How to Celebrate Halloween in Ventura, CA: Family Friendly Things to Do 

When fall arrives, Ventura transforms into a vibrant Halloween getaway, offering a perfect blend of spooky fun and family-friendly activities. If you’re looking for a beach vacation with a Halloween twist, Ventura is the place to be. From a mixture of spook-tacular events happening this month and other thrilling adventures to embark on while you’re in town, here’s how to celebrate Halloween in Ventura. 

Visit Pumpkin Patches in Ventura

Halloween wouldn’t be complete without a visit to a pumpkin patch, and you can have your pick of all sorts of pumpkins at different pumpkin patches in Ventura. Head over to the Big Wave Pumpkin Patch at the Pacific View Mall, where you’ll find an array of pumpkins to pick, fun family photo ops (posing next to a vintage car is so Ventura), and interactive games for the kids. 

Over at McGrath Great Pacific Pumpkins on Olivas Park Drive, you and the family can ride on tractors, get lost in the hay maze, and see barn animals! With a huge field of orange pumpkins to pick from, you’ll find the right jack-o-lantern in no time.  

Spooky Exhibits at the Museum of Ventura County

For a fun educational twist, take the family to the Museum of Ventura County for their special Halloween-themed exhibits. This month’s exhibit, “The Curse of The Vampire: Tales from The Book of Nosferatu.” Featuring gruesomely detailed two feet tall sculptures of vampires alongside retro comic book styled drawings, you won’t be able to take your eyes off of this exhibit! 18 and younger get free admission to the museum, adults at $10. The exhibit runs until November 17. 

Downtown Ventura’s Spooktacular Costume Contest and Trick-or-Treating 

A free all-ages event, get dressed up for Downtown Ventura’s annual costume contest and trick-or-treating on Saturday, October 26 from 3-7 PM! Winners of the costume contest get fun prizes and then you can fill up on all the treats you can find at participating businesses for the trick or treating in Downtown Ventura. 

Fall Ventura Farmers Market

Stock up on your favorite fall seasonal fruits, veggies, and organic goodies at the Ventura Farmers Market. Taking place every Saturday morning from 8:30 AM to noon in the 200 block of Main Street, pick up fresh and colorful squash, tomatoes, berries, and more from dozens of local farms and vendors. Plus, you can even grab lunch at hot food vendors. It’s a fun interactive experience for the whole crew!

Halloween Fun at Portside Ventura Harbor

What’s better than getting in the spooky spirit by the water? Portside Ventura Harbor is full of fun Halloween events all month long. Kid-friendly and free, here are the Halloween events to look forward to:

Movie Night Under the Stars: Halloweentown

On Friday, October 18 at 7:00 PM, dress up in your costumes and head to Portside for their popular Movie Night Under the Stars. This year, watch Disney’s classic “Halloweentown” with the whole crew. Completely free to the public, snacks are available for purchase.

Trick-or-Treat the Portside Businesses

The kids will love walking around Portside Ventura Harbor in their best costumes for trick-or-treating on Friday, October 25! Free to the public, begin at the Leasing Office to collect some candy and a map of the other businesses participating.

Halloween Craft Night

Last but certainly not least, Portside Ventura Harbor is hosting a fun-filled evening of creativity making spooky crafts to decorate your home with. Bring your friends out to destress and tap into your creative side. Admission is $10 and supplies are included.

Things to Do

Family Fun

Ventura Shopping

Arts, Culture & History

Pet Friendly

Parking

Outdoors

Beaches & Surfing

Biking & Hiking Trails

Great Pacific Pumpkins 5100 Olivas Park Dr, Ventura, CA 93003

(805) 644-1235

Museum of Ventura County – Agriculture Museum 926 Railroad Ave, Santa Paula, CA 93060

(805) 525-3100

Ventura Harbor 1583 Spinnaker Drive , Ventura, CA 93003

Ventura Botanical Gardens 567 South Poli Street, ventura, CA 93001

(805) 232-3113

Ventura Pier Beachfront Promenade, Ventura, CA 93001

805-652-4550

Portside Ventura Harbor 1196 Portside Dr, Ventura, CA 93001

(805) 262-8380

HOWL-o-ween Dog Costume Contest at the Ventura Harbor

Head over to the Ventura Harbor Village for their annual dog costume contest (cue the awws) on October 26 from noon to 2:00 PM. If you don’t have your pooch, sit back and enjoy the sights of dogs of all shapes and sizes dressed to the nines for this beloved community Halloween celebration right on the harbor. And if you brought your pooch to Ventura (because there are a lot of things you can do with your dog in Ventura!), don’t be shy — dress up alongside your furry four-legged friend and join in on the festivities!

See Fall Colors at the Ventura Botanical Gardens

While the leaves on our trees don’t change all that much during the fall, there are still plenty of beautiful colors to behold at the Ventura Botanical Gardens. With well over 110,000 plants in the ground, the Ventura Botanical Gardens is a great place to see diverse and unique plants along the paths. 

Walk the Ventura Pier at Twilight

End the day with a magical (and slightly spooky) evening on a twilight walk along the historic Ventura Pier. While it’s not overtly Halloween-themed, the pier’s panoramic views of the ocean, combined with the cool October breeze, give it an ethereal vibe. As the sun sets and the lights twinkle along the shoreline, it’s a perfect way to end a festive day of Halloween activities.

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