Celebrate Fall & Make New Community Connections This Season
Learn more about the fun seasonal events happening this month and beyond!
The leaves are changing, the weather is cooling, and pumpkin spice lattes are everywhere… it’s officially autumn! If you’re looking for seasonal events supporting local arts, fall décor shopping opportunities, family-friendly crafts, or Halloween festivities to join, you won’t want to miss this community update! We’ve rounded up the seasonal activities happening this month and beyond and there’s something for everyone this fall. Celebrate the season with these opportunities for fun, friendship, and community connection.
FALL IN LOVE WITH PALO ALTO EVENTS
Great Glass Pumpkin Patch
Northern California’s celebrated and beloved Great Glass Pumpkin Patch returns to Palo Alto for another spectacular year, October 1–2, 2022. Benefiting the Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI), the Palo Alto Art Center, the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation, and participating glass artists, the FREE outdoor event attracts more than 5,000 people annually to the grounds of the Palo Alto Art Center. The weekend exhibit features more than 10,000 unique and one-of-a-kind glass pumpkins, gourds, and autumnal keepsakes — in countless arrays of colors and sizes — all available for purchase. Glass demonstrations, food trucks, and more will be available for the entire family to enjoy! Learn more about the event here.
Steam Lab Saturday: Zombie Juice
Join Librarian Alicia at 12 p.m. on October 1 on Facebook for a fun-filled live-stream. For this spooky STEAM Lab Saturday we will be making some delicious zombie juice. Adult supervision is required, zombies optional! Learn more about the event and find a list of materials needed to participate here.
Beacons of Hope (lantern workshop)
Join artist Kiana Honarmand in creating a temporary public art installation made of colorful paper lanterns lit with LED tea candles.
Beacons of Hope is a multifaceted project by artist Kiana Honarmand that includes two free in-person workshops, a temporary public art installation, and a mini-concert. Participants are invited to create colorful paper lanterns which will be displayed as a temporary art installation along Embarcadero Road outside of the Palo Alto Art Center. Inspired by the long history of using lanterns in festivals and celebrations in different cultures across the globe, Beacons of Hope will utilize light and color while focusing on hope and collective healing by bringing the community together to express themselves through art.
Register for a free in-person community workshop on Saturday, October 15 at the Palo Alto Art Center located at 1313 Newell Road in Palo Alto here.
October Free Family Day at the Palo Alto Art Center
Join the Palo Alto Art Center on Saturday, October 23 for a creative afternoon inspired by their current exhibition, “Fire Transforms.” This family-oriented, free event will feature a real fire truck on display, hands-on fire themed art making projects that are great for all ages, community organization booths, and closing off the event, a fire-themed story time. Learn more about the event here.
Baby BOOgie: 80’s Halloween Party
Get ready to dance in your Halloween costume! Children and their families are invited to get movin’ and groovin’ to 80’s hits while decked out in totally rad costumes. There will also be fun crafts. Bring the whole family and join us for this special event!
Registration is not required. This event will take place in the El Palo Alto Room of the Mitchell Park Community Center on Thursday, October 27 from 6–7 p.m. Learn more about the event here.
Halloween Zoo Nights in the Bay Area
With Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo’s Zoo Night sold out, check out these other Bay Area Zoo Nights filled with spooky fun for the whole family.
Boo at the Zoo, presented by Jeff and Leann Sobrato, is a new after hours Halloween event for the whole family! This fun and festive Halloween experience will be a ticketed event where guests will trick-or-treat at Happy Hollow Park & Zoo and enjoy rides, animal encounters, and a magician! This event takes place on Saturday, October 22 from 4–6pm. Learn more about the event here.
Calling all ghosts, goblins, and witches — join us for Boo at the Zoo every day from October 22–31, 2022, from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Enjoy this family-friendly Halloween event with a spooky animal-themed scavenger hunt. Learn more about the event here.
Celebrate a family-friendly Halloween in a COVID-19-safe manner with Boo at the Zoo, featuring Sloth-oween, a self-guided, sloth-themed “slow” stroll around zoo grounds to visit haunted houses. Guests must make a reservation in advance to attend, as capacity is limited. Event dates are Saturday and Sunday, October 23–24 and 30–31. Learn more about the event here.
Jack-O-Jaunt
Calling all creative ghosts, ghouls, and goblins!! Join us this Halloween season for our third, moonlit, Jack-O-Jaunt. Bring us your best carved jack-o-lantern to be put on display in Lytton Plaza on Friday, October 28, from 6:30–8:30 p.m.
Don’t have space to carve your jack-o-lantern at home? Sign up for our jack-o-jaunt workshop and carve it on site! Space is limited and pre-registration is required. The community will get an opportunity to vote for the scariest, cutest, and most creative, jack-o-lantern as they stroll through our display. Winners of each category will receive a $75 gift card to a Palo Alto business of their choosing.
If you prefer to carve at home, we recommend carving your jack-o-lantern at home no more than 2 days (Wednesday Oct 26) prior to the jaunt.
The City’s Recreation division will supply LED candles for all jack-o-lanterns. Registered workshop participants will receive 1 pumpkin and have access to carving and decorating tools.
Learn more and register for the event here.
Gamble Garden- Bats, Bats, and More Bats!
Start your Halloween weekend with a fun-filled morning of trick-or-tricking, crafts and live bats at Gamble Garden! Come in costume (or not) and be prepared to have a batty and draculish time. Fun activities include live bats, arts & crafts, trick-or-treat in The Garden, Dracula, and additional fun! This event is currently full, but you can learn more and join the waitlist here.
Family Craft: Pinecone Turkeys
Gobble, gobble, wibble, wobble! Join us at Palo Alto Children’s Library for an evening of turkey-making fun. This cute craft makes the perfect Thanksgiving centerpiece for your festive family gathering. Registration opens Tuesday, November 1 at 10:00 a.m. Learn more about the event here.
OTHER FALL EVENTS
Halloween Spooktacular — Redwood City
Step right up for some Cool Carnival Games, Muah-ah-ah Monster Maze, Creepy Crafts, Spooky Photo Back Drops, Mini Pumpkin Patch, Prizes & FUN! Join Redwood City for the Halloween Spooktacular at Red Morton Community Center on Saturday October 22, 2022. This event is perfect for kids aged 1–10 years old, and two parents are included with child admission. Learn more about the event here.
Costume Movie Night — Menlo Park
It’s spooky season! Bring your own snacks, drinks, a blanket and enjoy a spooky movie with your friends or family. The Menlo Park library will be holding the movie outside, under the stars, on Saturday October 22 from 6–8 p.m. The movie played will be voted on at the event. Ages 12–18. This free event received partial funding support from the Friends of the Menlo Park Library. Learn more about the event here.
Children’s Spooktaclara Halloween Party — Santa Clara
A family-friendly Santa Clara tradition! Put on your costumes and have fun at the Children’s Spooktaclara Halloween Party! Join the City of Santa Clara on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 1–4 p.m. at the Youth Activity Center, 2450 Cabrillo Ave. Santa Clara, CA 95051.
This free event is for ages 10 and under. Experience trick-or-treat row, parade your costume at the pumpkin walk or try your luck at carnival games. In addition, there will be food, sponsor giveaways, inflatable slide, Santa Clara City Library Bookmobile and more. Learn more about the event here.
Monster Bash — Mountain View
On Saturday, October 29, 2022, Mountain View’s Rengstorff Park will transform into a ghoulish good time for all ages with the return of MONSTER BASH. From 10 a.m.-2 p.m., community members are encouraged to don their favorite costumes and enjoy a fall festival loaded with a twisty maze, spooky games, enchanting performances, stilt walkers, inflatables, creepy, crawly, ooey gooey zone, Dia de Muertos celebration and more.
This event is free and open to the public. Limited parking is available at the Mountain View Community Center and Senior Center. Walking or biking to the event is encouraged. Learn more about the event here.
A Boo-tiful Downtown Halloween — Los Altos
A BOO-tiful Downtown Halloween takes place in Downtown Los Altos on Monday, October 31. This Trick or Treating event for children sends them on a quest to find stores displaying an orange pumpkin. Trick or Treating begins at Noon. Halloween Fun & Games at Veterans Community Plaza from 2pm to 4pm! Please bring your own treat bag. Learn more about the event here.
ADDITIONAL ONLINE RESOURCES
Find upcoming events on the City of Palo Alto calendar.
Find upcoming events on the Palo Alto Library calendar.
Learn more about events at the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo.
Stay informed about future events & opportunities by connecting with us.
Prepare for fall weather with these resources.
Find community resources and support here.
