Carmel Valley Halloween Events 2026: Your Plaza Calendar
October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
Carmel Valley's Halloween events are spread over two weeks this year, at four different addresses. The first is a midday party at Piazza Carmel on Saturday, Oct. 17. The last is trick-or-treating at Del Mar Highlands Town Center on Saturday, Oct. 31. In between are a weekday festival run by the city, a Friday trunk-or-treat at One Paseo, and a few adult evenings on the nights the kids' events skip. No two of them share an address and a time slot.
Here is the order, using each organizer's current listing:
One Paseo lists both of its events as free, and Del Mar Highlands lists its morning party as free. The rest of this post covers what each date involves and what fills the days between them.
The opening Saturday has two events at two centers, and the times don't overlap. The Del Mar Times Halloween roundup lists Piazza Carmel's event from noon to 3 p.m. Children get a free Halloween bucket while supplies last, and the roundup mentions a magic show and an appearance by FrankenStilt.
Two hours after Piazza Carmel wraps up, One Paseo starts Hocus Pocus on The Lawn. The screening is free and runs 5 to 8 p.m. One Paseo pitches it for families and for date nights.
The movie was first scheduled for an earlier date. One Paseo moved it to Oct. 17 because of weather. That's a reason to check the event page on the afternoon of the screening, since an outdoor event that has been postponed once can be postponed again.
The two middle events are the only ones on weekdays, and both start at 3 p.m.
On Wednesday, Oct. 28, the City of San Diego's Fall Fun Fest takes over the small field at Carmel Valley Recreation Center. The city lists music, games, prizes, an inflatable maze and face painters, from 3 to 6 p.m. One detail on that page could confuse people: the summary line at the top says "3am," but the full event description gives the time as 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.
On Friday, Oct. 30, the San Diego Police Department comes to One Paseo for Trunk or Treat from 3 to 5 p.m. The listing includes trick-or-treating, candy giveaways, bounce houses, games and police vehicles to look at. One Paseo asks families to bring their own trick-or-treat bags.
Both weekday events end around dinnertime. One Paseo's restaurant lineup now includes goop Kitchen at 3725 Paseo Place, which opened Aug. 31. Eater San Diego calls it the brand's first full-service dine-in location.
Oct. 31 falls on a Saturday this year, and Del Mar Highlands Town Center has the whole day. It has two parts, about six hours apart.
The morning event is a free Halloween Party at the Pop Jet with Kathryn the Grape at 10 a.m., in the lower plaza at the Pop Jet Fountain. Costumes are encouraged.
The afternoon event is center-wide trick-or-treating from 4 to 6 p.m. Families start at the Pop Jet Fountain, where they pick up a map, then visit three meet-and-greet stations around the center:
Treats come from participating businesses while supplies last, so the end of the window may not match the start.
The center also notes that the event will be photographed and filmed, and that attending counts as consent to being on camera.
The kids' calendar has open nights, and two restaurant events land in them.
On Saturday, Oct. 24, the free weekend between the two Halloween Saturdays, Amalfi Pizza & Bar at 5980 Village Way is promoting an After Dark dance party with DJ Marko Drešević. The page says the invitation and official RSVP link are still to come, so the details aren't final.
On Thursday, Oct. 29, between the Wednesday rec center festival and the Friday trunk-or-treat, Ambrogio15 Del Mar holds its Annual Truffle Dinner at Del Mar Highlands, 5 to 9 p.m.
Del Mar Highlands' standing weeknight events continue after Halloween. Its November and December calendars list Music Bingo & Trivia on Mondays and Trivia Night on Tuesdays at Brewers Deck, 6 to 8 p.m., plus beginner-friendly Midnight Mahjong at Zen Modern Asian Bistro on Fridays from 9 p.m. to midnight.
Sundays have no Halloween events in Carmel Valley this year. Oct. 18, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1 each fall the day after a busy Saturday, and all three are farmers market days.
The Carmel Valley Farmers Market now meets every Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 3710 Del Mar Heights Road, in the Torrey Pines High School parking lot. Many longtime residents connect the Sunday market with Canyon Crest Academy, which is where it has historically been listed. The current home is Torrey Pines High School.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported in March that new managers Tedd and Krystina Ekeroth took over the permits for both the Carmel Valley and Rancho Peñasquitos markets. Tedd had run the Master Sports program at local recreation centers, including Carmel Valley and Pacific Highlands Ranch, for about 20 years. He told the paper:
"Everyone's really happy that we've brought it back. There's some families that have been there every week."
The market's own page lists local fruits and vegetables, handmade breads, honey, cut flowers, small-batch goods and live music, with vendors rotating week to week.
A few fall events extend beyond the Halloween dates.
Harvest at the Highlands decorations stay up at Del Mar Highlands through Nov. 11. They include a photo wall between Panda Express and Ralphs Fresh Fare and a Sky Deck Harvest Chair near Jimbo's.
Holiday mini photo sessions at One Paseo begin Oct. 18 on select dates, with the calendar running through Dec. 6. Sessions cost $325 and must be booked in advance.
Pumpkin Station at the Del Mar Fairgrounds East Parking Lot, 15555 Jimmy Durante Blvd., is the nearest pumpkin patch, and it closes for the season on Oct. 31. Admission and parking are free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
The Del Mar Times roundup also reports that the Fairgrounds' Scream Zone is not open in 2026, so there is no haunted attraction at that site this year.
For November, Del Mar Highlands has already posted its weeknight calendar, and One Paseo has the photo sessions. One Paseo has not yet posted a November or December 2026 events program. Its December Nights and Grinch pages still show last year's dates.
If you live near one of these plazas, you know it's more than a place to shop. I keep up with how Carmel Valley's town centers fill their calendars because it says a lot about how the neighborhood actually functions. For a closer look at the community, see my Carmel Valley neighborhood guide. If you have questions about Carmel Valley, from which side of El Camino Real suits your routine to what your home is worth this fall, Chad Basinger is glad to help. Let's Connect.
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