San Diego has a lot to offer at the end of October, in addition to mellow weather and spectacular outdoor activities. Many family-friendly fright fests, haunted houses, mazes, historically-haunted tours, and trick-or-treat parties for kids make San Diego a fun Halloween destination for all ages.
Pumpkin Patches (September 16–October 31, 2023)
October is pumpkin season in San Diego with many beautiful pumpkin patches everywhere. Visit the traditional Bates Nut Farm Pumpkin Patch for the exciting tractor hayrides, a straw maze, pony rides and a petting zoo. Live entertainment is offered from noon to 3 p.m. There is also BBQ, kettle corn, food trucks, rock climbing, and bounce fun for kids. Other pumpkin patches are located at Valley Center, North Inland, Mountain Valley Ranch near the small mountain town of Ramona, East County and in Lakeside. Oma’s Pumpkin Patch in Lakeside offers hayrides, a hay bale maze, petting corral, kid-powered games, sandpile with toy trucks & tractors, and a large play area with the climbable Cottonseed Mountain. Children's Nature Retreat in East County offers a 6-ft hay maze—an adventure for both kids and adults alike.
Haunted Trail at Balboa Park (September 22–October 31, 2023)
Balboa Park is a premier urban cultural space in San Diego that includes the world-famous San Diego Zoo. During Halloween Balboa Park features The Haunted Trail offering a stroll through the park's darkest and spookiest corners. The one-mile trail goes through a grove of twisted pines and gnarled oaks. Visitors can expect all kinds of scares on the way. Check out the Ghoul Bus, the Birdbox Cabin, and Merlin’s Forest. These attractions, as well as The Haunted Trail & eXperiment Maze, are not for children under ten.
San Diego Zoo HalGLOWeen (October 2023, on selected dates)
The San Diego Zoo is especially popular during the last three weekends of October when it becomes filled with glowing fun, scares, and grins. Visitors can listen to Halloween songs, give glowing hula hoops a spin, dance among bubbles, watch the acrobats, flamingo puppets or join the cupcake walk. Bubble Dance Party with glow-in-the-dark bubbles from 5 to 9 p.m. is a favourite activity for small children. Also, don't forget to take a picture with all Zoo Characters in their Halloween costumes.
Halloween in Miniland (September 16–October 29, 2023, on selected dates)
Halloween in Miniland at San Diego Legoland take place through October. Legoland is the true home of Halloween fun due to plenty of live entertainment and shows, special Halloween heroes, villains and LEGO themes, a Costume Contest presented by Disguise, trick-or-treat stations stocked with over a million pieces of candy, and much more. The AstroBash Dance Party and Not So Spooky Halloween Sleepover are among the kids' favourites in the park.
SeaWorld's Halloween Spooktacular (September 15–October 29, 2023)
Sea World is one of San Diego’s favourite places in October due to its spectacular Halloween event for families. Visitors can watch silly and spooky live shows and presentations, participate in fun Halloween activities and trick-or-treating in the colourfully decorated park. Watch Clyde & Seamore’s Big Halloween Bash and see the fantastic Sesame Street Halloween Parade. Join Halloween dance parties and check out singing pumpkins in the park. Trick-or-Treating hours run from 2:30 p.m. to Park Close.
Parties and pub crawls (October 27–31, 2023), San Diego Zombie Crawl (October 27, 2023)
Adults can also enjoy many treats during the spookiest time of the year. The San Diego Halloween Pub Crawl features over ten different bars and nightclubs with exclusive drink specials including free welcome shots at select venues. San Diego Zombie Crawl is definitely going to be a memorable event. The ticket includes a guided route, over 25 premier club admissions, welcome shots and food specials in the Gaslamp. WCKD Village is one of the darkest adult Halloween parties in San Diego. Monster Halloween Bash transforms six blocks in East Village into WCKD Village with four radical concert stages featuring an eclectic lineup of hip-hop, open format, EDM and deep house. Nightmare on Normal Street is another fantastic party filled with ghouls, goblins, monsters and exciting frights.
For the tickets and latest updates, please check with the official websites (see External Resources below.) Also, take a look at the map suggesting the best accommodations nearby.
