Carvings and Carnival at Montevalle Center
Sign the kids up now for two fun October events at Mont-evalle Community Center, located at 840 Duncan Ranch Road in Chula Vista. Register by phone (619) 691-5269, in person at any Chula Vista Recreation Center, or online at www.chulavistaca.gov/recreation.
Pumpkin Carving Day,. Thursday, October 28:
Enjoy a great afternoon of pumpkin carving and/or decorating. Children ages 2-6 will decorate their pumpkins with art supplies from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m., while children ages 7-12 will carve a pumpkin with provided supplies from 4:30-5:15 p.m. The cost is $6 per child for either session and includes all supplies. Space is limited; please register early.
Little Tikes Costume Carnival,. Friday, October 29:
Plan to attend a night of costume fun with your little ones ages 6 and under. Start time is 5:30 p.m. Plans include arts and crafts, picture taking, carnival games, cake walks, a flashlight candy hunt, and a children’s movie. Please register early as space is limited. Fee is $7 per child.
Halloween Fun at Chula Vista Libraries
The Chula Vista Public Library has planned some spook-tacular events for young and old during the fall Halloween season. All programs are free and open to the public.
OnStage Productions will perform a sneak peak of the cult musical horror comedy, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, on Monday, October 25 at the Civic Center Library. The production will begin at 6 p.m. in the auditorium.
Halloween Storytimes and Costume Parades will be featured at all Chula Vista library branches during the week of October 25-29. See your local branch for specific dates and times.
Cappella Gloriana, the Cathedral City based choir, will perform at the Civic Center Library on Sunday, October 31 at 2 p.m. in the auditorium. The choral group will set the mood for Halloween by performing scary classics. Come hear a spooky rendition of .Dry Bones and Sleepy Hollow or listen to a tale of gothic horror. Funded by the city’s Performing and Visual Arts Grant program, this unique performance is a first of its kind for Chula Vista residents. Admission is free and the performance is suitable for children and adults alike.
2nd Annual Park-Wide Halloween Family Day Piles on the Free Goodies for Trick-or-Treaters
Over a dozen museums will open their doors free to children 17 and under during the 2nd annual Balboa Park Halloween Family Day on Saturday, October 30. In addition to free children’s admission all day with a paid adult, participating museums and cultural attractions will present a wide variety of hands-on activities, crafts, special tours, storytelling, and many other free goodies from 11am to 3pm. Adults can purchase a Stay-for-the-Day Pass, a one-day excursion pass allowing one adult admission to five park museums for one low price of $35.
Among the highlights of this year’s park-wide Halloween Family Day is a doggie costume contest at the Spanish Village Art Center, a kiddie costume parade with prizes for best wildlife costume at the Natural History Museum, building miniature Day of the Dead altars at the Museum of Man, trying on historic military uniforms at the Veteran’s Museum booth on the Prado, and creating your own spooky steam engine at the Model Railroad Museum.
Special Family Day Activities and Offers
Balboa Park Visitors Center: Free gift to kids in costume who are accompanied by an adult (while supplies last).
Japanese Friendship Garden: Design your own colorful koi fish mask.
Mingei: Take part in a Halloween Art Hunt to find things that are merry and scary – but not very. Also see a live weaving demonstration.
Reuben H. Fleet Science Center: Get up close with creepy crawly hissing cockroaches, or participate in toddler-themed activities taking place in the newly renovated Kid City exhibition. Scientists from the Salk Institute will lead DNA activities for all ages with real mutant fruit flies.
San Diego Air & Space Museum: Make alien-themed kites and fly them with kid-power in conjunction with the Science of Aliens exhibition at 12:30pm and 2:30pm. Stay for the alien-pumpkin drop at 1:45pm.
San Diego Automotive Museum: Discover your inner (scary) car designer with ghost car coloring sheets in the Children’s Art Gallery. Each child will receive a special Halloween toy when they leave the museum.
San Diego History Center: Learn the arts of face painting, makeup, and hat making in conjunction with the exhibition Dressing the Part: Costume Design at the Old Globe Theatre.
San Diego Model Railroad Museum: Build and decorate your own glow-in-the-dark spooky steam engine. Children can also participate in the annual Halloween museum scavenger hunt. Candy will be handed out.
The San Diego Museum of Art: Take part in interactive gallery games (for all ages) and receive free treat packages.
San Diego Museum of Man: In celebration of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), embark on a Spooky Tour at 1:00 and 2:00pm in the museum’s Egyptian mummy collection. Crafts and activities include building miniature altars, decorating sugar skulls, skull masks, and papel picacado.
San Diego Natural History Museum: Get to know creatures both nocturnal and crepuscular and be surprised by your wildlife neighbors. Halloween crafts and activities include making a bat necklace getting a nocturnal tattoo. Mrs. Frizzle will perform at 1pm and lead the costume parade at 2pm. Judges will award a prize to the best wildlife costume.
San Diego Zoo: Free admission to all children through 11 years of age