Haunts and Howls: Your Guide to Halloween In and Near Piedmont

With less than two weeks before little ghosts and goblins begin ringing doorbells and demanding treats, the calendar is filling up with Halloween-flavored events in Piedmont and nearby.

Here's what we have collected, organized roughly by neighborhood. If we've missed a local event, please add it in the comments section below the article.

PUMPKIN PATCHES

Wildwood Dads Club Pumpkin Patch at Coaches Field on Morage Avenue, Piedmont, open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays through Halloween.

Piedmont Avenue Pumpkin Patch and Haunted House, 4414 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. until Halloween.

PIEDMONT EVENTS

Halloween Costume Party for children in kindergarten through Grade 5, Friday, Oct 25, 6:30-930 p.m., Piedmont Middle School gym, 740 Magnolia Ave. Cost per child: $35 for Piedmont resident, $43 non-resident. Registration code 1100.100; click here to register online. Halloween-themed games, dance party, mini-haunted house and magic show. Snacks and treats will be available (but dinner will not be provided). Costumes are encouraged. 

Do Pumpkins Sink or Float? The "Pool Pumpkin Patch" at Piedmont Community Pool, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2-7 p.m. Age group times: 5 years and under, 2:30 p.m.; 6-10 years, 3 p.m.; 11 years and older, 3:30 p.m. $10 per child for pool passholders, $15 non-passholders. You must register in person or by phone: (510) 420-3070 or (510) 655-5163. Bring your swimsuit. Spooky snacks, pumpkin carving, graveyard decorating and more. 

Something Wicked, a Halloween opera concert, Saturday, Oct. 26, 7:30 p.m. at the Piedmont Center for the Arts, 801 Magnolia Ave. $25 per person, $15 youth; suitable for children age 10 and up. Refreshments included. For more information about the concert and artists, or for advance tickets, see http://www.westedgeopera.org/news.shtml . 

PIEDMONT AVENUE EVENTS

Piedmont Avenue Parade, Oakland, Saturday, Oct. 26. The parade will begin at 11 a.m., followed by trick-or-treating at participating Piedmont Avenue businesses at 11:15 a.m. You're encouraged to arrive early for the parade, as there's always a large crowd. A detailed schedule will be available soon. Includes a pumpkin festival at Mountain View Cemetery (see next item).

8th Annual Pumpkin Festival, Saturday, Oct. 26, noon-3 p.m. at Mountain View Cemetery, 5000 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Children can choose a free pumpkin (one per child) and enjoy other activities, including several “jumper” inflatables, a hay-bale tunnel, a balloon artist, face painting and a craft area to decorate pumpkins, masks and treat bags. Food truck vendors will be on site. Parents must accompany their children to this event.

Sean's Shadow Puppets and Scary Tales, Monday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m., Piedmont Avenue Branch Library, 80 Echo Ave., Oakland. Free. "Fool Me Once," a scary Chinese tale about deception and its folly. Puppeteer Sean Powers shows his puppets and answers questions after the performance.

MONTCLAIR EVENTS

Halloween costume swap, Saturday, Oct. 19, 1-4 p.m. Montclair Branch Library, 1687 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Bring in your child's gently used but outgrown costume to trade or donate before the event starts.

Thornhill Family Harvest Festival, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2-4 p.m. at Montclair Dance Athletics, 5736 Thornhill Drive, Oakland. Activities include a pumpkin patch, pumpkin carving contest, kiss-a-pig fundraiser, petting zoo, live music, BBQ and harvest-themed food. 

Montclair Halloween Parade, Thursday, Oct. 31, 3 p.m. Children of all ages, in costume, should meet in front of the Bank of America branch at 1959 Mountain Blvd. for the annual parade through Montclair Village. Stomper, the Montclair Pet Mayor, will be on hand. Trick-or-treating at Montclair Park follows the parade. Sponsored by the Montclair Lions Club and the Montclair Village Business Association.

GRAND LAKE

Pumpkin decorating, Saturday, Oct. 26, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Grand Lake Farmers Market, Splash Pad Park, corner of Grand and Lake Park avenues, Oakland. Free. Children and their parents are invited to stop by the information booth on Grand Ave. to decorate a pumpkin with fresh, local vegetables from thmarket. Pumpkins are limited, so the market's staff recommend you come by early in the day.

Lakeshore Halloween parade and fall festival, Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 a.me .-1:30 p.m., Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, 3534 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland. Face painting, a live performance of "Thriller" and other children's activities. Parade begins about 11:30 a.m. Children will trick-or-treat at participating Lakeshore Avenue businesses. 

Sean's Shadow Puppets and Scary Tales, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 6:30 p.m., Lakeview Branch Library, 550 El Embarcadero, Oakland. Free. "Fool Me Once," a scary Chinese tale about deception and its folly. Puppeteer Sean Powers shows his puppets and answers questions after the performance.

GLENVIEW EVENTS

It's a Thriller, Saturday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m., East Bay Dance Center, 1318 Glenfield Ave. (just off Park Boulevard), Oakland. $1 for children, $2 adults, $5 for adults not in costume. Performances by the center's performing groups and students, a showing of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and an opportunity to learn the dance, a haunted house, games, costume contest, refreshments and party favors. They will be collecting Halloween goodies for homeless children; guests are encouraged to bring wrapped candy, toys and other items to put in the cauldron. 

ROCKRIDGE EVENTS

College Avenue Halloween Parade, Sunday, Oct. 27, noon-2 p.m. Kids in costume should meet in front of the College Avenue Presbyterian Church, 5951 College Ave., Oakland, at 11:45 a.m. Volunteers will lead trick-or-treating at participating merchants along College Avenue between Alcatraz Avenue and Broadway. At 12:45 p.m., return to the front of the church for Halloween storytelling and a sing-along.

Not-so-scary Hallow stories and treats, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 7-8 p.m., Rockridge Branch Library, 5366 College Ave., Oakland. Best for ages 2-8.

OAKLAND ZOO

Boo at the Zoo, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 26-27, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Oakland Zoo, 9777 Golf Links Road, Oakland. Included with zoo admission: adults $15.75; children and seniors $11.75; under age 2 free. $8 parking fee (free for zoo members). Stroll the Zoo in costume and collect yummy treats. Ride the spooky boo train and join the costume parade. Get your face painted, make treats for the animals, and see how the animals at Oakland Zoo celebrate Halloween. Kids in costumes receive a free ride ticket.

CHILDREN'S FAIRYLAND

Jack o'Lantern Jamboree, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 26-27, 10 a.m.5 p.m., Children's Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave. (at Lake Merritt), Oakland. $10 per person. Parades, unlimited rides, treat stations, special performances and puppet shows, separate jumpers for little and big kids, pirate school.

OAKLAND MUSEUM

Days of the Dead Community Celebration, Sunday, Oct. 27, noon-4:30 p.m., Oakland Museum of California, 1999 Oak St., Oakland. Included with general admission: $15 adults, $10 seniors and students, $6 youth (ages 9-17), free for age 8 and under. Craft activities, tasty food, dance and music groups, demonstrations of traditional Mesoamerican arts and cooking, Days of the Dead merchandise by local artisans. Visit the special exhibition, The Tree of Life and Death: Días de los Muertos 2013, on view in the Gallery of California Natural Sciences. Included with museum admission. 

Please check the Piedmont Patch events calendar for Halloween events in other parts of the Bay Area.

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