For all the ghoulish and the ghouls, there are Halloween events for everyone in San Diego County. Some are for the less brave with only a few frightening characters, others will have you petrified. Here’s a list of Halloween events that are sure to get you ready for the absolutely bone-chilling holiday.
Balboa Park
Balboa Park Spooktacular
The City of San Diego is hosting a huge Halloween celebration. This spooktacular event will be taking place at the Municipal Gym on Saturday, Oct. 29, and is free for the whole family. As a part of this ghoulish gathering, the San Diego Automotive Museum will be hosting a Trunk-or-Treat. This is a not-too-spooky opportunity for kiddos to dress up in their Halloween costume attire and hop from car trunk to car trunk collecting delicious treats. There will also be a craft booth where little ones can decorate their own pickup truck in true automotive fashion. In between showing off costumes for the best costume contest, make sure to keep an eye out for a possible flash mob for some thrilling dance moves.
Haunted Trail
If you’re looking for a lovely stroll through Balboa Park, I’d recommend not coming this way. There are two parts to this eerie experience. First, you have to get out of a maze to even get to the trail. The maze might not sound too bad, but imagine all of your favorite characters as a kid coming to life -- and let's just say they’re not too happy that you’re there. Once you escape characters such as the demon Pinocchio, you embark on a mile-long journey into the haunted trail. I’d recommend wearing running shoes in order to run away from chainsaw clowns, evil zombie Santa and even Vecna, who will be making an appearance from the Upside Down. If you think you can handle the horrifying haunted trail, tickets start at $28.
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Halloween Symphony
The San Diego Youth Symphony is having a Halloween concert with the Symphonic Strings at the Organ Pavilion. If you’re a fan of classical sounds with a spine-chilling Halloween twist, this is perfect. The concert is free of charge, and you can bring the whole family.
Chula Vista
The Count’s Halloween Spooktacular
Sesame Place is hosting a not-too-spooky spooktacular. The park will be in a Halloween theme and decorated with all sorts of Halloween decor. Guests can get some treats ahead of actual Halloween night by trick-or-treating around the park. In between stops during their candy search, visitors can also see a Halloween show. It's a perfect opportunity to dress up in costume and see all your favorite Sesame Street characters in person at the parade. There’s even a costume contest on Oct. 30 to put your cloak to the test.
Carlsbad
Brick-or-Treat
The lego-themed Halloween extravaganza will be happening at Legoland every Saturday in October and on Sunday, Oct. 30. The park will be scattered with different Halloween-themed activities such as a scavenger hunt and visits to different treat stations to get into the brick-or-treat spirit. There will also be a spooky surprise with new, never-before-seen Lego characters. Even if you don’t have a Lego-themed costume, it’s still highly recommended to dress up to fit the occasion.
Haunted Corn Maze
Every Friday and Saturday in October, the Carlsbad Strawberry Company will be taking a turn from the usual quaint strawberry fields and pumpkin patch to turn into a frightening scene. This will transform into a Haunted Corn Maze where not only are you trapped and trying to find a way out, but there will face jump scares and spooky characters along the way. If you think you’re brave enough to face it, tickets are $25 per person. This experience is recommended for teenagers and above because it is not necessarily a kid-friendly event.
Del Mar
The Scream Zone
The Del Mar Scaregrounds are set to be truly terrifying, especially the Scream Zone. If you like the challenge of trying to get out of a maze -- in the dark -- with characters coming to scare you, then try "The Passage" and do your best to “survive." There’s also a haunted hayride if you prefer to be above ground, but they warn you’re not even safe behind the hay because you will be surrounded by terrifying zombies, horrifying nuns and lifelike dolls. If that isn’t enough to scare you, they also have “Hell-Billys” that are in their hunting season; human hunting, that is, so try your best to stay back from those feral creatures. The Scream Zone is open from Oct. 6 to Oct. 31. If you’d like to attend but aren’t a big fan of the haunting, they also have options for photos and food and drinks.
La Jolla
Halloween at the Birch Aquarium
The aquarium has been taken over by some of the slimiest creatures all in the name of knowledge. Throughout the month, there will be special animal encounters and activities geared towards children ages 2 to 10. All guests are encouraged to dress up and some days may even have special costume showcases. The event runs through October.
Little Italy
Trick-or-Treat on India Street
For a night full of little witches, ghouls and tiny black cats, head over to Little Italy with your trick-or-treating baskets ready. On Friday, Oct. 28, dress in your best costume and hop from business to business in the neighborhood to find sweet treats at each participating location. Make sure to start off the night at the Piazza della Famiglia to get a map of the perfect route of businesses with delicious delights.
Downtown
Hard Rock Halloween
The Hard Rock Hotel is putting on a Stranger Things-themed Halloween extravaganza. This ode to the popular TV series will have a Dungeons and Dragons-inspired dance floor and a Float Pool Club party, as well. Hard Rock Hotel turns into a hotel Halloween party with over 15 DJs, three floors and seven “strange” rooms. This is all going down on Oct. 29.
Haunted Ghost Tour
In the Gaslamp, you can take a walking tour led by a daunting guide. Bring your running shoes, not just because there's a lot of walking happening, but also to run in case one of the haunted locations starts to revive. This tour includes over 30 locations and has a warning that 70% are haunted and 30% are true crime spots. If you’re a little nervous but still interested, you can take a tour during the day, but for the full experience, they also offer tours at night to all the haunted spots downtown.
Zombie Club Crawl
For those who want something not too spooky but still want to celebrate the Halloween holiday, the San Diego Zombie Crawl Halloween Club is a great alternative. From Oct. 27 to Oct. 29, guests can get a pass and have access to special benefits or welcome “treats” from over 20 bars and clubs in Gaslamp District. Everything is within walking distance, so you can strut your costume from one chilling club to the next. Tickets start at $40 and all trick-or-treaters must be over 21.
What Else is Happening in San Diego?
Mission Bay
Spooktacular
SeaWorld is putting on a Spooktacular event. This is a great time to bring the whole family, especially little kiddos. Don’t forget to wear your creative costumes for the trick-or-treat trail, where families are required to use reusable bags. There will even be a Dia de Los Muertos statue with different "ofrendas" to honor loved ones. Bite-size trick-or-treaters can explore a hay maze, meet a mystical mermaid and put their skills to the test in a pumpkin hunt. Also pro tip, kids go free with an adult ticket.
SeaWorld's Howl-O-Scream
For those that are a little braver, come after dark for the SeaWorld Howl-O-Scream. This year's theme is “the fear reawakens” and they are not messing around. If you muster up the guts to go, expect to be surrounded by creepy creatures, haunted horror houses and surprise scare zones, so you never know if you’re truly safe. There will be nighttime coasters to try to escape from the horror as well
Mission Valley
Haunted Hotel
The Haunted Hotel is sure to get your skin crawling from more than just the hotel itself. Since this hotel has been “disturbed,” everything has been thrown out of wack, meaning that the freak zombies staying at the hotel are not too happy. If that doesn’t scare you enough, there are also classic horrific creatures from iconic films in the Stars of the Silver Screen haunt. They also have the 3-D Freak-Fest, which is an immersive experience full of clowns and other surprises. Let's just say if the other two weren’t scary enough, the website warns that some side effects include crying hysterically, projectile vomiting and a mental breakdown. Tickets start at $28.
North Park
Rocket from the Crypt
On Oct. 29 Rocket from the Crypt is going to be rocking the North Park Observatory in true Halloween fashion. The San Diegan band is known for setting the Halloween moves into motion and they are back again for another round. The rad band is ready to rock out and kick off the Halloweekend celebration.
Old Town
Haunted Ghost Bus Tour
This terrifying tour has five different haunted locations, three of which guests can enter and experience paranormal activity. The tour is around two hours long and they claim that they have proof that ghosts exist, so if you're a disbeliever this may be the perfect opportunity to change your mind. The tour starts in Old Town and takes you on a phantom journey from there.
Haunted Ghost Walking Tour
If your looking for a haunted walking tour, this tour is supposedly full of ghosts and ghouls and some true-crime elements, if the ghosts don’t scare you enough. It's a little under a mile and you get to go to four different locations with access to Heritage Park. Tickets are $25.
Ghost Hunting
Another ghost tour in Old Town, this one takes over an hour and hits 10 locations. This program is not only a ghost tour; after the 7 and 9 p.m. tours, there's another slot at 11 p.m. that is for ghost hunting. They provide tools for ghost hunting, meters, exhibit vortex energy, show photos of apparitions and allow building entrance.
Kristin Valdivia contributed to this report.
