The Ultimate Palo Alto Halloween Community Guide

City of Palo Alto
PaloAltoConnect
Published in
6 min readOct 10, 2024

Halloween is almost here, and we’re ready to help you celebrate and connect. Whether you’re looking for local events, safety tips, or ways to include sustainability into your festivities, this guide has you covered.

Consider creating your own informal meet ups with neighbors or meet new friends at fun community events listed in our guide. As a reminder, last year, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared a national loneliness and social isolation epidemic throughout the country. Connecting together supports individual wellbeing and belonging and strengthens community health too!

Local Events

Halloween is not just about the scares, but also a great opportunity to foster community health, wellness and connections. Meet a new neighbor or bring friends and family along to one of our many events!

Halloween Scare Faire & Costume Swap — October 19

Old costumes haunting your storage? Swap them for new ones at the Halloween Scare Faire & Costume Swap hosted by Transition Palo Alto and High School Green Teams and located at the Museum of American Heritage!

Child and adult costumes in good condition are welcome, as are Halloween and Holiday decorations. What’s available will depend on what people bring! Bring your old costumes at 1 p.m., then take a look at the Scare Faire. At 1:15 p.m., they will let people in to search for new costumes.

Jack-O-Jaunt — October 25

Come jaunt through our jack-o-lantern display on Friday, October 25 from 6:30–8:30 p.m. at Lytton Plaza. Be sure to cast your vote to tell us which jack-o-lantern is the scariest, cutest, and most creative. The winner of each category (picked by you!) will receive a $75 gift card to a Palo Alto business of their choosing.

Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo Halloween- October 25

Join the Palo Alt Junior Museum & Zoo for a night of entertainment, treats, and exciting animal encounters- all supporting a great cause! Magically transformed with cobwebs, cauldrons, and candy galore, dress up in your favorite costume and share the fun with family and friends as you explore the enchanted museum and zoo. Join the fun on October 25, from 5–7 p.m. Proceeds from this fundraiser ($40 per person over 1 years old, children under 1 years old are free) will benefit the Friends’ Annual Giving Fund, which includes support for programs that expand access to science education in the community.

Jack O’Lantern Jamboree! — October 30

Palo Alto Library is throwing a Halloween dance party on October 30 from 6–7 p.m. and you’re invited! Children and their families are invited to come decked out in costume and dance the night away with us, plus take part in fun crafts. Bring the whole family and join us for this special event!

Magical Halloween — October 30

Visit Magical Bridge Palo Alto on October 30 from 4–6 p.m. for a magical Halloween celebration with music by Dream Achievers Band, a costume fashion show, inclusive trick-or-treating, spooky arts & crafts, and more!

Halloween Storytime at Palo Alto Library

For younger children or those who prefer a milder Halloween experience, the Palo Alto Library is hosting Halloween-themed family storytimes throughout the week. With festive stories and a cozy atmosphere, this is a great way to introduce little ones to the joys of Halloween without any frights.

Halloween DIY Fun for All Ages

Looking for a crafty way to get into the Halloween spirit? Check out these fun and festive craft workshops!

Halloween Safety Tips

Halloween is all about fun, but it’s important to keep safety in mind, especially when navigating crowded streets at night. Here are some essential tips for you and your family to consider as you celebrate.

Stay Visible

Dark costumes are classic, but they can make it harder for drivers to spot you. Incorporate reflective tape into costumes or carry a flashlight to stay visible, especially if you plan on trick-or-treating after dark. Glow sticks or light-up accessories are also fun and function ways to make sure you stand out.

Candy Inspection

Parents, remember to inspect your child’s candy before they dive in. Look for any signs of tampering, discard any unwrapped items, and keep an eye out for allergens if your child has dietary restrictions. While Halloween is all about sweets, swapping out some of the candy for healthier options at home, or limiting to a few pieces of candy per day is a good way to avoid sugar overload.

Stick to Sidewalks

When trick-or-treating, stick to well-lit sidewalks and crosswalks. Avoid cutting through alleys or streets without proper crossings. If you’re part of a large group, remind everyone to hold hands or stick close to ensure no one gets left behind.

Sustainably Spooky 👻

Waste is spooky, so we’re providing you with a list of ideas and resources on how to be sustainable this Halloween. Recycle fairies and compost creatures are ready to guide you to through the Five Rs of Sustainability (refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle) to make cooky art projects and intriguing ideas for making this Halloween greener than any other. Prepare your magic wands and read on to start casting your own sustainability spells. ✨

Sustainable Haunted House Decor

Get into the Halloween spirit with sustainable decor. Use natural materials like gourds, pumpkins and leaves to decorate. When the holiday has passed, use gourds or pumpkins for cooking or compost them. Carving pumpkins? Don’t throw the scraps and seeds away. Toast seeds for a healthy snack and save scraps in the freezer for a delicious pumpkin soup. Additionally, make spooky decor from packaging or damaged materials such as turning stockings with runs into spider webbing or cardboard from boxes into tombstones.

Eco-Friendly Green Trick-or-Treat

No need to buy a trick-or-treat bag or basket — make your own at home. Use a small bucket, pillowcase or even an old paper bag. Crayons and miscellaneous decor from home can be used to personalize and decorate to match your costume. Speaking of costumes, DIY and be the star this Halloween with a unique outfit. Use old clothes for parts of costumes and even consider sewing one together. If you must, shop at yard sales or thrift and consignment stores to piece together final touches. Remember, you can reduce carbon emissions and support safe streets by trick-or-treating around your neighborhood instead of travelling to others.

Make a Green FrankenStuffie

While the FrankenStuffie workshop on October 26 is currently sold out, we have some ideas about how you can still make this art project at home while being sustainable. Partake in two of the five Rs of Sustainability and refuse the desire to buy new fabric or toys by repurposing. You can use old clothing that no longer fits you, that may be damaged, or you no longer wear to sew and stuff together Franken-parts.

Online Resources

Looking for more events? Find the City’s event calendar.

Find additional Halloween safety tips at the links below.

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City of Palo Alto
PaloAltoConnect

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