As darkness falls and the harvest moon rises, treat yourself to a spooktacular series of Halloween activities themed perfectly for a bewitching getaway to the Santa Barbara South Coast. From boo-tiful crafts and carnivals to haunted tours and tastes of the season, Santa Barbara has a full calendar of Halloween events taking place throughout October.
This season, you can stretch your stay with tempting hotel offers — book two nights and enjoy the third night free — giving you more time to explore haunted happenings, festive events and autumnal delights across the Santa Barbara South Coast. Read on for Halloween trip-planning ideas.
Make sure to keep this page handy, as more events are added on a weekly basis.
Pumpkin Patches & Corn Mazes
Big Wave Dave’s Pumpkin Patch, Sept. 30 through Oct. 31 Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Big Wave Dave’s is a great spot for picking that perfect pumpkin or festive gourd. Located at La Cumbre Plaza, this local patch offers a variety of kids activities, photo opportunities and an abundant selection of pumpkins to choose from. If you’re looking to add harvest décor to your home, pick from a variety of squash, ornamental gourds, corn stalks, hay bales and more.
Cost: Admission is free
Lane Farms Pumpkin Patch, Sept. 26 through Oct. 31, Monday-Friday from 12-7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Halloween Day)
Lane Farms has everything you need to get into the Halloween season with hayrides, farm animals, a corn maze, loads of pumpkins and the perfect backdrop for that festive, Instagrammable fall photo. This harvest season, embark on an afternoon of autumn activities that are safe and fun for the whole family.
Cost: Admission is free
Solvang Farmer Pumpkin Patch, Sept. 25 through Nov. 2 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Pumpkins, gourds, squash, oh my! The Solvang Farmer Pumpkin Patch returns for its annual autumn extravaganza with one-pound pumpkins and festivities galore, including corn stalks, hay bales, kids maze and a 10-acre corn maze.
Cost: Admission is free
Halloween Events & Activities
Spooky Tours with Santa Barbara Ghost Tours, Ongoing
Did you know that Santa Barbara is the city of friendly ghosts? For a fun, spooky scare, join Professor Julie Ann Brown as she tours you through the streets of Downtown Santa Barbara sharing the stories of the local resident ghosts. Santa Barbara Ghost Tours offers a variety of tours including the Downtown Paranormal Wine and Spirits Tour, Legends, Myths and Mayhem Tour, Dead of the Night Tour and more. For an elevated experience, the VIP Historical Dinner Tour provides exclusive access to a private, membership-only club for an elegant dinner with your guide. Storytelling begins over dinner and then continues with a historical walking tour.
Cost: Tours starting at $35 per person
Santa Ynez Scarecrow Fest, Oct. 1-31
Solvang is set to usher in the season with authentic autumn flair as it launches the 15th Annual Solvang Scarecrow Fest and Contest. Spanning the entire month and culminating on Halloween, local Solvang enterprises and groups will join the festivities, showcasing uniquely crafted scarecrows at their respective venues.
Cost: Admission is free
Creepy Creatures at the Nature Center, Oct. 10 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Get up close with some of Halloween’s creepiest creatures at the Neal Taylor Nature Center at Cachuma Lake. Meet snakes, lizards and spiders, learn about bats and owls, explore real skulls and bones and enjoy games, crafts, a scavenger hunt and other family-friendly activities.
Cost: Donation based
Daytime Boo at the Zoo, Oct. 16-31 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Get ready for a fun and festive Halloween spell-ebration at the Santa Barbara Zoo. While visiting the animals, discover frightfully fun décor, photo ops and trick-or-treating. The ticket for this event includes a Zoo Train ride, mad science experiments, scare zone, dance party, creepy-crawly animal encounters and bounce houses. Additionally, no costume head or face masks will be permitted. Since this is a kid and family-friendly event, please keep costumes child-friendly and do not include gore or realistic weapons.
Cost: Prices range from $22.95 to $37.95 per person
Nighttime Boo at the Zoo, Oct. 23-25 from 5-8 p.m.
When the sun goes down, the Halloween fun continues with three family-friendly Boo at the Zoo after-dark nights. Dress up for trick-or-treating and a costume contest, then enjoy a DJ and dance floor, animal encounters, inflatables, train rides, a photo booth, kids’ hay maze, spooky stories, s’mores and more.
Cost: Prices range from $22.95 to $37.95 per person
Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics, Oct. 22 from 6:15-7:30 p.m.
Set aglow by candlelight, this Halloween-inspired Candlelight Concert features the Vapour String Quartet performing haunting classics and eerie favorites — from Thriller to The Nightmare Before Christmas — for an unforgettable, multisensory evening at Music Academy of the West.
Cost: $43-$59 per person
All Hallows Evening & New Casitas Opening, Oct. 23 from 5-7 p.m.
Celebrate Halloween at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden with an evening of trick-or-treating, seasonal crafts and festive fun. Explore the Garden after hours and get a special first look at the whimsical new Garden Casitas playhouse before it officially opens.
Cost: $5-$10 per person
Haunted Pumpkin House Family Workshop, Oct. 24 from 1-4:30 p.m.
Step into a miniature world of Halloween magic! In this family mixed-media workshop, artists will transform a foam pumpkin into a whimsical 3D haunted house scene. Using paint, polymer clay, decorative papers, fibers and spooky embellishments, they’ll create tiny ghosts, pumpkins, trees and other playful details to make their creation uniquely spooky, silly or magical.
Cost: $95 per person
Thriller 2026, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m.
Join World Dance for Humanity at the Santa Barbara Courthouse Sunken Gardens for a free, family-friendly thrills and chills daytime dance fest. Come in costume and watch dance groups perform their own spooky choreographies. Leading up to the event, World Dance for Humanity invites you to learn a new Halloween dance medley. World Dance for Humanity has even organized a series of flash mobs in October to show off your new moves. No need to be a trained dancer, all ages and experience levels are invited to participate.
Cost: Admission is free
Halloween Pooch Parade, Oct. 25 from 2-4 p.m.
Dress up your pup for a Halloween costume parade at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, presented with Therapy Dogs of America’s Santa Barbara Chapter. Costumed dogs can compete for prizes, including an annual Garden dog membership, during the Garden’s Free Community Days. Admission is free, but advance reservations are required.
Cost: Admission is free
Halloween Paint Night at Samsara Wine Co., Oct. 30 from 3-6 p.m.
Get creative this Halloween at Samsara Wine Co. with a festive paint night. Decorate a pumpkin or wine bottle with fairy lights using provided materials, then sip a glass of wine or Halloween orange punch while you work. Costumes are welcome!
Cost: $25 per person
BOOcara, Oct. 30 from 5-7 p.m.
Returning for another year, The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara transforms into a festive playground with property-wide trick-or-treating, hands-on art projects, carnival games and a haunted house filled with friendly frights. Families can wander through a haunted graveyard, decorate mini coffins in the vampire lair, craft spooky snakes in an Egyptian tomb, brew potions in a witches’ coven, and catch a seasonal film, while parents enjoy a “drink-or-treat” adventure with curated holiday cocktails.
Cost: $71.21 per adult, $39.19 per child (ages 5 and older)
State Street Ballet Presents: Dracula, a dark shadow, Oct. 30-31 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. and 2-4 p.m.
Step into the gothic world of Dracula, a dark shadow as State Street Ballet brings the legendary tale to The Granada Theatre Oct. 30-31. Choreographed by Nicolas Blanc, the new production pairs dramatic movement with Philip Glass’s haunting score, performed live by the Grammy Award-winning Kronos Quartet.
Cost: Tickets start at $25 per person
21+ Halloween Events & Activities
Adult Night Boo at the Zoo, Oct. 22 from 6-10 p.m.
Boo isn’t just for kids. Celebrate Halloween at the Zoo’s first-ever 21+ Adult Night, featuring a drag show, costume contest, DJ and dance floor, animal encounters, train rides, a photo booth, drinks, food and plenty of after-dark fun.
Cost: Prices range from $32.95 to $37.95 per person
Haunted Hotel Heights, Oct. 23 from 6-10 p.m.
Celebrate Halloween above the city at Haunted Hotel Heights, a 21+ rooftop party at Courtyard Santa Barbara – Downtown. Catch the sunset, sip a themed cocktail and dance to live DJ sets, with costumes and gothic-inspired looks encouraged.
Cost: $25 for early bird, $30 at the door $30
Fields of Funk, Oct. 24 from 12-10 p.m.
Fields of Funk returns to Elings Park for its sixth annual Halloween celebration, featuring three stages of live music, food trucks, local vendors, art installations, a full bar and silent disco. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and spend the day grooving with ocean breezes as the backdrop.
Cost: Tickets start at $60 per person
“The Grimm Manor” at The Manor Bar, Oct. 30-31
Step through the secret door at The Manor Bar for “The Grimm Manor,” a Halloween takeover inspired by the haunting tales of the Brothers Grimm. Sip fantastical fairytale-inspired cocktails, discover spooky surprises and enjoy eerie beats from a resident DJ at Rosewood Miramar Beach.
Cost: Varies by menu item
Bass to the Bone Halloween Party, Oct. 31 from 6-9 p.m.
Celebrate Halloween high above Santa Barbara at Kimpton Canary Hotel’s Bass to the Bone rooftop party. Dance under the stars to beats by DJ Thee-O, sip spooky cocktails and show off your best costume for a festive night out.
Cost: $20-$40 per person
Halloween Zombie Bar Crawl, Oct. 31 from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Kick off Halloween at Santa Barbara’s Halloween Pub Crawl. Start at EOS Lounge in costume, then explore over 10 bars and nightclubs with an all-access pass. Your kit includes free shots, drink discounts and nightclub entry. Begin the night with a pre-party, then roam State Street for an unforgettable Halloween celebration.
Cost: $20 per person
