Halloween is quickly creeping closer, and there are plenty of fun and spooky events for families and people of all ages to enjoy throughout Santa Barbara County.
What follows are some of the Halloween and fall events taking place throughout the county. All events are free unless otherwise noted.
Santa Barbara
The pumpkin patch at Lane Farms in Santa Barbara is open for the season and has tons of pumpkins to choose from, hayrides, a corn maze, farm animals and more for all to enjoy. The pumpkin patch is located at 308 S. Walnut Lane and is open through Monday — Halloween — with hours of noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Halloween. The corn maze closes at 6:45 p.m. daily, and at 4:45 p.m. on Halloween.
Big Wave Dave’s Pumpkin Patch is also open through Halloween with free admission under the big tent at La Cumbre Plaza. Lots of pumpkins, activities for kids, and family photo opportunities are available. The pumpkin patch is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day and closes at 6 p.m. on Halloween.
The Santa Barbara Zoo’s Boo at the Zoo event is back with trick-or-treating, a hay bale maze, costumed characters, zookeeper talks and more from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. this Friday through Sunday. Admission is $22.95 per person for adults and $17.95 per person for children ages 2 through 12, and parking is $11 per vehicle. Santa Barbara Zoo members get $3 off tickets and free parking. Tickets can be purchased online here.
The Santa Barbara Police Activities League, the City of Santa Barbara Parks & Recreation Department, the Santa Barbara Police Department and the Santa Barbara Youth Council are hosting a Trunk or Treat event from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday. The community event is free and will take place in the Spencer Adams Parking Lot, between Chapala and Victoria streets, with the entrance on Anapamu Street.
World Dance for Humanity is again hosting its annual Thriller dance performance at the Santa Barbara Courthouse Sunken Garden at 2 p.m. Saturday. A costume dance party will also take place beforehand at 1 p.m., and flash mobs will occur around town now through Sunday.
Also on Saturday, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., is the Halloween Monster Mash in Paseo Nuevo, where the first 300 kids ages 4 through 11 in Halloween costumes can receive a trick-or-treating backpack, and a live DJ in Center Court will host a costume dance party. Trick-or-treating will also be available at Paseo Nuevo stores and downtown businesses until 6 p.m.
From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, children in costumes can trick-or-treat downtown at businesses with orange “Trick-or-Treat” signs and balloons.
From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. is holding a Halloween party at its Funk Zone location, 137 Anacapa St., with a costume contest at 9 p.m. and 1980s music by Caddyshack.
Other Halloween events, including additional paid events and events for those age 21 or older, can be found on Visit Santa Barbara’s website here.
Carpinteria
On Friday from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., local businesses with orange pumpkin signs in Carpinteria’s downtown “T” will welcome children for safe trick-or-treating. Following the trick-or-treating at 5 p.m., the Carpinteria Arts Center — at 855 Linden Ave. — will hold a costume contest hosted by Girls Inc. of Carpinteria, the Alcazar Theatre, the Carpinteria Children’s Project and the Boys and Girls Club.
On Sunday, the Carpinteria Dog Owners Group will hold its fourth annual Howl-O-Ween Dog Costume Contest and Trick for Treat contests at El Carro Park. Dogs must be leashed at all times and registration begins at 3 p.m. There will be prizes for the scariest, funniest, best homemade and most creative costumes, as well as for the Trick for Treat contest in the categories of most enthusiastic, most skilled, funniest trick and best concentration.
Montecito
On Sunday, the Montecito Country Mart on Coast Village Road is holding a Halloween Festival from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. with trick-or-treating at the shops, a kids costume contest, a dog costume contest and more.
Goleta and Isla Vista
The City of Goleta will be enforcing temporary parking restrictions again for neighborhoods near UC Santa Barbara and Isla Vista. Households in affected neighborhoods will be issued two parking permits for on-street parking, which must be displayed from 7 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday and again from 7 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday. The parking permit program boundaries are Cannon Green Drive to the west, Hollister Avenue to the north, Storke Road to the east and Whittier Drive to the south. Signage will be posted on affected streets in advance.
The Isla Vista Recreation and Park District is hosting the Haunted Pumpkin Patch at Anisq’Oyo’ Park, 950 Embarcadero Del Mar, in Isla Vista from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday through Monday. Admission is free, and all are welcome to this outdoor event featuring a “theatrical experience with live-action storytellers,” film screenings, carnival games and activities, a ferris wheel, silent disco nights, Día de Los Muertos altars and more.
From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, the South Coast Railroad Museum at the Goleta Depot will be hosting their Spooky Train and Haunted Depot event with trick-or-treating, spooky train rides, games, crafts and more. Admission to the event is free and will be at the South Coast Railroad Museum at 300 N. Los Carneros Road in Goleta.
Santa Ynez Valley
The Solvang Farmer Pumpkin Patch, at 1035 Alamo Pintado Road in Solvang, is open for the season through Monday with a 14-acre corn maze, a kids maze and — of course — pumpkins, gourds and squash.. The patch is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with free admission.
Through Monday, people can find scarecrows all throughout the valley with the Santa Ynez Valley Scarecrow Fest. Merchants have scarecrow creations displayed, and residents and tourists can vote on their favorite display all month. A list of business participating this year — along with their address — can be found here.
Solvang’s 28th annual Haunted House hosted by Solvang Parks & Recreation and Buellton Recreation, the “Trails of Terror,” will be open Friday and Saturday at 411 Second Street in Solvang from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. A “kid-friendlier” version is open from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for those age 12 or younger.
Lompoc
The Peacekeepers Association is hosting a Haunted Asylum in Vandenberg from 9 p.m. to midnight Friday through Monday. The event is located at the old Maple High School. General admission is $15, and tickets can be purchased online here.
For some family fun, Lompoc is hosting its annual Old Town Trick or Treat from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday for kids age 12 or younger. Free activities for kids will be available in Centennial Park at the corner of South H Street and Cypress Avenue, and trick-or-treating will be available at participating businesses on H and I streets.
Santa Maria and Orcutt
The Patch, at Los Flores Ranch Park at 6245 Dominion Road in Santa Maria, is open for the fall season from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Fridays through Saturdays. Parking is $5 per vehicle and, in addition to lots of pumpkins, activities such as the Corny Corn Maze, games, a carnival tunnel and photo opportunities are available at The Patch.
The Elks Haunted Hills Drive-Thru, originally a result of social distancing requirements in 2020, is returning again to the Elks Event Center, 4040 Highway 101 in Santa Maria, through Saturday.
Single vehicle entry is $55 per vehicle and walk-through experiences and ultimate fright VIP experiences are also available for additional prices. Tickets can be purchased online here.
— Noozhawk staff writer Serena Guentz can be reached at sguentz@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.