Balboa Park Halloween Family Day
Park-Wide Halloween Family Day on Oct. 27 offers a day full of hair-raising activities and free museum admission for kids.
Bring the family to San Diego’s urban cultural center for a spooktacular array of hands-on activities, crafts, costume parades, tours and storytelling at the annual Balboa Park Halloween Family Day on Saturday, October 27. Don’t miss the highlights of this park-wide event, including a dog costume parade and contest, a pumpkin parachute drop, and activities that explore legendary ghosts of San Diego. Children 12 and under will be treated to free admission at more than a dozen museums with a paid adult admission. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. balboapark.org/visit/halloween
HALLOWEEN FAMILY DAY TRICKS AND TREATS
Balboa Park Sustainability Program
Enjoy Halloween-themed arts and crafts that teach all ages how to live more sustainably. Meet special guest Ivana Waste, an energy vampire who feeds off the electricity of turned-off, plugged-in appliances.
Balboa Park Visitors Center
Kids in costume who are accompanied by an adult will receive a free gift while supplies last. Also, enter a drawing to win passports to Balboa Park, Old Town Trolley/Seal Tour tickets, and Junior Theatre tickets to Sound of Music.
Japanese Friendship Garden
Kids can go on a scavenger hunt of the garden and participate in a miniature Japanese dry gardening workshop. Kids in costume will also receive a free gift.
Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theatre
Children can attend a free puppet-making activity at 11:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.
Marston House
Receive a vintage, circa 1900s-style treat bag full of various goodies, including coupons and candy while supplies last. Stick around for mask making and creepy coloring.
Museum of Photographic Arts
Trick your friends into thinking it’s 1914! Anyone in costume is welcome to take a photo in the museum’s turn-of-the-century “Man in the Moon” photo backdrop.
Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
Toddlers (ages 5 and under) can get crafty and create “Pasta Skeletons” and “Pumpkin Guts” Halloween decorations in the Kid City activity area. The Fleet is also offering $6 IMAX admission for kids participating in Halloween Family Day. Limit two discounted children’s IMAX tickets per one full-price paid adult ticket.
San Diego Air & Space Museum
Prepare for the pumpkin drop off the museum’s roof by making pumpkin parachutes and enjoy kid-friendly 3-D films. Also enjoy a special admission price of $4 to see the How Things Fly exhibition. Pumpkin drop at 2:30 p.m.
San Diego Automotive Museum
Discover your inner car designer with ghost car coloring sheets in the Children’s Art Gallery.
San Diego History Center
Tombstone Trivia tests your knowledge of notorious people and legendary ghosts from San Diego’s past in a simulated graveyard setting. The Make-n-Take Pumpkin Treat Bag for the little ones will be filled with treats to take home to eat later.
San Diego Model Railroad Museum
Take a spooky ride down the Haunted Tracks to learn what an engineer does, hear stories about haunted railroads, and make a Halloween mask.
San Diego Museum of Art
Use the special search-and-find hangout to discover the many masks and costumes depicted in works of art in the museum’s collection.
San Diego Natural History Museum
Grab a flashlight and visit the Critter Cavern to learn about bats and other nocturnal creatures, then join in a costume parade led by Ms. Frizzle following her performance at 1:30 p.m. Also enjoy hands-on activities to create crafts to take home.
San Diego Museum of Man
To learn about Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, make a calavera mask or a paper flower to honor friendly spirits, then take a spooky tour of the museum’s mummy collection, presented in ghostly rhyme.
San Diego Youth Symphony
On the second floor of the Casa del Prado building, orchestra rehearsals is free and open to the public.
San Diego Zoo
Pins, decals, magazines and Halloween candy will be handed out to everyone at the zoo’s booth along the Prado. Free admission to all children through 11 years of age, regardless of adult ticket purchase.
San Diego Youth Symphony
Head to the instrument “petting zoo” where students will demonstrate and teach visitors how to play a variety of instruments. Kids will be treated to free candy while supplies last.
Spanish Village
Dress up your dog and join the Dog Costume Parade and Contest at the Lily Pond. First place receives a $25 Spanish Village Gift Certificate. Then decorate goody bags and trick-or-treat at the art studios. Parade at 1 p.m.
Timken Museum of Art
Revel in ghostly giggles at a Family Storytelling that will give ages 5 and up “just the teeniest bit of shiver.” 11 a.m.
UNA International Gift Shop
Pick up a Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF box for kids to take along with them as they go trick-or-treating this Halloween. The money they collect will be sent to UNICEF to help children around the world who need clean water, food, school supplies, etc. One free flag per family while supplies last.
