Weekend Guide: Things to Do in Santa Cruz & Monterey, October 30-November 1

This is the weekend the whole coast dresses up. Halloween lands on Saturday, October 31, and Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties are going all in: trick-or-treating on the Boardwalk and on Fisherman's Wharf, an Eagles tribute at the Golden State Theatre, a Halloween bash at Moe's Alley, and the final day of pumpkin patch season everywhere from Soquel to Salinas. Then Sunday rolls into Día de los Muertos, the first day of one of the most meaningful celebrations of the year around here.

I have lived in Santa Cruz County for more than 50 years, and Halloween weekend has always been one of my favorites. The fog settles into the evenings, the monarchs are streaming back to Natural Bridges, and everyone is just a little friendlier in a costume. Whether you want a full family day or a grown-up night of live music, there is a plan here for you. Let us get to it.

Friday, October 30

Oingo Boingo Former Members at the Golden State Theatre

8:00 PM | Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado Street, Monterey
The legendary new wave band's former members bring the songs back to the stage, and honestly, there is no better venue for it than the Golden State's gilded interior. Expect the big hits, the theatrical energy, and a crowd that has been waiting years for this. Halloween weekend is the perfect excuse for a night out in Monterey. Tickets at goldenstatetheatre.com.

The Mother Hips at Moe's Alley

Doors 8:00 PM, Show 9:00 PM | Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz
The Mother Hips have been a California institution for decades, blending rock, folk, and jangly psychedelia into a live show that never misses. This is a hometown-adjacent crowd favorite, so grab tickets ahead of time and get there early. Another stop on the long-running (((folkYEAH!))) series at the Alley.

Also this evening: the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf is decked out for the season with festive lights and Halloween specials at the restaurants, so it is a quick and easy stop for dinner with an ocean view before any show.

Saturday, October 31: Halloween

Boo at the Boardwalk

12:00 PM to 7:00 PM | Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, 400 Beach Street, Santa Cruz
The Boardwalk's annual Halloween celebration is the biggest family event of the weekend, and admission is free. Grab the $12 trick-or-treat package for a collectible Boardwalk bag plus a $10 MyBoardwalk card, then hit the rides, the games, and the costume contest (photo entry at the Main Entrance banner). The Giant Dipper in the afternoon light with autumn leaves blowing off the arcade roofline: that is the classic Santa Cruz photo right there.

Trick or Treat By the Bay

4:00 PM to 7:00 PM | Old Fisherman's Wharf, 1 Old Fisherman's Wharf, Monterey
Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf turns into a trick-or-treat route with candy at the shops and a costume contest with cash prizes. It is free, it is festive, and the sea lions on the pier will be providing the soundtrack. A perfect stop if you are on the Peninsula for the day, and an easy pairing with dinner at one of the wharf restaurants afterward.

EagleMania at the Golden State Theatre

Saturday evening | Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado Street, Monterey
The world's top Eagles tribute band takes the stage Halloween night for all the classic rock sing-alongs you know by heart. Costumes encouraged. If you are already in Monterey for Trick or Treat By the Bay, this is the natural way to keep the night going.

Moe's Alley Halloween Bash with High Step Society and Floratura

Saturday night | Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz
High Step Society, the Bay Area's gloriously danceable brass-and-beats party band, headlines the Alley's Halloween bash with opener Floratura. Expect a packed room, serious moves, and a costume show in the crowd. This is the "go all out" option for Halloween night in Santa Cruz.

Halloween Morning Farmers Markets

Aptos: 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM | Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Drive
The Aptos market runs every Saturday year-round, and this Saturday is your last big fall-produce stop before the season turns. Over 90 vendors, certified organic produce, artisan foods, and the Farmers Market String Band.

Westside Santa Cruz: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM | Highway 1 and Western Drive
Apples, pomegranates, squash, and the last of the late-season tomatoes, all from organic-certified farms. Grab a coffee, walk the full loop, and stock up for the Halloween party.

Scotts Valley: 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM | Graham Plaza, 219 Mt. Hermon Road
A friendly, smaller market with local produce and crafts. Perfect if you are starting your day on the mountain side of the county.

Pumpkin Patches: The Final Weekend

Saturday, October 31 is the official last day for most pumpkin patches, and this year's crop is worth one more trip. Here is where to go:

A coastal California pumpkin patch in late October with rows of pumpkins, a corn maze in the distance, and late-afternoon light

Borchard Farms: The Final Day

11:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Saturday October 31 | 142 Rodgers Road, Salinas
Borchard Farms closes its 2026 season on Halloween, and it goes out big: a 5-acre corn maze, a ghost town, a haunted barn, and farm animals. Admission to the patch and the maze is free; you only pay for the pumpkins and extras you bring home. About 45 minutes from Santa Cruz and well worth the drive for the maze alone.

Crystal Bay Farm

Open through Halloween weekend | 40 Zils Road, Watsonville
A classic south-county farm with organically grown pumpkins and gourds. Crystal Bay has been a family favorite for years: quiet fields, good photo light, and the whole farm to wander.

Everett Family Farm

Open daily through October 31 | 2111 Old San Jose Road, Soquel
The closest full-size pumpkin patch to Santa Cruz, with fall activities, u-pick pumpkins, and that familiar Soquel country-road drive that feels like a world away from town.

Earthbound Farm

All through October | 7250 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley
The organic farm stand in Carmel Valley has pumpkins and fall happenings all month. Great on the way back from a Monterey morning, and the farm market itself is worth a browse.

Sunday, November 1: Día de los Muertos Begins

Andrew Duhon Trio at Moe's Alley

Matinee | Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz
New Orleans songwriter Andrew Duhon brings his trio in for a Sunday afternoon show, and an early set means you can still enjoy the rest of your day. Music, front porch warmth, and a room full of people recovering from Halloween in the best way.

Sunday Farmers Markets

Live Oak / Eastside: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM | 15th Avenue and East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz
Sunday market on the east side, then walk a block to Seabright Beach for a November morning walk with the waves rolling in.

Carmel Valley: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM | Mid-Valley Shopping Center, 9550 Carmel Valley Road
A year-round Sunday market with local produce and artisan goods in the sunny Carmel Valley. A lovely slow start before a Peninsula afternoon.

Day of the Dead: Honoring and Remembering

Sunday, November 1 and Monday, November 2 are Día de los Muertos, a time when families across the Central Coast build altars, share stories, and celebrate the people they love with music, color, and food. The Museum of Art & History in downtown Santa Cruz and the Plaza in Watsonville have both hosted free community celebrations with ofrendas, music, and family activities in recent years. Watch their event pages for this year's dates. It is a beautiful way to begin November in this community.

All Weekend: Outdoor Adventures

Monarch Butterflies at Natural Bridges State Beach

Daily, park open 8:00 AM to sunset | 2531 West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz
The monarchs are back. California's only state monarch preserve is filling with western monarchs for the winter, and docent-led tours of the Monarch Grove run on weekends from mid-October through February, with peak numbers usually arriving late November. Stand under a eucalyptus heavy with thousands of folded wings and you will understand why people make this a yearly ritual. Free, and one of the best things Santa Cruz has, period.

Kayaking Elkhorn Slough

Daily | Moss Landing, about 20 minutes south of Santa Cruz
Fall is a wonderful time on the slough: sea otters floating in the eelgrass, harbor seals hauled out on the mudflats, and egrets working the shallows. Rentals and guided naturalist tours leave from Moss Landing, and the protected waters are calm enough for beginners. Bring a camera and layers.

Hiking the Redwoods

Daily | Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Felton; Fall Creek Unit, Felton; The Forest of Nisene Marks, Aptos
Three redwood parks within 15 minutes of each other, all cooler and quieter now that the summer crowds have gone. Henry Cowell has the easy old-growth loop, Fall Creek offers creekside trails through second growth, and Nisene Marks has 30-plus miles of trails from flat fire roads to real climbs. November light in the redwoods is something special.

Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail

18 miles from Castroville to Pacific Grove
One of the most scenic paved trails on the California coast. Walk, run, or bike along the bay with views of Cannery Row, the Monterey Peninsula, and on clear fall days the whole curve of the bay. Rent a bike in Monterey or Pacific Grove and ride the bayside section. Criminally undertrafficked in November.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Open daily, typically 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM | 886 Cannery Row, Monterey
The Kelp Forest, the Open Sea, the touch pools, the jellies: a world-class attraction that is our backyard. Fall crowds are thinner than summer, which makes for a relaxed visit. Book ahead online to guarantee entry.

Food & Drink Highlights

Farmers Market Harvest Haul

Between Saturday and Sunday you have four markets to choose from across the counties. Late October is peak apple, pomegranate, squash, and greens season, and the pumpkins, gourds, and ornamental corn at the stalls double as instant Halloween decor. Build a cheese board, carve a pumpkin, and call it a weekend well spent.

Abbott Square Market

118 Cooper Street, Downtown Santa Cruz
Open all weekend, with arepas, wood-fired pizza, poke, Puerto Rican dishes, and more around the outdoor plaza. A relaxed spot for a casual Saturday night dinner between the Boardwalk and a show at Moe's Alley.

Alvarado Street Brewery

426 Alvarado Street, Monterey
The downtown Monterey taproom serves some of the best craft beer on the Central Coast, with a lively room and solid pub food. Perfect before Oingo Boingo on Friday or EagleMania on Saturday. Their fall seasonal ales are worth asking about.

Arts & Culture

Golden State Theatre, Monterey. Oingo Boingo Former Members on Friday, October 30, then EagleMania's Eagles tribute on Halloween night. Two very different concerts, one gloriously dressed-up venue.

Moe's Alley, Santa Cruz. The Mother Hips on Friday, the Halloween Bash with High Step Society on Saturday, and Andrew Duhon's matinee on Sunday. A full weekend of live music at the Coast Road's favorite roadhouse.

Coming up: Santa Cruz First Friday Art Tour, Friday, November 6. Galleries, shops, and cultural venues across Santa Cruz and Capitola stay open late with new shows and live music, free and monthly. A great one to schedule for the weekend after.

Notable Community News

Boo at the Boardwalk returns October 31. The Boardwalk's Halloween celebration is back with free admission, a $12 trick-or-treat package (collectible bag plus $10 MyBoardwalk card), and the annual costume contest. It is the traditional close of the Boardwalk's fall season, and it is a can't-miss for families.

Oingo Boingo Former Members play Monterey. One of the most-requested reunions in California music plays the Golden State Theatre on Friday, October 30. The former members of the genre-defying new wave band have made this a beloved annual tradition, and tickets are moving.

The monarchs are back at Natural Bridges. Western monarchs have returned to the preserve for the season, with weekend docent tours running through February and peak numbers expected in late November and early December. A free, world-class nature show in our own backyard.

Día de los Muertos begins Sunday, November 1. The Day of the Dead arrives with the first of November, and community celebrations with altars, music, and family activities return across both counties. The MAH in Santa Cruz and the Watsonville Plaza have hosted free events in recent years; check their pages as dates are announced.

Shareable Social Captions

Planning to post about your weekend? Here are some ready-to-copy captions for Instagram and Facebook, written as if I am sharing my own Halloween weekend plans with friends.

This is the weekend Santa Cruz has been waiting for. Boo at the Boardwalk on Saturday, Trick or Treat By the Bay on Monterey's wharf, and pumpkins everywhere you look. Save me a caramel apple. 🎃 🌊 #SantaCruzEvents #ThingsToDoSantaCruz #WeekendInSantaCruz #SantaCruzLife #Halloween

My Halloween weekend plan, South County style: Saturday morning at the Aptos Farmers Market, pumpkins at Borchard Farms in Salinas, then costumes on at Moe's Alley with High Step Society. Sunday is for the monarchs at Natural Bridges. Who is joining me? 🍁 🤘 #SantaCruzEvents #WeekendInSantaCruz #ThingsToDoSantaCruz #MontereyBay #Halloween2026

Family-friendly Halloween alert. Free trick-or-treating on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk (the $12 kit comes with a bag and a $10 card!), plus the Monterey Wharf costume contest, farm animals at the pumpkin farms, and docent tours of the monarch grove. Pack the crew, this one is magic. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 🎃 #FamilyFunSantaCruz #SantaCruzEvents #WeekendInSantaCruz #ThingsToDoSantaCruz #Halloween

Music lovers, look alive. Oingo Boingo Former Members at the Golden State Theatre Friday, an Eagles tribute Saturday, and The Mother Hips at Moe's Alley to start it all. Two counties, three nights, zero boring plans. 🎸 🔬 #SantaCruzEvents #MontereyBay #WeekendInSantaCruz #ThingsToDoSantaCruz #LiveMusic

Best thing I did last October: stood under the monarchs at Natural Bridges. They are back for the season, and the weekend tours run right through February. Slow morning, ocean air, a thousand orange wings. Do not sleep on this one. 🦋 🌴 #SantaCruzLife #WeekendInSantaCruz #SantaCruzEvents #ThingsToDoSantaCruz #MonarchButterflies

Enjoy the weekend, everyone. Whether you are trick-or-treating on the Boardwalk, watching a band in Monterey, carving a pumpkin in Soquel, or just walking the grove under the monarchs, I hope Halloween weekend gives you exactly what you need. If you are thinking about buying or selling a home in Santa Cruz or Monterey County, or if you have questions about what this market looks like for your situation, I would love to hear from you. Call me at (831) 247-5719 or visit the contact page. I want you to make informed decisions, and I love helping people find their place in this beautiful corner of California.

Talk soon.
Kieron Bery, REALTOR® with Century 21 Masters