If you’re looking to get into the Halloween spirit, there’s a lot of fright — and fun — to be had at the Bernal Scream, which opened last weekend at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.
The scare factory, which is open specific days through Nov. 8, has basically doubled in size from last year with two different attractions, “The Last Confession” and “Anxiety,” under the same roof at the fairgrounds’ Gateway Hall. With a mind-numbing soundtrack resonating through your bones and about 35 performers between the two mazes frightening people, there’s literally a scare around every corner.
Props for The Bernal Scream are seen during a media preview of the haunted attraction at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds on Sept. 18, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
A creepy doll prop for The Bernal Scream is displayed during a media preview of the haunted attraction at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds on Sept. 18, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
A performer for The Bernal Scream delivers a jump scare during a media preview of the haunted attraction at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds on Sept. 18, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
Props for The Bernal Scream are seen during a media preview of the haunted attraction at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds on Sept. 18, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
A creepy doll prop for The Bernal Scream is displayed during a media preview of the haunted attraction at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds on Sept. 18, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
A prop for The Bernal Scream is displayed during a media preview of the haunted attraction at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds on Sept. 18, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
Props for The Bernal Scream are seen during a media preview of the haunted attraction at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds on Sept. 18, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
A performer for The Bernal Scream delivers a jump scare during a media preview of the haunted attraction at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds on Sept. 18, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
A performer for The Bernal Scream lunges out during a media preview of the haunted attraction at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds on Sept. 18, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
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Props for The Bernal Scream are seen during a media preview of the haunted attraction at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds on Sept. 18, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
The Bernal Scream has gotten bigger in other ways, too. They’ve also added a pumpkin patch, glow-in-the-dark paintball and, for grown-ups, axe throwing. On Oct. 17, 24 and 25, kids 9 and under can take a somewhat less scary daytime tour without actors or jump scares.
Co-founder Mike Barrera said the new haunted house and added attractions are a tribute to how far the Bernal Scream has come since it was a backyard Halloween attraction in South San Jose. But the expansion he may be most proud of is how the Bernal Scream is giving back to the community, with a clothing drive for HomeFirst and the launch of the first Scream Proud Halloween Fundraiser.
Julia Baldwin Elementary School, which Barrera attended, is transforming into a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) magnet school, and Bernal Scream visitors can support the school with a donation during the online ticketing process or by making a direct donation on the web site. Barrera said tickets have been donated to every student at the school, too.
Go to www.thebernalscream.com for hours, tickets and other information.
CLOWNING AROUND: The fall edition of the SoFA Street Fair returns to downtown San Jose on Sunday with something new: Jammy’s Magical Midway. It’s an old-school carnival experience with games like ring toss, five-pin bowling and Tip the Clown, along with a sideshow stage hosted by Jammy the Clown himself. And even if you come for the carnival, you should stay for the music, with about 70 local bands and performers playing on 11 stages from 2 to 8 p.m. You can browse the lineup and build you own personal schedule at sofafall26.sched.com.
Speaking of clowns, there’ll be a few doing their thing with Circus Vargas, which is bringing its new show, “Masquerade!” to Westfield Oakridge Mall in San Jose. The spectacle promises lots of aerialists, acrobats and daredevil stunts — and the aforementioned clowns. You can get more details and tickets for the show, which opens Sept. 25 and runs through Oct. 5, at circusvargas.com.
PENINSULA PLANNER: Palo Alto is going to look like Pumpkin Alto this weekend, with more than 10,000 handmade glass gourds on display — and for sale — as the Great Glass Pumpkin Patch returns to the Palo Alto Art Center on Saturday and Sunday. More than 20 glass artists will be at the free event, which will include live glassblowing demos, courtesy of the Bay Area Glass Institute. It’s open from 10 to 5 p.m. each day, and you can get the lowdown at greatglasspumpkinpatch.org.
And if you want to balance out glass art with literature, you can split the weekend and visit the South Asian Literature and Art Festival, which is happening Saturday and Sunday at Menlo College in Atherton. With the theme “Global Gaze; South Asian Soul,” this year’s festival will feature panel discussions, dance performances and conversations with Dr. Venki Ramakrishnan, winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in chemistry, and celebrated Indian actor and director Nandita Das. Get more details at www.salafestival.org.