The SF Midway.

Halloween is a holiday tailor-made for San Franciscans.  It’s a celebration that gives adults a perfectly good excuse to wear costumes and go to several nights of parties, with the added bonus of making the conservatives nervous.

Just because SF has the lowest percentage of kids of any major U.S. city, doesn’t stop us from taking advantage of this very weird, and very interpretive holiday.  Is Halloween about celebrating the dead? With candles in graveyards?  Is it about trick-or-treating and causing mischief?  Is it about going to several different costume parties and getting weird with your friends?  The answer is simply, ‘yes’ to all three.  Luckily, we know about all the great parties happening in the city this time of year.  Enjoy…

Psst: Our weekly newsletter will also tell you about fun things but it’s always nice to have something curated to read though, eh?

Snap Judgment and KQED Present Spooked Live!

Friday the 13th is approaching and for those of you who enjoy live storytelling that evokes goosebumps and chills, the popular Spooked podcast is putting on its annual Halloween show, onstage at the gorgeous Fox Theater in Oakland.

Host Glynn Washington of Snap Judgment (KQED PRX), is on his 7th season of the Spooked podcast, a weekly show where true-life supernatural stories are told by guests who can barely believe they lived them.  The podcast is a bit like ‘This American Life’, only if Ira Glass was traveling the country in search of the mystic, the strange, and the divine, and his broadcast studio was also a bit haunted!

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2023 8:00 PM
THE FOX THEATER 1807 TELEGRAPH AVE, OAKLAND
IN PERSON: $29.50 – $75
TICKETS & SHOW INFORMATION HERE

RITUAL: A Halloween Art Market & Oddities Show
Presented by the Menagerie Oddities Market and Sponsored by Terror Vault

The 24th How Weird Street Faire

The longest-running dance festival on the West Coast returns! 9 stages of music, dancing, costumes, and weirdness in downtown San Francisco.  Gather your squad and get your costumes ready, because How Weird Street Faire is happenin’!

October 14th
Howard st @ 2nd st San Francisco

Check out info at https:// howweird.org
tickets at https://howweird2023.eventbrite.com

Terror Vault: The Initiation

A combination of theater, 4D effects, and haunted mazes, The Initiation invites thrill seekers to attend a recruitment seminar for “INsight,” a spiritual cult whose sole purpose is to open their eyes to true consciousness and help see the horrors hiding within the darkness.

This year’s completely new Terror Vault show, The Initiation, is inspired by San Francisco’s rich history of being home to so many strange and bizarre cults,” said Joshua Grannell aka Peaches Christ. “From groups like the Manson Family and the Symbionese Liberation Army to people like Jim Jones and Anton Lavey, we’ve taken this inspiration and crafted a show where guests become members in the play and must make their way through becoming part of the cult while surviving its evil leadership.

Terror Vault: The Initiation
9/29-10/31 | The San Francisco Mint | 88 5th St, SF | 6-10 pm | $55-85

This Week’s Ticket Giveaway
We Wanna Send You to DUSK2DAWN w/ Claptone & Torren Foot!

Win a Pair of VIP Tix to DUSK2DAWN!

The Midway & Opel Productions present:

DUSK 2 DAWN

Featuring:
Claptone and Torren Foot

Two Stages, mind-blowing production, haunted performers, spooky decor + much more TBA!

Enter to win VIP tickets here

Get tickets HERE.

Enter For Your Chance to Win 2 VIP Tix to GHOST PALACE!

ELECTROLUX, HUSHconcerts & Non Plus Ultra are teaming up to bring you the biggest Halloween party in San Francisco!

Expect multiple stages packed with DJs, dance and drag performances, along with immersive & interactive exhibitions that thrill every sense. Explore the black-light space, multiple silent disco stages, cuddle puddle, face painting, live art, lasers, food trucks, and more.

Win tickets here.

Enter below for your chance to win, or get tix HERE.

Enter Below to Win a Pair of VIP Tix to deadmau5 & ZHU San Francisco Weekender Block Party!!

deadmau5 and Zhu are teaming up for the first time ever for a co-headline Block Party at The Midway on October 22nd.

Enter below for your chance to win here, you don’t want to miss this! You can also get tickets HERE.

Baggy’s By The Lake – 5k Costume Fun Run 
October 28th 1130am FREE
Complete with Titos happy hour after
(the run is free but the drinks are not)
Meet Baggy’s – 288 E 18th St, Oakland
Details on their IG: @baggysbythelake
Also: did you know that Baggy’s has a ghost? Read all about that crazy story here

Fear Overload Haunted House
Now – November 3rd
2086 Newpark Mall
Two haunted house themes in one experience. They say they are the scariest haunted house in The Bay. “Prepare yourself for an adventure filled with mystery, adventure, and horror, as you step into the 4th dimension at Fear Overload Scream Park. Dare to enter our 2 cryptic Bay Area haunted houses, where you get one dim flashlight to unveil chilling secrets.”
fearoverload.com

Have fun haunting this historic boat! Photo of the USS Hornet in the 1940s – photo from Wikipedia

Pirates of Emerson Haunted Theme Park
Now – October 31st
The Alameda County Fairgrounds
piratesofemerson.com

Monsters Bash onboard the USS Hornet!
USS Hornet Museum – 707 W Hornet Ave Alameda, CA
October 28 · 7pm – October 29 · 1am PDT
from their website: “Celebrate Halloween onboard Hornet, the most haunted ship in America, for a spooky night of costumes, live music, food, drinks and dancing!”
Tickets here

Misfit Cabaret Monster Bash
10/20-10/28 | Alcazar Theatre | 650 Geary St, SF | 8 pm | $35-500

Never miss a Misfit Halloween! You’re invited to the 666th annual Monster Bash, the biggest spooky shindig in town! Featuring alive! music, zombie drag, killer klown burlesque, ghost aerial duos, henchman puppets, and a smashing costume contest!

Mayhem Mansion
The Haas-Lilienthal House – 2007 Franklin Street San Francisco, CA
October 20, 21 and 26, 27, 28. Two tours every half hour, from 7-11pm each night!
From their website: “Enter the dimly lit halls of Mayhem Mansion, where the inhabitants are always off their rockers! The tour begins at the main entrance, where you’ll be greeted by a benevolent host who will gently guide you through the magnificent manse, but beware! You never know who, or what, is lurking in the dark corners, or behind closed doors…Before and after the tour, calm your nerves in our basement saloon, the Spookeasy, featuring a cash bar serving both alcoholic (21+) and non-alcoholic drinks, plus snacks and candy. Be sure to arrive early enough to enjoy your beverage!”
Tickets here

image from Mayhem Mansion

SF OPEN STUDIOS IS FREE TO ATTEND!

OCT 19-NOV 19
(West Mission weekend begins Halloween Weekend)
VISIT WITH HUNDREDS OF ARTISTS DURING THIS FREE PUBLIC EVENT

Hundreds of SF artists will be opening up their studios this fall! A nice way to stroll through SF neighborhoods, run into friends, and meet our local creatives in their natural habitat! ⁠West Mission weekend begins Halloween Weekend.

SCHEDULE & INFO: 

ARTSPANART.ORG/SFOS2023

Silly Kid-Friendly Halloween Events:

Driveway Follies: 
October 3oth and 31st in Oakland FREE
Enjoy a marinette puppet show like you’ve never seen before!
from their website: “Driveway Follies provides professionally staged and family-friendly Halloween  performances each year in Oakland.  Beginning in 2007 with just three puppeteers performing a three act show, Driveway Follies has expanded to a crew of eight puppeteers performing five acts over three nights.  The repertoire celebrates and illustrates historic and cultural aspects of Halloween, some with an educational twist.  Since inception, a diverse audience of over 10,000 Halloween revelers has enjoyed the performances.”
drivewayfollies.org

From the Driveway Follies website

Critical Mass Halloween Ride
Meet at Embarcadero Plaza
Friday, October 27, 2023 6pm to 6:30pm
From their website: “Critical Mass (CM) is a bicycle ride that takes place on the last Friday of each month. It’s a unique bike cultural event, a worldwide movement that began in San Francisco. For the Halloween ride, costumes are encouraged.  Everyone is invited.”
More information here

Autumn Light Festival: 
October 12th-14th, Lake Merritt
from their website: “The Autumn Lights Festival is a fundraiser for the Gardens at Lake Merritt. The Gardens at Lake Merritt were established more than a half century ago. They are a collection of themed gardens requiring varying levels of upkeep. Volunteers provide much needed maintenance assistance as the City of Oakland’s gardening staff has been dramatically reduced over time. The gardens are a tranquil oasis in the heart of Oakland and provide enriching public programs.”
visitoakland.com/events/annual-events/autumn-lights-festival

Little Pumpkin Harvest Festival
at Winchester Mystery House
October 29th
From their website: “What makes this event truly magical? Every penny you spend on treats, games, pumpkin decorating, crafts, and more will be donated to the Valle Monte League—a powerful force supporting Bay Area mental health agencies.”
winchestermysteryhouse.com/littlepumpkin

Autumn Lights image from 2018

Castro Family Halloween Block Party & Costume Contest!

Castro Merchants is proud to present the second-annual Castro Family Halloween Block Party and Costume Contesst for all ages, including pets! Join us as we turn Noe Street between Market and Beaver into a spooky, fun festival with something for everyone:

For the Kiddos (11 am to 2 pm)

• Free photos with the Castro wicked witch and her ghoulie friends @croptopqueen

• Trick or treating along Castro Participating Businesses

• Fun Halloween activities and giveaways

• Drag Queen Storytime and Performances 11am

• Children’s costume contest 12pm ! Grand Prize – Gift Card from Cliff’s Variety Store!

• Arts & Crafts table

Second-annual Castro Family Halloween Block Party and Costume Contests for all ages, including pets
Sunday, October 29 · 11am – 5pm PDT
Noe Street Between Market and Beaver St.
INFO

For more information on Castro Merchants events, visit www.castromerchants.com/events

FESTIVAL OF ALTARS 2023

Every November 2nd, Marigold Project produces the Dia de Los Muertos, Festival of Altars, and the Ritual Poetry Circle in Potrero Del Sol Park, located at 25th Street and San Bruno Avenue. We are busy at work developing a beautiful program this year. Please save the date and check back in a month to see what community workshops and events will be offered leading up to the event.

dayofthedeadsf.org