Halloween in the South Bay

Verified September 30, 2026. Every date, time and location below was checked against the organizer or the City of Torrance visitors bureau on that date. Where sources disagree, we report on all of them. Confirm before you drive, because October listings change late. Rechecked October 3, 2026: Magic of the Jack O’ Lanterns open nights and ticket prices, and the South Bay Witches Paddle details.

Halloween falls on a Saturday in 2026. Trick-or-treating starts earlier, the evening events run later, and the beach cities get considerably busier than on a weeknight Halloween.

What is the Manhattan Beach Pumpkin Race, and how do you enter?

The 36th Annual Pumpkin Race is Sunday, October 18, 2026, at the foot of the Manhattan Beach Pier, where the city turns the street into Pumpkin Race Land for the day. It is free. The festival runs noon to 5pm, showcase races start at 1:30pm, qualifying races begin at 2pm sharp, and the championship race runs at about 5:45pm.

You build a racer out of a single pumpkin, put it on wheels, and send it side by side against another pumpkin down a track on Manhattan Beach Boulevard. It is single elimination, and the winner takes home the Pumpkin Race Championship Trophy. The biggest pumpkin rarely wins.

How to race your pumpkin

• Get a kit, or build your own. Official kits go on sale October 3 at the Hometown Fair, then at City Hall’s Parks and Recreation office (1400 Highland Ave.) and at downtown shops including Becker’s Bakery & Deli, {pages} a bookstore, Bella Beach Kids, MBI Vintage, Tabula Rasa, Waterleaf Interiors, Drift Beach Club, Culture Brewing, Shade Hotel and the Tuesday farmers market. Kits are $35 before race day and $40 on the day.
• Follow the rules. One pumpkin. Two independent axles running through it that do not connect. Wheels no bigger than 12 inches, axles no longer than 18 inches. No chassis, no skateboards, no protective cage, nothing sharp. Zip ties are the only allowed axle support.
• Skip the line with a Turbo Pass, if you like. $7, good for two entries, sold online starting October 5 at 6am for Manhattan Beach residents and October 12 for everyone else. It is optional. Without one, you race from the regular line.
• No racer yet? The Pumpkin Pit Crew helps first-timers build one on the spot, and the Tinker Zone has wheels, axles, tools and decorations for last-minute tune-ups.
• Want to see it smashed? Enter a “cheater pumpkin” on purpose and the head referee brings down the Mallet-O-Justice, after checking with you first.

Tips from the race officials: keep your axles parallel so the racer runs straight, make sure every wheel spins freely, and give it enough ground clearance for the bumps in the track.

How to watch and cheer

Come in costume, bring water and sunscreen, and get to the track before 2pm if you want a spot along the rail. Parking near the pier is tight on race day. The city suggests the MB Wave Rider, its on-demand shuttle booked through the Circuit app, $5 per ride or $2.50 for ages 55 and up, running noon to 8pm on Sundays. The pier parking lots and Manhattan Beach Boulevard west of Manhattan Avenue close for the race. The closure list on the city’s page still shows last year’s dates, so check it again the week of the race. The Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk starts at the pier the same morning, so downtown is busy from 8am.

The race started on Halloween Eve in 1990, when Karl Rogers, Michael Aaker and John Holliday invented the pumpkin racer for Karl’s birthday party. Their friends insisted on a rematch the next year, and it never stopped. It moved to Manhattan Beach Boulevard at the base of the pier in 2008. Details and rules: City of Manhattan Beach, Pumpkin Race.

What Halloween events are happening in the South Bay in 2026?

Here is the full calendar in date order.

• Select nights through November 1: Magic of the Jack O’ Lanterns, South Coast Botanic Garden, Palos Verdes Peninsula
• Thursday, October 1, 5pm: Halloween Kicks Off at the Downtown San Pedro First Thursday Night Market, 398 W. 6th Street, San Pedro
• October 1 onward: South Bay Pumpkin Patch, 3540 W. Carson Street, Torrance
• October 1 to October 31: Torrance Pumpkin Patch at Del Amo Fashion Center
• October 2 to November 1: Mr. Jack O’ Lantern’s Pumpkin Patch, 17520 Prairie Ave, Torrance
• Saturday, October 3, 4pm to 9pm: Scaredown in Downtown, Old Torrance
• Thursday, October 8 to Sunday, October 11, after dark: Magic of the Jack O’ Lanterns, South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Boulevard, Palos Verdes Peninsula. Tickets from $19.99, and from $29.99 on Saturday. Entry times are on the ticket calendar.
• Friday, October 9, prom 7pm, movie 9pm: Carrie and the Prom, a 50th-anniversary screening of Carrie (1976) with a live-band prom in the gym where the prom scene was filmed, Hermosa Beach Community Theatre, Hermosa Beach. City of Hermosa Beach
• Saturday, October 10, 6:45pm: Cinema on the Coast: Hocus Pocus at sunset, Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes. Reservations required. Terranea
• Friday, October 16, 4pm to 7pm: Treats-n-Suites Halloween Bash, Dignity Health Sports Park, 18400 Avalon Boulevard, Carson. Ages 2 to 11, $8.77 a child, parents free, advance registration required
• Saturday, October 17, 10am to noon: 7th Annual South Bay Witches Paddle, King Harbor, Redondo Beach. Free to paddle. Register
• Saturday, October 17, 11am to 3pm: ICAN Inclusive Halloween Festival, SCROC, Torrance
• Sunday, October 18, noon to 5pm, races from 2pm: 36th Annual Pumpkin Race, Manhattan Beach Pier
• Friday and Saturday, October 23 and 24, 4:45pm to 8:15pm: Halloween Train Rides, Wilson Park, Torrance
• Saturday, October 24, 1:30pm to 3:30pm: Floating Pumpkin Patch, Victor E. Benstead Plunge, Torrance
• Saturday, October 24, 4pm to 9pm: Halloween Movie Night, Wilson Park, Torrance
• Saturday, October 24: 38th Annual Halloween Carnival, Manhattan Heights Park, Manhattan Beach
• Sunday, October 25, 5pm to 9pm: Harvest Festival, Palos Verdes Meadows at Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes: live music, a cider bar, seasonal crafts and coastal fare at sunset. Tickets required. Terranea
• Friday, October 30: Redondo Beach Pier Halloween Festival
• Saturday, October 31, 10am to 1pm: Boo Bash, Dave & Buster’s, Torrance
• Saturday, October 31, 7pm to 10pm: Moonlight Mixer, Dave & Buster’s, Torrance
• Date to be announced: Mall-O-Ween trick-or-treat, Del Amo Fashion Center

Want the non-Halloween events too? This Week in the South Bay lists what is on each week, updated every Thursday, and you can get it by email.

Where are the South Bay pumpkin patches?

There are four in Torrance and a night-time jack-o-lantern trail on the Peninsula.

Mr. Jack O’ Lantern’s Pumpkin Patch runs October 2 to November 1 at 17520 Prairie Ave, Torrance 90504. Pumpkin decorating, pumpkin bowling, candy corn hole, a petting zoo, pumpkin putting and a pumpkin smash.

The Torrance Pumpkin Patch at Del Amo Fashion Center runs October 1 to October 31 at 3405 W. Carson Street, Torrance 90503, with pony rides, a petting zoo and photo setups.

South Bay Pumpkin Patch opens October 1 at 3540 W. Carson Street, Torrance, and runs Monday to Friday 1pm to 10pm and weekends 10am to 10pm. It has a petting zoo, a paintball range, rides and bouncers. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for ages 3 to 17, free for ages 2 and under, and parking is free. Attractions are ticketed separately, and an unlimited wristband for the slides and bouncers is available Monday to Thursday. Details at southbaypumpkinpatch.com.

Mr. Jones Farm Pumpkin Patch at 3825 Pacific Coast Hwy, Torrance 90505 has pumpkins, bounce houses, pony rides and a petting zoo. Dates for 2026 have not been published yet.

Where are the harvest festivals?

• Green Hills Harvest Festival, Sunday, October 11, noon to 3pm. Free, at Green Hills Memorial Park, 27502 S. Western Avenue, Rancho Palos Verdes. A giant pumpkin patch where everyone takes one home, hayrides, a maze, live music, line dancing, food trucks, face painting and pumpkin carving demos. Lines close at 2:45pm. Green Hills
• Lunada Bay Harvest Festival, Sunday, October 18, 2pm to 6pm. At Lunada Bay Plaza, Yarmouth Road and Via Anacapa, Palos Verdes Estates. A pumpkin patch, face painting, games, a balloon artist, inflatables, crafts, live music, food and drink, and its own pumpkin race. Palos Verdes Source
• Terranea Harvest Festival, Sunday, October 25, 5pm to 9pm. On the Palos Verdes Meadows at Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes: live music at golden hour, a cider bar, seasonal crafts and activities, and a menu drawn from the coast, with the sun going down over the Pacific. Ticketed, so reserve ahead. Terranea

Where can you see jack-o’-lanterns at night?

Magic of the Jack O’ Lanterns at South Coast Botanic Garden runs from September 18 through November 1, 2026, and features more than 10,000 carved pumpkins along a mile-long walking trail.

It is a ticketed evening event with lit displays, photo setups, a s’mores station and live entertainment. The Garden is at 26300 Crenshaw Blvd on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Tickets are handled separately from Garden admission at magicofthejackolanterns.com.

Which nights is it open? Select nights, not every night. The remaining dates are Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4; Thursday, October 8 through Sunday, October 11; Wednesday, October 14 through Sunday, October 18; and every night from Tuesday, October 20 through Sunday, November 1. Tickets start at $19.99, and at $29.99 on Saturdays and on Fridays, October 23 and 30. Entry times are on the ticket calendar. It is an after-dark walking trail through the Garden lined with carved pumpkins, so wear shoes you can walk a mile in.

South Coast Botanic Garden is also home to Thomas Dambo’s TROLLS: A Field Study, which closes October 4.

What is Scaredown in Downtown?

Scaredown is the Downtown Torrance Association’s annual street event in Old Torrance on Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 4pm to 9pm, and it is free to attend.

Trunk-or-treating, live bands, a DJ, a Haunted Boo-tique, crafts, photo setups and classic hearses on display. Thousands of people turn out. It is organized and run entirely by volunteers from the local business association.

Address note: the Discover Torrance event page lists 1313 Sartori Ave and their own Halloween roundup lists 1266 Sartori Ave. It is a street festival along Sartori in Old Torrance, so park near the historic district and walk. Details at dtaevents.com.

One scheduling note: the Manhattan Beach 10K runs the morning of the same Saturday and closes much of Manhattan Beach until around noon. The two do not overlap, so you can do both, but plan the drive.

What is the South Bay Witches Paddle?

A costumed paddle through King Harbor in Redondo Beach. The 7th Annual South Bay Witches Paddle is Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 10am to noon, and it is free to join. Paddlers launch from the hand launch behind Seaside Lagoon, and parking is in the lot shared by Ruby’s, Seaside Lagoon and Captain Kidd’s.

Bring your own board or rent one through the event. Valet paddleboard rentals are $46.64 per board, supplied by Redondo Beach Harbor Adventures and Olympus Board Shop, and registration and rentals are both on the South Bay Witches Paddle site. Witch and warlock costumes are the theme. The after party is at The Riviera Mexican Cantina in Redondo Beach.

Harbor Vibes, the organizer, has run the paddle every October since 2020. The organizer notes that paddlers take part at their own risk, so register ahead and check conditions that morning.

Are there Halloween events for people with disabilities?

Yes. The ICAN Inclusive Halloween Festival is on Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 11am to 3pm at SCROC, 2300 Crenshaw Blvd, Torrance 90501, and it is free to attend.

It is built for people of all ages with disabilities, along with their families and caregivers, with Halloween activities in a setting designed for it. Food and merchandise are available for purchase. Details at ican.org.

What is happening at Wilson Park in Torrance?

Two separate events across the same weekend in late October.

Halloween Train Rides run Friday and Saturday, October 23 and 24, from 4:45pm to 8:15pm. The Southern California Live Steamers run their trains through a decorated route after dark. Ten dollars per rider, tickets sold at the train depot on the day, costumes encouraged.

Halloween Movie Night is Saturday, October 24 from 4pm to 9pm and it is free. The City of Torrance Community Services Department screens Toy Story 5 outdoors. Food trucks, a DJ, train rides, a pumpkin carving contest and a costume parade run before the film starts, so arrive early.

What is the Floating Pumpkin Patch in Torrance?

On Saturday, October 24, from 1:30pm to 3:30pm, the City of Torrance fills the Victor E. Benstead Plunge, 3331 Torrance Boulevard, with pumpkins. Swimmers pick a pumpkin from the pool, then decorate it poolside. It costs $5 per participant. Details come from Torrance Recreation’s own announcement, so check with the city for registration and any swim requirements before you go.

What is open on Halloween itself, Saturday, October 31?

Dave & Buster’s in Torrance runs two separate ticketed events that day at 21880 Hawthorne Blvd, Suite 360.

The Boo Bash runs 10am to 1pm and is built around a pancake banquet, a costume contest, a scavenger hunt and three hours of game play. Roughly $28 to $33 plus booking fees.

The Moonlight Mixer runs 7pm to 10pm and is the adult version, with a food banquet, a costume contest and three hours of game play, with drink tickets available as an add-on. Around $32 plus booking fees.

Beyond that, Halloween night in the South Bay happens street by street, and which streets go all out changes a little every year.

Where is the biggest trick-or-treat night in the South Bay?

The walk streets of Manhattan Beach. The car-free walk streets in the South End, roughly 4th Street to 11th Street, turn into the busiest few blocks of Halloween in the South Bay. Houses go all out: full graveyards on the front patio, fog machines, skeletons climbing the railings, giant spiders on the roofline. When MB News asked walk street households how many trick-or-treaters they see, answers ran from more than 500 to more than 2,000 in a single night. With Halloween on a Saturday this year, plan on even bigger crowds.

• Go early. Things pick up around 5pm, and little ones have the best time before the sidewalks fill.
• Park once and walk. Parking near the walk streets disappears fast. Leave the car farther up the hill or downtown, and never block a driveway or an alley.
• Treat it like a neighbor’s front yard, because it is. Stay on the walk, skip any house with the lights off, and carry your wrappers out with you.

What is Riviera Village Trick or Treat?

On Saturday, October 31, from 3pm to 8pm, Catalina Avenue in Redondo Beach closes from Avenue I to South Elena, and Riviera Village shops hand out candy outdoors until 6pm, while it lasts. It draws thousands of trick-or-treaters, so it is the easiest one-stop option for little kids, and you can stay for dinner in the Village. Paid parking is at Plaza Riviera, 1611 S. Catalina Avenue, and Mira Mar Park, 201 Paseo de la Playa. Riviera Village

What is happening in San Pedro?

Downtown San Pedro’s First Thursday Night Market kicks off Halloween on Thursday, October 1, around 398 W. 6th Street. The organizers’ flyer promises 70-plus vendors, live music, a costume contest with a $50 first prize, and trick-or-treating at participating vendors and downtown businesses. The flyer gives 5pm to 9pm, while the downtown events calendar lists 5:30pm to 9:30pm, so plan on the later window to be safe. The First Thursday ArtWalk runs the same evening.

Which South Bay Halloween events are free?

Scaredown in Downtown, the South Bay Witches Paddle, the ICAN Inclusive Halloween Festival, the Manhattan Beach Pumpkin Race, Halloween Movie Night at Wilson Park, and Mall-O-Ween at Del Amo are all free to attend.

The ticketed ones are Magic of the Jack O’ Lanterns, the Wilson Park train rides at ten dollars a rider, and the two Dave & Buster’s events. Pumpkin patch pricing varies by patch. South Bay Pumpkin Patch, for example, charges admission and tickets its attractions separately.

What is happening in the beach cities?

Three traditions, all long-running.

The 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Manhattan Beach Pier on Sunday, October 18. The 38th Annual Halloween Carnival at Manhattan Heights Park on Saturday, October 24, with carnival games, rides, crafts, a costume parade and a maze. The Redondo Beach Pier Halloween Festival on Friday, October 30, with trick-or-treating along the pier, a costume contest and music.

These three dates came to us through the Torrance visitors bureau, and the City of Manhattan Beach’s own Pumpkin Race page still shows last year’s race, so confirm with the host city before you plan around them. We will update this page as each city publishes.

Where do you buy a costume in the South Bay?

Spirit Halloween runs two seasonal Torrance locations, both on Hawthorne Boulevard: one at 21800 Hawthorne Blvd, Suite 100, in the former JoAnn space at Del Amo, and one at 19800 Hawthorne Blvd in the former Ashley Furniture space at Torrance Promenade. Both open in September and close shortly after Halloween.

Where do you go for haunted hayrides, corn mazes and ghost tours?

Outside the South Bay. For a fall farm or a full scare, plan a short road trip. Drive times are rough estimates without traffic, so add a buffer on October weekends.

• Queen Mary Dark Harbor, Long Beach (about 25 minutes). Haunted mazes on select nights from September 18 to November 1. Not a scare person? The ship also runs its regular ghost tours. Visit Long Beach
• Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, Griffith Park (about 45 minutes). Select nights from September 18 to November 1 at the Old Zoo Picnic Area, 4730 Crystal Springs Drive. The organizers say it may be too intense for kids 12 and under. LA Haunted Hayride
• Ghost tours in Hollywood (about 45 minutes). Ghost City Tours runs an all-ages Ghosts of Hollywood walk, an adults-only Fame Kills tour and a 21-and-over haunted pub crawl. Ghost City Tours
• Tanaka Farms, Irvine (about 50 minutes). Pick a pumpkin off the vine, with wagon rides through the farm. Open daily through November 1 with timed-entry tickets. Tanaka Farms
• Underwood Family Farms, Moorpark (about an hour and 15 minutes). The Fall Harvest Festival runs September 26 to October 31, 9am to 6pm, with a corn trail, wagon rides, animals and acres of pumpkins. Underwood Family Farms

Can my dog get in on it?

Of course. Dogs in costume are part of the scenery at every street event here, and the walk streets see plenty of four-legged pumpkins. We will add 2026 dog costume contests here as organizers post them. Heading to the sand afterward? Here is where dogs are allowed on the beach.

What should you know before you go?

Parking is the constraint at almost all of these. Scaredown, the Pumpkin Race and the Redondo Pier festival all put large crowds into places with limited parking, so park a few blocks out and walk in.

Mall-O-Ween at Del Amo has restrictions: it is for children under ten, costumes are encouraged but masks and toy weapons are not permitted, and it requires pre-registration through the City of Torrance recreation portal. The 2026 date has not been announced yet.

October listings move. Dates shift, times get adjusted and a few events are still marked as to be announced. We re-check this page through the season and carry the verification date at the top so you can see how current it is.

Where does this sit on the South Bay calendar?

Halloween opens the fall and holiday season on the calendar here. The annual events calendar runs from the Pumpkin Race through the pier and tree lightings in November and December.

If you are getting to know the area, the neighborhood pages for Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach and for the Palos Verdes Peninsula cover each part of the South Bay in more detail.

Sources

Torrance event dates, times, locations and pricing confirmed at the Discover Torrance Halloween guide and the Scaredown event page, both checked September 28, 2026. Magic of the Jack O’ Lanterns dates and venue from the event’s own site. Its open nights and ticket prices are from the official ticket calendar, checked October 3, 2026. ICAN festival details from ican.org. South Bay Witches Paddle date, time, launch point, parking and rental price from the event’s own site, checked October 3, 2026. Beach city event dates are reported by the Torrance visitors bureau and are pending confirmation from each host city.