foolsFURY Theater, 156 Eddy Street, San Francisco
see website for ticket details
Do you believe in love after life?
Journey to the underworld, where all souls go after they die. Visit vast cities of the dead amidst the gigantic, tangled roots of trees, where over seventy billion souls scramble for space.
foolsFURY’s newest creation hits the Bay Area stage this October with the American premiere of The Unheard of World, newly translated from celebrated French playwright Fabrice Melquiot.
You’ll meet a magical little girl half-swallowed by a bear, a vacationing trio of raindrops, the first ever, and still oldest man, a little boy who refuses to ever be born, and a hopeful woman spending eternity pining to be a mother. Their paths are inextricably drawn together when the boy and girl are caught in a struggle over erasing him from existence, the woman steals an archetypal plaster cast to experience what it’s like to have a child, and the tenuous balance of life and death is upset, threatening not just the afterlife, but the living as well.
Fans of Neil Gaiman and Tim Burton will delight in Melquiot’s whimsical, magical imagery, at once beautiful and grotesque, joyful and melancholy, humorous yet sublime. This surreal tale is a macabre treat for adults and children alike.
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Various Halloween-Themed Movies
select dates in October
The New Parkway Theater, 474 24th Street, Oakland
see website for details
Watching spooky movies is even more fun with comfy couches and pizza delivered right to your seat!
The New Parkway Theater is a community-centered cinema and pub located in Oakland’s Uptown district. Sit back and relax in our cozy couches while watching our new releases, cult classics, and fabulous special programming. Plus, enjoy yummy food and local beer and wine in our café or even delivered right to your theater seat all at affordable prices! Take a look at what’s playing in your second living room (your air-conditioned living room, that is)!
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Thomas and Percy's Halloween Party
Saturdays-Sundays, October 10-November 1, 11:00AM-7:00PM
Roaring Camp Railroads, 5401 Graham Hill Road, Felton, 831-335-4484
Free admission, see website for Steam Train tickets
Little engineers won’t believe their eyes - or their ears! This year, for the first time ever, Percy will be joining Thomas the Tank Engine on the rails! Also for the first time ever, Thomas the Tank Engine will be able to talk to his fans!
Dress up for Halloween with favorites Thomas and Percy, for a 20 minute train ride, entertainment, and fun filled activities for the entire family. Activities include: Temporary Tattoos, Face Painting, Storytelling, Videos, Train Play Tables, Pick a Pumpkin (small pumpkins for little ones), Cookie Decorating, Photos with Sir Topham Hatt, Thomas store, and entertainment.
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Felt Costume Wings
with Jenna Forder
Sunday, October 11, 3:00-5:00PM
Handcraft Studio School, 5885 Doyle Street, Emeryville, 510-332-6101
$60, Limit 10 families
Make colorful and durable Felt Costume Wings! Using acrylic felt and iron on fusible interfacing, you can create wings like your favorite butterfly or use your imagination for a unique costume piece. Each pair of wings will have wire structure and easy to put on elastic arm bands. This is a fun project to do with kids and very rewarding. Perfect workshop to get a head start on your child's Halloween costume! Bring your favorite little and come get creative.
Jenna Forder is a mama, artist and owner of Big Spirit Studio, a neighborhood Art studio offering adventures in creative making. She has been an artist her whole life and has a BFA from CCA. Sharing her big bag of making skills through teaching is a joy in her life.
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Dia de los Muertos Community Ofrenda
October 11-November 30, 8:00AM-5:00PM
Museum of Art and History at the McPherson Center, 705 Front Street, Santa Cruz
Museum admission $5, $3 Students, Teens and Seniors (62 and older)
Children under 12 Free
Free admission days are the first Friday of each month
This interactive exhibit invites members of the community to remember and honor loved ones who have passed on by bringing a photograph, memento or special object to place on our communal Day of the Dead altar.
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Fall Kids Tour of Alden Lane Nursery
October 12-23
Alden Lane Nursery, 981 Alden Lane, Livermore
$10 per child, reservations required
It's an hour of pure fun for your kids.
They will...
Take a guided tour through the Walnut Hulling barn
Learn about owls and their special role at the farm
Go apple fishing
Visit the pumpkin patch to choose the perfect Jack O'Lantern, &
Get a goodie bag… all for $10 per child
Minimum group size is 15, maximum is 25.
Call to reserve a spot early as this books up quickly.
Available Tuesdays through Fridays in October between 9:00AM and 1:00PM
Tours begin on October 12 and end on the 23.
Ask for Cyndee for available times. 925-447-0280.
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Skulls and Ancestors: Connecting with the Spirit Realm
with Raina Woolfolk
Tuesday, October 13, 6:30PM
Milk & Honey, 123 North Main Street, Sebastopol
sliding scale $15-$20
This informational time of year is opportune for focusing our energies on communing with spirits. Due to the thinning of the veil between the physical corporeal world and the ethereal spiritual after life realm, we have a powerful opportunity to potentially communicate with those we wish to reach who have passed on.
Crystals, by their very nature, are channels for energetic vibration. They are focal points for accessing our highest consciousness through meditation. They may be utilized in divination and spell work. In this evening workshop, Raina will offer examples of different crystals and stones that have been carved into gorgeous one of a kind skulls; sharing the energetic properties of inclusions, as well as some suggested tips for practicing the divinatory art of scrying.
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Witch Crafts: Ancestors, Ghosts, Guardians, and Guides
a four part class with Yeshe Rabbit
four Wednesdays, September 30 and October 14, 21, 28, 7:00-8:15PM,
The Sacred Well, 536 Grand Avenue, Oakland
$35 per class, $125 for 4 class series
Join Yeshe Rabbit for 4 lively classes in which we explore various categories of spirit beings and begin to sort out the types of beings that are already working their power in our lives.
We never walk alone. There are innumerable beings that co-exist with us, moving through our lives and all around us. Whether they are deceased ancestors, spirit beings or non-sentient beings that have manifested in various types of circumstances, protector spirits, or teaching spirits who are here to help us, we can learn to interact with these beings, recognize their presence, and create beneficial relationships with them. There are also entities and forces that are greedy, malevolent, and destabilizing, and we can learn to recognize, resist and avoid these as well.
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Raised By Wolves
presented by Circus Automatic
Thursdays-Saturdays, October 15-30, 8:00PM
The Great Star Theater, 636 Jackson Street, San Francisco
$35
Circus Automatic presents Raised by Wolves, featuring elite performers born from San Francisco's world class circus community. The cast includes Jamie deWolf, Joyce Lee, Fleeky Flanco, Brad Henderson, Chloe Marvel Light Axelrod, Inka Siefker, Colin Davis, Rachel Strickland, and Micah Walters coming together to present challenging new work.
Raised by Wolves is about the moments that define us. It is a collection of circus cabaret, storytelling, and a kaleidoscope vision of the hopes that hold us captive and the challenges that set us free. In trailing the jumble of threads that are created from our choices, we weave our identity. These same labyrinths become the keys to our advancement, and the locked doors that keep us from it. Featuring world renowned circus performers and award-winning storytellers in an ego-splicing of reality and dream-sequence, you are invited to watch a conversation between desire and fear, their inevitable tumble down the rabbit hole, and the fight to reach the light at the other end.
Raised by Wolves is part storytelling, part circus show. Storytellers Jamie DeWolf and Joyce Lee accompany a modular collection of unbelievable circus talent that is constantly adapting and changing. Each Storyteller illuminates a different facet of the show’s main concept, the idea that the challenges in your life are what ultimately create you. Each circus performer lives this challenge in front of you on stage. Depending on which night you arrive, you may see a completely different take on the same exact show, one thing representing another, but the meaning remains the same.
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Halloween Craft Night for Kids!
Friday, October 16, 6:00-8:30PM
The Art Beat, 68 East Campbell, Campbell
$50, Ages 5+
Join us for an evening of Halloween crafts for kids! We will be making our own trick or treat bag, Halloween themed votives, and a scary mask! We will be serving pizza and beverages. Drop your kids off then grab a bite to eat or do some shopping in adorable Downtown Campbell!
$50 per child, Ages 5 & Up, $5 Sibling Discount, use code SIBLING at checkout
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Connecting With Our Ancestors Through Herbs
with Yeshe Rabbit
presented by Sonoma County Pagan Network
Friday, October 16, 7:00PM
Luther Burbank Art and Garden Center, 2050 Yulupa Avenue, Santa Rosa
$5-$10 donation requested, no one turned away for lack of funds
Yeshe Rabbit is a holy woman, priestess, intuitive, artist, and friend to humanity. She has been reading tarot and offering teachings and consultations for 13 years to clients worldwide. She is best-known for her gentle humor, compassionate presence, down-to-Earth manner, and practical advice.
Rabbit is a mystic who has studied many different spiritual paths, and feels most intimately woven into Goddess traditions and Tibetan dharma practices. You can learn more about her projects, or enjoy her blog and podcast at Way of the Rabbit.
Potluck Feast
Since our gathering is at the dinner hour, we ask that you bring a potluck dish and/or non-alcoholic brew to share that serves 4-6 people. Let’s treat ourselves to a good meal. Please bring your own place setting. There will be hot water available for tea.
We ask non-members to make a donation of $5-$10 to help us cover operating costs. No one turned away for lack of funds.
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Robots, Monsters and the Zombie Planet
A Spontaneous Fantasia Halloween Special
performed live by J-Walt
Friday, October 16, 7:00PM and 8:30PM
see website for ticket details
Taking cues from 1950s science fiction and monster movies - and with tongue firmly in cheek - J-Walt takes on the role of the Mad Scientist! And it appears that he is about to tinker with the FORCES OF NATURE to awaken the ZOMBIE PLANET! What surprises will we encounter? Creepy spooky fun to make your spine tingle!
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Z is for… Zombie!
presented by Synergy Theater
Friday-Saturday, October 16-17, 8:15PM
Knight Stage 3, Lesher Theatre, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek
$15
Get ready for Halloween with this hysterical improvised comedy from Synergy Theater!
Nice guy or (walking) dead guy - it's tough to tell who is who in Z is for... Zombie!, the hysterical improvised comedy from Synergy Theater. The trick of this zippy seasonal treat is that nobody in town knows exactly who is a human or who is a zombie - not even the cast. Which of those sweet, little townsfolk are really horrific, bloodthirsty zombies? Who can be trusted? Who will be converted? And who will be the last human improviser standing? Find out during this edge-of-your-seat, laugh-till-you-drop, improvised horror show at Lesher Center for the Arts.
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Halloween Laser Spooktacular
October 16, 17, & 24,
see website for detailed schedule
Fujitsu Planetarium at DeAnza College,
21250 Stevens Creek Boulevard, Cupertino
see website for ticket details
Celebrate Halloween with a fantastic display of laser lights and music under the planetarium sky.
Show features the following music:
Requiem - Mozart
Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr
People are Strange - The Doors
Pulstar - Vangelis
The Conversation - John Williams
Hot, Hot, Hot - Buster Poindexter
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Devil Went Back to Georgia - Mark O' Connor
Monster Mash - Bobby Picket
Beetlejuice - Danny Elfman
Ghostriders - The Outlaws
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Downtown Benicia Ghost Walk
Fridays and Saturdays, October 16-17 & 30-31, 8:00PM
meet at 90 First Street, Benicia
$25, reservations required.
Ages 12-17 must be accompanied by adult.
For more information, please call 707-745-9791
Spooky tales of the paranormal history of Benicia are revealed on this exciting, interactive, and fun Ghost Walk with paranormal investigator Deborah Hogarty and Serena Desoto. Step into the shoes of a paranormal investigator and meet the ghosts of Benicia’s past. Good walking shoes and flashlight are recommended. Limited capacity on tours and lasts approximately 2 hours, depending on what entity the group encounters. 12 years and older permitted on tours. Ages 12-17 must be accompanied by adult. Tours are $25 per person. Prepaid reservations are required by calling 707-745-9791.
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Halloween Train
at the Ardenwood Railroad Museum
presented by Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources
Fridays-Sundays, October 16-18 & 23-25, 7:00-9:00PM
Ardenwood Historic Farm, 34600 Ardenwood Boulevard, Fremont
Adults $7, Children 3-12 $5
Come out to the farm for an evening of Halloween fun! Climb aboard the farm’s train for an evening ride through fields and woods. Join the Halloween goblins and have a hauntingly good time! This slightly frightful evening is designed for families with children 12 years of age and under. Tickets will be available at the gate on arrival.
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Haunted Depot
Fridays-Sundays, October 16-31
see website for detailed schedule
The Historic Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, 90 First Street, Benicia
Adults $6; Children under 6, $4
The normally mild-mannered Southern Pacific Railroad Depot has been mysteriously transformed into a frightful depository of ghosts, goblins and spirits luring you inside for a scare.
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Flashlight Tours of the Winchester Mystery House
various dates, October 16-31, tours start every 10 minutes, 6:30-11:30PM
see website for schedule and ticket details
Winchester Mystery House, 525 South Winchester Boulevard, San Jose
$49.95 - may sell out!
Special 55 minute Flashlight Tours of the Winchester Mansion are given every Friday the 13th and on select evenings in October. You'll tour the rambling, mysterious mansion at night with only the moonlight, a souvenir flashlight, and your imagination to provide illumination through the bewildering maze of rooms and stairways. But watch your back, Sarah could be waiting around any turn. This is one open house you’ll never forget.
Due to the popularity of the Flashlight Tours, we highly recommend you purchase your tickets ahead of time. Friday the 13th tickets go on sale approximately 1 month in advance of the event. This event WILL sell out and when it does, tickets will not be available at Box Office on the night of the event.
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Morning Flashlight Tour of the USS Hornet
Saturday, October 17, 8:30-11:30AM, and the third Saturday of each month
USS Hornet Museum, 707 W Hornet Avenue, Pier 3, Alameda
$35, Ages $13+
Bring your own flashlight
Beat the crowds and receive a special tour of areas onboard the USS Hornet that have not yet been opened to the public or have limited access during the day:
Combat Information Center (CIC)
Message Center (Radio Central)
Forward Diesel Machine Room
Ship’s Main Laundry
Special Weapons Storages
Brig
Catapult Machinery Room
Cobbler Shop
Dental Spaces
Following the guided tour, explore the rest of the museum on your own. (The guided portion of the tour lasts at least three hours and may vary from the above itinerary.)
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Paper Flower Crowns for Halloween
with Tiffanie Turner
Saturday, October 17, 10:00AM-2:00PM
Handcraft Studio School, 5885 Doyle Street, Emeryville, 510-332-6101
$90, Limit 12 students
Get ready for Halloween! Working with wire and sturdy crepe paper in a multitude of colors, make a paper flower crown with botanical paper artist Tiffanie Turner. In this workshop, you will learn to make simple versions of four types of flowers (roses, godetia, bougainvillea, and poppies), and use them to adorn your crown. Crepe paper colors will be provided for everything from bright, Frida Kahlo-esque flowers to dark, creepy crown designs, and anything in between. Tiffanie will also provide black feathers and netting, and various ribbons and pompom trims to add to your crown. If you've got anything else you'd like to bring with you (think cicada wings or plastic bugs), please do!
Light snacks and beverages will be provided.
Tiffanie Turner is an artist who explores nature and botany in large and small scales in paper. She is a wife, mother of two young children, and a licensed California architect. Her work in paper stems from her background as an architect, particularly her interest in construction and repetitive motifs, along with her lifelong passion for flowers and botanical drawings. Her work can be seen around the Bay Area when she is exhibiting, online at www.papelsf.com, and next spring at the de Young Museum where she will be the artist in residence for the month of May 2016.
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Crepe Paper Pumpkin Hat
with John B. McRae
Saturday, October 17, 11:00AM–5:00PM
Castle in the Air, 1805 Fourth Street, Berkeley, 510-204-9801
$95 includes materials, limited to 8 students
Ichabod Crane, the unlikely hero of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, would certainly feel braver on his moonless walks through the forest if he wore one of these glowing paper pumpkin hats. And think how magical your Autumn will be with them arranged as a centerpiece on your harvest table. You’ll learn to create gourd shapes from imported gradated crepe, then light them from within with an LED “candle.” Stretch, pull, and “wodge” the moldable paper into shapes you desire, then decorate with Dresden trim, spun-cotton mushrooms, and whatever strikes your fancy. John has taught basic party hat classes, but this one has always been a favorite. Take away three or four hats and gourds for your autumn décor.
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Floating Pumpkin Patch
Saturday, October 17, 2:00-6:00PM
Ridgway Swim Center, 455 Ridgway Avenue, Santa Rosa
$5 admission, $10 admission and pumpkin
Tired of searching those dusty fields for your perfect pumpkin to carve or decorate? We are too! So we've put a fun spin on the tradition by creating a patch in the pool just for you! In addition to pumpkins, we've got plenty of other fun activities planned for the day - so bring your suit, towel and friends and make a day of it!
Hunt for your perfect pumpkin in the pool and then deck it out at our decorating station with all sorts of fun crafts! Plus, the pool will be open for pumpkin-splashing fun and we'll be playing games and handing out prizes all afternoon! This is a family event suitable for participants of all ages - so bring your buddies too!
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Zombie Brew Crawl!
Saturday, October 17, 2:30-5:30PM
Downtown Martinez
see website for ticket information
21+
The undead are coming to Downtown Martinez and they are thirsty for craft beer!
The Main Street Martinez third annual Zombie Brew Crawl is happening on the streets of Martinez and everyone is encouraged to join the crowd. Zombies will be walking around the downtown corridor of Martinez, sampling beers from over 23 great craft breweries stationed at various small businesses along Main Street.
Zombie costumes are optional, however there will be prizes awarded for the best individual costumes as well as the best group costume.
After the Beer Crawl, visit one of the downtown restaurants for dinner!!
Free Shuttles to and from the North Concord BART station will be available.
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Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival
Saturday-Sunday, October 17-18, 9:00AM-5:00PM
see website for detailed schedule of events, entertainers and vendors
Historic Main Street, Half Moon Bay
Free
Autumn is a spectacularly special season on the fertile, scenic coast around Half Moon Bay, where the entire Coastside area bursts into a brilliant sea of orange and buzzes with excitement and activity to celebrate its bountiful and beautiful fall harvest. The dazzling journey is its own reward... the tunnel through Devils Slide is a sight to behold, plus the breath-taking views of seaside farm country dotted with vast, rolling fields of orange, scarecrows, barns, and pick-your-own pumpkin patches. It's the perfect time of year and the perfect place to celebrate the beauty and bounty of the Fall season, and Half Moon Bay does it like nobody else. The world-famous Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival is the season’s signature event, drawing hordes of visitors to the World Pumpkin Capital for an epic festival on historic Main Street.
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Goblin Jamboree
Saturday-Sunday, October 17-18, 10:00AM-4:00PM
see website for detailed schedule
Bay Area Discovery Museum, 557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito, 415-339-3900
$16.95
Bring the whole family in costume to explore all the fun at the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s Goblin Jamboree Family Fundraiser. Experience the Museum as it is transformed into a spooktacular Halloween wonderland complete with Witches and Wizards school, pony rides, petting zoo, live entertainment, and much more.
Visit Lookout Cove transformed into the spooky-but-not-scary Haunted Cove. Favorite exhibits like The Shipwreck and Peekaboo Palace will get a Halloween makeover that is sure to entertain all. Stop by Bay Hall to play with Goblin Jamboree’s new glowing train table.
Proceeds from Goblin Jamboree Fundraiser support the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s mission to ignite and advance creative thinking for all children. Thank you for your generosity and participation.
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Witches and Wizards Weekend at Playland
Saturday-Sunday, October 17-18, 10:00AM-5:00PM
Playland-Not-At-The-Beach, 10979 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito
see website for admission details
As Halloween creeps closer, Playland-Not-at-the-Beach becomes a bit more haunted and bewitched. This weekend, wizards and witches of all kinds can discover hidden magic potions, mysterious spells and mystical enchantments. Come in costume for special prizes!
Over 30+ pinball machines spanning seven decades, video games, Penny Arcade machines, challenging carnival games of skill, interactive displays and exhibits, miniature circuses, sideshow exhibits, baffling magic shows - they are all here waiting to entertain and amuse you!
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Tolay Fall Festival
Saturday-Sunday, October 17-18 and 24-25, 11:00AM-5:00PM
Tolay Lake Regional Park, 5869 Cannon Lane, Petaluma
Adults $5, Children 12 and under $3, parking $7 per car
The Tolay Fall Festival offers two weeks of old-time, nature-based fun each October at Tolay Lake Regional Park east of Petaluma.
More than just a pumpkin patch, the Tolay Fall Festival is a seasonal celebration connecting visitors with the beauty and history of this special park. Fall Festival activities and displays are low-key, hands-on, and educational by design.
Explore the Nighttime Creatures Barn with its exhibits of native and exotic snakes, birds of prey, tide pool animals, and taxidermied wildlife.
Venture into the Creepy Crawly Room, where tarantulas and scorpions glow under black lights.
Take a hayride to a pumpkin patch in the park’s back 40 and find the perfect Halloween pumpkin.
Visit a replica of a Native American village and try farm activities like wool carding and candle dipping.
Enter the World-Record Pumpkin-Seed Spitting Contest for a chance to win an exclusive title and a year of bragging rights.
Join experts in archery, fly fishing, and astronomy for hands-on demonstrations.
Participate in gunnysack races, find your way through a straw maze, and pet barnyard animals.
Enjoy food and desserts from local vendors or bring a picnic to enjoy at the park.
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Odd Salon: Undead
Tuesday, October 20, 7:00-10:00PM
DNA Lounge, 375 Eleventh Street, San Francisco, 415-626-1409
$15
21+
Stories of revenants & apparitions, unquiet spirits, the dislodged dead, bloodsucking fiends, and souls brought back from the other side
~ Speakers to be announced ~
Curated by Annetta Black
Advance tickets recommended and appreciated.
Odd Salon is an evening series of cocktail hour lectures in San Francisco, featuring short talks illuminating extraordinary and unusual chapters from history, science, art, and adventure.
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Expired Fairy Specimen
with Bethany Mann
Wednesday, October 21, 11:00AM–5:00PM
Castle in the Air, 1805 Fourth Street, Berkeley, 510-204-9801
$105 includes materials, limited to 8 students
Trapped in a Mason jar, this specimen of a skeletal fairy is lit eerily from above by a small hidden light. The completed project features a simple environment, a specimen label, and a ribbon; the effect is a little bit sweet and a little bit spooky. You will make and pose the small skeleton fairy from craft parts, learn to construct a simple LED lamp in the jar lid, and create a fauxrarium environment inside the jar.
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History Mystery Tour
on board the USS Hornet
Wednesday, October 21, 7:00-10:00PM
USS Hornet Museum, 707 W Hornet Avenue, Pier 3, Alameda
must be age 12+
$35, must book in advance
Bring your own flashlight
Is the USS Hornet really haunted? Come and see for yourself! Do you dare explore Hornet after hours?
Beat the crowds and receive a special tour of areas onboard Hornet that have not yet been opened to the public or have been reported to host unseen visitors:
Combat Information Center (CIC)
Message Center (Radio Central)
Mess Deck
Sidewinder Missile Assembly Room
Brig
Catapult Machinery Room
Sick Bay
Captain and Admiral’s In Port State Rooms
Flight Deck and Island
Focsle and Secondary Con
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What is Day of the Dead?
with Anita De Lucio
Thursday, October 22, 6:30-8:00PM
HAHS Center for History and Culture, 22380 Foothill Boulevard, Hayward
Free
From sugar skulls to altars, Day of the Dead seems to have entered American mainstream culture. Yet, not a lot of people know its origins. Come learn more through an interactive presentation by artist and cultural educator, Anita De Lucio.
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Souls of the City: Dia de los Muertos in Old Sacramento
This month, the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation will once again partner with Sol Collective to provide a month of programs and activities in celebration of Dia de los Muertos. These programs honor Sacramento’s diverse heritage and celebrate our community.
Honoring Our Past Community Lecture
Thursday, October 22, 6:30-9:00PM
The Sacramento History Museum, 101 I Street, Old Sacramento
Free
Join community members as they discuss the meaning and history of Dia De Los Muertos and honor the Native American community. This year’s lecture will focus on honoring women.
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Hangtown Halloween Ball
Thursday-Sunday, October 22-25
El Dorado County Fairgrounds, 100 Placerville Drive, Placerville
see website for ticket details
Located at the gateway of the picturesque Sierra mountains, Hangtown Halloween Ball creates a fantastic holiday-themed getaway for festival goers of all ages. Each year the event ushers in the harvest season with colorful Halloween themed ambiance and art installations, artist workshops and a diverse lineup spanning multiple genres of music. More than just a chance to get costumed, groove to great music, and get a little wild under the harvest moon; the four-night camping festival has become a treasured tradition for many.
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Scaregrove
Friday, October 23, 3:00-9:00PM
Stern Grove, 2750 19th Avenue, San Francisco
$8
Join us for Scaregrove, our wild Halloween event at Sigmund Stern Grove. This family-friendly event features carnival rides, a haunted house, costume parade, live entertainment, food for sale and more!
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SuperNatural Halloween at the Academy of Sciences
Friday, October 23, 6:30-9:00PM
California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco
Adults $50, Children $35
Grab your costume and have yourself a ghoulishly great time trick-or-treating your way through the Academy at night, among spooky skulls and spine-tingling specimens!
Come enjoy!
Trick-or-Treating, Dancing, Face Painting, Magic Shows, Scientists and Specimens, Live Animal Shows, Giant Pumpkin Carving, Crafts, Photo Booths, Food and Drink
Proceeds support Academy programs including school field trips for 150,000 students annually.
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Womyn’s Spiral Dance
Honoring the Ancestors and the Crones
with Daughters of the Goddess
Friday, October 23, Marketplace opens at 6:30PM, Ritual begins at 7:30PM
Orinda Masonic Temple, 9 Altarinda Road, Orinda
This Event is for Cisgender Women
Adults $29, Teens 14-19 $5, Girls 13 and under Free
Craftswomen, Drumming, Chanting, Dancing in Community and Sisterhood.
Bring your drums, rattles, and a picture of an Ancestor for the Ancestor Altar.
For more information call 925-787-9739 or 925-787-9247 or e-mail Leilani at Leilani@DaughtersoftheGoddess.com
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Witches Ball and Samhain Celebration
presented by the Sonoma County Pagan Network
Friday, October 23, 7:00PM
Luther Burbank Art and Garden Center, 2050 Yulupa Avenue, Santa Rosa
$5-$10 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds
For 15 years it has been our privilege to hold our annual Witches' Ball and Samhain Celebration for the Pagan community of Sonoma County. Once again we invite you to come and celebrate and feast with us. Costume or ritual garb is encouraged.
This year’s evening’s festivities include:
Ritual
The intent for this years ritual is Parting the Fabric of Spacetime to Step Through the Veil and Speak With Our Ancestors. The ritual will be facilitated by Ben Terra, Leeanen Sidhe and other SCPN members. The ritual facilitators request that those who wish to participate in the ritual bring with them a small token or memento to help them focus on connecting with their ancestors/beloved dead. Also that you bring (if you desire) a small portion of your pot luck dish into circle with you to share with your ancestor.
Dinner With The Dead
This year, we are requesting/suggesting that to make our connection to our ancestors/beloved dead that much more special, you bring a dish or dessert that has an ancestral or family connection for you. Why not make one of Nonna's favorite recipes? Or share Grampa's favorite kind of cookies? Samhain feast is not only a time to honor our dead, but we also mark the New Year and celebrate our abundant harvest. Let's enjoy a bountiful meal together in the midst of our dearly departed. We ask that you bring a potluck dish to share that serves 4-6 people and/or a non-alcoholic brew. Please bring your own place setting. There will be hot water available for tea.
Witch And Wizard Hat Contest
We just can't wait to see what all the stylish witches and wizards are wearing this year. So if you have a hat that you made yourself or something you bought and embellished that you want to show off, bring it and wear it for a chance to win a prize.
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Ship of Spirits
on board the USS Hornet
Friday, October 23, 7:00PM-Midnight
USS Hornet Museum, 707 W Hornet Avenue, Pier 3, Alameda
$45, must book in advance
Bring your own flashlight
Paranormal Presentation 7:00-8:30PM
Special Guest Speakers:
Professional Mentalist and Psychic Entertainer Medium Mariah Kunau
Parapsychologist Loyd Auerbach
Loyd Auerbach has been investigating the Hornet since she opened her doors as a Museum in 1998.
Auerbach is the Director of The Office of Paranormal Investigations, and the author of multiple books on the paranormal, including ESP, Hauntings, and Poltergeists: A Parapsychologist's Handbook and The Ghost Detectives' Guide to Haunted San Francisco.
Following the presentation, a haunted flashlight tour of areas where spirits reportedly live as well as areas not yet open to the general public will be given. Those areas include the Combat Information Center (CIC), Mess Deck, Sidewinder Missile Assembly Room, and others.
Paranormal Hot Spot Tour 9:00PM-Midnight
Following the presentation session, a flashlight tour will be taken of areas reported to be home to spirits that never left the ship (as well as areas not yet open to the general public).
Please bring a flashlight. We suggest you wear comfortable shoes and also bring a light jacket.
Ages 17 & Under must be accompanied by a paying Adult.
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Thirteen for Halloween Art Show and Sale
Friday-Saturday, October 23-24,
Friday 6:00-9:00PM, Saturday 10:00AM-5:00PM
Alexandra von Burg Studio, 2525 8th Street, #13C, Berkeley
Free admission
Thirteen for Halloween is a group show organized by fiber artist Alexandra Von Burg. Alexandra is personally dedicated to having fun making art and encouraging the celebration of the most hallowed of holidays. She invites like-minded artists who create art that is creepy, gothic, ghoulish, ridiculous, wickedly funny, and sometimes utilitarian.
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Where History Meets Haunting at Rengstorff House
Friday-Saturday, October 23-24, and Friday October 30, 6:30-10:00PM,
Tours leave every 20 minutes
The Rengstorff House, 3070 N. Shoreline Boulevard, Mountain View
$10 in advance, $15 at the door
Let your adventure in time being here! America in the 19th century was a rapidly changing and industrializing society, and this year the Friends of “R” House are pleased to bring you Where History Meets Haunting Presents: Inventions and Imaginations. Come explore the vast wonders of the 19th century with a haunted Steampunk twist set in a historic house museum. Come learn about the imaginative ideas of the era and the real history behind them in this one of a kind interactive haunted house attraction.
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Through the Wall: A bedtime story from the other side
presented by Ragged Wing Ensemble
Fridays-Sundays, October 23-November 7,
Fridays and Sundays 8:00PM, Saturdays 2:00 & 8:00PM
The Flight Deck, 1540 Broadway, Oakland
see website for ticket details
Written by Anthony Clarvoe, Nick Hadikwa Mwaluko, Sango Tajima, and Davern Wright
Directed by Cecilia Palmtag and Addie Ulrey
Upon entering The Flight Deck, guests will be swallowed by an aging House of Haunts. After walking a labyrinth brimming with secrets, guests will be invited into the sanctum of the parlor, where they will bear witness to a long-awaited communion with the paranormal. The veil between the living and the dead is lifted and who, or what, comes through will send chills up the sternest of spines.
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Halloween Costume Contest and Sidewalk Stroll
Saturday, October 24, 10:00AM
City Park, 1st Street and Military W, Benicia
Free
Benicia Main Street offers a great time for kids of all ages during the popular Halloween costume contest and sidewalk stroll. The local merchants on First Street get into the spirit of the holiday for all to shop and enjoy. At noon there will be a Canine and Critter Costume Contest on the First Street Green with awards and treats.
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Spooky Times at Deer Hollow Farm
Saturday, October 24, 10:00AM-3:00PM
Deer Hollow Farm in Rancho San Antonio County Park, Cristo Rey Drive, Los Altos
$7 (in costume $5)
Deer Hollow Farm invites you to celebrate the spooky spirit of Halloween!
Explore haunted barns and a ‘dark forest’
Meet the farm animals in open pens
Treats, drinks and merchandise will be available for purchase
Try your hand at children’s activities and crafts
Make “sweet” spiders
Make chocolate bat finger puppets
Plant a seed to take home
Make bubbles, leaf prints
Explore a creepy touch table
Spooktacular ball toss
Our pens will be open: the goats, chickens, sheep and Luna the cow will welcome you and your family to celebrate Halloween at a 160-year old working farm in the middle of Silicon Valley.
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Alameda Point Collaborative Harvest Festival: Mad Farm Science
Saturday, October 24, 11:00AM-3:00PM
APC Farm2Market Farm, 2600 Barbers Point Road, Alameda
Free
APC’s annual Harvest Festival is a celebration of urban farming, the harvest, and our unique community. October is also Farm-to-School month, and we are celebrating by inviting Mad Scientists of all ages to join us for fun, fun experiments.
Guests will also enjoy our children’s carnival, live entertainment, and tasty treats featuring Farm2Market produce - all on our spectacular urban farm. We hope to see you there!
Can you eat nails for breakfast?
Which sinks faster in water, an avocado or a watermelon?
How many women have commanded the Space Shuttle?
Find out the answers to these questions and many more at our Mad Farm Science fair. Each child (or the young at heart) will be issued a laboratory checklist and sent on a mission to try a variety of experiments, and find the answers to some tough science questions!
Completed checklists can be turned in at the International Space Prize Station for cool prizes, including pumpkins that you can carve at the festival.
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A Family Celebration at Rengstorff House
Saturday, October 24, 12:00-4:00PM
The Rengstorff House, 3070 N. Shoreline Boulevard, Mountain View
Donations appreciated
An event for our younger and/or more timid visitors, Where History Meets Haunting Presents: A Family Halloween Celebration has something for everyone. There will be Autumn crafts, trick-or-treating in the decorated rooms of the Rengstorff House, a costume parade at 2:00PM, and yummy refreshments. Costumes are encouraged.
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Downtown Livermore Halloween Carnival
Saturday, October 24, 1:00-5:00PM
Historic Downtown Livermore, McLeod Street between First and Second Street, Livermore
Free admission, $5 for some activities
Livermore’s Favorite Family Tradition. The Downtown hosts an old fashioned Carnival filled with Costume Contests, Games, Entertainment and much, much more! For families with children 5th grade and under.
Purchase your Carnival Fun Pass, day of, at ticket booths located on J Street, K Street or in front of the Bankhead Theater for $5 each.
Time to get creative!!! Enter the Halloween costume contest in front of the Bankhead Theater from 3:00-5:00PM. Looking to celebrate uniqueness and creativity, costumes must be 70% handmade.
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Paranormal Workshop & Investigation at Meek Mansion
Saturday, October 24, 1:00PM-Midnight
Meek Mansion, 17365 Boston Road, Hayward
$75 Workshop or Investigation only, $100 both
Learn about the tools and techniques for investigating the paranormal. Then put your new skills to work with an investigation of Meek Mansion. Special presentations by author and paranormal investigator Jeff Dwyer, author and paranormal software developer Anthony F. Sanchez, parapsychologist and Director of the Office of Paranormal Investigations Loyd Auerbach M.S., and Xtreme Hauntings Paranormal.
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Pumpkins on Pikes
Saturday, October 24, 2:00-10:00PM
Tara Firma Farms, 3796 I Street, Petaluma, 707-765-1202
$20 includes a pumpkin, Children under 6 Free
Pumpkins on Pikes is one of those very special events where magic is created and experienced by all who attend.
The festivities start in the afternoon with great food, music and pumpkin carving. Everyone will get the chance to display their Jack O’ Lantern on a pike in the corn field. When the sun goes down the pumpkins are lit. It is a truly heart warming feeling looking over the glowing corn field to see the individual creations of all who attended.
FREE pumpkin included with admission.
$10 BBQ plate will be available for dinner.
Bring your favorite plate of food if you would like to take part in the potluck.
Bring:
Special carving tools
Blanket (if staying after dark)
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Howl-O-Ween Family Sleepover
Saturday, October 24, 6:00PM-Sunday, October 25, 10:00AM
Happy Hollow Park and Zoo, 1300 Senter Road, San Jose
$60 per person
Ages 5 and up with an adult
Be our overnight guest for a howling good time and enjoy the thrill of the zoo after dark. During your adventure, learn the truth about "scary" animals through Halloween-themed activities, games, live animal encounters, and night tours. Your adventure includes Trick-or-Treat stations, a late-night snack, and hot breakfast the next morning including pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and more! Bring your own tent to tent camp in the Crooked House Meadow or sleep indoors inside the Learning Lodge.
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South Bay Circles Samhain
with The San Jose Pagan and Magick Meetup Group
Saturday, October 24, 7:00PM
Fireside Room, Palo Alto UU, 505 E Charleston Road, Palo Alto
$10 suggested donation, please bring a potluck item
Come celebrate Samhain, the Witches' New Year and Feast of the Dead. Look into your Shadow. What do you see there? Wear your “Witchy” finest. It's Samhain!
This is an intense ritual, not recommended for children.
$10-$15 donation suggested to help cover venue rental costs. No one turned away for lack of funds.
Potluck suggestions: desserts, finger food, healthy.
We will also have a donations can available to help survivors of the Valley & Butte Fires through local agencies.
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Gaskell October Fancy Dress Ball
Saturday, October 24, 7:30PM-Midnight
Oakland Scottish Rite Center, 1547 Lakeside Drive, Oakland
$20 in advance, $25 at the door
Ye Gaskell Occasional Dance Society is proud to once more present its October Fancy Dress Ball, at the sumptuous Scottish Rite Hall. This event is our only ball this year, and should not be missed.
Enjoy an evening of music and dancing amongst elegant and sophisticated costumes with music by Franklin Beau Davis and The Brassworks.
Doors open at 7:30PM
Brief lesson at 7:40PM
Dancing from 8:30PM until Midnight
Oh what to wear!
Dance the night away with fairies, goblins, knights, and knaves. Is that a pirate polkaing with a ninja? Yes! Khalisi and Joffrey waltzing? True, and no one died! Captain Kirk cutting a rug with River Song? Hello sweetie!
We love creative costumes at our Fancy Dress ball. Wear something that makes you feel like dancing! However, please use caution when adding pointy things to your costume. Big wings and long swords are special hazards on the dance floor.
Of course, 19th, 20th, and 21st century formal wear is always welcome.
Learn the Dances Before the Ball!
There will be a 2 1/2 hour dance class at the hall the day of the dance from 3:30-6:00PM with a separate $10 admission fee. The class covers waltz, polka, mazurka, schottische, gallop, and the Congress of Vienna Waltz. Dress comfortably and wear smooth-soled shoes. (Sneakers are not recommended.)
This leaves two and a half hours for dining and dressing before the dancing starts at 8:30PM.
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Boo at the Zoo
Saturday-Sunday, October 24-25, 10:00AM-3:00PM
Oakland Zoo, 9777 Golf Links Road, Oakland
included with Zoo admission
Visit Oakland Zoo for our annual Halloween event, Boo at the Zoo! Stroll the Zoo in costume and collect yummy treats.
Ride the spooky Boo Train and join the first-ever Boo at the Zoo Dance Party. Plus, get your face painted, make treats for the animals, and see how the animals at Oakland Zoo celebrate Halloween.
Kids in costumes receive a free ride ticket!
Bay Area Science Festival Teams Up with Oakland Zoo
For the third year in a row, the Bay Area Science Festival has helped make this Halloween event a science-themed weekend - featuring a scavenger hunt-style trick or treating adventure, up-close animal encounters, spooky interactive stations, and a Wildlife Theater presentation focused on creepy crawly animals.
Child friendly activities will take place throughout the Zoo, including a treat table where families can create Halloween goodies for the Zoo’s animals.
Boo at the Zoo is a day-time opportunity for families to bring out their noble Ninja Turtles, tiny Tinker Bells, precious Princesses, and spectacular Superheroes to an outdoor adventure filled with spooktackular fun.
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Jack O'Lantern Jamboree
Saturday-Sunday, October 24-25, 10:00AM-4:00PM
Children's Fairyland, on the shore of Lake Merritt at Grand Avenue and Bellevue, Oakland
$10
On the last weekend in October, join us to celebrate with fun and games that are more delightful than frightful.
Come in costume and enjoy a spooktacular extravaganza with:
Unlimited rides
Parades
Goody bags and treat stations for kids (while supplies last)
Two jumpers, one for little kids and one for bigger kids
Arts and crafts
Pirate school
Balloon twisting
Special performances
Costumed fairy-tale characters
Shows by our Children’s Theater Program and Storybook Puppet Theater
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All Hallows Fantasy Faire
Saturday-Sunday, October 24-25,
Saturday 12:00PM-Midnight, Sunday 12:00PM-6:00PM
Mother Lode Fairgrounds, 220 Southgate Drive, Sonora
see website for ticket details
The Original All Hallows Fantasy Faire is a two day all inclusive costume play Celtic New Year's Celebration! Keeping the All Hallows tradition this year, the dead will be celebrated like never before! The Faire is deeply rooted in the beliefs of the Celtic people, but combined with all the fun and excitement of a modern Halloween.
Hundreds of visiting creatures and characters from your favorite fairy tales and Hollywood movies will come to life over this fun-filled family weekend! The Faire offers many exciting venues to hear live music, enjoy themed food and drink, buy unique items, and marvel at jugglers and magicians. Wear your new or old costume and get into the fun and thrills of the Faire!
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Arcane: A Tale of All Hallows’ Eve
select dates, October 24-31,
see website for detailed schedule
Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Boulevard, San Francisco
see website for ticket details
Company C Contemporary Ballet will be offering refuge to the multitude of wayward ghosts who find themselves haunting the Bay area during Autumn’s October days.
The ballet, suitable for families and kids, tells the original story of Arcane, the star that sits at the hip of the harvest moon. This allegorical Muse of Autumn comes to Earth each year to animate the dead and bring voice to the voiceless. All those who are awakened for this one night have left something undone or something unsaid and this is their chance to do and say their piece.
The production mines a wide field of traditional, narrative, and theatrical inspirations from the Day of the Dead, an outlandish Rube Goldberg kinetic sculpture, Pacific Islander poi ball spinners, and scratch-and-sniff technology to add a sensory dimension and lots of stage magic and effects to bring the story to life and augment the dancing.
We are greatly inspired by the team of artists we have gathered to work on this extraordinary Halloween project. You can look forward to outstanding contemporary dancing to an exciting original score by Mike Krisukas and choreography by Charles Anderson.
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Halloween Trunk-or-Treat Spooktacular
Sunday, October 25, 10:00AM-2:00PM
along Main Street, Martinez
Free
We're teaming up with local businesses to provide a safe place for you to enjoy Halloween festivities. Instead of walking house to house, visit creatively themed and decorated car trunks and shops lining downtown Martinez to collect candy and treats.
The Trunk or Treat and Store to Store event will happen on a Sunday, in conjunction with the Farmers Market. The Market will be on the 600 and 700 blocks of Main Street and the 500, 800, and 900 blocks will be filled with Trunk or Treat cars. Many stores throughout the downtown area will also be open and handing out treats.
Treat bags and maps will be handed out to Trunk or Treaters in the Main Street Plaza, adjacent to Starbucks on Main Street.
Face painting in the plaza will be provided by the City of Martinez Parks and Recreation Department.
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Halloween Festivities at Gamble Garden
Sunday, October 25, 10:30AM-12:00PM
Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto
$20
Halloween isn’t Halloween without magic. Come experience the wizardry of Rav the Wizard as he conjures up magic and bewitching jokes. Find your own pumpkin in the Gamble Garden Pumpkin Patch, win the costume contest (everyone is a winner!), eat candy, drink witch’s brew, get the Wizard’s spooky autograph, and watch a delightful magic show. Start your week’s Halloween festivities at Gamble Garden! BOO!
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Bewitching Tea
Saturday, October 25,
three seatings 11:00AM, 1:00PM, and 3:00PM
Camellia Tea Room, 838 First Street, Benicia
$45 (includes tax and gratuity), reservations required
Proceeds benefit Safequest of Solano County and STAND of Contra Costa County, non profit agencies that serve victims of domestic violence. Event is sponsored by Camellia Tea Room and Soroptimist International of Benicia. For more information or to make a reservation, please call 707-746-5293.
Camellia Tea Room is located in a beautifully restored 1897 building in historic downtown Benicia. Lace curtains, ivory tablecloths and fresh flowers on each table, tea served in bone china teapots and an ornate ceiling featuring Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers make for an elegant and relaxing atmosphere. In addition to afternoon tea, we serve lunch and desserts, and everything is made fresh daily in our kitchen. We offer more than 40 fine loose leaf teas.
Welcome!
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Ardenwood Halloween Hijinks
Sunday, October 25, 11:00AM-3:00PM
Ardenwood Historic Farm, 34600 Ardenwood Boulevard, Fremont
Adults $7, Children 3-12 $5
Pumpkins, spiders, and old-fashioned fun! Celebrate this bewitching holiday with festive games
and crafts.
11:00AM: Roasting pumpkin seeds in a wood-burning stove
Noon: Apple cider pressing;
1:00PM: Halloween crafts
2:00PM: Halloween games
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Halloween at Howarth Park
Saturday, October 25, 11:30AM-1:00PM or 1:30-3:00PM
Howarth Park, 630 Summerfield Road, Santa Rosa
$6 Pass: includes trick-or-treating, train and carousel ride.
$10 Pass: includes same as above plus pony ride and ice cream treat
Join us for the 10th annual Halloween at Howarth! Dress in your best costume and come trick-or-treat throughout one of Santa Rosa's most popular parks! Plus, hop on Howarth Park's train and carousel with your costumed friends and catch a pony ride too!
Children ages 12 and under will trick-or-treat through the park at treat stations hosted by local Santa Rosa businesses and organizations and can then enjoy Howarth Park's many other attractions. In the event of rainy weather, call 707-543-3425 the morning of the event for a status update.
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Community Celebration for the Days of the Dead
Sunday, October 25, 12:00-4:30PM
Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak Street, Oakland
$11.95 in advance, $15.95 at the door
The popular annual community celebration will feature main stage performances ranging from contemporary popular music to folkloric dance, Mariachi to Aztec dance. Performers include Ballet Folklorico Paqueyollotzin of Petaluma, UC Berkeley Mariachi, Quenepas (Puerto Rican Bomba youth ensemble), and dynamic up and coming band Soltrón. The celebration starts out with a welcoming ritual that leads a procession into the OMCA Garden led by members of the DÃas de los Muertos Committee and Danza Azteca Cuicatl. Community-created altars throughout the building and the garden will pay homage to loved ones lost.
An artisanal mercado will highlight the OMCA Store and local vendors featuring traditional and contemporary apparel, craft, artwork, and food, including a panadero (baker) offering pan de muerto. A selection of festive food highlighting the Bay Area’s diversity of cuisines will be available for purchase from Off the Grid, and Bike East Bay will provide a bike valet service.
Entry includes Museum admission and access to special exhibition Rituals + Remembrance, featuring new and existing work by nine artists and three community organizations celebrating the theme of memorial across cultures.
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Halloween Concert with Octopretzel
part of the Silly Sundays Series
Sunday, October 25, 3:00PM
Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, 510-525-5054
Adults $8, Children $6
Our perennially popular Silly Sundays series of kids’ shows concludes with Ashkenaz favorite Octopretzel. A wide array of top family-oriented artists has provided six weeks of engaging afternoon entertainment for young children and parents, playing music from around the world for dancing, jumping, and spinning on the best dance floor in the East Bay!
The wildly imaginative Octopretzel returns to delight a young audience with the quintet’s colorful and inspired performance. An Octopretzel show features handmade puppets, bubbles of all sizes, and at times hula-hooping kindergartners. The band has been known to inspire spontaneous kiddie mosh-pits, while still maintaining focus and interactive participation. Their songwriting presents imagery of things such as spinning tops, roly polies, and whimsical imaginary creatures. From unique interpretations of traditional folk classics to fun and catchy originals, this is music that parents love and has kids asking for more!
Lead singer and guitarist Melita Doostan is Octopretzel’s creator, a former pre-school teacher who is now a music specialist for youngsters. Singer David Doostan is an East Bay emergency room doctor. Lead singer and guitarist Jen Miriam Kantor, a former member of the Sippy Cups and the Puppet Players, sings and plays percussion (by day she’s a doula, artist, and puppeteer). Mandolinist and fiddler David Rosenfeld has worked with the Oakland Symphony and plays in klezmer band Kugelplex.
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North Bay Reclaiming’s Samhain and Annual Fundraiser
Saturday, October 25, 7:00PM
Sebastopol Grange, 6000 Sebastopol Avenue, Sebastopol
Suggested donations of $10-$30, no one turned away for lack of funds
for more information, please call 707-484-7786 or e-mail northbayreclaiming@yahoo.com
Intention:
Hearing our ancestors call, we remember our strength, and rise up for our descendants.
Hearing our ancestors call, we remember our strength, and rise up for our descendants.
We gather together to honor our Beloved Dead and celebrate the Witch's New Year.
The Northbay Reclaiming community gathers for public rituals at all eight points of the Wheel of the Year. Rituals and gatherings are planned and facilitated by our Ritual Planning Cell with participation from our wider community.
Our rituals are open to folks of all ages, all genders, all physical abilities, pagans, non pagans, solitaries, covens, seekers, and the curious.
Cost is usually a sliding scale of $10 to $30, no one turned away for lack of funds. Money goes to reserve our venues (parks and The Grange), for ritual materials, event insurance, and a scholarship each year to help a community member attend California Witchcamp.
(All our public rituals are clean and sober events, so please, no alcohol or drugs at the ritual space.)
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The Dark Crystal
presented by SF in SF
Wednesday, October 28, 7:00PM
Balboa Theatre, 3630 Balboa Street, San Francisco
Adults $11, Children $8
Beer & Wine available at the snack bar, and there's always a raffle for prizes for all ages!
Come celebrate Halloween with SF in SF!
1982, PG, 93 minutes
"Another world. Another time. In the Age of Wonder."
The beloved classic, directed by Jim Henson and Franz Oz
1983, G, 59 minutes
featuring Jim Henson, Brian & Wendy Froud, and Gary Kurtz
On another planet in the distant past, the mysterious Dark Crystal was damaged by one of the Urskeks and an age of chaos began. The orphan Jen, raised in solitude by the peace-loving wizards called the Mystics, embarks on a quest to find a missing shard of the Dark Crystal. Without its restoration, the evil Skeksis will continue to rule their world - will Jen and his ally Kira triumph in their quest to restore order and rejuvenate their world? With groundbreaking animatronics and special effects from the Henson Workshop, and conceptual art direction by Brian and Wendy Froud.
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Slayland Halloween After Dark
Thursday, October 29, 6:00-10:00PM
Playland-Not-At-The-Beach, 10979 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito
$10
18+
Come play some Haunted House pinball in full costume at Playland-Not-at-the-Beach's after dark Halloween party. Get ready for spooky magic, mystery, treats and games, with no kids allowed. Awoooo!
Over 30+ pinball machines spanning seven decades, video games, Penny Arcade machines, challenging carnival games of skill, interactive displays and exhibits, miniature circuses, sideshow exhibits, baffling magic shows - they are all here waiting to entertain and amuse you!
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Hekate, Queen of the Witches
with Yeshe Rabbit of The Sacred Well
Thursday, October 29, 7:00-9:00PM
Homestead Apothecary, 486 49th Street, #C, Oakland, 510-495-6549
$45
Known as Hekate to the Ancient Greeks, and Hecate to the Ancient Romans, the Queen of Night, Witchcraft, and Crossroads teaches us about the journey of life, death, and rebirth. In this workshop, we will learn about the mythology of Hekate. She is the midwife of the young and the Bright Maiden as well as the tender of the Ancestors. Yeshe Rabbit will teach chants, songs, and herbs sacred to Hekate, and the class will work together to make a special incense in Her honor. At the end of the class, we will perform a brief but powerful ritual to honor Hekate in her capacity as Mother of Magic. Please wear black to this event if you are able, and bring a black veil, scarf or shawl to cover your head during our ritual working.
For 13 years, Yeshe Rabbit has been a professional tarot reader for thousands of clients in the Bay Area and worldwide. At her Oakland shop, The Sacred Well, she offers classes in Beginning and Intermediate Tarot, designed to help the practitioner harness their natural intuition, and craft a reliable personal relationship with the tarot that will yield both accurate, specific divinations and a lifetime of rich personal growth with the archetypal messages of the cards. For more information about Yeshe Rabbit, visit her website Way of the Rabbit.
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A Haunted By Chocolate Evening: A Chocolate Tasting with Ghost Stories Told
Thursday, October 29, 7:00-9:30PM
HCH Institute, 3702 Mt. Diablo Boulevard, Lafayette
$40 in person, $30 by phone
Enjoy a fun and tasty Halloween event with 35+ year ghost detective/investigator and professional Chocolatier Loyd Auerbach. He will lead you through a session of tasting great chocolates, interspersed with some of his favorite cases and ghost reports (stories told to him).
You’ll also hear about the history of chocolate, how it’s made, and get background on the chocolate makers whose gourmet bars you’ll be tasting. Spooky and Yummy!
The class will not be recorded, but you will receive an mp3 recording of some of Loyd’s ghost stories.
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Sugar Skulls Workshop
Friday, October 30,
Session 1: 4:00-5:30PM
Session 2: 6:00-8:00PM
Museum of Art and History at the McPherson Center, 705 Front Street, Santa Cruz
$5
Celebrate DÃa de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with a workshop of festive fun here at the MAH! Create sugary sweet tokens with family and friends in remembrance of those who have passed. In this traditional Mexican Folk Art workshop, participants will have the opportunity to make and decorate sugar skulls to bring home or leave on display upon our community altar. Bring your friends and family to craft this traditional Mexican folk art that sweetly honors the lives of those who are deceased.
NOTE: Family Workshop in our classroom: 4:00-5:30PM, 6:00-8:00PM: Drop in anytime
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Trick-or-Treat in Downtown Campbell
Friday, October 30, 5:00-7:30PM
Historic Downtown Campbell
(along E Campbell Avenue between Harrison Avenue and Winchester Boulevard, Campbell)
Free
Come to Downtown Campbell for our annual Halloween trick-or-treat to be held, for the first time, on Halloween itself! We'll carry on rain or shine.
Trick-or-Treat, 5:00-7:00PM: Downtown restaurants, shops, and boutiques will be open and will welcome little goblins with sweet treats! Books for Treats: the Campbell Rotary Club will be giving away free books as treats to kids in front of Palazzi Salon.
Costume Contest, 7:00-7:30PM: Bring your kids (ages 0-12), yourself, and your pets (dogs, cats, frogs?) dressed in their finest. The contest, featuring multiple categories and fun prizes for children and pets, is free of charge and everyone is welcome to participate.
Enjoy Downtown Campbell while having a fun and safe Halloween with the kids!
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Halloween Twilight Hike at Coyote Hills
Friday, October 30, 5:30-8:30PM
Coyote Hills Regional Park, 8000 Patterson Ranch Road, Fremont
$5, Ages 5 and up
Spend a SPOOKtacular evening as we hike the hills looking for hobgoblins, witches, and ghosts during sunset. Find out the ancient origins and modern traditions of Halloween. Don your costume to seek out wandering souls along the trail. Return for treats and a campfire story.
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Marine Masquerade
Friday, October 30, 6:00-8:00PM
Seymour Center, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz
Adults $8, Children $6, Ages 2 and Under Free
Join us for a Magical Mystery Marine Masquerade Adventure!
Kids - dress up if you wish, be a seal or a fish - and bring your parents for a night of scavenger hunts, creature crafts, flashlight tours to a whale of a skeleton, a shipwreck story, costume
parade, music, and more.
Come listen to Maritime Mysteries presented by author JoAnn Semones. Semones will share the stories of local shipwrecks - the La Feliz and the Active - and lighthouse keeper Laura Hecox, who maintained the Santa Cruz Lighthouse for 33 years starting in 1883.
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Honoring the Ancestors: Milk & Honey’s Samhain Ritual
with Phoenix LeFae
Friday, October 30, 6:30PM
Milk & Honey, 123 North Main Street, Sebastopol
sliding scale $5-$10
It is the time of the year when we remember and honor those that have crossed over. The veil is thin, we can hear their whispers and offer our love, thanks, blessings, and even closure.
At this ritual, we will take time to remember those that have passed, thank your beloveds, and listen.
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Hallows Fireside Concert with Sharon Knight and Winter
Friday, October 30, 8:00-11:00PM
Fireside Room at BFUU, 1924 Cedar Street, Berkeley
$14 in advance, $20 at the door
Sharon Knight and Winter offer their enchanting tales in an intimate fireside concert in Berkeley.
Festival Favorites Sharon Knight and Winter are internationally touring musicians in the mythic-Celtic vein. Their penchant for combining fierce and gutsy bravado with ethereal beauty, a hearty dose of fantastical lyrics, and an obvious love of storytelling has inspired their own style, "Neofolk Romantique". This often sound less Celtic and more "Folktales that ran away with the Faeries at the turn of the century and took cover in an old trunk bound for the circus, which was then commandeered by pirates." This suits them fine.
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Haul-o-ween 2015: The Maltese Cthulhu Murder Mystery
Cocktails, Dinner, and Strange Idols
Friday-Saturday, October 30-31,
Obtainium Works, 510 Pennsylvania Street, Vallejo
Victorian Haul of Illusions Haunted House 4:00-7:00PM,
Adults $5, Children under 12 Free
Maltese Cthulhu Murder Mystery 7:30PM-Midnight
Dinner and Show $35, Show only $15, Drinks $5
The Neverwas Haul has disappeared! Only a strange statue gives us a clue. Help the crew unravel the mystery!
Join us for dinner at Obtainium Works, tour the Victorian Haul of Illusions Haunted House, and enjoy cocktails, appetizers and refreshments.
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Garden of Zombie
Friday-Saturday, October 30-31, 5:00-10:00PM
Ploughshares Nursery, 2701 Main Street, Alameda
Free
Garden of Zombie, Fright-Day Night (the Friday before Halloween) and again on Halloween night (Saturday). Spiders and Undead Creatures rule Ploughshares Nursery after the Sun falls, and only the light of one hundred glowing jack o' lanterns will save the unwary! Bring the kids for a tour of the night garden and free application of zombie makeup. Picture opportunities will abound, and you may even escape to see daylight if you arrive disguised as ZOMBIES! The best three zombie costumes will receive Ploughshares Gift Certificates as prizes. And a cat.
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The Illogical Contraption Halloween Special
with DJ Douggpound, JP INC, Kaseem Bentley and GHOUL!
Friday, October 30, 10:15PM
Cobb's Comedy Club, 915 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco
$18.75, 2 drink minimum
18+
Illogical Contraption, the punk rock-heavy metal-horror-sci fi-comedy podcast with a rabid cult following comes alive on stage! Join all your goofy pals LIVE in person!
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All Hallows Read
Friday, October 31
wherever you please!
All Hallow’s Read is a Hallowe’en tradition. It’s simply that in the week of Hallowe’en, or on the night itself, you give someone a scary book.
Scholars have traced its origins as far back as this blog post. http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2010/10/modest-proposal-that-doesnt-actually.html
Neil Gaiman says (well, said, in the aforementioned blog post):
“I propose that, on Hallowe'en or during the week of Hallowe'en, we give each other scary books. Give children scary books they'll like and can handle. Give adults scary books they'll enjoy.
I propose that stories by authors like John Bellairs and Stephen King and Arthur Machen and Ramsey Campbell and M R James and Lisa Tuttle and Peter Straub and Daphne Du Maurier and Clive Barker and a hundred hundred others change hands - new books or old or second-hand, beloved books or unknown. Give someone a scary book for Hallowe'en. Make their flesh creep...
Give a scary book.
If you don't know what kinds of books there are, or what would be appropriate for the person you're giving a book to, talk to a bookseller. They love to help, most of them. (The ones that don't tend not to be booksellers for long.) Talk to librarians. (Do not plan to give away their books though, unless they are having a library sale.)
That's it. That's my idea.
Scary book. Hallowe'en.
Who's with me?
Neil”
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Halloween ComicFest
Saturday, October 31
your local comic book store - see website for participating shops in your area
Celebrate Halloween at Comic Book Shops!
Your local comic book specialty shop is a great destination for the latest Halloween and horror pop-culture products and merchandise: from comics and graphic novels to costumes, toys and more! Plus, each shop has great Halloween events planned, so make sure you find your closest destination and come in and see what haunts your local comic book shop!
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Northern California Bats: Demystifying and Discovering these Amazing Animals
with Corky Quirk of NorCal Bats
Saturday, October 31, 10:00-11:00AM
UC Berkeley Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive, Berkeley
Adults $15, Children 3-17 $5
Come learn about the local bats with Director of NorCal Bats Corky Quirk. In her presentation, you will learn about bats and discuss the harmful myths that surround these animals. You'll also learn the importance of bats in our environment. Live bats will be presented for viewing and discussion.
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Halloween Morning Sail
aboard the Schooner Freda B with SF Bay Adventures
Saturday, October 31, 10:00AM-1:00PM
boarding at Sausalito Yacht Harbor, Slip 907, 100 Bay Street, Sausalito
$75
Our scariest sail of the year… Ghost Stories, Legends and Lore of San Francisco… a lesson in things that go bump in the Bay..
Join the captain and crew of the traditional Schooner Freda B for a special Halloween Sail all about the Ghosts, the Legends and the Lore of the Bay Area. This sail is being offered on Saturday Morning in safe, good daylight to not disturb our friends from beyond. Learn about bootleg gangsters like Baby Face Nelson, and Sausalito's Madam, Madam Mayor Sally Stanford and their rise and fall on our local lands. Discuss the many shipwrecks and things that go bump in the night. This sail is a perfect start to Halloween weekend...
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Haunt the History Park
Saturday, October 31, 11:00AM-3:00PM
History Park, 1650 Senter Road (Entrance at 635 Phelan Avenue), San Jose
$5
This scare-free annual event has become a tradition, with trick-or-treating, family-friendly events, and arts and crafts activities. Trick-or-treating stations will be set up at the historic homes in History Park and are sponsored by the History San José Education Department, History San José docents and History San José’s affiliates.
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Halloween Hoopla at Yerba Buena Gardens
Saturday, October 31, 12:00-1:30PM
Children's Garden, Yerba Buena Gardens, 799 Howard Street, San Francisco
Free
Our 15th annual Halloween Hoopla features interactive performances and games for kids under 10 and their adults. Led by the ever-popular Unique Derique, the program features live music from Venezuelan Music Project, roaming shenanigans from Pi Clowns, mysterious palm reader Madam Z, crafting with Trash Mash-Up and the Children’s Creativity Museum. Join the annual Mummy Wrap and more games. Bring your camera for the Ghoulish Photo Booth! The program culminates in the eagerly awaited Halloween Costume Parade, where everyone shows off their Halloween finery.
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Death Salon: Conversation and Creative Sharing on Death
Saturday, October 31, 2:00-4:30PM
Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland
Free, Donations gratefully accepted
An Open Conversation About Death, Enlivened By The Arts
Are you or any of your community facing issues of illness, loss and end of life? Do you wish there was a way to talk openly about death in a sensitive and supportive environment? Do you wonder how others feel about issues like afterlife, right to die, the many faces of grief, decisions about when it's time to let go and stop treatment? Death Salon offers an open space for all this and more - where a deeper conversation about death is enlivened by the arts.
Edie Hartshorne (Author, Musician)
Lily Myers Kaplan (Author, Spirit of Resh Foundation)
Add to the mix with your stories, creative expressions or simply with your presence.
Tea and sweets will be served.
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South Bay Pagan Kids Samhain
Saturday, October 31, 2:00-5:00PM
private residence in San Jose, address given upon RSVP
suggested donation $5-$10 dollars per person
or $10-$20 dollars per family
or $10-$20 dollars per family
Merry Meet and Welcome to our kids' circle! We are a cross-tradition gathering of Pagan families with children who meet on the quarters and cross-quarter days to celebrate the Sabbats; to share food and music, traditions and knowledge, crafts and dancing. We are eclectic Wicca, Druid, Dianic, British Traditionalists, Feri, and Family Folk tradition, and are open to and looking for more varieties. We seek to share and learn from each other while providing support in a fun and nurturing environment.
Come join our Samhain ritual & circle. Please bring a picture or memento of your loved ones (people and pets) who have passed on to the Summerlands as we'll be honoring them.
What else to bring: A potluck dish to share. Please bring a suggested donation of $5-$10 dollars per person or $10-$20 dollars per family. Donations cover Meetup fees, craft, altar supplies. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Stay for trick or treating!
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Fourth Street Halloween Fest
Saturday, October 31, 2:00-5:00PM
Fourth Street Shops, 1834 Fourth Street, Berkeley
Free
Free Face Painting by Dinnie's Delights
Free Photo Booth by Photo Laboratory
Free Scary Hair Booth by Keter Salon
Live Music by this old band
and Special Events at the Shops!
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Day of the Dead Martinez
Saturday, October 31, 2:00-8:00PM
Main Street Plaza, Main Street and Estudillo Street, Martinez
Free
Celebrating the Mexican tradition of honoring the ancestors. Bring photos, flowers and mementos of loved ones to place on altars. Dress in traditional Dia de los Muertos skeleton motif. Traditional skull face painting. All ages welcome.
Altars created by local artists, traditional foods and music, family activities, costumes encouraged.
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Samhain Ritual
hosted by the San Francisco Pagan Society
Saturday, October 31, 5:00PM
Dolores Park, 18th Street and Church Street, San Francisco
Free, please bring a picnic item
Samhain, Summer's End, and let us say blessings to our sisters and brothers of Summerland. I will bring food and beverage, and please feel free to bring food and beverage, also. Have an awesome weekend, everyone! And thank all of you for supporting our awesome San Francisco Pagan Society!
Public transportation stops right at 18th Street and Church Street at Dolores Park. I will be near the Tennis Courts - look for me and picture of Pentacle.
Blessed be. Jacqueline :)
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Dr. Kergan's Creature Caravan
Saturday, October 31, 6:00PM-Midnight
private home, 9585 Broadmoor Drive, San Ramon
Free
The ultimate Steampunk Halloween display!
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Reclaiming's Spiral Dance
A ritual to honor our beloved dead and dance the spiral of rebirth
Saturday, October 31, doors open at 6:00PM, Ritual begins at 7:30PM
Come early to view the altars, for pre-ritual music,
and to hear the names of the Beloved Dead
Kezar Pavilion, 755 Stanyan Street, San Francisco (in Golden Gate Park)
see website for admission details
A ritual to honor our beloved dead and dance the spiral of rebirth
2015 Intention: Rooted in the Wisdom of the Old Ones, we Re-member our place in the Timeless Dance and step into Action once more.
The holiday popularly known as Halloween is the time of year known to witches as Samhain, when the veil is thin between the worlds of the living and the dead. We gather to remember and honor our ancestors, our Beloved Dead, and all those who have crossed over. As we mourn for those we love who have died this year, we also mourn the losses and pain suffered by the Earth, our Mother. Yet even as we grieve we also remember and honor the sacred cycle of life, death, rebirth and regeneration, celebrating the births of our children born this year, and our own vital connections to the Earth and each other, in which we ground our hope.
The first Spiral Dance ritual was held in 1979 to celebrate the publication of Starhawk’s book, The Spiral Dance (Harper and Row) Starhawk, a founding member of the Reclaiming Collective, wrote the original script which remains the heart of the ritual, though it has been altered and embellished over the years by her and many other people. Traditionally, the Spiral Dance calls upon the energy and talents of musicians, artists, poets, dancers, craftspeople, singers, technicians, priests and priestesses from the Reclaiming Community and beyond, and we are grateful to everyone who helps to create this magical experience we all share.
This is a participatory ritual and pageant which has become a central event in the Wheel of the Year for many in the Reclaiming Community and beyond. Over 1,200 people join in this observance of the Witches’ New year, and the event raises funds which support the work of Reclaiming throughout the year.
When we dance the Spiral, young and old together, we remember and honor our own past at that same time that we renew our vision and embrace the future. Let it begin now!
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Halloween Monster Party
Saturday, October 31, 6:00-11:30PM
Tessora's Barra di Vino, 234 E Campbell Avenue, Campbell
Free admission, 21+
Join us Saturday October 31st for our Annual Halloween costume party. With our special devilish DJ for this evening, you can Monster Mash to an array of terrifying tunes and dance the night away.
We will be judging the best costumes so come dressed to impress and bring your freakish friends. All mummys welcomed.
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The Rocky Horror Picture Show
with a musical pre-show
Saturday, October 31, 7:30PM
Davies Symphony Hall, Van Ness Avenue between Grove and Hayes, San Francisco
see website for ticket prices
Let’s do the Time Warp again! Celebrate Halloween with the 40th Anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Join the SF Symphony for a spooky orchestral pre-show and a hosted screening of the film.
Pre-show includes music from Halloween favorite films such as Beetlejuice, The Witches of Eastwick, Poltergeist, Basic Instinct, Psycho, and more! Featuring Dorit Chrysler on the theremin.
Peaches Christ will be your host for this evening.
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Monsters Bash
on board the USS Hornet
Saturday, October 31, 7:30PM-Midnight
USS Hornet Museum, 707 W Hornet Avenue, Pier 3, Alameda
Kick off your Halloween onboard the Haunted USS Hornet!
$500 cash prize for the winner of the Costume Contest
GHOULISH Entertainment!
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The Official Houdini Séance 2015
presented by Wonderfest
part of the Bay Area Science Festival
Saturday, October 31, 8:00PM
Brava Theater, 2781 24th Street, San Francisco
Can the greatest escape artist even escape death? In the spirit of scientific skepticism, TWO on-stage séances will summon the ghost of Harry Houdini - on Halloween, the anniversary of his death. The first séance will be earnest, conducted by a professional psychic medium. The second will be full of illusion and special effects, conducted by master magician Paul Draper.
Other magicians will perform: Brian Brushwood, Robert Strong, and Justin Willman. Scientists and skeptics will speak: Dr. Thomas Lewis (UCSF/USF psychologist), Michael Shermer, Jamy Ian Swiss, and Dr. Melina Uncapher (UCSF neuroscientist).
Even if/when we don’t make contact with the great Houdini, this spectacular event will be a memorable evening of science, skepticism, and wonderful magic.
This may be the best Halloween event you've ever attended!
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Full Cash Bar and Food Concessions available.
Wicked Underworld Halloween Party
with Gregory Maguire
hosted by Copperfield’s Books
Saturday, October 31, 8:00-11:30PM
Flamingo Conference Resort and Spa, 2777 4th Street, Santa Rosa
$20
Copperfield's is throwing a Halloween party! If you love books, the musical Wicked, dressing up, or just dancing the night away, get ready for an outrageous costume party complete with the live band J. Silverheels, a no-host bar, and of course, a guest author! Gregory Maguire, author of the incredibly popular books in the Wicked Years series, including Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West will serve as costume judge. And he just might favor costumes from Wicked or Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland since his latest novel, After Alice, is a magical twist on Lewis Carroll's immortal story. Before the dancing begins at 9:00PM, Maguire will share a bit about this brilliant new work of fiction, where he turns his dazzling imagination to the question of underworlds, undergrounds, underpinnings, and understandings old and new, offering an inventive spin on Carroll’s enduring tale. We invite you to tumble down the rabbit hole with us Halloween night to an underworld of bookish dancing fun.
The event also includes live music from the band J. Silverheels, costume contests, and no-host bar.
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Phantasm: A Karnival of Mischief
presented by Opel
and the Vau de Vire Society
Saturday, October 31, 9:00PM-Midnight
San Francisco Armory, 1800 Mission Street, San Francisco
see webiste for ticket details
It doesn’t get much more Halloween than a Saturday night in San Francisco in a haunted castle in the heart of the city. Enter Phantasm, with 3 eclectic top notch special guests in The Polish Ambassador, Rob Garza from Thievery Corporation and the San Francisco debut of deep house and indi-dance phenomenon Croatia Squad. All this plus the unique performance spectacle of Vau de Vire Society, the best cross section of locals from your favorite Burning Man and city crews, Big Art, an immersive midway, and more...This Karnival of Mischief will have something for everyone.
Step into a midway of careening colors and karni oddiities, surrounded by big beats and dangerous performers where you’re not quite sure where the audience ends and the show begins. The haunted halls of the Armory will come alive on Halloween as we co-write the next chapter in epic spooky avant garde gatherings.
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Halloween Costume Weekend at Playland
Saturday-Sunday, October 31-November 1, 10:00AM-5:00PM
Playland-Not-At-The-Beach, 10979 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito
see website for admission details
What could be spookier, safer or more fun than Halloween all weekend at Playland-Not-at-the-Beach? Our Halloween Costume Party weekend gives trick-or-treaters chances to play carnival games, FREE PLAY pinball, win prizes and more! Prizes for everyone who comes in costume.
Over 30+ pinball machines spanning seven decades, video games, Penny Arcade machines, challenging carnival games of skill, interactive displays and exhibits, miniature circuses, sideshow exhibits, baffling magic shows - they are all here waiting to entertain and amuse you!
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Niles Altar Walk
Sunday, November 1, 12:00-8:00PM
Niles Town Plaza, 37592 Niles Boulevard, Fremont
Free
Come Celebrate the Day of the Dead With Us!
It’s time to break out that tequila for great-grandpa Lopez! Time to cook up Tia Lupe’s favorite tamales! Time to bring some marigolds and have a chat with great-great-grandma Luisa! Bring a jar of atole for Uncle Nesto!
Altars open for viewing at 12:00PM.
Open all day, with a Closing Ceremony at 8:00PM.
Open all day, with a Closing Ceremony at 8:00PM.
The Dia De Los Muertos / Day of the Dead celebration is spiritual in nature, all inclusive, and does not discriminate based on race, religion, lack of religion, sexual orientation, or creed. This is a not-for-profit, local event put together by volunteers. The hope is that it will create unity within our community through what we all have in common; the experience of losing someone in death and honoring their life. We encourage everyone to join us in recognizing our past together.
A community altar will be in place for all to contribute anything of non-valuable sentiment and photos. (Please bring copies, not your originals.)
We will feature entertainment and refreshments per our tradition!
We are also encouraging people to plan on making it a day with your family! Food vendors will be on site, and of course Niles local eateries will have delicious grub available for purchase.
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Dia de los Muertos Community Festival
Sunday, November 1, 2:00-6:00PM
Museum of Art and History at the McPherson Center, 705 Front Street, Santa Cruz
and Evergreen Cemetery, Evergreen Street at Coral Street, Santa Cruz
Free
We remember our dead loved ones as larger than life. Let’s celebrate that with a DÃa de los Muertos festival bigger than anything the MAH has done in the past. That means the festival is so big we split it into two halves AND have teamed up with Vive Oaxaca to make this happen: we’ll start at the museum with facepainting and dance, and move on to Evergreen Cemetery for music, delicious food, and an outdoor altar exhibition created by local community members.
Schedule of Events at the MAH:
and ongoing art activities including:
tissue paper flower crafting, lantern making and banderitas
2:30-3:30PM: Dance performances
3:45-4:00PM: Gather in Abbott Square to proceed to Evergreen Cemetery
Schedule of Events at Evergreen Cemetery:
4:30-6:00PM: Explore an outdoor altar installation connecting those buried in Evergreen with current active community members, groups and local social issues
6:00PM: Movie Screening of The Book of Life. We invite visitors to sit back, relax and enjoy this family friendly film in Evergreen Cemetery. Popcorn will be provided. Bringing your own blanket or lawn chairs is recommended.
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Community Seed Samhain Ritual
Sunday, November 1, 6:00-9:00PM
Masonic Temple, 828 N. Branciforte Avenue, Santa Cruz
suggested donation of $8-$20, no one turned away for lack of funds
for more information, call 831-469-0336 or e-mail info@communityseed.org
Join us as we open the Portal between the worlds and bring across… well, who would you like to meet?
From the Land, Sea, and Sky,
We call to those who have gone by
Through the Gate, this Dark Samhain Night
Across the Veil come towards the Light
See website for details about Potluck Feast.
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Souls of the City: Dia de los Muertos in Old Sacramento
This month, the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation will once again partner with Sol Collective to provide a month of programs and activities in celebration of Dia de los Muertos. These programs honor Sacramento’s diverse heritage and celebrate our community.
Dia De Los Muertos Celebration
Sunday, November 1, 6:00-10:00PM
in front of the Sacramento History Museum, 101 I Street, Old Sacramento
Free
Finishing off our programs will be a large-scale Dia De Los Muertos celebration in front of the Sacramento History Museum. Featured will be a procession and lighting of altar led by Kalpulli Maquilli Tonatiuh (Aztec Dancers), interactive community altars, pop up craft area, family activities, games, calavera face painting, vendors, and a music stage.
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Wake the Dead
Halloween celebration with Celtic all-star Grateful Dead jam band
Sunday, November 1, 7:00PM
Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse, 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley
$28 in advance, $30 at the door
What could be more fitting? Wake the Dead plays the Freight on Halloween, or, if you prefer All Hallows’ Eve, a time to remember the dead and the Grateful Dead, with the world’s first Celtic all-star Grateful Dead jam band. They’ve recently brought their unique brand of musical alchemy to the Summer of Love, much to the delight of Deadheads, folkies, rockers, and lovers of Irish reels. The Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit, the Youngbloods’ Get Together, Stephen Stills’ Love the One You’re With - all receive the band’s unique Celtic twist.
The band features Maureen Brennan on harp, Cindy Browne on bass, Danny Carnahan on vocals, fiddle, octave mandolin, and guitar, Kevin Carr on fiddle, whistles and uilleann pipes, Sylvia Herold on vocals, Paul Kotapish on mandolin, guitar, and jaw harp, and Brian Rice on percussion. Their shows tend to sell out, so get your tickets early and enjoy a show that’s sure to be spooky, freaky, and exquisitely other worldly.
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Dia de los Muertos Berkeley
Monday, November 2, 5:00-9:00PM
1400 block of Shattuck Avenue, North Berkeley
Free
Build a Community Altar 5:00-9:00PM
Blessing of the Altars 7:45PM
Candle Light Procession 8:00PM
DIY Art Projects - Free Skeleton Face Painting - Food Trucks - Beer and Wine Garden
At this time of year, when the veil between the living and dead is thought to be at its most diaphanous, you are invited to gather for the seventh annual Dìa de los Muertos Celebration on Shattuck Ave. between Rose and Vine Streets in Berkeley on Monday, November 2, 5:00-900PM to celebrate and remember those who have passed on.
The event hosts food booths and trucks, a wine and beer garden, free skeletal face painting, and art and craft vendors. DIY art projects for kids and adults including ceramic or sugar skull painting, pet altar creations, and more. The hauntingly beautiful violin of Kippy Marks makes the evening magical. Costumes and traditional Dìa de los Muertos papier maché giant heads are encouraged.
This year several altars will be created by local artists - Patricia Bulitt will install an altar honoring trees that have died using branches composed of words that may be added by the attendees; Francesca Borgatta’s installation consists of puppets and masks; Sue Kearney’s ancestor’s altar includes a way for the community to honor them with writings; Christine Rossi offers a means for honoring the souls of the innocents and those forgotten due to social acts, violence in war, or climate change.
The Berkeley Art Center is holding a workshop, Familia Arte!, on Sunday, November 1, 1:00-4:00PM inside Live Oak Park where you can join artists Oscar Aguilar Olea, Azalea Aguilar, and Michelle Wilson for a free family day of art making for Dìa de los Muertos. Delve into the Mexican traditional art of form of Repujado, where families can emboss and color a design on soft metallic foil or play with Papel Picado, a Mexican craft of elaborate paper-cutting. The works will be compiled into an altar to be installed at the November 2 event. Registration required at programs@berkeleyartcenter.org
Bring photos or stories of loved ones, candles, breads, or flowers to add to the large community ofrenda. Cuauhtli Mitotiani Mexica dancers will bless the altars with drums and dancing then lead a sidewalk candle light procession through the district following along a path of strewn marigold petals.
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Dia de los Muertos San Francisco
Monday, November 2, 7:00PM
Parade starts at 22nd Street and Bryant Street, San Francisco
and leads to 26th Street and Harrison Street
ending at the Festival of Altars in Garfield Park, 6:30-10:30PM
Festival of Altars organized by Marigold Project
Festival of Altars, 6:00-11:00PM, Garfield Park, 26th and Harrison Streets
We welcome you to make an altar for a loved one that has passed away. Making a Day of the Dead altar is a way for us to honor the life of someone who is no longer with us and to remember our ancestors. Each year, hundreds of personal altars line the perimeter of Garfield Park.
All candles must be in GLASS containers, no open flame candles are allowed at the park.
Procession organized and led by Rescue Culture Collective
Ritual assembles at 22nd and Bryant 6:00-7:00PM
STARTS at 22nd and Bryant at exactly 7:00PM, and moves along Bryant to 24th Street
CONTINUES along 24th Street to the corner of 24th Street and Mission
CONTINUES along Mission Street to 22nd Street and turns on 22nd Street
CONTINUES along 22nd Street to Bryant Street
CONCLUDES at the corner of 22nd and Bryant Street
Help keep Day of the Dead Alive!
Let's ensure that Day of the Dead SF remains a true community supported event. Please consider making a donation via our chip-in page. Every dollar counts and no donation is too small. All proceeds go to securing park permits and artistic expression at Garfield Park.
About Day of the Dead:
Dia de los Muertos is a traditional Meso-American holiday dedicated to the ancestors; it honors both death and the cycle of life. In Mexico, neighbors gather in local cemeteries to share food, music, and fun with their extended community, both living and departed. The celebration acknowledges that we still have a relationship with our ancestors and loved ones that have passed away.
In San Francisco, Day of the Dead has been celebrated in the Mission district since the early 70s with art, music, performances and a walking procession, which help us contemplate our existence and mortality - a moment to remember deceased friends and family, and our connections beyond our immediate concerns.
Day of the Dead is an alcohol-free event with no vendors or booths of any type. Please honor this tradition and do not attempt to sell goods on the premises of Garfield Park.
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Movies at the Museum: The Book of Life
Friday, November 6, 6:00-8:15PM
HAHS Center for History and Culture, 22380 Foothill Boulevard, Hayward
Free
Manolo, Maria and Joaquin have been best friends since childhood, but a love triangle develops between the trio that soon turns into a struggle between life and death, literally!
Join us to see this visually stunning film and watch a special performance of the Mexican folk dance, La Bruja, before the start of the movie.
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Barry and Maya Spector's Day of the Dead Ritual
Saturday, November 7, 9:00AM-6:00PM
Hillside Church, 1422 Navellier Street, El Cerrito
$30 if paid in advance, $50 if paid at the door.
Pre-registration required. No one refused. Work scholarships available.
Whether or not we have recently lost loved ones, we all carry a heavy load of grief and stress simply by living in these times. When we can’t find ways to drop the weight of this emotional burden, we can become hopeless, bitter or numb. Letting it go makes room for a new kind of imagination to enter. The release of these emotions requires a safe space and a caring community.
We will take a full day to help each other remember our ancestors and our personal and collective losses. In some traditions, this is the time of year when the veil between our world and the unseen world is thin; it is an opportune time to complete any unfinished business that prevents us from fully participating in life. This will be a day of mourning and remembrance, but also of great beauty and celebration. There will be poetry, storytelling, drumming, altar-building and chanting from African, Celtic, Mexican and other traditions.
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Le Bal des Vampires
presented by PEERS
Saturday, November 7, 6:30PM-Midnight
Alameda Elks Lodge, 2255 Santa Clara Avenue, Alameda
Tickets must be purchased in advance - see website for details
$30 before October 11, $35 after
Waltz the night away in a beautiful candlelit ballroom with the San Francisco Bay Area's most glamorous Undead at the 22nd Annual Le Bal des Vampires.
Suggested costume is evening dress of the century and country of your "rebirth." This may include dress uniform, period costume (authentic or fantasy) or vintage or modern evening dress. There is no dress code for the ball (We certainly don't expect Spike to attend in black tie!), but you will see some of the most gorgeous and creative costumes of the social season at Le Bal des Vampires.
For costume tips, you may want to visit the PEERS photograph gallery for the 2011 Le Bal des Vampires.
This year there will once again be simultaneous dancing on two separate floors:
Our band in the elegant upstairs ballroom is the stylish but always dashing chamber ensemble Bangers & Mash. As usual, haunting waltzes dominate the program, but the evening will feature a variety of dance music from across the centuries - from 18th century Baroque contredanses to 19th century Victorian rotary and Viennese waltzes, polkas, and mazurkas; to elegant early 20th century tangos, blues, and fox trots and even some classic rock and roll Swing. Please note that the band's first dance set will start at 7:45PM sharp - 15 minutes earlier than usual. The dance sets will be unusually long, even by Bangers & Mash's high standards, so if you do plan to dance, please be certain to wear shoes or boots you can actually dance in.
For those preferring a more modern style of dance music and free-style dancing, join us downstairs at the Nightfall Club (located in the hall's atmospheric Ratskeller) for a wonderfully varied repertoire of dark music to stir the blood and spirit from 7:00 p.m. to Midnight. Hosted by our remarkable DJs, Dark Moon and Persephone, Nightfall also features a no-host (cash) bar and light refreshments for our mortal guests. Since only snacks are provided at the ball, we strongly suggest dining before the ball. For those interested in dining out there are a variety of restaurants within easy walking distance of the Lodge, especially on nearby Park Street
Our half-time show in the ballroom is a performance by the celebrated Theater of the Vampires. Not recommended for the faint of heart or for those who take the genre too seriously! This year's Theater offers a new twist on the story of My Fair Lady and the mysterious goings on at the Transylvanian Embassy in London in the glamorous year 1912.
Guests may also enjoy quiet conversation, Tarot readings, and photography opportunities in the Lodge's elegant but comfortable Edwardian Parlor with its Baroque décor.
Our 21st Le Bal des Vampires will be a night to remember. We suggest ordering your tickets early!
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ShadowDance
Saturday, November 7, 7:30PM-2:00AM
Oakland Metro Opera House, 630 3rd Street, Oakland
$25 in advance, $30 at the door
21+
Welcome Lovely Creatures!
Join us for an evening of DARKNESSSSS...
Our 10th year promises to bring you out of your seat and into darker realms…
Our 2015 line up hopes to tear at your heart's strings, give you a feast for the senses and promises to reach inside and rip your heart from its chest!
Formal, creative, unique, individualistic, and gothic attire welcomed and quite frankly, requested.
Allow The Dark Side Of The Moon And All Her Loveliness And Glory Fully Enrapture You… Envelope You… Soothe And Comfort You…
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Fruitvale Dia de los Muertos
Sunday, November 8, 10:00AM-5:00PM
along East 12th Street between 33rd Avenue and 37th Avenue
and in Fruitvale Village, Oakland
Free admission
Dia de los Muertos is the most anticipated family event of the year!
This is a beloved festival that has been rooted in our community, honoring Mexican tradition while generating modern interpretations that connects with a broad spectrum of demographics.
Come and enjoy the flavors of Latin American cuisine and enjoy a day filled with entertainment, art and community. Fun for the entire family. There will be continuous entertainment on two stages.
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If you are looking for a spooky or splendid costume, here are a few places to seek what your heart desires:
Adira Dance and Costumes
2038 Lincoln Avenue, San Jose, 408-269-0110
2038 Lincoln Avenue, San Jose, 408-269-0110
Assistance League of Los Altos Costume Bank
169 State Street, Los Altos, 650-941-2610
The Belrose Costume Shoppe
1415 5th Avenue, San Rafael, 415-454-6422
Closet Capers
1211 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz, 831-425-7685
Costume Corner
3820A San Pablo Dam Road, El Sobrante, 510-222-9200
Costumes On Haight
735 Haight Street, San Francisco, 415-621-1356
Debbie Lyn’s Costumes
408-245-8720
Disguise The Limit
129 4th Street, Santa Rosa, 707-575-1477
http://www.yelp.com/biz/disguise-the-limit-costume-santa-rosa
http://www.yelp.com/biz/disguise-the-limit-costume-santa-rosa
Fantasy Clothing Company
1275 Folsom Street, Suite 100, San Francisco, 415-556-9900
Fun House Theatrical
120 East Fremont Avenue, Sunnyvale, 408-446-1755
The Magic Wardrobe
133 Estudillo Avenue, #202, San Leandro, 510-282-7764
Masque Arrayed
510-548-8252
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And because I don't want to exhaust myself, I'll end by referring you to these exhaustive lists of spooky events in the Bay Area:
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Have fun and revel in the spooky and the sacred during this, the height of the Pagan social season! Just remember to look both ways before crossing the street, wear reflective tape on your Skeleton Ninja costume (unless you have a sufficiently shiny aura), and have a grown up Priestess check all your candy to make sure it's not possessed by evil spirits. She may have to confiscate some of it - it's for your own good!
Honour the Ancestors! Respect the Otherworld Deities! And leave treats out for the Fey!
Molly, the Blue Horror of Dawn*
Anyone who recognized it gets a treat... let's see... how about some forced greengages?
