San Diego’s 2026 Halloween season runs from mid-September through the Day of the Dead weekend in early November, with dozens of things happening across the county: ticketed haunted attractions like The Haunted Trail of Balboa Park and SeaWorld’s Howl-O-Scream, family pumpkin patches, neighborhood trick-or-treat trails in La Mesa, Little Italy, and on Adams Avenue, home light shows in Oceanside, trunk-or-treats at churches and shopping centers, and Día de los Muertos events running into November. Two of the county’s usual headline haunts are sitting this season out (see below), and one long-running festival was cancelled outright. Everything below carries a source and a last-verified date so you’re not the next person walking up to a dark building.
Want a guided evening out this October instead? See our San Diego ghost tour dates and Book Now.
Two Big Halloween Attractions Are Closed for 2026
Two of San Diego County’s best-known Halloween draws are not running this year. This was checked past each operator’s homepage banner: both closure pages were edited specifically in mid-2026 to add the closure language, both sites’ ticket-purchase links are dead, two independent haunt directories confirm it, and neither attraction appears on its own venue’s working event calendar.
- The Haunted Hotel “Disturbance”: closed for 2026. The operator’s own site (hauntedhotel.com) carries closure language and directs visitors to the Haunted Trail of Balboa Park instead; its Tickets and FAQ links both 404.
- The Scream Zone, Del Mar Fairgrounds: closed for 2026. Its ticket page is down and the operator is directing visitors to the Haunted Trail of Balboa Park instead.
- El Cajon’s Hauntfest on Main: cancelled for 2026 due to a city budget shortfall, per East County Magazine. Some directory sites have not updated and still list it as active, but it is not happening.
Last verified 2026-09-25.
For visitors looking for an alternative this year, guided walking tours through downtown neighborhoods like the Gaslamp Quarter and Old Town, including our own Haunted San Diego Ghost Tours, continue to run nightly through the season.
Home Haunts & Light Shows
These are private residences whose owners have publicly invited visitors, and each is confirmed directly against the owner’s own account or a news story naming and quoting them. If you want more San Diego haunted-house stories with a history angle, see our San Diego Haunted Locations and Houses page.
| Display | Where | When | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35th Street Halloween Home | 4353 35th St, Normal Heights, San Diego (just off El Cajon Blvd) | Lit nightly from now through Halloween. Free. A resident-run display in its 26th year, put up by one of our own Haunted San Diego Ghost Tours hosts. Street parking, walk up. | 2026-09-29 |
| South Park Horror House | 2962 Laurel St, San Diego 92104 | Fri & Sat, 7–9pm in October, nightly Halloween week. Free. Run by Josh Schauert, profiled by Times of San Diego in 2025. | 2026-09-25 |
| Benevente Light Show | 429 Benevente Dr, Oceanside 92057 | Nightly, dusk–9:30pm. Seasonal, and switches to a dedicated Halloween display mode each October; confirm the mode is live before visiting. Free, FM radio simulcast. Check the owner’s site for etiquette notes before visiting. | 2026-09-25 |
Neighborhood Trick-or-Treat Trails
| Event | Where | When | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halloween on Maryland Street | Maryland St, University Heights | Sat Oct 31, 5–8pm. A long-running resident-run street, one of the county’s biggest. Park on surrounding streets and walk in. | 2026-09-29 |
| Halloween in La Mesa Village | La Mesa Blvd, La Mesa | Sat Oct 31, 4–6pm. | 2026-09-25 |
| Halloween at the Station | Ingram Plaza, Liberty Station | Sun Oct 25, from 12pm. | 2026-09-25 |
| Trick-or-Treat on India Street | India St corridor, Little Italy | Fri Oct 25, approx. 3:30–7:30pm. | 2026-09-25 |
| Adams Avenue Halloween Haunt | Adams Ave, San Diego (40+ participating businesses) | Sat Oct 31, 3–6pm, costume contest. | 2026-09-25 |
| Encinitas Safe Trick-or-Treat | Coast Hwy 101, Downtown Encinitas | Sat Oct 31, 5–8pm. | 2026-09-25 |
| Halloween in the Village | Carlsbad Village | Sat Oct 31, 2pm trick-or-treat, 4pm costume contest. | 2026-09-25 |
Trunk-or-Treats
| Event | Organizer / Where | When | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newbreak Church Tierrasanta Trunk-or-Treat | 10791 Tierrasanta Blvd, San Diego | Fri Oct 30, 5:30–8:30pm, free, includes a sensory room. | 2026-09-25 |
| Calvary San Diego Trunk or Treat | 1771 E Palomar St, Chula Vista | Sat Oct 31, 6–9pm, free. | 2026-09-25 |
| Santee Lakes Spooktacular & Trunk-or-Treat | 9310 Fanita Pkwy, Santee | Sat Oct 25, 10am–2pm. Free entry, paid parking. | 2026-09-25 |
| Trick-or-Treat at Carmel Mountain Ranch Town Center | I-15 & Carmel Mountain Rd | Fri Oct 30, 3–5pm, free. | 2026-09-25 |
| Chula Vista Community Collaborative Trunk or Treat | 84 E J St, Chula Vista | Thu Oct 31, 5pm, free. | 2026-09-25 |
| Imperial Beach Spooktacular Trunk or Treat | Seacoast Dr / Pier Plaza, Imperial Beach | Fri Oct 23, 5–7pm, free. | 2026-09-25 |
| Boo Bash 2026 (Trans Family SOS) | 3845 Spring Dr, Spring Valley | Sat Oct 24, 2–5pm, free. | 2026-09-25 |
Fright For Future: Nonprofit Haunted Maze
Fright For Future is a nonprofit haunted maze at 3720 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego 92105, fiscally sponsored by SanDiego350. Weekend dates run Oct 16–18 and Oct 23–25, Fri/Sat/Sun 5–9pm, plus weekday school-group sessions Oct 12–16 and 19–23, 9am–2pm. Check the operator’s own site for current admission details. Last verified 2026-09-25.
Pumpkin Patches With a Halloween Element
Only one San Diego County pumpkin patch has a real after-dark haunt component. The rest are daytime family programming, still worth a stop, listed below.
| Farm | Where | Notes | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlsbad Strawberry Company | 1050 Cannon Rd, Carlsbad | Haunted Corn Maze, Fri/Sat Oct 2–31, 7–10pm, run with the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation. Daytime patch, plus the farm’s animatronic Jurassic Fright walk-through (debuted 2025, running again this year). | 2026-09-25 |
| Bates Nut Farm | 15954 Woods Valley Rd, Valley Center | Sept 17–Oct 31, daytime, hours vary by month. | 2026-09-25 |
| Rancho Bernardo Pumpkin Station | 13421 Highland Valley Rd, San Diego | Sept 25–Oct 8, 9am–6pm; Oct 9–31, 9am–7pm. | 2026-09-25 |
| Pumpkin Station at Plaza Bonita | Westfield Plaza Bonita parking lot, 3030 Plaza Bonita Rd, National City | Sept 25–Oct 31, daily. Patch and rides, no haunt. | 2026-09-25 |
| Mellano Farm Stand | 5714 North River Rd, Oceanside | Pumpkin & Marigold Harvest Festival, six weekends from Oct 3. | 2026-09-25 |
| Mountain Valley Ranch | 842 Hwy 78, Ramona | Sept 26–Oct 31, daily. | 2026-09-25 |
| Goff Family Pumpkin Patch | Liberty Station, 2830 Perry Rd, San Diego | Sept 18–Oct 31, free entry. | 2026-09-25 |
| Oma’s Family Farm | 14950 El Monte Rd, Lakeside | Sept 26–Oct 31, reservation-based. | 2026-09-25 |
October Festivals & Día de los Muertos
Old Town San Diego is also home to one of the county’s Día de los Muertos events below, in the same historic neighborhood our Gaslamp and Old Town ghost tour walks on select nights this season.
| Event | Where | When | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Día de los Muertos at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park | Old Town San Diego SHP | Oct 31–Nov 2, Catrina Contest Nov 1, free. | 2026-09-25 |
| Once Upon a Hallowe’en | Old Poway Park | Sat Oct 24, 4:30–8:30pm, free admission. | 2026-09-25 |
| Fallbrook Halloween Festival | Fallbrook Community Center | Sat Oct 24, 3–6pm, free. | 2026-09-25 |
| The Super Dentists Spooktacular (27th annual) | 2226 Otay Lakes Rd, Chula Vista | Sat Oct 31, 11am–1pm, free. | 2026-09-25 |
| Loma Verde Recreation Center Fall Festival | 1420 Loma Ln, Chula Vista | Fri Oct 28, 2–5:30pm, free. | 2026-09-25 |
| Haunted Market at Sunset Market | Pier View Way, Oceanside | Thu Oct 29, 5–9pm, free entry. | 2026-09-25 |
| Harvest on the Promenade | North Promenade, Liberty Station | Sat Oct 17, from 10am. | 2026-09-25 |
Bar & Restaurant Halloween Events
If dinner is part of your Halloween plans, our own Ghost & Goblets dinner-and-tour combo runs through the season downtown.
| Event | Venue | When | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nightmare Bar pop-up | Trailer Park After Dark, 835 5th Ave, Gaslamp Quarter | Sat Oct 10, 7pm. | 2026-09-25 |
| San Diego Zombie Crawl | Multi-venue, 25+ Gaslamp bars, starting at American Junkie | Oct 23, 24, 30 & 31. | 2026-09-25 |
Already downtown for the Zombie Crawl or a Gaslamp bar night? Our San Diego Gaslamp and Old Town ghost tour runs through the same neighborhood on select nights. Book Now.
Big Ticketed Attractions (Open for 2026)
| Attraction | Where | When | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Haunted Trail of Balboa Park | Balboa Dr & Juniper Rd, Balboa Park, San Diego 92101 | Select nights, Sept 25–Nov 1. Outdoor trail and indoor maze ticketed; the Dark Carnival scare zone is free. | 2026-09-25 |
| SeaWorld Howl-O-Scream | SeaWorld San Diego | Select nights, Sept 11–Oct 31, guest entry 6pm. Six haunted houses, eight scare zones. | 2026-09-25 |
| San Diego Zoo HalGLOWeen | Balboa Park | Fri/Sat/Sun, Oct 3–31, 5pm start. Included with zoo admission, no separate event ticket. | 2026-09-25 |
| LEGOLAND Brick-or-Treat | LEGOLAND California, Carlsbad | Sept 19, 26; Oct 3–4, 10–11, 17–18, 24–25, 31; Nov 1. Park hours 10:30am–4:30pm, included with admission. | 2026-09-25 |
| Belmont Park Beachside Fall Fest | Belmont Park, Mission Beach | Weekends, Sept 10–Oct 31. Free trick-or-treating every Sunday, Trunk-or-Treat Car Show Oct 25. | 2026-09-25 |
If you’re already at Balboa Park for the Haunted Trail or HalGLOWeen, downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter and historic Old Town are a short drive away, where our own walking ghost tours run many nights this season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Scream Zone in Del Mar open in 2026?
No. The Scream Zone at the Del Mar Fairgrounds is closed for the 2026 season. The operator’s own site was edited in June 2026 to add closure language, its ticket page is dead, and the Del Mar Fairgrounds’ own event calendar carries no listing for it this October.
Is The Haunted Hotel’s Disturbance open in 2026?
No. The Haunted Hotel’s “Disturbance” attraction is closed for 2026. The operator’s own site was edited in June 2026 to add closure language and its ticket and FAQ links both return a 404 error.
Is Hauntfest on Main happening in El Cajon in 2026?
No. Hauntfest on Main was cancelled for 2026 due to a city budget shortfall, per East County Magazine. Some directory and city sites have not yet updated their listings.
What Halloween events are happening in San Diego in 2026?
San Diego’s 2026 Halloween season includes ticketed attractions (The Haunted Trail of Balboa Park, SeaWorld’s Howl-O-Scream, San Diego Zoo’s HalGLOWeen, LEGOLAND’s Brick-or-Treat), pumpkin patches, neighborhood trick-or-treat trails, home light shows, trunk-or-treats, and Día de los Muertos festivals running into early November. See the full list above, organized by category.
Where can I find a haunted corn maze near San Diego?
Carlsbad Strawberry Company runs a Haunted Corn Maze on Friday and Saturday nights, Oct 2–31, 7–10pm, in partnership with the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation, at 1050 Cannon Rd, Carlsbad.
Are there free Halloween events in San Diego?
Yes. Most of the neighborhood trick-or-treat trails, trunk-or-treats, and October festivals listed above are free, including Halloween in La Mesa Village, Trick-or-Treat on India Street in Little Italy, the Adams Avenue Halloween Haunt, and several church and city-run trunk-or-treats.
Sources
Every entry above was checked directly against the organizer’s or venue’s own site, a named news source, or (for the home haunts) the owner’s own account, between 2026-09-25 and 2026-09-27. Full source list and evidence lines: internal research file, San Diego Halloween 2026 Map Research, 2026-09-25.