Halloween Activities & Dia de Los Muertos


🎃 Pumpkin Rescue Make a splash at Laguna Niguel Aquatic Center’s floating pumpkin patch. Rescue your own pumpkin, decorate it, then stick around for open swim with diving boards and inflatable slide. Sat, Oct 4 | 2–4 PM | Laguna Niguel

👻 Spirits & Legends of the Bowers Museum Step inside the historic 1936 galleries after dark for an exclusive haunted tour led by Haunted OC’s Charles Spratley. Hear eerie tales of paranormal encounters reported by staff and visitors over the decades—if you dare. October 9, 16, 30 & 24 | 7 pm | Bowers Museum, Santa Ana

🏚️ Haunted Mansion Haunt Step into a home-grown tribute to Disney’s Haunted Mansion with live actors, eerie effects, and immersive sets. Family-friendly frights by night, lighter “not-so-scary” tours for kids. Select nights in October | 28322 Millwood Rd, Trabuco Canyon

👻 Haunted Trails at Crown Valley Park Step into a world of abandoned hospitals, deranged doctors, and chilling experiments in this four-night scare experience. Thurs–Sun, Oct 16–19 | Crown Valley Park, Laguna Niguel

👻 Lake Eerie Haunted House Inside Mission Viejo’s lakeside Halloween bash lurks a haunted house made for adults and brave older kids. Chilling scares, eerie effects (members/guests only) Sat, Oct 18 | 6 PM | Lake Mission Viejo


🌼 Día de Muertos Celebration. Celebrate culture, tradition, and ancestral remembrance with a family-friendly afternoon featuring a local artisan market, candle workshop, ancestral sound bath, and a free screening of Coco. Bring photos for the community altar and dress in bright florals.
Sunday, October 5 | 12–5 PM (Movie at 6 PM) | 1135 W. Chapman Ave., Orange

🎃 Succulent Mini Pumpkins Workshop Design a festive fall pumpkin topped with succulents—supplies provided, all ages welcome. Thu, Oct 9 | 5 PM | Mesa Verde Library Costa Mesa– | 714-546-5274

🎃 Fall-O-Ween at Heritage Hill Wander the historic grounds of Heritage Hill all decked out in Halloween magic. Try your luck in the hay maze, snap fall-themed photos, and hunt for spooky clues via the scavenger trail. Bring your best costume — pets on leashes welcome. Free | Oct 10–12 & 17–19 | 4:30–8:30 PM | Heritage Hill Historical Park, Lake Forest 

🎨 Paint pumpkins, skulls, and autumn still lifes at this outdoor session with Laguna Beach artist Shane McClatchey. Bring your own supplies (some provided) and capture the beauty of the Native Seed Farm in the golden evening light. Fri, Oct 10 | 3:30–7 PM | Native Seed Farm, Irvine

🪻 Sugar Skull Painted Mini Pots Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with colorful sugar-skull designs on mini flowerpots—perfect for Día de los Muertos décor. Free event with supplies provided. Call library for more info (949) 497-1733 Oct 10 (Friday) | 10:30 AM | Laguna Beach Library

🎃 Scarecrow Festival Kick off fall with trick-or-treat stations, a kids’ costume parade, scarecrow contest, face painting, photo ops, and live entertainment. Free fun for the whole family. Sat, Oct 11 | 2–6 PM | Lions Park Event Lawn, Costa Mesa

👻 San Juan Capistrano Ghost Walk Stroll Old Town, Los Rios Street, and the Mission ruins while hearing tales of spirits, bandits, and pirates said to linger. Oct. 17 at 7 PM | 1.5 hrs | San Juan Capistrano

🎃 Halloween Night Market at the Inn Stroll the grounds of the Inn at the Mission San Juan Capistrano for a festive evening of local vendors, spooky-good bites, live music, and a costume contest. Free entry, family-friendly vibes. Sunday, Oct 19 | 4–8 PM | Inn at the Mission, San Juan Capistrano

👻 San Juan Capistrano Ghost Walk Stroll Old Town, Los Rios Street, and the Mission ruins while hearing tales of spirits, bandits, and pirates said to linger. Oct. 23 at 7 PM | 1.5 hrs | San Juan Capistrano

🎃 Fright Night with MV Nadadores A spooktacular evening of music, treats, games, and a Jack-O’-Lantern contest—plus free admission for all little ghosts and goblins (bring your own candy bag!). Fri, Oct 24 | 6–7:30 PM | MV Nadadores, Mission Viejo

👻 Ghosts & Legends Tour Take a candlelit stroll down historic Los Rios Street with the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society as “ghostly visitors” share spooky—and family-friendly—tales of the past. Tours run in 30-minute slots from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM. Sat–Sun, Oct 24–25 | San Juan Capistrano


🎃 Monster Splash 2025 Trick-or-treat around the pool deck, pick a pumpkin from the floating patch, and brave the inflatable obstacle course at this Halloween pool party. Sat, Oct 25 | 1–5 PM | William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center, Irvine

🎃 Lake Forest Spooktacular Trunk-or-treat, food trucks, crafts, games, live music, and plenty of Halloween fun at the Sports Park. Wristbands $10 (parents & kids under 3 free). Sat, Oct 25 | 2–6 PM | Lake Forest Sports Park, Lake Forest

👻 Spooky Seas Laser tag, haunted ship tours, a Mad Scientist Lab, glow rooms, costume contest, photo booth, and more ocean-inspired frights. Food, beer & wine available for purchase. Tickets $20 adults, $17 kids (under 1 free). Sat, Oct 25 | 5:30–9 PM | Ocean Institute, Dana Point

💀 Día de Los Muertos Festival Celebrate life and remembrance with mariachi music, folkloric dancing, face painting, crafts, classic car ofrendas, and a vibrant multicultural marketplace. Sat, Oct 25 | 2–9 PM | Oso Viejo Park, Mission Viejo

🎃 Pumpkin Diving Take the plunge into a floating pumpkin patch at Sierra Recreation & Fitness Center. Kids scoop a pumpkin from the pool, then decorate and play carnival games. Sat, Oct 25 | 1–5 PM | Sierra Rec Center Mission Viejo

💀 FREE Día de los Muertos Community Altar & Celebration Celebrate with community altars, live entertainment, food, vendors, crafts, and historic house tours at Heritage Museum of OC. Sun, Oct 26 | 5–9 PM | Santa Ana

👻 Black Star Canyon Ghost Walk A three-mile guided night hike into one of OC’s most haunted canyons. Hear chilling tales of soldiers, settlers, and banditos said to linger here, and keep your eyes peeled for owls, frogs, and maybe something… unseen. Fri, Oct 31 | 7 PM | Black Star Canyon, Silverado


💀 Día de los Muertos in San Clemente Celebrate this beloved tradition with altars, art, and community—honoring loved ones through color, music, and memory. Enter the Art Contest (drop‑offs 9–11 AM at the park) or simply stroll, admire, and soak in the culture. Sat, Nov 1 | 2–6 PM | Max Berg Plaza Park, San Clemente

💀 Día de los Muertos in Dana Point Celebrate life and remembrance with live bands, mariachi, community ofrendas, crafts, and delicious food at La Plaza Park. Saturday, Nov 1 | All Day | La Plaza Park, Dana Point