Trunk-or-treats, haunted trails and pumpkin patches from Martinez to San Ramon, sorted by how old your kids are.
Halloween 2026 falls on a Saturday. That pushes most of the downtown trick-or-treats and trunk-or-treats into the week before, and the busiest stretch around Mount Diablo is Friday, October 23 through Sunday, October 25.
Here's what's on in Walnut Creek, Concord, Clayton, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Lamorinda, Danville, Alamo and San Ramon, grouped by age. Know of an event that's missing, or spot something wrong? Submit it and I'll add it.
Published October 16, 2026
Storytimes, trunk-or-treats, haunted trails and candy crawls, in date order. Most suit toddlers and grade-schoolers alike; check each one's Ages line for the few pitched at one end.
Free
Hunt the children's section for the ingredients on Goblin's spell list, then hand in the checklist at the desk for a prize.
Free
Creepy tales picked by library staff, and an open mic for kids brave enough to read one aloud.
Book ahead
The Town of Danville's Halloween party, themed superheroes and villains this year (per the Town's announcement), with arts and crafts, face painting, games and trick-or-treating. Two sessions, codes #38398 (4 pm) and #38399 (6 pm) in the Town's activity guide. Pre-registration is required; the Town says walk-ins will not be accepted.
Free
The city's 7th annual trunk-or-treat. The first hour is low-sensory: no music or jump scares, allergy-friendly and non-food treats, and a quiet indoor room. After 4 pm there's music, giveaways, balloon twisters, face painting and a scavenger hunt.
Free
A not-too-scary walk past themed booths, from ghostly graveyards to witches' cauldrons, with a treat at each stop, a monster freeze-dance and costume contests at 6:15 (sign up at the DJ booth). It draws 2,000+ trick-or-treaters and parking is very limited, so walk or come early.
Free
Trunk-or-treat on the street plus store-to-store trick-or-treating at downtown businesses, with crafts and games at the Plaza on Main Street. A list of participating businesses is handed out on the day. Bring your own bag.
Free
Clayton Community Church and the CBCA fill the lot with decorated trunks, with fun and games, a kids' costume contest (keep costumes family-friendly) and a dog costume contest (dogs need registering). Small-town and easy to do in an hour.
Book ahead
The Lafayette Youth Commission's haunted walk, in its gentler early-evening version. The same trail runs a Very Scary version later each night (see Tweens and teens), so check which session you're booking.
Free
Low-scare stories, songs and finger plays, then stay-and-play with toys. Costumes welcome. Pairs with the downtown Spooktacular a block away the same morning.
FreeBook ahead
Learn about Día de los Muertos and home altars, then paint a frame to take home for your own ofrenda. The library's listing says registration is required.
Show off the costume a week early. The winner takes home a free dozen.
Free
San Ramon Parks and the Historic Foundation turn the old farm into treat stations, with a scavenger hunt, crafts, games, hay rides, a photo booth and spooky stories.
Book ahead
Meet Scarlett O'Harry and Wishbone, the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association's tarantulas, then walk about 2 miles up Mitchell Canyon looking for witches' broom and ghost pines and hearing about the pirate who hid in a cave nearby. About 100 feet of climbing. Reserve by emailing mtdiablohiker@gmail.com.
Book ahead
Trick-or-treat among the wildlife hospital's animal ambassadors, with not-so-spooky animal encounters, crafts, face painting and a Mad Scientist. No large hats, masks, inflatable costumes or swords, for the animals' sake. Online sales close Oct 26; tickets are also sold at the door.
Free
A Halloween puppet variety show with ghosts, Frankenstein and friends, and activity bags while they last.
Free
Come in costume and pick up a bag of spooky crafts and activities, two per family. The puppet show is the same afternoon.
Free
Concord's Vice Mayor reads spooky-but-not-scary stories, then the kids parade their costumes around the City Offices. A gentle first outing for a costume that hasn't been road-tested yet.
Free
An interactive Halloween storytime with hands-on sensory stations. Some materials are small enough to be a choking hazard, so stay close.
Free
Toddler-friendly tales and treats, costumes welcome, with 15 minutes of play afterwards.
Free
Prizes for the biggest, littlest, cutest and weirdest pumpkin. No pumpkin? The library supplies one to decorate, plus pumpkin crafts and snacks while they last.
Free
Downtown merchants hand out candy on the Friday before Halloween. Look for the Trick-or-Treat poster in the window. Start and finish anywhere, and stay for dinner if the little ones last.
Free
Storytime meets dance party for the youngest trick-or-treaters. Come in costume.
Free
Better Together Performing Arts runs an inclusive Halloween event indoors: a sensory-friendly space, door safety, headphones available, mobility and accessibility accommodations, and no-scare decor. Complimentary parking.
Free
Halloween itself: face painting, a balloon artist, a photo booth, a kids' chalk zone with a chalk artist, and treat bags while they last. A midday warm-up before trick-or-treating at home.
Actually scary, actually competitive, or a little bit macabre. The ones an eleven-year-old won't call babyish.
Book ahead
A friendly, costumed City of San Ramon tournament, with singles and doubles from orange ball (ages 7–10) up to yellow ball 12U through 18U. Players are encouraged to compete in costume.
Free
Drop in after school and make a spooky (or cute) Halloween keychain, while supplies last.
Book ahead
The after-dark version of the Youth Commission's haunted walk, with teenagers doing the scaring. In past years it has run outdoors on the trail behind the Community Center.
Free
The Teen Advisory Board screens Insidious (PG-13), with snacks.
Mixed ages, pets in costume, and things you can drop into whenever suits.
Free
Scarecrows decorated by downtown businesses. Pick up a map, find them all and vote for a favorite. Good to fold into a walk on Hartz Avenue with a stroller or a dog.
Book ahead
The Town of Danville's dog costume contest and pet parade, with a photo spot and local vendors. Prizes for silliest, most original, best owner-and-dog duo and best impersonation. The registering adult must be 18+.
Free
A free costume swap: browse donated new and gently used costumes and take one per person. No appointment needed, so it's the place to sort the costume before everything else on this page.
Free
Build a nicho, a folk-art shadow box honoring a loved one, with materials provided. Bring a photo or small keepsake if you'd like.
A fundraiser for Joybound People & Pets with live music, food trucks and raffles, and dogs and Halloween costumes welcome. The adults' ticket covers two drinks (beer, cider or non-alcoholic). The kids just come.
Free
Pets in costume parading through City Center, with treats for the dogs. Pairs well with the Yappy Hour in Walnut Creek the same afternoon.
Wear the costume in on Halloween itself and get a free donut with your order.
Free
Halloween morning at the market: a kids' scavenger hunt, free pumpkins, a costume contest for all ages and a vote for the best-decorated booth.
Pop culture, toys, comics, LEGO and horror, with meet-and-greets with actors from Ghostbusters and A Nightmare on Elm Street, and a free cosplay contest with cash prizes, judged at 3 pm. It moved from Oct 25 to Nov 1, and some listings still show the old date. Free parking.
Daily through Oct 31, 9 am – 9 pm
Next to the Shadelands Ranch Museum, run with the Walnut Creek Historical Society since 1984. Pumpkins and gourds, a hay-bale maze, a petting zoo and a cow train, plus hamster balls, bumper boats and movie nights. The easiest patch in the valley for toddlers.
Every event above, in date order.
| Date | Event | Town | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Now through Sun, Nov 1 | Scarecrow Stroll | Danville | Free |
| Now through Sat, Oct 31 | Goblin's Grocery List Hidden Image Search | Moraga | Free |
| Sat, Oct 17 & Sun, Oct 18 | Halloween Youth Tennis Tournament | San Ramon | Entry fee; see the city's registration page |
| Sat, Oct 17 | Howl-O-Ween: For the Dogs | Danville | $16 residents, $19 non-residents |
| Sat, Oct 17 & Tue, Oct 20 | Halloween Costume Booo-tique | Concord | Free |
| Mon, Oct 19 | Halloween Keychains for Teens | Pleasant Hill | Free, no registration |
| Tue, Oct 20 | Spooky Stories Open Mic | Pleasant Hill | Free, no registration |
| Thu, Oct 22 | Spooktacular Celebration | Danville | $12 residents, $14 non-residents, per session |
| Fri, Oct 23 | Walnut Creek Trunk or Treat | Walnut Creek | Free |
| Fri, Oct 23 | Haunted Trail of Pleasant Hill Park | Pleasant Hill | Free |
| Sat, Oct 24 | Downtown Martinez Halloween Spooktacular | Martinez | Free |
| Sat, Oct 24 | Hay Day Trunk-or-Treat | Clayton | Free admission |
| Sat, Oct 24 & Sun, Oct 25 | Lafayette Spooky Walk: Not Too Scary | Lafayette | $3 per person |
| Sat, Oct 24 & Sun, Oct 25 | Lafayette Spooky Walk: Very Scary | Lafayette | $5 per person |
| Sat, Oct 24 | Martinez Library Halloween Storytime | Martinez | Free, no registration |
| Sat, Oct 24 | Día de los Muertos Picture Frame Craft | Lafayette | Free |
| Sat, Oct 24 | Kids' Halloween Costume Contest at Duck Donuts | Walnut Creek | $5 minimum purchase to enter |
| Sat, Oct 24 | Día de los Muertos Nicho Workshop | Martinez | Free, no registration |
| Sat, Oct 24 | Trick or Treat on the Farm | San Ramon | Free, no registration |
| Sun, Oct 25 | Halloween Hike on Devil Mountain | Clayton (Mount Diablo State Park) | Free; $6 per car park fee, exact cash |
| Sun, Oct 25 | Joybound Yappy Hour | Walnut Creek | $35 (2 drinks, a raffle ticket and pet swag); kids free |
| Sun, Oct 25 | Howl-O-Ween Costumed Pet Parade | San Ramon | Free |
| Tue, Oct 27 | Howl-ooo-ween at Lindsay Wildlife | Walnut Creek | $20 ($15 members) for adults and children alike; $18.50 each for 4+ |
| Tue, Oct 27 | Fratello Marionettes: Spooktacular! | Danville | Free, no registration |
| Tue, Oct 27 | Happy Halloween Haul Activity Bags | Danville | Free |
| Wed, Oct 28 | Whatever Wednesdays: Scary Movie Night | San Ramon | Free, no registration |
| Thu, Oct 29 | Spooktacular Halloween Story Time & Parade | Concord | Free, no registration |
| Thu, Oct 29 | Halloween Storytime with My Lileigh Pad | Walnut Creek | Free, no registration |
| Thu, Oct 29 | Storytime Halloween Celebration | San Ramon | Free, no registration |
| Thu, Oct 29 | Moraga Library Great Pumpkin Challenge | Moraga | Free, no registration |
| Fri, Oct 30 | Lafayette Trick-or-Treat Street | Lafayette | Free |
| Fri, Oct 30 | Halloween Baby Bash | Pleasant Hill | Free, no registration |
| Fri, Oct 30 | Sensory Friendly Trick or Treat | Alamo | Free, no registration |
| Sat, Oct 31 | Halloween Spooktacular + Chalk Festival | Pleasant Hill | Free |
| Sat, Oct 31 | Duck Donuts Halloween Costume Day | Walnut Creek | Free donut with any purchase, in costume |
| Sat, Oct 31 | Halloween Harvest at the Orinda Farmers' Market | Orinda | Free |
| Sun, Nov 1 | Contra Costa Halloween Con | Concord | $12 in advance (incl. a $2 Toy Buck), $20 VIP with panels; kids 9 and under free |
About this page
Dates, times and prices come from each organizer's own page or a current listing of it, linked from every event's name. I last checked them on October 16, 2026. Plans change, especially with rain, so check the link before you load everyone into the car.
A few regular events, like Pixieland's Spooktacular and Concord's Trick or Treat Trail, are left out because they hadn't posted a 2026 date when I checked.
I used AI to aggregate it.
Know of something missing, or spot a wrong time? Tell me at report@mountdiablofamilies.com and I will fix it.
This is an independent guide, not affiliated with or endorsed by any of the organizers. Flyers appear with their events to help you recognize them.