FRIDAY
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OCTOBER
Family Halloween Events in San Jose and the South Bay
Most of San Jose's family Halloween is free. Pumpkins in the Park runs a free pumpkin patch at Discovery Meadow, and Willow Glen and Santana Row run daytime candy crawls. Gilroy Gardens sells a separate evening ticket for The Great Big BOO!, and Winchester's night haunt is for teens and adults.
Season: Late Sept–Oct · Updated October 21, 2026 · refreshed weekly
The three events that carry the season
Three events carry the South Bay's family season: a zoo day in costume, an evening at Gilroy Gardens and a free pumpkin day downtown.
Green Halloween — San JoseVisit official site →
A costume parade, creepy-crawly animal shows, crafts and games folded into the park's normal day.
Dates
- Saturday, Oct 31, 2026, 11am–2pm
Tickets
Included with general admission; anyone in costume gets $3 off admission Oct 24–31
Know before you go
- Costumes must be family-friendly — no weapon props, and adult faces must stay recognizable
Who it's for
Under-8s already sold on Happy Hollow
Skip if
You want somewhere new — this is the regular park in costume
The Great Big BOO! — GilroyVisit official site →
Deliberately “not-too-spooky” — friendly characters and candy, not chainsaws.
Dates
- Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Nov 1, 2026
- Trick-or-treating and shows from 5pm
- Halloween Day, Saturday Oct 31: a daytime BOO, 11am–5pm
Tickets
Online: $50 on Fridays, $55 on Saturdays and Sundays, $31 for the Oct 31 daytime ticket; $80 at the gate. A regular single-day ticket (from $65) also covers it. Under 3 free; Premium Members get in free.
Know before you go
- Costumes must stay family-friendly — no weapons, no full-face masks
Who it's for
Preschool through early elementary — the age it is built for
Skip if
Your kid came for an actual scare
Pumpkins in the Park — San JoseVisit official site →
Downtown's harvest festival, in its 30th year: a free pumpkin patch, live entertainment and environmental education along the Guadalupe River.
Dates
- Saturday, Oct 10, 2026, 10am–4pm
Tickets
The pumpkin patch is free
Know before you go
- Arrive before noon for easier parking
Who it's for
Any age, and anyone who wants a pumpkin without a farm drive
Skip if
You want a working farm — this is a downtown park festival
Candy crawls: Willow Glen and Santana Row
Two free daytime merchant crawls, a few days apart. Willow Glen splits its shifts by age; Santana Row is the flatter, shorter one.
Trick-or-Treat Along Lincoln Avenue — Downtown Willow Glen, San JoseVisit official site →
The neighborhood classic: businesses from Minnesota Avenue to Willow Street handing out candy along Lincoln.
Dates
- Friday, Oct 30, 2026
- Toddlers 11am–12:30pm; school-age kids 3–4:30pm
Tickets
Open to the public
Know before you go
- Follow the trick-or-treat traffic clockwise around the route
- Books for Treats: one free book per child at the Garden Theater, 1165 Lincoln Ave, during both sessions
- Street parking fills fast — walk, or park a few blocks off Lincoln
Who it's for
Toddlers in the late-morning shift, school-age kids in the afternoon one
Skip if
Neither window fits your day — the shifts are the whole event
Trick-or-Treat The Row — Santana Row, San Jose
Shop-to-shop candy with live music, pumpkin decorating and stilt walkers, all on flat pavement.
Dates
- Tuesday, Oct 27, 2026, 10am–noon
Tickets
Free and open to the public
Know before you go
- Garage parking on site
- Stroller-easy the whole way
Who it's for
Toddlers, and anyone pushing a stroller
Skip if
A Tuesday morning does not fit around the school run
Winchester Mystery House: two very different tickets
The same mansion sells a professionally produced haunt at night and ordinary tours by day. They are not interchangeable.
Festival Fright Nights — San Jose
A professionally produced haunt with live scare actors.
Dates
- Remaining nights: Oct 18, 22–25 and 29–31, and Nov 1, 2026
Tickets
General admission $61.79–$95.78 by night, fees included. Online only — no walk-up or box office sales
Skip if
Your child is under 13 — the producers' own line
Daytime mansion tours — San Jose
The regular tour of a gorgeous, odd house, which most grade-schoolers find pleasantly strange rather than frightening.
Know before you go
- Fright Nights sets are up inside the house and may be visible on the daytime tour
Who it's for
Haunted-house-curious kids under 13 — do this and save the night event
Skip if
You want the scare; the actors only come out at night
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Upcoming Halloween events in San Jose
The next 9 of 277 upcoming Halloween events across the Bay Area, refreshed daily.
Trick-or-Treat 2026 (Downtown Event Ctr, Fremont) — Miniature houses host trick-or-treating with 10 carnival games, 30‑minute time slots, indoor option if rain, for ages 2–10.
Monster Mash Bash (San Bruno Recreation & Aquatic Center) — Spooktacular Halloween celebration with festive community activities, all ages.
Costumed Halloween party at Almaden Community Center offers food, games, crafts, and stories provided by staff, $25 per child, for ages 3–5.
Spooky pumpkin decorating, candy and prize collection, tables, and a movie at Mayfair Community Center, $7 per person, free for children under 3, for ages 2 and under.
Pumpkins, friendly ghosts, and giggles fill the Castro Valley Community Center Pre‑K classroom with hands‑on crafts and silly games for ages 42 months–5.
Trunk-or-Treat at Willow Glen Community Center offers free candy, games, crafts, and a bounce house for all ages.
Art, crafts, haunted rooms and a scavenger hunt fill Bascom Community Center; clues collected solve a mystery, $5 per person, free for children 2 and under, all ages.
Trunk or Treat at Colma Community Center features candy collection from decorated car trunks, trunk decorating contests, and prize voting; free, all ages.
A Halloween magic show with tricks, treats, and costume characters on the Burlingame City Hall lawn, for ages 3–12.
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FAQ
What free Halloween events does San Jose have?
Pumpkins in the Park at Discovery Meadow, with its free pumpkin patch, Willow Glen's Trick-or-Treat Along Lincoln Avenue, and Santana Row's Trick-or-Treat The Row.
Does Great America still run Halloween Haunt?
No. California's Great America runs no Halloween event now — Halloween Haunt ended after 2021, and the family-oriented Tricks and Treats last ran in 2024.
What is the best South Bay Halloween event for a toddler?
Santana Row's two-hour Tuesday-morning crawl, or Willow Glen's toddler shift on October 30. For an evening out, Gilroy Gardens' Great Big BOO! is built to be not-too-spooky.