Hey friend,
Mid-October has arrived and the heat is back. There are plenty of things to do, whether you’re looking to get into the spirit of the season or escape the heat!
This Weekend’s Plans
First, the weather:
Friday
High of 93°
Saturday
High of 88°
Sunday
High of 83°
Now, some ideas for plans:
Plan 1: Falloween
📍 Location: Thomas Ridley Bandstand, Central Park, Huntington Beach
📅 Date & Time: Sat 10/17, 11am–3pm
⏱️ Time needed: 1–2 hours
💰 Cost: Free, $10 for a fun zone wristband
🌦️ Indoor/outdoor: Outdoor
Come in costume for trick-or-treating, live music, and the costume parade. The bounce houses and games are in a separate fun zone that costs extra.
Plan 2: ENC Fall Faire & Pumpkin Patch
📍 Location: Environmental Nature Center, 1601 E. 16th St., Newport Beach
📅 Date & Time: Sun 10/18, 10am–3pm
⏱️ Time needed: 1–2 hours
💰 Cost: Free entry (donations welcome), Craft Crawl $5 per child, pumpkins extra
🌦️ Indoor/outdoor: Outdoor
This is the ENC’s 50th Fall Faire. Pick a pumpkin, do the Craft Crawl along the trails, and catch the reptile show at the Fire Circle Stage at 10:30. Recommended to walk or bike if you’re close. It’s a zero waste event, so bring your own cup, plate, and utensils and you’ll be entered into a $50 ENC Gift Shop raffle.
📍 Location: Newport Beach Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach
📅 Date & Time: Sun 10/18, 2–3pm
⏱️ Time needed: 1 hour
💰 Cost: Free
🌦️ Indoor/outdoor: Indoor
Suzanne Lang, the author of the Grumpy Monkey books, is visiting for the library’s new Creative Pages series. It’s for ages 3 to 8, and an adult needs to stay with each child.
Plan 4: Fun for All Indoor Playground
📍 Location: 7470 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach
📅 Date & Time: Fri–Sun 10/16–10/18, 10am–7pm
⏱️ Time needed: 2–3 hours
💰 Cost: $25 per child, $5 per adult, grip socks required ($1 if you forget yours)
🌦️ Indoor/outdoor: Indoor
A great way to stay out of the heat and get your kid’s energy out. This indoor playground has one of the largest ball pits in OC, trampolines, a light-up floor, and a toddler area. One admission covers all-day play, so you can stay as long as the kids want.
Easy At-Home Idea
Clean the Pumpkins, made by Busy Toddler
Wash the pumpkins you bring home from the patch in a bin of water and bubbles. It turns pumpkin shopping into a second activity.
Time needed: 10 minutes to set up
Non-Scary Halloween Movie Night, list curated by @thatpikecountymom
A list of 15 Halloween movies for kids who don’t like scary ones, with where each is streaming. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is free on Apple TV this Saturday and Sunday.
Time needed: 1–2 hours
Backup Options
If none of the above work, here's the fast fallback list:
Seasonal Adventures Pumpkin Patch — Costa Mesa, Fri-Sat, check hours
Once Upon a Nightmare Before Christmas — Balboa Island, Sat 10/17, evening
Not-So-Spooky Train Rides at Ghost-Hill Junction — Costa Mesa, Sat 10/17, 10-3:30pm
Trunk or Treat at the Newport-Mesa Family YMCA — Newport Beach, Fri 10/16 , 5:30-7:30pm
Touch-a-Truck — Huntington Beach, Sun 10/18, 9am–1pm
Barktoberfest — Costa Mesa, Sat 10/17, 11am
BOO-bble Halloween Hunt (Bubble Up Swim School) — Huntington Beahc, Sat 10/17, 9am
Roger’s Gardens Christmas Boutique — Newport Beach, open daily 9am–6pm
General
OC Japan Fair — Costa Mesa, Fri–Sun 10/16–10/18
Lil’ Libros Día de los Muertos Storytime — Costa Mesa, Sun 10/18, 11am–1pm
Family Fun Fest — Sat 10/17, Costa Mesa, 11-2pm
Fall Family Fun Day — Corona Del Mar, Sat 10/17, 11-3:00pm
Moto Beach Classic — Huntington Beach, Sat 10/17, 10am-Sunset
Your weekend, your newsletter. 🤎
Share your feedback on what to keep, what to change, and what to add to the newsletter. It should only take 2 minutes, and as a thank-you, you’ll get a link to our free Halloween Bucket List when you finish.
Have a great weekend!
Simple Plans Co. 🤎
