It’s officially October, which means everyone is gearing up for the run-up to Halloween.
The TV channels have kicked in with their marathon lineups (AMC’s FearFest or Syfy’s 31 Days of Halloween) and amusement parks have opened their annual haunt nights (Disneyland has a nightly Oogie Boogie Bash, Universal Studios has its Horror Nights and even Magic Mountain has a Fright Fest).
The spooky season is underway also in the Fresno area, with any number of Halloween and/or fright-filled events.
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Haunted attractions
Sanger’s Hobb’s Grove opened Friday as the Horribly Unhinged Hobb Estate. This is one “dreadfully long” haunted attraction that includes a visit through the Hobb Home and a tour of the outlands of the estate, “where humanity’s unwanted go to die. Funny thing is… they never do.” The attraction runs 21 days through October 31. A full schedule of dates and times can be seen online.
The Raisin Hell Ranch in Madera opens Oct. 8. with two haunted cornfield attractions — Deadwood and Sinister. These are grown-up level frights and not recommended for children under 12. Parental discretion advised. The attractions run Wednesdays to Sundays through October. Tickets and a full schedule of days and times can be seen online.
The Meux Home is hosting a Candelight Victorian Mourning tour, for those looking for a more historical Halloween outing. To be clear, this is not a set-up-for-scares haunted house like the others, rather a guided tour through the Victorian home, which will be decorated as it would have been in its heyday after the death of a family member. Tours runs 6-9 p.m. Oct. 29 and are limited to 10 guests per tour. Tickets are available online.
Pub crawls and parties
While there doesn’t need to be a reason for a good pub crawl (and no shame in it), a Halloween pub crawl gives one the excuse to wear a costume in public for an extended period of time.
Dothecrawl.com is hosting Halloween events in Clovis, Hanford and Visalia.
The Hanford crawl happens 5:30 p.m. Oct. 22, with stops at Hop Forged Brewing, Lush Fine Wines & Beer, Fatte Albert’s Pizza, Huggy’s and Sequoia Club.
The Clovis and Visalia crawls are the following night. They kick off at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 23.
Tickets for the events are $12-$20 and available online.
The Fresno Zombie Society resurrects (pun intended) its annual Zombie Crawl with a new format, which means you can now dress up in any costume you’d like and still fit right in. The crawl starts 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23 in the parking lot behind Livingstone’s bar in the Tower District. Tickets are $20, limited and required in advanced. They can be purchased online at fresnozombiecrawl.brownpapertickets.com.
The Standard Nightclub at Friant and Fort Washington is keeping its tradition of annual Haunted Mansion Halloween Parties. This year’s party is going exclusive with limited capacity. If you don’t have a ticket, “you will not get in.”
The event happens 8 p.m. Oct. 30. Tickets are $40 and available online.
Costumes are encouraged, obviously.
Full Circle Brewery District is hosting an early Halloween party, a so-called Oozy Boozy Hallween Bash. Presented by Coast by Coast Swag, the $5 event happens 5:30 p.m. Monday Oct. 25.
Concerts and performances
A bit closer to Halloween night, the Celtic rock band Tempest headlines a Halloween Brewery Bash at Full Circle. The concert happens 7 p.m. Oct. 30. Tickets are $12-$15.
Shep’s Haunted Hallows Costume party with Bill Clifton Chicken and Whiskey Band at 7 p.m. Oct. 29 at Shep’s Club at Shepherd’s Inn. The event is open to all ages and will have a costume contest, haunted house, portrait booth and more.
Rapper Suga Free performs 6 p.m. Oct. 29 at Tioga Sequoia’s Beer Garden. The so-called Sexy Halloween Bash (and concert) is $25. Tickets are available online at Livemusiccity.
The Emo Night tour returns to Fresno, 8 p.m. Oct. 30 at Fulton 55. Think Warped Tour ‘08 “minus all the dust and melting in the sun.” Tour DJS plus guest band will perform. Tickets are $15-$18.
Kids time
The Children’s Storybook Garden & Museum is hosting Happily Haunted, 5:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at the museum on Tenth Street in Hanford. There will be trick-or-treating, a pumpkin contest and other games and activities. Tickets are $10 for members, $12 for nonmembers and $5 for all adults.
The Valley Animal Center has teamed with Valley Dream Car for its first Trunk-or-Treat car show, 2 p.m. Oct. 30 at the center’s location at 3934 N. Hayston Ave. The free event will also feature a pumpkin decorating and costume contest. Awards will be given to the best decorated cars.
Fresno Chaffee Zoo’s annual ZooBoo celebration expands for 2021, with six nights: Oct. 21-23 and Oct. 28-31. This is a not-so-scary way to celebrate Halloween (or just the fall season) and will include new decorations and activities, like a hay maze. Children are encouraged to dress in non-scary costumes.
This event runs 5-8 p.m. and is expected to sell out.
Tickets are $16-$18 for zoo members; $20-$22 for non-members.
The Yokai Market Samhain Harvest happens Oct. 3 at the American Legion Riders Chapter 509 at 3509 N First St. This is a two-part event. For the kids, there’s a Trick’r Trunk from 2-5 p.m.
The group’s night market, which features art, food, aime and comics, collectibles, retro games and more, runs from 6- 10 p.m.
Tickets are $5 and available online.
Joshua Tehee covers breaking news for The Fresno Bee, writing on a wide range of topics from police, politics and weather, to arts and entertainment in the Central Valley.
