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San Francisco is becoming a witchy wonderland as Halloween fills The City with frights, delights and festive fun.
Here are 10 haunts to check out during this year’s spooky season.
Free Family Halloween Day at the Randall Museum (Oct. 18)
The educational museum for kids perched atop a hill in Corona Heights is becoming a haunted delight, complete with family-friendly games, arts and crafts, costume awards for children, and more fun surprises. Live entertainment will be provided by the Luke Schwartz Trio and Brian Scott Magic. Children 8 and under must be accompanied by adults.
The festivities run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and organizers say parking will be extremely limited, so it’s best to arrange alternative transportation. The museum is located at 199 Museum Way.
After Dark: Death and Life presented by the Exploratorium (Oct. 23)
The waterfront science museum will celebrate all facets of life with talks, exhibits and close-up looks at how the end of life leads to new beginnings in nature. Guests will be able to revive tardigrades (microscopic eight-legged animals) from cryptobiosis, a type of hibernation. The Exploratorium will also showcase altars created by artists from around the world in honor of Dia de los Muertos.
The Exploratorium’s After Dark event on death and life will feature altars created by artists from around the world spread throughout the museum galleries in honor of Día de los Muertos.
Courtesy Exploratorium
Tickets, which are priced at $22.95 each, can be purchased online. Guests must be ages 18 and up to attend the event, which runs 6-10 p.m.
Boo on the Bayou at Stern Grove (Oct. 24)
This annual all-ages event brings a haunted house, carnival rides, a hay maze, and arts and crafts to the park. There will also be food for sale and live entertainment, with American Sign Language interpretation provided.
The admission-free event runs 3-9 p.m., with entry at the intersection of 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard.
Halloween in Japantown (Oct. 24-25)
Japantown’s two-day affair begins with the Halloween Carnival at The Center, which will be held at 1840 Sutter St. from 6 to 8 p.m. It features live performances, games, arts and crafts, a bounce house, a parade and a costume contest.
The following day’s event, which lasts from noon to 4 p.m., will have a costume contest hosted by Corgi Con organizers. There will also be photo opportunities and a pop-up market. Guests can end their day with an outdoor movie night organized by the Nihonmachi Street Fair, which will screen “Frankenweenie,” Disney’s 2012 stop-motion animated film directed by Tim Burton.
The Haunt: An Artistically-Twisted Haunted House (Oct. 25-Nov. 1)
For the first time, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is turning the Forum, its 6,700-square-foot event space, into an immersive labyrinth built from salvaged materials and filled with artists’ works. The maze will spill out into a graveyard featuring a dance floor, a bar and seasonal merchandise, among other offerings.
Family-friendly afternoon shows, which run 3-5 p.m., are available on select dates. Evening shows with hourly timed entries, scheduled for 7-10 p.m., are recommended for patrons ages 13 and up. Tickets can be purchased online at prices ranging from $15 to $35, depending on times and dates. Kids 12 and under get free admission.
The 11th annual Chinatown Halloween Festival (Oct. 25)
Waverly Place between Sacramento and Washington streets will bring arts and crafts, carnival games, seasonal treats and a pumpkin patch to the neighborhood. There will also be a costume contest with prizes, lion dances and balloon animals.
Guests can RSVP their attendance online, with the party running from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Boo at the Zoo presented by San Francisco Zoo (Oct. 25-26)
This west-side event is treating guests to music, arts and crafts, bubbles, and plenty of Halloween candy. Patrons are encouraged to wear costumes. San Francisco Zoo’s conservation booth will also be hosting “Extinction is Scary,” a program that offers lessons about animals associated with the holiday that face elimination, such as lemurs and wolves.
As part of Boo at the Zoo, San Francisco Zoo’s conservation booth will host “Extinction is Scary,” a program offering lessons on animals that face extinction in the wild and are associated with the holiday, such as lemurs.
Courtesy Nancy Chan
Boo at the Zoo runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online.
Thrill-O-Ween at Thrive City (Oct. 26)
The public plaza at Chase Center hosts its fifth annual all-ages Halloween celebration filled with trick-or-treat stations, a mini pumpkin patch, a magic show and a costume contest. The afternoon’s festivities will be followed by a screening of Tim Burton’s 1993 stop-motion animated film “The Nightmare Before Christmas” on the 3,108-square-foot video board overlooking Thrive City.
The event is free to attend and runs from noon to 5 p.m.
Halloween is filling The City with frights, delights, and festive fun. Thrive City, the public plaza surrounding Chase Center, will hold its fifth annual all-ages celebration in honor of the holiday.
Courtesy Joshua Leung
‘Coco’ presented by San Francisco Symphony (Oct. 29)
San Francisco Symphony will screen “Coco,” the 2017 animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It will be accompanied by a live orchestra conducted by Conner Gray Covington. Custom food and beverages will be served, including Mexican hot chocolate, tamales and sugar skull cookies.
Tickets are available online, ranging in price from $54.50 to $230. Kids’ tickets are half off. Guests will also be able to view altars and art installations created by local artists for the annual Dia de los Muertos concert on Nov. 1. The film starts at 7:30 p.m.
The 21st annual Guardsmen Halloween Party (Oct. 31)
The Guardsmen — a volunteer organization that provides educational and recreational activities to disadvantaged and impoverished youth — is taking over The Brixton, where there will be a live DJ and ample space to bust a move. In addition to drink specials, there will be over $500 in prizes given out to the best-dressed attendees, so guests are encouraged to wear costumes.
Tickets can be purchased online, ranging in price from $33.42 to $49.48. Proceeds from the party, which starts at 9 p.m., will benefit programs that support underserved Bay Area youth. Attendees must be ages 21 or older, with valid identification required at the door. The restaurant is located at 2140 Union St.