Fall is in the air and All Hallows' Eve will be falling upon the City of Santa Monica this week in the form of festivals, carnivals, pumpkin patches and movie screenings. There is something to suit every Santa Monican in this smattering of spooky celebrations.
The Franklin Halloween Carnival will be held on Oct. 24 between 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. behind the school at 2400 Montana Ave. The carnival will include rides, games, prizes, a food court, laser tag, a petting zoo, a haunted house, a book fair and a cake decorating contest to be judged by kids from past seasons of "Master Chef Junior."
The Grant Fall Festival will be held on Oct. 24 from 1 - 6 p.m. on the elementary school campus at 2368 Pearl Ave. The festival will include good, rides, games, karaoke, a cakewalk, a free photo booth, a free Zumba class and music by The ZiBBZ. The Reflections Art Gallery will feature original student and teacher work. This year the festival will also feature various community visitors, including DPSS and Curby the Recycling Robot.
The Main Library will get in on the action with the Harvest Festival at Main, which will center around how fall is celebrated in many cultures with stories, crafts and a costume parade. The event will take place at the Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Oct 24.
A "no carve" pumpkin decorating event will take place at the Pico Farmers Market in Virginia Avenue Park and the Sunday Main Street Farmers Market on Oct. 25 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Amy Bauer Designs will provide sustainable decorations and teach attendees how to get creative with free California-grown pumpkins. There will be a face-painting station and photo booth, as well as music from The Standards and a seasonal cooking demo by Venice Merchant. Costumes are encouraged.
Mister Jesse and his puppets will be performing "Halloween Ha Ha's" at the Ocean Park Branch Library (2601 Main St.) on Oct. 27 at 4 p.m. The program is for children ages 3-7. Tickets are free but must be picked up after 12 p.m. on the day of the program and are distributed on a first-arrival basis.
Teens and tweens can enjoy Halloween fun through Scary-oke at the Pico Branch Library (2201 Pico Blvd.) on Oct. 27 from 5:30 - 7 p.m. Costumes are encouraged and snacks and drinks will be provided.
There will be an "all you can carry" pumpkin patch at the Third Street Promenade on Oct. 28 where $5 will get you the chance to take as many California-grown pumpkins home as you can carry. Only one trip is allowed per person. The event will take place at 2nd Street and Arizona Avenue from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., or until all the pumpkins are gone.
Also taking place on the promenade is a Cinema on the Street showing of "Hotel Transylvania" on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. The whole family is invited to bring blankets and chairs and watch the animated film together. The night will also feature pumpkin painting and crafts (pumpkins provided), sweets and treats, and Downtown Santa Monica ambassadors sporting their best Halloween looks. The event is free to the public and will take place on the 1400 block, just north of Broadway.
Something strange in the neighborhood will take place on the Santa Monica Pier when "Ghostbusters" screens on Oct. 30, as the conclusion to this fall's Front Porch Cinema series. The Pier will be transformed into a cozy front porch environment, providing the setting for a night of movies under the stars, food, drinks and an early Halloween celebration. Parking will be available in the lot north of the pier at 1550 Pacific Coast Highway, and free bike valet will be provided. The event is free to the public. The movie will begin at 7:30 p.m. and the Cinema Lounge will open at 6 p.m.
The Third Annual Zombie Crawl returns to Santa Monica on Halloween night. This chilling bar crawl will start at the Santa Monica Pier, and crawlers will moan and growl their way through the city for spooky drink and food specials all night with official wristbands. Participating locations include Rusty's Surf Ranch, Big Dean's Oceanfront Cafe, Del Frisco's Grille, Ye Olde King's Head, Cabo Cantina, Barney's Beanery and West 4th/Jane. Crawlers will have access to $4 drafts, $5 wells and $5 shots at participating locations and entrance into the Official Zombie After Party at Wokcano. Participants are encouraged to follow specific Zombie Crawl rules to get through the streets, including keeping an authentic zombie appearance, keeping your arms extended outward, dragging a limb and delivering vicious snarls and moans without talking. Makeup artists from Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy will be on site at the starting location to assist with the "zombie-fying" process. Check in is from 6-9 p.m. at Rusty's Surf Ranch, 265 Santa Monica Pier. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. For tickets and more information, visit http://zombiecrawlsm2015.eventbrite.com.
Rounding out Santa Monica's list of spooky events around town is the WOK-ing Dead party at Wokcano on Oct. 31. The Halloween party will feature Top 40 and house music by DJ Frankie, costume contests and food and drink specials. Guests can enter the costume contest for the chance to win hundreds in prizes for best zombie, sexiest, scariest, most original or best overall costume of the night. Guests can drink, dance and celebrate at this multi-level outdoor space with fellow zombies and ghouls. The party will go from 8 p.m. - 2 a.m. at Wokcano, 1415 5th St.. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 day of, or $20 in advance and $30 day of for VIP access. Tickets are available at www.wokcanosmhalloween2015.eventbrite.com.
jennifer@www.smdp.com
