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 say so rather than picking one. Confirm before you drive, because October listings change late.

Halloween falls on a Saturday in 2026. That matters more than it sounds. 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.

The idea is simple and wonderfully strange. 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.

• 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
• 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
• 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 everything worth knowing about 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 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, live entertainment and carving demonstrations. The Garden is at 26300 Crenshaw Blvd on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Tickets are handled separately from Garden admission at magicofthejackolanterns.com.

Worth knowing if you are on the Peninsula: this runs on the same grounds where Thomas Dambo’s TROLLS: A Field Study has been installed all year, though that exhibit 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.

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 arriving early is the point rather than an optimization.

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 is a neighborhood event rather than a civic one. The beach cities hand out candy street by street, and which streets go all out changes a little every year.

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 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 patches typically charge for attractions rather than entry, though policies vary by patch.

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 came to us through the Torrance visitors bureau rather than from each city directly, so treat the dates as strong but not final and 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.

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, and all three are walkable from further out than people assume.

Mall-O-Ween at Del Amo has restrictions worth knowing in advance: 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 is the front half of the busiest stretch of the year here. The annual events calendar runs from the Pumpkin Race through the pier and tree lightings in November and December, and October is when the South Bay stops being a summer place and becomes a neighborhood one again.

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 what each part of the South Bay is actually like to live in.

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. ICAN festival details from ican.org. Beach city event dates are reported by the Torrance visitors bureau and are pending confirmation from each host city.