Thursday, October 31, 2024
Happy Halloween 2024! 🎃🦇👻
Saturday, October 12, 2024
San Jose's Annual Harvest Festival
The event runs from 10am to 4pm at Discovery Meadow (180 Woz Way, San Jose). It's right next to the San Jose Children's Discovery Museum.
For more information, head over here.
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
San Jose Wishlist - Halloween in the Park (Part XVI)
As Halloween approaches, it is time to resurrect one of my top event wishlist items for San Jose. "Halloween in the Park."
Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. It's the one day where you get to interact with your neighbors and the wider community. The level of creativity in decorations and costumes is also the most eclectic and interesting out of all the holidays for me--whether that's for trick-or-treating, Halloween parties, or work events.
In October it's tradition for The San Jose Blog have a wish-list post for Halloween in the Park. The idea is to build on the momentum that Christmas in the Park brings to San Jose each year and create something of similar scale for the month of October. A lot of the infrastructure such as wiring, lighting, and booths might even be able to be shared between the events. The goal would be to make Downtown San Jose the epicenter of October Halloween experiences, much as it is today with Christmas in the Park.
Below you will find brainstorming ideas we have collected for this concept so far over the years. Please have a look and provide your feedback and suggestions in the comments or on X (Twitter). Thanks!
What would you think about a similar event for Halloween? Picture Downtown lit up in orange and purple with elaborate Halloween displays assembled by local artists. Perhaps infrastructure could even be shared with Christmas in the Park (e.g. retail booths). A strong event in October would help maintain traffic between the summer months and Christmas in the Park. Here are the ideas we have so far:
- Animated Halloween Displays
- Created by local artists
- Analogous to the Christmas displays that attract many families during Christmas in the Park (almost half a million visitors)
- Family friendly so that everyone can enjoy it (PG/PG13, perhaps around the same level as Great America's Halloween decorations)
- Halloween Lighting
- Orange, purple, and green LED lighting on trees
- May be possible to use programmable LED lighting that can go from Halloween colors to Christmas colors with the push of a button, allowing the lights to stay up for Christmas in the Park as well and reducing setup/take-down costs.
- Halloween Food
- Booths with candied apples, chocolates, candy, pumpkin seeds, etc.
- Food trucks
- Trick-or-treating station - a free piece of candy to anyone wearing a costume any day in October (could also be used to hand out promotional flyers for Downtown events/businesses/resources)
- Retail Booths selling Halloween items, for example:
- Artwork (paintings, glass pumpkins, etc.)
- Home decor/crafts like candles
- Light-up hats/necklaces/bracelets
- Costumes
- Zombie/Halloween make-up station
- Halloween-themed Carnival Games
- Pirates of Emerson and Candlelighters (Fremont) do a good job of providing family-friendly games themed around Halloween
- A handful of children's rides could also be added to the Paseo and reused for Christmas in the Park
- Interactive Art
- Subzero-style, but with a Halloween spin.
- Halloween-themed video game kiosks and/or arcades
- Pumpkins
- Instead of the sponsored Christmas trees in Christmas in the Park, how about decorated Pumpkins (can even be Styrofoam so there is no mess/decay)?
- Pumpkin carving station for families.
- Pumpkin carving contest.
- Costumed Entertainers
- Walking around the area, not necessarily scaring people but adding to the ambiance and providing photo opportunities for families
- Haunts / Mazes
- Would be ideal if these were nearby, perhaps in vacant retails spaces, surface parking lots, the San Jose Convention Center tent, or at SJSU.
- Could partners with one of the established San Jose haunt providers such as the Winchestor Mystery House or The Bernal SCREAM.
- Potential Events
- Zombie Crawl / 5k Run
- Dia De Los Muertos Events (already quite a few today)
- Halloween/Dia De Los Muertos Bike Party
- Horror Movie Trivia Contest
- Weekly horror movie screening (perhaps in the Circle of Palms area?)
- Costume Ball
- Pet costume contests and pet-friendly events
- Winchester Mystery House Unhinged
- Candle Lighters
- Pirates of Emerson
- The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze (photos below)
Friday, September 13, 2024
Unhinged Hotel at the Winchester Mystery House
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Happy Halloween 2023! 🎃🦇👻
Monday, October 30, 2023
Halloween in Japantown San Jose
Trick or Treat in Willow Glen
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
San Jose Wishlist - Halloween in the Park (Part XV)
As Halloween approaches, it is time to resurrect one of my top event wishlist items for San Jose. "Halloween in the Park."
Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. It's the one day where you get to interact with your neighbors and the wider community. The level of creativity in decorations and costumes is also the most eclectic and interesting out of all the holidays for me--whether that's for trick-or-treating, Halloween parties, or work events.
In October it's tradition for The San Jose Blog have a wish-list post for Halloween in the Park. The idea is to build on the momentum that Christmas in the Park brings to San Jose each year and create something of similar scale for the month of October. A lot of the infrastructure such as wiring, lighting, and booths might even be able to be shared between the events. The goal would be to make Downtown San Jose the epicenter of October Halloween experiences, much as it is today with Christmas in the Park.
Below you will find brainstorming ideas we have collected for this concept so far over the years. Please have a look and provide your feedback and suggestions in the comments or on X (Twitter). Thanks!
What would you think about a similar event for Halloween? Picture Downtown lit up in orange and purple with elaborate Halloween displays assembled by local artists. Perhaps infrastructure could even be shared with Christmas in the Park (e.g. retail booths). A strong event in October would help maintain traffic between the summer months and Christmas in the Park. Here are the ideas we have so far:
- Animated Halloween Displays
- Created by local artists
- Analogous to the Christmas displays that attract many families during Christmas in the Park (almost half a million visitors)
- Family friendly so that everyone can enjoy it (PG/PG13, perhaps around the same level as Great America Halloween Haunt)
- Halloween Lighting
- Orange, purple, and green LED lighting on trees
- May be possible to use programmable LED lighting that can go from Halloween colors to Christmas colors with the push of a button, allowing the lights to stay up for Christmas in the Park as well and reducing setup/take-down costs.
- Halloween Food
- Booths with candied apples, chocolates, candy, pumpkin seeds, etc.
- Food trucks
- Trick-or-treating station - a free piece of candy to anyone wearing a costume any day in October (could also be used to hand out promotional flyers for Downtown events/businesses/resources)
- Retail Booths selling Halloween items, for example:
- Artwork (paintings, glass pumpkins, etc.)
- Home decor/crafts like candles
- Light-up hats/necklaces/bracelets
- Costumes
- Zombie/Halloween make-up station
- Halloween-themed Carnival Games
- Pirates of Emerson and Candlelighters (Fremont) do a good job of providing family-friendly games themed around Halloween
- A handful of children's rides could also be added to the Paseo and reused for Christmas in the Park
- Interactive Art
- Subzero/ZERO1-style, but with a Halloween spin.
- Halloween-themed video game kiosks and/or arcades
- Pumpkins
- Instead of the sponsored Christmas trees in Christmas in the Park, how about decorated Pumpkins (can even be Styrofoam so there is no mess/decay)?
- Pumpkin carving station for families.
- Pumpkin carving contest.
- Costumed Entertainers
- Walking around the area, not necessarily scaring people but adding to the ambiance and providing photo opportunities for families
- Haunts / Mazes
- Would be ideal if these were nearby, perhaps in vacant retails spaces, surface parking lots, the San Jose Convention Center tent, or at SJSU.
- Could partners with one of the established San Jose haunt providers such as the Winchestor Mystery House or The Bernal SCREAM.
- Potential Events
- Zombie Crawl / 5k Run
- Dia De Los Muertos Events (already quite a few today)
- Halloween/Dia De Los Muertos Bike Party
- Horror Movie Trivia Contest
- Weekly horror movie screening (perhaps in the Circle of Palms area?)
- Costume Ball
- Pet costume contests and pet-friendly events
- Winchester Mystery House Unhinged
- Candle Lighters
- Pirates of Emerson
- The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze (photos below)
Saturday, October 21, 2023
The Bernal Scream Haunted House in South San Jose
I've posted about a lot of family-friendly Halloween events this year. If you’re looking for a more thrilling and terrifying way to celebrate Halloween, look no further than the Bernal Scream, a haunted house attraction located at 620 Blossom Hill Road, San Jose, CA 95123. The Bernal Scream is the creation of father and son duo Mike and Abel Barrera, who started it as a free show in their backyard in 2013. Since then, they have grown it into a commercial attraction that has attracted thousands of visitors and rave reviews.
Unfortunately co-founder Abel Barrera passed away from pancreatic cancer as they were working together on their next haunted attraction. Now, seven years later the dream of finishing what was started by the duo all those years ago is coming to fruition.
The Bernal Scream is not your typical haunted house. It is a high-endurance attraction that is intense. The theme for this year is Lucifer’s Wrath, a dark and twisted journey through the underworld. You will encounter demons, zombies, clowns, chainsaws, and more as you try to escape the wrath of the devil himself.
The Bernal Scream is open every day up to October 31 from 7pm to at least 10pm (Midnight on the 27th, 28th, and 31st). Tickets are $25 for general admission and $35 for VIP admission, which includes front-of-the-line access and a souvenir photo. You can buy tickets online at their website or at the door. The attraction is recommended for ages 13 and up, as again it is very intense and scary.
Sunday, October 8, 2023
Santana Row Halloween Family Fest - Oct 24th
Monday, October 31, 2022
Happy Halloween 2022!! + Halloween in the Park (Part XIV)
Happy Halloween everyone, hope you have a blast tonight! This might be the first Halloween in 3 years where the event is back full-force! Halloween is my favorite "holiday" of the year. It's the one day where you get to interact with your neighbors and the wider community. The level of creativity in decorations and costumes is also the most eclectic and interesting out of all the holidays for me--whether that's for trick-or-treating, Halloween parties, or work events.
Usually in October we have a wish-list post for Halloween in the Park. The idea is to build on the momentum that Christmas in the Park brings to San Jose each year and create something of similar scale for the month of October with Halloween in the Park! A lot of the infrastructure such as wiring, lighting, and booths might even be able to be shared between the events. The goal would be to make Downtown San Jose the epicenter of October Halloween experiences.
Below you will find brainstorming ideas we have collected for this concept so far over the years. Please have a look and provide your feedback and suggestions in the comments. Thanks!
What would you think about a similar event for Halloween? Picture Downtown lit up in orange and purple with elaborate Halloween displays assembled by local artists. Perhaps infrastructure could even be shared with Christmas in the Park (e.g. retail booths). A strong event in October would help maintain traffic between the summer months and Christmas in the Park. Here are the ideas we have so far:
- Animated Halloween Displays
- Created by local artists
- Analogous to the Christmas displays that attract many families during Christmas in the Park (almost half a million visitors)
- Family friendly so that everyone can enjoy it (PG/PG13, perhaps around the same level as Great America Halloween Haunt)
- Halloween Lighting
- Orange, purple, and green LED lighting on trees
- May be possible to use new programmable LED lighting that can go from Halloween colors to Christmas colors with the push of a button, allowing the lights to stay up for Christmas in the Park as well and reducing setup/take-down costs.
- Halloween Food
- Booths with candied apples, chocolates, candy, pumpkin seeds, etc.
- Food trucks
- Trick-or-treating station - a free piece of candy to anyone wearing a costume any day in October (could also be used to hand out promotional flyers for Downtown events/businesses/resources)
- Retail Booths selling Halloween items, for example:
- Artwork (paintings, glass pumpkins, etc.)
- Home decor/crafts like candles
- Light-up hats/necklaces/bracelets
- Costumes
- Zombie/Halloween make-up station
- Halloween-themed Carnival Games
- Pirates of Emerson and Candlelighters (Fremont) do a good job of providing family-friendly games themed around Halloween
- A handful of children's rides could also be added to the Paseo and reused for Christmas in the Park
- Interactive Art
- Subzero/ZERO1-style, but with a Halloween spin.
- Halloween-themed video game kiosks and/or arcades
- Pumpkins
- Instead of the sponsored Christmas trees in Christmas in the Park, how about decorated Pumpkins (can even be Styrofoam so there is no mess/decay)?
- Pumpkin carving station for families.
- Pumpkin carving contest.
- Costumed Entertainers
- Walking around the area, not necessarily scaring people but adding to the ambiance and providing photo opportunities for families
- Haunts / Mazes
- Would be ideal if these were nearby, perhaps in vacant retails spaces, surface parking lots, the San Jose Convention Center tent, or at SJSU.
- Could partners with one of the established San Jose haunt providers such as Deadtime Dreams or The World's Largest Haunted House.
- Potential Events
- Zombie-O-Rama can be used to kick off Halloween in the Park (late Sep. / early Oct. time-frame)
- Zombie Crawl
- Dia De Los Muertos Events
- Halloween/Dia De Los Muertos Bike Party
- Horror Movie Trivia Contest
- Weekly horror movie screening (perhaps in the Circle of Palms area?)
- Costume Ball
- Pet costume contests and pet-friendly events
- Winchester Mystery House Unhinged
- Candle Lighters
- Pirates of Emerson
- The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze (photos below)
Sunday, October 31, 2021
Happy Halloween 2021!! + Halloween in the Park (Part XIII)
Happy Halloween everyone, hope you have a blast tonight! I'm optimistic today will mark some return to some normalcy after a brutal two years.
Usually in October we have a wish-list post for Halloween in the Park. The idea is to build on the momentum that Christmas in the Park brings to San Jose each year and create something of similar scale for the month of October with Halloween in the Park! A lot of the infrastructure such as wiring, lighting, and booths might even be able to be shared between the events. The goal would be to make Downtown San Jose the epicenter of October Halloween experiences.
Below you will find brainstorming ideas we have collected for this concept so far over the years. Please have a look and provide your feedback and suggestions in the comments. Thanks!
What would you think about a similar event for Halloween? Picture Downtown lit up in orange and purple with elaborate Halloween displays assembled by local artists. Perhaps infrastructure could even be shared with Christmas in the Park (e.g. retail booths). A strong event in October would help maintain traffic between the summer months and Christmas in the Park. Here are the ideas we have so far:
- Animated Halloween Displays
- Created by local artists
- Analogous to the Christmas displays that attract many families during Christmas in the Park (almost half a million visitors)
- Family friendly so that everyone can enjoy it (PG/PG13, perhaps around the same level as Great America Halloween Haunt)
- Halloween Lighting
- Orange, purple, and green LED lighting on trees
- May be possible to use new programmable LED lighting that can go from Halloween colors to Christmas colors with the push of a button, allowing the lights to stay up for Christmas in the Park as well and reducing setup/take-down costs.
- Halloween Food
- Booths with candied apples, chocolates, candy, pumpkin seeds, etc.
- Food trucks
- Trick-or-treating station - a free piece of candy to anyone wearing a costume any day in October (could also be used to hand out promotional flyers for Downtown events/businesses/resources)
- Retail Booths selling Halloween items, for example:
- Artwork (paintings, glass pumpkins, etc.)
- Home decor/crafts like candles
- Light-up hats/necklaces/bracelets
- Costumes
- Zombie/Halloween make-up station
- Halloween-themed Carnival Games
- Pirates of Emerson and Candlelighters (Fremont) do a good job of providing family-friendly games themed around Halloween
- A handful of children's rides could also be added to the Paseo and reused for Christmas in the Park
- Interactive Art
- Subzero/ZERO1-style, but with a Halloween spin.
- Halloween-themed video game kiosks and/or arcades
- Pumpkins
- Instead of the sponsored Christmas trees in Christmas in the Park, how about decorated Pumpkins (can even be Styrofoam so there is no mess/decay)?
- Pumpkin carving station for families.
- Pumpkin carving contest.
- Costumed Entertainers
- Walking around the area, not necessarily scaring people but adding to the ambiance and providing photo opportunities for families
- Haunts / Mazes
- Would be ideal if these were nearby, perhaps in vacant retails spaces, surface parking lots, the San Jose Convention Center tent, or at SJSU.
- Could partners with one of the established San Jose haunt providers such as Deadtime Dreams or The World's Largest Haunted House.
- Potential Events
- Zombie-O-Rama can be used to kick off Halloween in the Park (late Sep. / early Oct. time-frame)
- Zombie Crawl
- Dia De Los Muertos Events
- Halloween/Dia De Los Muertos Bike Party
- Horror Movie Trivia Contest
- Weekly horror movie screening (perhaps in the Circle of Palms area?)
- Costume Ball
- Pet costume contests and pet-friendly events
Tuesday, May 25, 2021
San Hauntse: Mysteries of San Jose
Manuel Ávalos and Carmen Sánchez have teamed up to host San Hauntse, which is "the only actively running podcast that seeks to document every haunted place and urban legend of the San Jose area." I'm blown away at how much content there is on the site (and I love the logo).
I still remember hearing the San Felipe Road urban legends as a kid, not to mention the many Winchester Mystery House stories. Manuel and Carmen go in depth into the history of many famous San Jose landmarks and popular stories. It's entertaining and well produced, check it out over here!
Thursday, October 29, 2020
Spooktacular Saturday at the San Pedro Square Market
Halloween event options are super limited this year, but there is at least one event going on at the San Pedro Square Market. Costumes, music, food specials, and some "Halloween Fun" are in order. Spooktacular Saturday runs from 11am - 6pm and all the proper COVID protocols will be in place.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Happy Halloween 2019!! + Halloween in the Park (Part XII)
Usually in October we have a wish-list post for Halloween in the Park. The idea is to build on the momentum that Christmas in the Park brings to San Jose each year and create something of similar scale for the month of October with Halloween in the Park! A lot of the infrastructure such as wiring, lighting, and booths might even be able to be shared between the events. The goal would be to make Downtown San Jose the epicenter of October Halloween experiences.
Below you will find brainstorming ideas we have collected for this concept so far over the years. Please have a look and provide your feedback and suggestions in the comments. Thanks!
What would you think about a similar event for Halloween? Picture Downtown lit up in orange and purple with elaborate Halloween displays assembled by local artists. Perhaps infrastructure could even be shared with Christmas in the Park (e.g. retail booths). A strong event in October would help maintain traffic between the summer months and Christmas in the Park. Here are the ideas we have so far:
- Animated Halloween Displays
- Created by local artists
- Analogous to the Christmas displays that attract many families during Christmas in the Park (almost half a million visitors)
- Family friendly so that everyone can enjoy it (PG/PG13, perhaps around the same level as Great America Halloween Haunt)
- Halloween Lighting
- Orange, purple, and green LED lighting on trees
- May be possible to use new programmable LED lighting that can go from Halloween colors to Christmas colors with the push of a button, allowing the lights to stay up for Christmas in the Park as well and reducing setup/take-down costs.
- Halloween Food
- Booths with candied apples, chocolates, candy, pumpkin seeds, etc.
- Food trucks
- Trick-or-treating station - a free piece of candy to anyone wearing a costume any day in October (could also be used to hand out promotional flyers for Downtown events/businesses/resources)
- Retail Booths selling Halloween items, for example:
- Artwork (paintings, glass pumpkins, etc.)
- Home decor/crafts like candles
- Light-up hats/necklaces/bracelets
- Costumes
- Zombie/Halloween make-up station
- Halloween-themed Carnival Games
- Pirates of Emerson and Candlelighters (Fremont) do a good job of providing family-friendly games themed around Halloween
- A handful of children's rides could also be added to the Paseo and reused for Christmas in the Park
- Interactive Art
- Subzero/ZERO1-style, but with a Halloween spin.
- Halloween-themed video game kiosks and/or arcades
- Pumpkins
- Instead of the sponsored Christmas trees in Christmas in the Park, how about decorated Pumpkins (can even be Styrofoam so there is no mess/decay)?
- Pumpkin carving station for families.
- Pumpkin carving contest.
- Costumed Entertainers
- Walking around the area, not necessarily scaring people but adding to the ambiance and providing photo opportunities for families
- Haunts / Mazes
- Would be ideal if these were nearby, perhaps in vacant retails spaces, surface parking lots, the San Jose Convention Center tent, or at SJSU.
- Could partners with one of the established San Jose haunt providers such as Deadtime Dreams or The World's Largest Haunted House.
- Potential Events
- Zombie-O-Rama can be used to kick off Halloween in the Park (late Sep. / early Oct. time-frame)
- Zombie Crawl
- Dia De Los Muertos Events
- Halloween/Dia De Los Muertos Bike Party
- Horror Movie Trivia Contest
- Weekly horror movie screening (perhaps in the Circle of Palms area?)
- Costume Ball