Goths, Shocks and Alien Rocks: 10 Bay Area Halloween Events for 2024

Aaah, it’s that time of year once more. A Spirit Halloween store just sprang up at the strip mall. Target checkouts are awash with gigantic skeletons. And every child in the vicinity is demanding dangerously sharp cutting implements with which to annihilate a pumpkin or five. That means it’s time to start planning your Halloween schedule in earnest.

Luckily, we have some suggestions.

The Gathering of the Goths

USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum, Alameda
Oct. 19, 5 p.m.

Goths are dark, rubbery and be-corseted all year-round, so just imagine the effort they put in when they’ve got a haunted ship full of bands, food and something called a “poison and elixir bar” to hang out on.

The USS Hornet puts on a Halloween spectacular every year, but this one promises to be next level, with performances from four dark wave bands including Oakland’s Jeweled Snakes and San Francisco’s Octavian Winters. There will also be DJs, costume contests, tarot readings and a Halloween art, fashion and decor market. Optional add-ons to the regular tickets include creepy-crawly crafting from Silver Moon Curiosities and — oh, but of course — ghost tours.

It’s not uncommon for after-dark visitors to the Hornet to report apparitions, disembodied voices, strange light anomalies and objects moving on their own. But be warned: This might be one evening when distinguishing between the living and the dead is trickier than usual.

Halloween at di Rosa Day

di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa
Oct. 26, 11 a.m–4 p.m.

Selby Sohn has always been an artist adept at mixing the playful with the discomfiting. It makes perfect sense then that she’d be providing some of the artwork (and wearable sculptures!) for di Rosa Day — a family-friendly Halloween spectacular being held at the contemporary art gallery.

The outdoor sculptures that live on di Rosa’s 217-acre property are mind-bending in the best of times, and on Oct. 26, they’ll be accompanied by trick or treating, a costume parade, hands-on art activities (including making zoetropes!) and, best of all, a haunted house. Not just any haunted house, either — it will be situated inside the gallery’s former winery, a circular stone structure complete with a bell tower that dates back to 1886. Don’t worry, parents — there will also be wine.

(Selby Sohn has previously written for KQED.)

Christian Cagigal’s Witching Hour

Hotel Majestic, San Francisco
October 2–25, 7:30 p.m.

If its Trip Advisor and Yelp reviews are to be believed, the Hotel Majestic is a perfect location for any Halloween event. Strange footsteps, lights turning on by themselves and strange bouts of sleep paralysis have all been reported. One reviewer even claimed to see “a ghost girl walking around the hallway across [from] my bed… She had long brown hair and wore a Victorian dress.”

Christian Cagigal will enchant guests at the 122-year-old hotel with his magic and illusion skills, as well as his vast knowledge of local history. Apparently, Cagigal will also be bringing a variety of interactive, spirit-goading props along, including ouija boards, strange artifacts and antique dolls. If that doesn’t inspire terrifying Victorian ghost children to appear, nothing will.

The Niles Altar Walk

Niles Town Plaza, Fremont
Nov. 3, 2–9 p.m.

The Niles Altar Walk is neither the biggest nor the splashiest Dia de Los Muertos event in the Bay Area. Where it distinguishes itself is in its family-friendly warmth, and a spirit that is rooted entirely in celebrating the dead, be they recently deceased loved ones or long-gone ancestors. Because it eschews commercialism, the downtown celebration has been a genuinely moving occasion every year since it first started in 2012.

Featuring traditional performances by local children and adults, as well as opportunities for visitors to honor their own loved ones, this is a Day of the Dead experience that provides enough space for true reflection.

Self-Guided Horror Movie Marathon

Everywhere, Bay Area

Fall 2024 has so many promising horror movies on offer, it’s hard to narrow the best ones down into a shortlist. For those of you wanting a theater experience, consider Speak No Evil (Sept. 13), a remake of a 2022 Danish movie that’s in possession of one of the most twisted endings in recent memory. Then there’s Last Straw (Sept. 20), a stylish but claustrophobic horror about a lone waitress fending off masked intruders at an all-night diner. Halle Berry leads Never Let Go (Sept. 20) as a mom raising two kids in a post-apocalyptic nightmare where only the ropes physically tethering them together can keep the family safe.

If you’d rather stream your horror from under the safety of a blanket, check out the long-awaited remake of Stephen King’s creepy vampire classic Salem’s Lot (October) on Max. Paramount+ has a Rosemary’s Baby prequel, Apartment 7A (Sept. 27) starring the always-wonderful Diane Wiest as everyone’s favorite homey Satan-worshipper, Mrs. Castevet. Finally, from Netflix, Sam Raimmi and the studios that brought you Barbarian, there’s Don’t Move (Oct. 25), a film tailor-made for anyone whose recurring nightmares revolve around needing to run but not being able to.

Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics

First Presbyterian Church, Oakland
Oct. 31, 7 p.m

Heading to church isn’t the first thing most people think of doing for a Halloween night out, but the Listeso String Quartet is giving everyone a solid reason to go this year.

The classical musicians will be doing two candlelit performances — at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. — inside Oakland’s beautiful (and appropriately dramatic) First Presbyterian Church. And the setlist consists entirely of Halloween- and horror-inspired songs, including Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” “Tubular Bells” by Mike Oldfield and songs by Danny Elfman from The Nightmare Before Christmas and Beetlejuice. Expect to leave thoroughly bewitched.

Goth Gardening

SummerWinds Nursery, Cupertino
Oct. 13, 10:30 a.m.

Anyone can hang a skeleton on their doorstep for Halloween, but for the folks who prefer to celebrate the dark arts all year-round, more dedication is required. Which is exactly why Cupertino’s SummerWinds Nursery is throwing a Goth Gardening class in the middle of October.

The 60-minute, Halloween-inspired guide will teach you how to keep your planter boxes and gardens mysterious and enchanting. By the end, you should know how to distinguish between your black dahlias, black velvet petunias and midnight mystic hyacinths. Before you know it, you’ll have the ghostly garden of your dreams.

Into the Dark: Fatal Abduction

The San Francisco Mint, San Francisco
Oct. 4–Nov. 3, times vary

Last year, the theme was cults. The year before that, it was something to do with seances, and also vampires. This year, the maniacs and drag queens behind Into the Dark are exploring all things alien abduction, time travel, climate change and — sure, why not? — evil lizard people.

As usual, the venue is the Mint, the cast is as huge as the concept, and visitors should anticipate a fully immersive, highly theatrical haunted house vibe. Oh, and the Fang Bang Bar will be back open for all of your libation-related needs.

This year — because of course there’s a twist! — VIP ticket holders will also have access to Justin Cooter’s Roadhouse Bar. Cooter is purportedly an amateur wrestler and alien abductee who’ll be performing, line dancing and indulging in bouts of arm wrestling. This entire event will, of course, be almost unfathomably bonkers — and that’s precisely why you should go.

Halloween Sausalito

Station 1 Firehouse, Sausalito
Oct. 31, 6 p.m.

As far as Halloween events go, there are few as joyful as Sausalito’s annual street party — an explosion of costumed humans and dogs wandering the streets and sharing treats.

The fun kicks off with a parade starting at the Station One Firehouse and ending at Robin Sweeny Park. The four-block walking distance makes this a delightfully leisurely stroll that’s suitable for all ages and most fitness levels. After a touch of trick or treating at the park with local vendors, the highlight of the evening commences. I am of course referring to the annual dog costume contest. The event is free to enter and there are three categories of competition: best little dog, best big dog (for pooches over 35 pounds) and best human and dog couple. Pity the poor judges having to figure out who to give prizes to.

After that — get ready to feel the zing! — there’s a screening of Hotel Transylvania inside City Hall. Family fun at its finest.

Vintage Witch Market
Gilman Brewing Company, Berkeley
Oct. 20, 12–5 p.m.

A bar full of witches? Surrounded by everything they need to cast their spells? What could possibly go wrong!

To put it mildly, Gilman Brewing Company’s Vintage Witch Market isn’t your average Halloween-themed pop-up market. For a start, it really is geared towards practicing witches with stalls selling herbs, spell-casting kits, brooms, divination tools and so much more. On top of that, attendees are encouraged to wear their best witch finery. Midway through the day, prizes will be given out to the best sexy witch, vintage witch and movie witch. Just don’t be surprised if one of them puts a spell on you…

Happy Halloween, everyone!