Halloween in San Francisco for Families (2026 Guide)

San Francisco does Halloween with real neighborhood spirit: whole blocks close to cars, porches go all out, and museums and plazas throw free parties for little ghouls. Halloween 2026 falls on a Saturday, so expect bigger, earlier crowds. Here’s where to trick-or-treat, which family events to put on the calendar, and where to pick a pumpkin without leaving the city.

Family Halloween Events

Trick-or-Treat at the Ferry Building · Thu, Oct 29, 4–6pm

A family trick-or-treat through the Ferry Building Marketplace, with candy and crafts while supplies last. Free; the Ferry Building asks families to RSVP on Eventbrite.

Full listing & details · Ferry Building events

Randall Museum Family Halloween Day · Sat, Oct 24, 10am–2pm

Free admission and no reservation needed at the city’s kid-focused museum on Corona Heights. This year is built around magic-themed crafts and games, and the museum told us many of the craft projects carry a small fee for supplies. Costumes are welcome and there are costume prizes. There is no trick-or-treat portion and no live animal presentation, though the animal room will be open.

Full listing & details · Randall Museum

Thrill-O-Ween at Thrive City · Cancelled

Chase Center has cancelled this year’s Thrill-O-Ween (it was set for Sat, Oct 24): with the Valkyries in the 2026 WNBA Finals, it says the event was canceled due to scheduling conflicts.

Full listing & details · RSVP

SuperNatural at Cal Academy · Sat, Oct 24, 6:30–9pm

The Academy’s family Halloween night, with trick-or-treat stations, live animal demos, face painting, a silent disco and a teen lounge. Every adult ticket must come with a child. General admission is $60 for adults and $45 for ages 3–17, and children 2 and under are free; it includes complimentary beer and wine for guests 21 and over. Early Admission, with entry from 5pm, is $200 per person or $750 for a family of four, per the Academy’s ticket page.

Full listing & details · Tickets

Halloween Hoopla at Yerba Buena Gardens · Sat, Oct 31, Noon–3pm

The 26th annual Hoopla in the Children’s Garden is made for kids under 10 and their grown-ups, with Circus Bella performers, a live trio and a costume parade to finish. Free with RSVP.

Full listing & details · RSVP

Chinatown Halloween Festival · Sat, Oct 31, 11am–3pm

The 12th annual block party on Waverly Place has a pumpkin patch, arts and crafts, virtual reality games, a lion dance and a costume contest; the organizer says costume contestants should pre-register by Wednesday 28 October, with $50 Chinatown dining gift certificates for the top three in each category. Free, according to local event listings (the organizer’s announcement does not print a price).

Full listing & details · Details

Fillmore After Dark Halloween Night Market · Sat, Oct 31, 4–9pm

A free night market at 1500 Fillmore St with a Kids Scream Zone: spooky bounce houses, trunk-or-treating, costume contests (including best family group), classic cars and a food and maker bazaar.

Full listing & details · Details

Scaregrove at Stern Grove · Fri, Oct 30, 3–9pm

Rec and Park’s free family Halloween party at Sigmund Stern Grove, with a haunted house, carnival rides, a haunted maze, arts and crafts and live entertainment. Food for sale. Free.

Full listing & details · SF Rec and Park

Boo at the Zoo · Sat, Oct 31, 10am–3pm

The SF Zoo’s Halloween festival: costume parade at 11am and costume contest at noon. Free with paid daytime zoo admission or membership; the zoo asks guests not to wear full-face masks.

Full listing & details · sfzoo.org

Spooky Square at Ghirardelli Square · Sat, Oct 31, from 1pm

Ghirardelli Square’s Halloween afternoon: a magic show at 1pm and a pet costume contest at 2pm, plus goodie bags while they last (first come, first served). The dog costume contest, run with YAP at the square’s fountain, is 2–3pm on Saturday 31 October, with prizes up to $250; register your dog by 10am that day. Ghirardelli Square does not list a price.

Spooky Square · Dog costume contest

Still to be announced for 2026: the Día de los Muertos procession in the Mission (Nov 2). We’ll add it to the events calendar once the date is confirmed.

Where to Trick-or-Treat

Neighbors apply to close their own blocks each year, so check the SFMTA trick-or-treat street closures page closer to Halloween for the approved 2026 closures. These neighborhoods have been family favorites in recent years (times below are from 2025):

Belvedere Street, Cole Valley

The city’s most famous Halloween block, with houses that go all out and thousands of pieces of candy. In 2025 it closed to cars from 17th Street to Parnassus, 4–10pm. Go early: it’s steep, packed, and candy runs out.

Noe Valley (Fair Oaks Street)

Flat, stroller-friendly Fair Oaks Street (22nd–26th) closed 5–8:30pm in 2025, and the 24th Street area joins in too.

More in Noe Valley

Bernal Heights (Cortland Avenue)

Cortland Avenue and nearby side streets closed 4:30–8:30pm in 2025, with merchants handing out treats along the main strip.

NoPa (Grove Street)

A neighborhood block party with a haunted house and kids’ costume contest. Residents ask visiting families to chip in candy.

Glen Park

Chenery Street closed 4–9:30pm in 2025. It’s a small-town main street lined with carved pumpkins, and easy to reach on BART.

Marina, Inner Sunset & Presidio Heights

Avila Street in the Marina, 12th Avenue in the Inner Sunset (near Clancy’s pumpkin patch), and Lake Street at Presidio Terrace all closed for trick-or-treaters in 2025.

Pumpkin Patches in the City

Clancy’s Pumpkins · Inner Sunset

A neighborhood pumpkin lot at 1620 7th Ave (at Lawton), open daily 9am–9pm from October 2 to 31. Note: Clancy’s has just one location this year.

clancystrees.com

You’ll also find a pumpkin patch at the Chinatown Halloween Festival (Oct 31).

Halloween Night Tips: Timing, Muni, Fog and Street Closures

• What time do kids trick-or-treat in San Francisco? Most families go from about 4:30 to 7pm. Sunset on Saturday, October 31 is around 6:10pm, and the busiest blocks can run out of candy early, so start while it’s still light.
• Is Muni free on Halloween? For kids, yes. Everyone 18 and under rides Muni free every day, no card needed (SFMTA). Adults pay the regular fare, and cable cars aren’t included. Take Muni if you can: parking near the famous blocks is close to impossible.
• Which streets close for trick-or-treating? At least 27 blocks in 13 neighborhoods had a city permit to close to cars on Halloween night as of September 27, with the most in the Sunset/Parkside and Glen Park. See Halloween in SF, by the numbers for the count by neighborhood.
• What should kids wear? Plan for fog and a chilly evening. Pick costumes that fit over warm layers, and add reflective tape or a light for dark, hilly streets. Our San Francisco weather and what-to-wear guide has the month-by-month details.
• Can I close my own block? Yes, with an SFMTA trick-or-treat street closure permit. The fee runs from $56 to $320 depending on how many blocks you close and how early you apply. The $56 one-block rate needs 90 days’ notice, so a request now costs more. You also need to talk to the neighbors on the block and post public notices. SFMTA trick-or-treat street closures.

Curious about other ghost traditions? Chinatown’s free Hungry Ghost Festival honors wandering spirits each late summer with a giant paper Ghost King parade, opera and altars. It has already happened this year (5 September 2026); our guide explains it and will carry the 2027 date. For San Francisco’s ghost stories, see our local legends guide.

Halloween and More Family Events This Fall

Local Legend: The White Lady of Stow Lake (Now Blue Heron Lake), Golden Gate Park

What is actually true: KQED and SFGATE both tell this as a ghost story, and neither points to any record behind it. The lake itself was dug in 1893 for boating and carriage drives, and circles Strawberry Hill, the highest point in Golden Gate Park. In January 2024 the Recreation and Park Commission renamed it Blue Heron Lake, because William W. Stow was an antisemite.

After Halloween: Día de los Muertos is Monday 2 November, and our Thanksgiving weekend guide covers Thursday 26 November and the long weekend.

Family events re-checked against each organizer’s own page on 29 September 2026: the Ferry Building, Randall Museum, the Thrill-O-Ween RSVP page, the California Academy of Sciences, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, the Community Youth Center (Chinatown Halloween Festival) and the Fillmore After Dark RSVP page. The Randall Museum confirmed its details by email on 2 October 2026. Re-checked 12 October 2026: the Ferry Building’s trick-or-treat time (now 4–6pm), Thrill-O-Ween (cancelled, per Chase Center), and the newly published Boo at the Zoo (sfzoo.org) and Scaregrove (SF Rec and Park). Re-checked 13 October 2026: Ghirardelli Square’s Spooky Square and dog costume contest pages (now dated 31 October). Street closures change every year; check SFMTA’s list before you go.

Correction, 12 October 2026: this guide gave the Ferry Building trick-or-treat as 5–7pm. The Ferry Building Marketplace’s event page says 4–6pm.

Re-checked 15 October 2026 against the organizers’ own pages: Randall Museum (24 October, 10am–2pm, free), Boo at the Zoo (31 October, 10am–3pm), Halloween Hoopla (31 October, noon–3pm), Spooky Square and the dog costume contest at Ghirardelli Square, Clancy’s Pumpkins (1620 7th Ave, daily 9am–9pm to 31 October), Fillmore After Dark (31 October, 4–9pm, 1500 Fillmore St), the Ferry Building trick-or-treat (29 October, 4–6pm), the Chinatown Halloween Festival announcement and the Cal Academy SuperNatural ticket page.

Local Legend: The Ghosts of the Sutro Baths, Lands End

What is actually true: KQED collects these sightings as ghost stories. The real history is dramatic enough: Adolph Sutro’s baths were among the grandest indoor swimming places anywhere, and the spot has had a long run of bad luck. In 1887 a schooner called the Parallel ran aground below the Cliff House and exploded, the rebuilt Cliff House burned down again, and in 1966 a fire took down the Sutro Baths building while it was being turned into apartments.