Fall is in full swing and Halloween is creeping up around the corner. In the spirit of the season, the La Jolla Light compiled a list of October events taking place across The Jewel.
La Jolla Community Center events
A trio of Halloween-themed events will be held at the Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Blvd.:
• Halloween pumpkin decorating: 2:30-4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15. Free for Community Center members, $10 for non-members.
• Movie Night: “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein”: 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29. Refreshments will be provided. Free for Community Center members, $10 for non-members.
• Halloween Lunch & Costume Contest: noon to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. Prizes will be available for the funniest, spookiest and most creative costumes. Free for Community Center members, $25 for non-members. Registration is required by Tuesday, Oct. 28.
For more information, visit ljcommunitycenter.org/specialevents.
Nightmare on Nautilus
La Jolla High School’s yearly haunted trail returns from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, at 750 Nautilus St.
Nightmare on Nautilus is presented by the LJHS Drama Club and directed by students. Seniors Caroline Gamez and Mee Muldoon said this year’s trail is more confined — exclusively in the theater department — and hopefully spookier.
“Each theme is thought of by a different group of students in the class, and we’re focusing on quality over quantity this year, which I think is a good step to take,” Mee said.
The school hosted its fall play, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Being a Zombie,” Oct. 9-11. The set will play a part in the trail, organizers said, as it was built with Nightmare on Nautilus in mind.
“I hope [visitors] are definitely spooked, because that means we did a good job,” Caroline said. “But I [also] hope they take away maybe joining the Drama Club in their future years, whether they’re in middle school and they’re planning on acting or if they’re a current student and it gets them more excited about acting.”
Tickets cost $7 and can be purchased at the door. Learn more at ljhstheatre.com.
Family Fall Festival
Carnival games, pumpkin painting, a pie walk, rides, treats and more will be part of Shoreline Community Services’ second annual Family Fall Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at La Jolla United Methodist Church, 6063 La Jolla Blvd.
General admission is $10 for children and $15 for adults. A “family fun pass” is $50. For more information, visit bit.ly/SCS-Fall-25.
Día de los Muertos events
A pair of events at the La Jolla/Riford Library’s Community Room will celebrate Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, and Neustra Cultura, the library’s commemoration of National Hispanic Heritage Month.
“Día de los Muertos Storytime with Ms. Jackie” is scheduled for 3 to 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, and a Día de los Muertos concert will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27. The library is at 7555 Draper Ave.
Children are encouraged to don traditional Día de los Muertos makeup.
Halloween Aglow
The yearly family-friendly event at Birch Aquarium provides Halloween fun with a scientific twist.
Halloween Aglow runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24-25, with games and trick-or-treating in the Living Seas Gallery, accompanied by special lighting and decorations.
Additional features include live music from Billy Lee and the Swamp Critters, divers showing off their underwater pumpkin carving skills, and pop-up science stations.
Visitors take in the sights during Birch Aquarium’s Halloween Aglow in 2023. (Jordann Tomasek)
Tickets are $40 for children and $45 for adults, while aquarium members receive 50% off the price. Children 2 and younger get in free.
Birch Aquarium is at 2300 Expedition Way at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Guests are encouraged to make reservations for Halloween Aglow. Find out more at aquarium.ucsd.edu/events/halloween-aglow.
Dogoween
La Jolla’s pet-centric Halloween party is returning for its fourth edition from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, with a new location but many of the same competitions and festivities.
Dogoween will take place at The Kitchen at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 700 Prospect St.
The annual event raised more than $4,000 last year for a pair of local pet adoption organizations while featuring a costume contest, pop-up tents and tunes.
Dogs and their owners can compete in the categories of Best in Show, Funniest Costume, Cutest Costume, Owner & Dog Duo, Most Creative/Original, Scariest/Spookiest, Best Pack/Group and People’s Choice.
A canine contestant dressed as Little Red Riding Hood works the red carpet at last year’s Dogoween. (Noah Lyons)
Entries cost $30 each, with the option of entering multiple categories.
VIP tables are available for $100, providing shade, wait service, a contest entry and a goodie bag.
Spectators can vote in the People’s Choice category for free.
Find out more or enter at lajollalovespets.org.
Trunk or Treat
This free community event on Wednesday, Oct. 29, invites people of all ages to join for food, fun and treats.
Trunk or Treat will feature 32 pre-approved cars for trick-or-treating, offering non-alcoholic apple cider, chili with toppings and pie in a cup. Pumpkin carving also will be available.
The event will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Draper Avenue between La Jolla Presbyterian Church and the La Jolla Recreation Center. The street will be closed starting at 3 p.m. Parking will be available at the church at 7715 Draper.
Creepy Candy Crawl
Searching for trick-or-treating locations on Halloween? Look no further than The Village.
Once again, the Creepy Candy Crawl will be held for children of all ages from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31.
Finalists in the 2024 Creepy Candy Crawl costume contest gather in La Jolla’s Village. (Noah Lyons)
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Finalists in the 2024 Creepy Candy Crawl costume contest gather in La Jolla’s Village. (Noah Lyons)
Kids can go to participating Village shops with goodie bags available at the Real Estate Brokers Association at 908 Kline St. and enter a costume contest featuring prizes donated by Geppetto’s toy store.
Judges in witch costumes will seek out the most memorable contest entries and announce the results at REBA at 4:15 p.m.
Find out more at bit.ly/42x0aoQ. ♦