Savor last gasp of Halloween fun
Oct. 25—This is your last weekend to get in your Halloween fun. We've got tricks and treats for all ages and all interests. Read on — if you dare.
All-ages fun
Safe Halloween: The Kern County Museum returns with its popular two-day event featuring trick-or-treating, bounce houses, obstacle course, children's laser tag (ages 6 and up), a costume parade, dancing, photo-ops and food and beverage vendors. Treat bags will be provided for youngsters and no outside treat bags are permitted.
Admission is $10 for trick-or-treaters and those ages 3 to 12, $5 for adults and free for children age 2 and younger with a paid adult. Tickets available at kerncountymuseum.org/safe-halloween.
5 to 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Kern County Museum, 3801 Chester Ave.
Trunk or Treat Safe Zone: The city of Bakersfield will host a Halloween Town event Friday with free candy, treats, games, prizes and movies in the park.
5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Silvercreek Community Center, 7011 Harris Road.
Love Your Pet Day: Parents are often looking to maximize their children's costumes during the Halloween season. For those who might also be pet owners, Taft has an event for you with Love Your Pet Day on Saturday.
Put on by the Taft Chamber Downtown Business Committee, this first-ever event invites families and pets to Fifth Street Plaza on Center Street for a day of pet and children trick-or-treating, pet costume contest, bounce houses, shopping, food and more.
Attendees can walk around to visit the 22 stops along the route that will offer photo-ops for pets and owners, pet trick-or-treat activities.
Note that all dogs must be on a leash and follow the one-way route of the event. Fresh water will be available for four-legged participants along the route.
Visitors can also pick up a "dog license" at each stop that they can put their contact info on to turn in for the raffle.
The pet lovers' raffle basket will include a blanket, ball launcher, dog bones and treats, brush, shampoo, a Frisbee, and more.
Some participating businesses also donated other raffle prizes with tickets available for $1 each, Atherly said.
The day will also include a free bounce house and other fun.
Taft High School students painted seven store windows and attendees can vote for their favorite during the event.
The Taft Fox Theater will sell hot dogs, popcorn, candy and sodas. The Lions Club will set up their food truck with other items for sale at the north side of Fifth and Center.
Representatives from Kern County Animal Control and Taft Animal Control as well as two dog rescues will be on hand with information about pet adoption along with a few adoptable dogs on site.
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Fifth Street Plaza, Center Street in Taft.
Halloween Fall Fest: The Empty Space is going big for its first Halloween event at its new location. Dress in your most spook-tacular costumes for this all-ages event that will include to trick-or-treating, a cake walk, a pumpkin pie-eating contest, activities and games, vendors, a snack shack with fair food for sale, photo-ops and more.
The schedule includes the pie-eating contest at noon, cakewalk at 1 p.m. and costume contest at 2 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for favorite youth costume, funniest costume and overall favorite costume.
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, 4609 New Horizon Blvd. This event is free but RSVP at esonline.org/specialevents to be entered to win a Halloween gift basket. You can also enter online for the pie and cake contests ($5 entry fee for each).
Halloweenville: While thrill-seekers head to Scare Valley, take your little pumpkins to this all-ages spot that includes a haunted hayride, Ghosts versus Ghouls Laser Tag, Zombies versus Zed Heads splatterball, Casper's Zone bounce area and Freaky Flicks Movie Zone. You can also swing by the pumpkin patch, which is free to visit.
Admission is $15, free for children 2 and younger. Tickets are available at scarevalley.com.
Open 7 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday; pumpkin patch opens at 6:30 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 4009 Chester Ave. (next to Sam Lynn Ballpark).
Howlin' Halloween Dog Parade and Costume Contest: Ward 2 Councilman Andrae Gonzales invites local pet owners to show off their top dog for the contest and parade, which will take place in Wall Street Alley downtown (with no street closures). Starts at 6 p.m., Wall Street Alley off Eye Street between 18th and 19th streets.
George the Giant's Strange Museum of Oddities & Wonders: For the closing weekend of this pop-up museum of odd, unusual, haunted, and bizarre items, creator and performance artist George the Giant, aka George McArthur, will bring back the night market with vendors and other assorted fun. Admission is $7; tickets available at georgethegiant.ticketleap.com and at the door. Pay an extra fee to see serial killer John Wayne Gacy's self-portrait "Pogo the Clown."
5 to 10 p.m. Friday, 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday, 5630 District Blvd., Suite 122.
HalLAWeen: The Bakersfield Police Department will host the event offering treats and games for children. Attendees of all ages are welcome to come in costume but no masks are allowed for adults. There will be a costume contest for best "police officer" with the winner receiving a Nintendo Switch and "Mario Kart" game. Strollers are discouraged as they are not allowed indoors (there will be stroller parking offered outdoors). This is a free event and there is free one-hour parking at the 18th and Eye Street parking structure.
4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, downtown Bakersfield Police Department, 1601 Truxtun Ave.
Trunk or Treat for Domestic Violence Awareness: Bakersfield College brings back this extravaganza for a second year, hosting groups and organizations offering candy to children from their vehicle trunks. Last year's event drew 1,000 attendees with 24 decorated trunks.
5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the P3 Solar Panel parking lot on the BC campus at the corner of Panorama Drive and Mount Vernon Avenue.
Trick-or-Treating at Outlets: The Outlets at Tejon will host its annual event on Saturday. Enjoy a free family-friendly evening of fun, treats and frights. Dressing up is encouraged for all ages.
4 p.m. Saturday while supplies last, Outlets at Tejon, 5701 Outlets at Tejon Parkway, Arvin.
October Fun Fest: The annual fall celebration at Murray Family Farms enters its final days. Activities include a digital corn maze game, tractor ride, farm tour, sunflower maze, pumpkin patch, exotic aviary, roosteree, games and treats from the Cal Okie Orchard Kitchen.
Admission is $16.99 on weekdays, $19.99 on weekends, $9.99 for Lil Sprouts (up to 3 years old).
Open 1 to 8 p.m. weekdays and noon to 8 p.m. on weekends (no one admitted after 7 p.m. daily) at the Big Red Barn on Highway 58, 6700 General Beale Road.
Movies/theater
Maya Mystery Horror Marathon: Enjoy a day of horror films curated by local horror podcasts hosts Corinna Juarez and Sarah Cosper of "Gag Me With a Chainsaw" and Ariel Dyer and Candace Sluder of "Not Your Final Girl."
Dyer credited the theater's general manager (and fellow "horror head") Michael Armendariz with helping bring together the marathon that will feature intros or comments between films by the podcasters.
"Three are all what I would call either beloved or underrated horror sequels," Dyer said of the four-film lineup. "And you don't need to have seen the first one (in the series). They're accessible for anyone to pop in and get in there, you know, but especially for horror fans who don't often get to see a second or third one in a franchise."
Starts at noon Saturday, Maya Cinemas, 1000 California Ave. $25 for all four films; tickets available at mayacinemas.com or at the theater.
Horror trivia: Fresh off the movie marathon, Juarez and Cosper of "Gag Me With a Chainsaw" will head to The Sinking Ship to host an afternoon of horror trivia on Sunday afternoon.
Teams of one to four players can match wits with other local horror fans for bragging rights and Tiki-Ko swag. You can purchase even cocktails for a few extra points. Registration is $5 per team. Sign up at sinkingshipreservations.as.me/HorrorTrivia.
2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, The Sinking Ship, 1927 K St.
"Young Frankenstein": Remember it's pronounced "Fronkensteen" when it comes to this musical based on the beloved Mel Brooks comedy that continues its run at Stars. Enjoy dinner and a show or just the show along with some cocktails from the lounge.
Tickets are $80 (with dinner), $50 show only; students $55, $30 show only; $110/$90 for Steinert Suite VIP Box. Purchase tickets at bmtstars.com.
Shows at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Stars Theatre Restaurant, 1931 Chester Ave.
"Evil Dead: The Musical": There will be blood — and laughs and more with Ovation Theatre's production based on the film franchise. Tickets ($45, $35 for seniors and veterans, $25 for students with ID) are limited for Friday and Saturday but there is also a performance on Halloween night.
7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Tuesday, Ovation Theatre, 1622 19th St. Tickets available at theovationtheatre.com or by calling 661-489-4601.
"The Witches of Westchester": Enjoy an over-the-top Halloween show with this Gaslight production about the witches who aim to save the town from a developer looking to turn it into "Fresno South."
Tickets ($27, $25 for seniors and military, $16 for children 12 and under) are going quick for this weekend with a few available for Saturday and Sunday. Luckily you can keep the spirits going through Nov. 11 when the show wraps.
7 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Gaslight Melodrama, 12748 Jomani Drive. Tickets available on site or by calling 661-587-3377.
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show": Do the Time Warp again at the Fox Theater, which will be Transylvaniafied with the help of Tiki-Ko and The Velvet Darkness, whose shadow cast will bring the show to life. Dress in your wildest, most outrageous costumes or purchase the Fox's exclusive "Rocky Horror"-themed T-shirt.
Attendees can purchase prop bags from the theater and specialty cocktails like the Funk'n Furter (Jamaican rum, honey and passion fruit syrups, grapefruit, lime and pineapple juice) and The Magenta (pink lemonade, coconut water, falernum syrup, lemon juice and grenadine; guests can also opt for a dark rum version) from Tiki-Ko.
Note that guests under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to be admitted and no outside props will be allowed.
Doors open at 11 p.m., show starts at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Fox Theater, 2001 H St. $10-$25, available at thebakersfieldfox.com, the box office (from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays) or by calling 661-324-1369.
"Our Dear Dead Drug Lord": What darkness lies in the heart of the teenage girl? Find out in this intense play opening this weekend at Stars Playhouse.
7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Stars Playhouse, 2756 Mosasco St. Tickets are $25, $15 for students and available in advance at bmtstars.com.
Old enough for scares
Scare Valley: Test your mettle as you navigate Blackwater Bayou or the funhouse terror of Wicked Dark. Expect scares that are only appropriate for ages 13 and older (the haunt's recommended starting age).
Admission is $45 or $50 for both haunts with the option for a fast pass ($10) good for one haunt. Tickets, available at scarevalley.com or at the gate, also include admission to all-ages Halloweenville.
Open 8 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, 8 to 10 p.m. Sunday, 4009 Chester Ave (next to Sam Lynn Ballpark).
Halloween fun at Padre Hotel: The downtown venue will host "Notorious Bakersfield" podcast host Robert Peterson who will share Bakersfield-based scary stories. The $25 reservation includes a cocktail and admission to the party in Prospect Lounge that follows the talk. Call 661-427-4900 for reservations, which are recommended.
The party continues after with a "night of frights and delights" include a DJ spinning dancing tunes and a costume contest. Cover charge is $20 for those who didn't attend the talk.
7:30 p.m. Saturday for talk, party at 9 p.m., Padre Hotel, 1702 18th St.
Stefani Dias can be reached at 661-395-7488. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @realstefanidias.
