Prepare for a spine-chilling adventure through Santa Clara's most haunted locations with our all-inclusive Halloween guide, featuring an array of terrifying events and ghostly encounters. Unlock the secrets of Santa Clara's haunted hideaways with our guide, a skeleton key for resident specters and spectral sightseers.
In the heart of Halloween festivities, the Pirates of Emerson Haunted Theme Park conjures a blend of thrilling mazes and hair-raising attractions that promise a night of fear. Unhinged: Hotel Winchester Mystery House offers visitors a glimpse into a labyrinth of mysteries and unsettling stories interwoven with the estate's rich history. And definitely don't forget Tricks and Treats at Great America, where festive fun meets frightful delights in a family-friendly atmosphere. See more details on these and other fun events and activities below!
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Top Halloween Events In and Around Santa Clara
- Pirates of Emerson Haunted Theme Park (Pleasanton)
- Unhinged: Hotel Winchester Mystery House (San Jose)
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's Fright Fest (Vallejo)
- Oktoberfest 2024
- Into The Dark: Fatal Abduction (San Francisco)
- Tricks and Treats at Great America
- Fear Overload Scream Park (Newark)
- The Bernal Scream Haunted House (San Jose)
- Halloween Jam at Children's Fairyland (Oakland)
- Blind Scream (Santa Rosa)
See these and even more events listed below!
Santa Clara Area Haunted Experiences
Pirates of Emerson Haunted Theme Park
What to Expect:
Offers a unique blend of haunted houses and a Virtual Reality ride experience.
Description:
Pirates of Emerson Haunted Theme Park is Northern California's premier haunted attraction, offering a spine-chilling adventure with four terrifying haunted houses and a Virtual Fear VR ride. The event features live music and add-on game tickets, with capacity limitations ensuring tickets sell out early. General admission tickets are $40 most nights, while Speed Pass and V.I.P. Admission options are available for faster entry and multiple haunt visits.
Where: Pleasanton | More Info: Pirates of Emerson Haunted Theme Park
Unhinged: Hotel Winchester Mystery House
What to Expect:
An immersive indoor and outdoor Halloween experience featuring a suspenseful walk-through journey with state-of-the-art special effects and professional actors.
Description:
Experience the chilling haunt chapter, Unhinged: Hotel, at the Winchester Mystery House. Stranded with car troubles, a group of friends seeks help at a nearby hotel, only to discover it's hiding more than just empty rooms. Navigate through a hauntingly immersive maze with special effects, professional actors, and disturbing scenes. Enjoy themed food and drinks, interactive activities, and themed photo opportunities.
Where: San Jose | More Info: Unhinged: Hotel Winchester Mystery House
Into The Dark: Fatal Abduction
What to Expect:
An immersive horror experience with interactive elements and exclusive VIP access to themed bars and museums.
Description:
Experience the chilling phenomenon of Fatal Abduction at the San Francisco Mint. This immersive horror event challenges you to save humanity from an unspeakable horror. With a VIP ticket, enjoy unlimited access to the Fang Bang Bar, a complimentary glow necklace for interactivity, and exclusive access to Justin Cooter's Roadhouse Bar and the Creepy Collectible Museum. Join the fight against an alien threat in a terrifyingly real environment.
Where: San Francisco | More Info: Into The Dark: Fatal Abduction
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's Fright Fest
What to Expect:
Immersive haunted mazes and scare zones with a variety of themed attractions.
Description:
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's Fright Fest is a thrilling Halloween event featuring haunted houses, eerie scare zones, and spine-chilling live entertainment. Guests can experience chilling rides in the dark, spooky scare zones, and immersive haunted mazes. The event includes a variety of attractions such as Hotel Hellview, Club Fear 3D, and CarnEvil Fresh Meat, offering something for every level of bravery.
Where: Vallejo | More Info: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's Fright Fest
Fear Overload Scream Park
What to Expect:
Two uniquely themed haunted houses with detailed set designs and special effects.
Description:
Fear Overload Scream Park is the Bay Area's scariest haunted house event, featuring two self-guided walk-throughs with incredibly detailed set designs and special effects. The event includes Darkmoor Penitentiary, an abandoned prison haunted by the twisted experiments of Warden Blackwood, and Slotch Sanatorium, a former healing place now a shadowy ruin haunted by Dr. Thaddeus Crowley's cruel experiments. Visitors can also explore Eerie Essentials, an emporium offering chilling keepsakes and haunting memorabilia.
Where: Newark | More Info: Fear Overload Scream Park
The Bernal Scream Haunted House
What to Expect:
The Bernal Scream Haunted House features its most intense attraction yet, "Soul Shredder," which promises a terrifying experience with its darkest, meanest, and most twisted scares.
Description:
The Bernal Scream Haunted House returns in 2024 with its most intense attraction yet, "Soul Shredder." This high-endurance haunted house, geared for adults but open to all ages, promises a terrifying experience with its darkest, meanest, and most twisted scares. Founded by father-son duo Mike and Abel Barrera, The Bernal Scream has cemented its name as one of the Bay Area's premier haunted attractions. With a history of success and a new addition to the team, this event is not to be missed.
Where: San Jose | More Info: The Bernal Scream Haunted House
NightMare Island
What to Expect:
A 45,000 square foot warehouse transformed into a haunted attraction with additional 900 square feet of haunt.
Description:
NightMare Island in Vallejo, California, offers a terrifying haunted house experience. Located on Mare Island, this event transforms a 45,000 square foot warehouse into a haunted attraction with 3-story ceilings and roll-up doors, creating an open-air feeling. The event includes additional 900 square feet of haunt, ensuring a true rollercoaster of frights. It is open from 5 PM every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in October.
Where: Vallejo | More Info: NightMare Island
Sacramento Scream Park
What to Expect:
Immersive haunted attractions with multiple themed environments and live actors.
Description:
Sacramento Scream Park is Sacramento's largest Halloween event, featuring four haunted houses, including Voodoo Blackwater Boneyard, Iron Veil Asylum, and Silverthorn Amusement Park. The event also includes Frightmare Midway with live actors and food trucks, as well as Eerie Essentials for chilling keepsakes. Visitors can experience a haunted amusement park, an abandoned asylum, and a high school filled with ghostly apparitions, all set amidst an eerie atmosphere.
Where: Sacramento | More Info: Sacramento Scream Park
Blind Scream
What to Expect:
North Bay's largest haunted house with a changing design every year.
Description:
Blind Scream Haunted House is a spine-chilling experience located at 98 Santa Rosa Plaza, Santa Rosa, CA. With over 20,000 square feet of haunted space, it features creepy characters and a new story each year, making it a must-visit for Halloween enthusiasts.
Where: Santa Rosa | More Info: Blind Scream
Mayhem Mansion at the Haas-Lilienthal house
What to Expect:
Experience a spooky, immersive haunted house tour through San Francisco's only intact Victorian-era house museum.
Description:
Mayhem Mansion returns for its eleventh season at the historic 1886 Haas-Lilienthal House. This spooky, immersive haunted house experience offers mind-bending tours through the dimly lit halls of San Francisco's only intact Victorian-era house museum. Guests can steady their nerves at the Spookeasy, a no-host bar featuring beer, wine, elixirs, non-alcoholic beverages, and snacks.
Where: San Francisco | More Info: Mayhem Mansion at the Haas-Lilienthal house
Family-Friendly Fall Activities Near Santa Clara
Tricks and Treats at Great America
What to Expect:
An immersive Halloween celebration with four uniquely themed lands offering a variety of spooky and family-friendly activities.
Description:
Experience California's Great America's family-friendly Halloween event, Tricks and Treats. Enjoy spooky, kooky Halloween activities, live shows, a costume contest, seasonal food and drinks, and candy. The event features four uniquely themed lands: Everfall, Sweet Tooth Acres, Spooky Spires, and Ickyville, each offering distinct and memorable experiences. Guests can also participate in Halloween activities, live entertainment, and collect candies and goodies throughout the park.
Where: Santa Clara | More Info: Tricks and Treats at Great America
Oktoberfest 2024
What to Expect:
Experience authentic German culture with a variety of traditional food, drinks, and entertainment.
Description:
Experience Germany's world-famous Oktoberfest at California's Great America. Enjoy authentic German food, beverages, and music, along with family-friendly entertainment. The park's most popular rides are open, making Oktoberfest a must-do event for the whole family. Highlights include a celebratory keg-tapping ceremony, polka bands, and fun activities like cornhole and a color-by-numbers mural.
Where: Santa Clara | More Info: Oktoberfest 2024
Halloween Jam at Children's Fairyland
What to Expect:
A variety of festive activities and special performances make Halloween Jam a standout fall event.
Description:
Halloween Jam at Children's Fairyland is a festive fall celebration featuring special performances, decked-out storybook sets, arts and crafts, puppet shows, bouncy houses, treat stations, games with prizes, a photo booth, and new surprises each year. The event includes daily shows like the "Tricks & Treats" puppet show and special events like Oakland's Magic Kitchen with Chef Michele McQueen and a book celebration with Nikki Shannon Smith.
Where: Oakland | More Info: Halloween Jam at Children's Fairyland
Volunteer at Pumpkins in the Park 2024
What to Expect:
A community-driven fall festival with live entertainment and environmental education programs.
Description:
Join the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy for their annual fall festival, Pumpkins in the Park. This community event celebrates the autumn season with live entertainment, a free pumpkin patch, and environmental education programs. Volunteers are needed to help set up and manage the event, ensuring a fun and engaging experience for all attendees. The event takes place on Saturday, October 12, 2024, from 7 AM to 7 PM at Discovery Meadow in San Jose, CA.