Ventura is known for its sandy beaches, rolling hills and bright sunshine, but when the holiday season rolls around, the morning fog looms over the city, Halloween decorations possess lawns and thoughts turn to costumes, parties and all things spooky.
Halloween brings many different festive elements to the scene. Farms sell pumpkins for carving, haunted houses open and local businesses and municipal governments hold events celebrating the holiday. With October packed with fun activities and so many things to choose from, below are a few curated happenings around Ventura County to try out during spooky season.
Fall Harvest festival
30 minutes east of Ventura lies Underwood Family Farms. You can find their stand at local farmers markets across the county selling quality produce. The farm is holding their annual Fall Harvest Festival at the Moorpark location through the weekend of Oct. 26, 2024. The 30 dollar entrance fee can seem a little steep, especially since many attractions on the inside cost money as well; however, one can still enjoy the event without spending extra cash.
Features include slides built out of old tractor bodies, pumpkin picking, a wagon ride and a corn maze among other activities. Mason Garcia, a farmer working the harvest festival, commented that barnyard — a goat petting zoo — gets a lot of foot traffic; Especially the baby goat section. Garcia also stated that, “we get a lot of people to go to [the] pig races,” one of the farm’s hourly shows that features not only pigs racing, but interactive games and prizes too. Special events depending on the weekend will also take place. On the Saturday of Oct. 5, 2024, they celebrated by dropping a pumpkin full of candy to the ground, greeted by a crowd of children in wait to snatch the treats, and have many more festive events planned in the coming weeks.
The festival is a chance for the farm to “show our community what farming is,” said Garcia. The venue hopes to show Ventura County what a farm looks like, where their food comes from and the importance of both animals and plants in their lives. It’s way to educate the public about these essential concepts and have fun while doing it.
Horror in the stacks
On Oct. 12, 2024, from 7:30-8:30 p.m., hundreds of visitors will flock to the local Downtown library for E.P. Foster Library’s, “Horror in the Stacks,”participants hoping to catch a fright in the teen-built and staffed haunted maze.
The free event is targeted at kids grades five through 12. Middle and high schoolers design a spooky walk through the aisles of the second floor with guidance from the librarians. The maze includes four to five different themed areas with decorated bookcases and costumed teens lurking behind every corner. Halloween-themed crafts are offered outside the maze for the patrons unwilling to brave the dangers of “The Stacks,” and if participants of the haunted walk feel overwhelmed with the horrors of the maze, exits are available throughout the course.
Heather Seaton, a resident librarian at E.P. Foster says that they, “have a little bit of a scare, but it’s also fun too … a good way to dip your toe into the whole, haunted maze.” Seaton says that the event helps to show the community that, “libraries are more than books, books are certainly a big part … but we want them to see their library has a lot of things to offer.” She explains that the library hosts events such as these to stay engaged in the community, curating activities for both kids and adults.
Downtown Ventura costume contest and trick or treat
Oct. 26, 2024, will see the Downtown Ventura costume contest and trick or treat. Also a free event, the costume contest will take place at 3 p.m. in the grassy area between SPARC Second Chance Store and the CAAN Thrift Store. Different age groups will compete for prizes granted to first, second and third place winners. After the winners of the competition are crowned, the fun will continue from 4-7 p.m. with trick or treating as storefronts on Main St. with pumpkin signs in their windows will give out treats.
One of the annual participants, a Foothill Tech student, Natalie St. Pierre ’27 says that, “the windows have a bunch of Halloween decorations … Main St. is all decked out.” She says you get to hang out with friends downtown while,“businesses get to advertise, and connect with the community. Also you get free candy, so everyone wins.”
Reign of terror haunted house
If these events don’t sound scary enough, the Reign of Terror haunted house is right for you. Running for its 25th year the haunted maze has 142 rooms, 11 themed sections and over 32,000 square feet of floor space. It has been described by many as terrifying and patrons seem to come out the end not quite the same. Since the company has rented out a portion of a strip mall in Thousand Oaks, the maze never has to be torn down resulting in an extremely intricate set that is constantly being improved. Reign of Terror attracts hundreds of visitors a night and is only open for a handful of weekends out of the year, so grab your friends and sign up quickly. You’ll spend the whole time screaming.
There are many different ways to celebrate the Harvest season, whether that be scaring yourself silly in a haunted maze, walking the streets of downtown Ventura, or simply handing out candy on Halloween night. Whatever you like to do, there’s something for you in Ventura!
