There are few things more delightful than fall, the season that segues straight from Oktoberfest suds to Halloween shrieks. Pumpkins proliferate and zombies appear. And all those candy-seeking, pint-size ghosties of yore have been joined by grown-ups — the latter trick-or-treating for pumpkin ale, of course.
Here are just a few ways to play this Halloween season, from a venerable great pumpkin fest to a “Harry Potter” symphonic bash.
Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival
Linus would surely approve of this coastal town’s doings. This year marks the 46th annual Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival, which showcases great pumpkins (and smaller but equally great squashes), a haunted barn populated by undead pirates, live music, crafts, games, bungee jump and zip line attractions and, of course, pumpkin-spiked sips and bites.
Among the latter: pumpkin pies, pumpkin pie soda, pumpkin chili, chicken-pumpkin sausages, pumpkin smoothies and Half Moon Bay Brewing’s Pumpkin Harvest Ale. Plus a pancake — pumpkin, of course — breakfast that starts at 7 a.m. at Mac Dutra Park.
Family-friendly factor: Delightful fun for all ages.
Details: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 15-16, Main Street, Half Moon Bay. Free admission; pumpkinfest.miramarevents.com/
Halloween Haunt at Great America
Santa Clara’s Great America theme park goes all out with its Halloween Haunt attractions, which include eight haunted mazes – Zombie High, Wax Museum Chamber of Horrors, Madame Marie’s Massacre Manor, Dia de los Muertos and more. There are also some new themed “Skeleton Key” experiences, boasting such terrifying titles as Sorority Slaughter, Hoarder House and Bone Crusher.
The park’s new, highly hyped FearVR attraction, a Samsung and Oculus-technology driven horror experience set in a hospital, was shuttered within a few days of opening after concerns were voiced from the mental health community.
Family-friendly factor: Not for tots — or easily frightened grown-ups. You read the part about zombies and massacres, right?
Details: From 7 p.m.-midnight Oct. 9 and Sundays through Oct. 30, open 7 p.m.-1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays Oct. 14-29. Halloween Haunt tickets start at $32, but admission is free for 2016 gold pass holders; www.cagreatamerica.com
Pirates of Emerson in Pleasanton
This Halloween extravaganza offers up six haunted houses, including such scary destinations as the Laboragory, the Hackshack and the Dark Gauntlet. Other attractions include Clown Chaos, the Misfortune Teller and Melted Metal.
Family-friendly factor: This one’s scary. Very scary. Impressionable youngsters and clown-phobic adults should stay home.
Details: Through Oct. 31 (hours and days vary); Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton; $30-$80; www.piratesofemerson.com.
Fright Fest at Six Flags
The 135-acre Vallejo theme park’s annual Halloween extravaganza includes kid-themed shows, pumpkin patch and, of course, haunted houses and mazes — including Captain Bloat’s Shipwreck of Horror, Nightmare Manor and the new Dark Oaks Asylum.
During daylight hours, the park is a family-friendly Halloween party. After sundown, though, it becomes a zombie-filled fright fest with various thrills and chills and plenty of gore. Be sure to check out the Rage of the Gargoyles, an immersive, virtual reality ride that marries Oculus technology to the looping course of the Kong coaster.
Family-friendly factor: Loads of fun during the day; loads of horror-stricken screaming at night
Details: Open Fridays-Sundays through Oct. 30. Tickets $73 and up;www.sixflags.com/discoverykingdom
Winchester Mystery House in San Jose
It’s always ghostly good fun to tour Sarah Winchester’s mysterious mansion, but the staff goes all out during the Halloween season, with 10 Halloween Candlelight Tours offered during the month of October.
Family-friendly factor: Spooky, not scary — unless you’re scared of spooky ghosts, of course. Note that these tours require a lot of walking and stairs.
Details: Hour-long Candlelight Tours ($35-$49) are offered in October on Fridays, weekends and Halloween night. Regular mansion tours ($26 and up) are offered daily all year; www.winchestermysteryhouse.com.
More spooky doings
Prefer your hauntings in a more refined — or boozy or less zombie-plagued — atmosphere? Here are a few more options:
“Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone” in Concert: Symphony Silicon Valley and Choral perform John Williams’ signature score while family-fave film flickers to life on a giant screen during four matinee and evening performances, Oct. 29-30 at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets $45 and up; www.symphonysiliconvalley.org
San Jose Broofest: This Halloween-themed brew fest on Oct. 28-29 is subtitled “A Nightmare on Alma Street.” Sample more than 80 craft brews, enjoy tasty noshes, pose in the photo booth and enjoy other adults-only fun at Municipal Stadium. Tickets $45-$65; http://bit.ly/2dDqhmY
OMCA Day of the Dead Fest: The Oakland Museum of California celebrates its 22nd annual, family-friendly Dios de los Muertas fest on Oct. 16 with calavera-inspired face-painting, a mercado, live music and dance, tortilla-making demonstrations and an Off the Grid food truck mini market. Tickets, which include museum admission, are $12 and up; museumca.org.
Symphonic Day of the Dead: The San Francisco Symphony’s annual Dia de los Muertos community concerts Nov. 5 will feature Grammy-winning ensemble La Santa Cecilia, plus dancing, colorful altars and traditional crafts. The matinee is particularly fun for families. Tickets $10 and up; www.sfsymphony.org
Article and images sourced from http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/10/05/nine-bay-area-halloween-haunts-and-pumpkin-fests/
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