Fall & Halloween in San Francisco with Kids: October 2026

October does not need to become a month of elaborate outings. Choose one date, check the age fit, and leave room to head home when your family has had enough. This selection mixes free library visits and museum workshops with larger science and Halloween celebrations. Upcoming organizer dates and program details were reviewed on October 15, 2026. Leap’s 2026 spectator admission was also rechecked. Booking pages were checked where accessible; availability is not guaranteed, and unresolved booking checks are identified below.

Open the October calendar, then clear the selected day to browse the month. Use the age, neighborhood, and free-event filters to narrow it down. The links below open each event’s date and practical details.

October 17: science, costumes or a fall festival

For hands-on exploring: Bay Area Science Festival Discovery Day runs 11 AM–4 PM at UCSF Mission Bay. It is free and open to all ages, with experiments and exhibits across the campus event. Our suggestion: choose a few activities and take a break instead of trying to cover everything. Expect crowds and noise; outdoor areas include both paved paths and grass.

For getting a costume ready: Portola Library’s children’s costume swap runs 3–4 PM. You can take a costume without donating one. The branch accepts clean new or gently used children’s costumes October 1–17; available sizes and styles depend on donations. This is a separate neighborhood outing from Mission Bay, so pick whichever suits your day.

For a late-afternoon celebration: Civic Center’s Fall Family Festival runs 4–7 PM at Fulton Plaza, with carnival games, free pumpkin decorating, face painting and entertainers. Admission is free and no ticket is needed; the optional signup is only a reminder. Food purchases are separate.

October 18: a free spider-art workshop

Family Studio: Spiders runs 10 AM–1 PM in SFMOMA’s Floor 2 Koret Education Center. Make a spider sculpture with creative reuse materials; blocks and children’s books are also available. The whole-family studio is free, with no museum admission required, and offers drop-in art making. The separate noon gallery tour, Spooky Art: Spiders and More!, is still at capacity on October 15. Plan for the drop-in studio rather than that tour; a paid gallery visit is separate, with ages 18 and younger free.

Make something before Halloween

These free library activities have different age requirements. Match the activity to the child before making the trip:

• October 16, 3:45–4:45 PM: Light-up Halloween cards at Chinatown Library, for ages 10–13. Reservations are required; call 415-355-2889.
• October 20, 4:30–5:30 PM: Creepy Clay Crafting at Bernal Heights Library, for ages 8 and up, including teens. Seating is limited and first come.
• October 21, 4–5 PM: Magic Potion Sensory Bottles at Ingleside Library, for ages 6 and up.

October 24: choose one bigger outing

Several very different options fall on the same Saturday. We would make one the main plan rather than trying to combine them.

A museum costume celebration: Family Halloween at Randall Museum runs 10 AM–2 PM, with games, crafts, treats, costume awards, music, and theater entertainment. Admission is free; some activities cost extra, and the organizer has not published individual activity prices. No advance registration is listed.

A beach spectacle: Leap Sandcastle Classic is at Ocean Beach, near Balboa Street, 11 AM–3:30 PM. Go to see the sandcastle builds, and bring layers for an exposed beach visit. The organizer confirms that public attendance is free. Team registration is separate, so do not assume a visitor can join a registered build.

Cancelled: Thrill-O-Ween. Chase Center’s official notice ↗ confirms that the October 24 event has been cancelled because of a scheduling conflict. Choose one of the other outings below; the cancelled event is no longer promoted in our calendar.

A ticketed museum evening: SuperNatural at the California Academy of Sciences has general admission 6:30–9 PM. Nonmember general-admission tickets are $60 for adults and $45 for youth; children 2 and under are free. The announcement and booking page disagree on which ticket an 18-year-old needs, so confirm that category before purchasing. Each adult ticket purchaser must come with a child. Early entry at 5 PM requires a different, higher-priced ticket. General-admission ticket options were listed on October 15; no purchase was attempted. Check current availability before promising the outing. The Werewolf Den VIP package is sold out. Our Academy listing covers an ordinary museum visit; this special evening needs its own event ticket.

October 25: a free family museum day

SFMOMA’s Free Family Day: K-Pop, Art, and Beyond runs 10 AM–4 PM, with art making, storytimes, family yoga, dance sessions, and a scavenger hunt. Up to two adults enter free when accompanied by a child or teen 18 or younger. Reserve a ticket for everyone in your group, including children; free family-day tickets were available at review, but the event may reach capacity.

General admission excludes RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me, which needs a separate timed ticket. That exhibition costs $12 per adult; ages 18 and younger are free but still need a timed ticket. The museum says those exhibition tickets will be available on-site at its Floor 2 desk, first come with limited capacity. Your free family-day reservation does not guarantee exhibition entry.

October 26: a small Halloween plan for toddlers

Merced Library’s Halloween storytime is 10:15–10:45 AM on the patio, for children 16 months through age 2 and their caregivers. It is free, and costumes are welcome. This is a short morning activity, useful if an evening party does not fit your family’s routine.

October 27–28: a craft or a dance

• October 27, 3:30–5 PM: Magnetic Spinning Spider at Bayview Library, for ages 8–13. This STEM craft uses a hot glue gun.
• October 27, 4–5 PM: Impractical Potions at Merced Library, for ages 5 and up, offers a storybook-inspired mixing activity on the patio.
• October 28, 3–4 PM: Halloween Family Dance Party at Excelsior Library. Drop in for a few songs or stay for the hour; no numeric age range is specified.

These are free drop-ins. Choose the age fit and neighborhood that work for your family.

October 29–30: a market celebration or artist-made Halloween

Mission Community Market’s Día de los Muertos and Halloween celebration is October 29, 3–7 PM. Children in costume are invited for family crafts; DJ Lamont plays 5–7 PM. Visit the public market freely, with food, flowers and other purchases separate. Día de los Muertos has its own cultural traditions; it is not simply another name for Halloween.

YBCA’s family-friendly early session of The Haunt is October 30, 5–7 PM. Standard adult tickets are $25, members $15, and children 12 and under free; all minors need an accompanying adult. The session includes a SCRAP headwear workshop. Select this specific early session when booking, and remove full-face coverings at check-in. Adult and child ticket options were offered on October 15, but availability can change.

October 31: fruit tasting, a storytime or Halloween Hoopla

For a market outing, Foodwise’s Fall Fruit Celebration is 11 AM–1 PM outside the Ferry Building, with free fruit samples, recipes and a cooking demo at 11 AM. Purchases are separate.

For a brief indoor option, Main Library’s Halloween storytime runs 11:30 AM–noon in the second-floor Children’s Storytelling Room. It is a free drop-in for children and caregivers, and costumes are welcome.

For a longer outdoor outing, Halloween Hoopla returns to the Children’s Garden at Yerba Buena Gardens, noon–3 PM. The free event is intended for children under 10 with their adults, with Circus Bella performers, live music, and a costume parade finale. The organizer’s free RSVP is optional; registration is not required to attend. Leave flexibility for a shorter visit if a full afternoon of performances is too much.

More October ideas beyond Halloween

• October 15, 11–11:45 AM: Aguacate Music Kids at Merced Library. Free music and movement for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and their families.
• October 25, 2–3 PM: Día de Muertos origami skulls at Glen Park Library, for ages 5 and up; children under 8 need an adult. This free workshop introduces Día de Muertos before the paper activity. It is a distinct cultural observance, with its own traditions.

For another introduction to the traditions of Día de los Muertos, The Mexican Museum’s craft program at Potrero Library is October 28, 3–4 PM, for ages 6 and up. It is free, with no registration listed.

Before you set out

Check the individual organizer link for reservations, changes, and current ticket availability. For a free outdoor backup, browse parks and playgrounds or keep the free Presidio half-day plan handy. A missed reservation does not have to mean a lost family day.