Spooky Savings: San Francisco Halloween Deals and Free Events 2025
Your local guide to costume bargains, free family fun, and where the Bay gets its spooky on this October.
Hunting for San Francisco Halloween deals and free events in 2025? Here’s a locally vetted guide to costume bargains, pumpkin patches, haunted houses, and budget-friendly bites across the city.
If you’re in San Francisco and love Halloween, this 2025 guide is your shortcut to the best local deals, discounts, and free events—without spending all your candy money. From costume bargains on Haight Street to pumpkin patches by the beach and hair-raising haunted houses, here’s what locals are doing (and how they’re saving) across the city.
Best San Francisco Halloween Deals and Free Events
Halloween in San Francisco is more neighborhood crawl than citywide stampede, which is great news for your wallet. Plan by district, stack a few freebies, and you’ll have a full October calendar without splurging.
Where locals save on costumes
- Cliff’s Variety (Castro) — A local legend for wigs, makeup, and last‑minute costume fixes. Watch for end-of-October markdowns and floor bin deals on accessories.
- Piedmont Boutique (Haight) — Statement pieces and festival-grade flair. It’s not always “cheap,” but you can score display items and one-off racks at a discount if you ask.
- Decades of Fashion & Held Over (Haight) — Vintage goldmines for character looks. The earlier you go in October, the better the selection and prices.
- Goodwill & Community Thrift (Mission) — Thrift your base layers and props. Pro tip: go midweek mornings for fresh racks and quieter dressing rooms.
- Fabric Outlet (Mission) + SCRAP (Bayview) — DIY heroes. Fabric Outlet has remnant sales; SCRAP sells donated art supplies and oddities for pennies—perfect for masks, wings, and spooky decor.
Pumpkins, patches, and Bay views
- Clancy’s Pumpkin Patch (Sloat Blvd) — SF’s classic patch with photo ops, varying jack-o’-lantern sizes, and kid-friendly vibes. Weekday afternoons are less crowded.
- Half Moon Bay day trip — If you want the full farm feel, Arata’s or Farmer John’s are a scenic 40–60 minutes away. Bring cash for small discounts and farm-stand treats.
Free and Family-Friendly Halloween in San Francisco
The city shines with free and low-cost community events—many are transit-friendly and stroller-ready.
- Halloween Hoopla at Yerba Buena Gardens — A beloved, usually free family party with live performances and a costume parade. Pack snacks and spread a blanket on the lawn.
- Stonestown Galleria Trick-or-Treat — Mall trick-or-treating keeps little monsters dry if fog turns to drizzle. Check the mall’s site for store participation and times.
- Neighborhood strolls — West Portal, Noe, and Inner Sunset often host block-by-block trick-or-treating. Look for merchant posters and community group posts the week of Halloween.
- SF Public Library — Branches roll out craft hours, storytimes, and occasional costume swaps. Grab a library card for extra perks via Discover & Go museum passes.
- SF Zoo “Boo at the Zoo” — Not always free, but watch for member days and kid promos; the pumpkin-chomping animal feedings are truly a crowd favorite.
Haunted Houses and After-Dark Thrills on a Budget
San Francisco does theatrical scares well—plan for off-peak nights and bundle with transit to save.
- Terror Vault at the San Francisco Mint — Immersive, performed horror inside a landmark building. For cheaper tickets, target early-season weeknights and late-entry slots.
- Exploratorium After Dark: Halloween Edition (Embarcadero) — Adults-only science night with eerie experiments and costumes encouraged. Watch for resident discounts and advance-purchase pricing.
- California Academy of Sciences NightLife — Themed evenings featuring creepy-crawly science, music, and seasonal cocktails. Keep an eye on combo offers or member guest passes.
- USS Hornet (Alameda) — A short hop across the Bay for haunted ship tours and specials. Ferry + walk can beat parking prices and add to the atmosphere.
Sweet treats and seasonal bites
Save your costume budget for snacks—October menus are stacked with limited-time goodies:
- Boudin Bakery — Spider bread bowls and pumpkin loaves make easy pre-party dinners. Loyalty members sometimes get midweek bakery offers.
- Humphry Slocombe & Salt & Straw — Watch for Halloween flavor flights and the occasional BOGO hour posted on Instagram stories.
- Devil’s Teeth Baking Company (Outer Sunset) — Pumpkin muffins and holiday cookie boxes; grab-and-go before Ocean Beach bonfires.
- Fort Point Beer Co. — Seasonal releases and brewery taproom specials; check Valencia Hall or the Presidio HQ for weeknight deal boards.
- Hot Cookie (Castro) — Costume-friendly stop with cheeky themed treats. Late-night sugar fix before heading to nightlife on Castro or Market.
Quick List: San Francisco Halloween Freebies and Cheap Fun
- Pick pumpkins and snap photos at Clancy’s on a weekday to avoid crowds and surge pricing.
- Thrift your look at Community Thrift or Goodwill, then elevate with a wig from Cliff’s Variety.
- Bring the kids to Halloween Hoopla at Yerba Buena Gardens for a free daytime outing.
- Hit Exploratorium After Dark or Cal Academy NightLife on a weeknight for lower ticket tiers.
- Follow local merchants on Instagram for flash costume discounts and last-minute giveaways.
- Ride Muni to Castro or Haight to skip surge rideshares and parking fees.
- Use SF Public Library’s Discover & Go to snag occasional free or discounted museum passes.
Smart Planning: Transit, Timing, and Neighborhood Picks
San Francisco is built for Halloween wandering. Patch together a night by BARTing to Embarcadero for a waterfront pregame, Muni to the Castro for costume-spotting, then a quick hop to the Mission for late-night bites. Avoid peak crowds (and surge pricing) by starting early and shifting neighborhoods around 9 p.m. If you’re with kids, earlier is better—sunset trick-or-treating in Noe or West Portal feels festive and safe, and most shops hand out candy until stock runs low.
For bigger-ticket attractions, don’t sleep on pre-sales; early October often brings the best prices and time slots. And if you’re DIYing decor, SCRAP and neighborhood Buy Nothing groups are treasure troves for gently used props—both eco- and budget-friendly.
Neighborhood cheat sheet
- Castro — Costumes, bars, and nonstop people-watching. Start at Cliff’s, end with cookies at Hot Cookie.
- Haight-Ashbury — Vintage scores at Decades of Fashion and Held Over; add dramatic makeup from local boutiques.
- Mission — Affordable tacos pre-haunt; Fabric Outlet for last-minute capes and cloaks.
- Outer Sunset — Devil’s Teeth pastry run before a moody beach walk; fog adds instant atmosphere.
- SoMa/Embarcadero — Mint’s Terror Vault and museum nights; easy BART access.
However you celebrate, there’s a San Francisco Halloween plan for every budget—and plenty that’s free if you know where to look. And if you like a little daily thrill, check out ZipSweep, a community-powered giveaway that lets locals snag free prizes with zero tickets or payments, first come, first served.