Halloween is on a Saturday this year! Get your costume on and go go go!
Dia de los Muertos Procession and Festival of the Altars
The parade is too spooky for little kids, but older ones will enjoy the rattling bones, creepy makeup, and the thrill of being out with adults at night; the colorful altars celebrating the lives of those passed on are great cultural eye-candy.
When: Mon., 11/2, 7pm; Age 5+; Free.
Where: Parade starts at 7pm from 24th and Bryant Streets in San Francisco and continues to 26th and Bryant Streets, where the Festival of the Altars starts at 8:30 p.m.; 415-722-8911; dayofthedeadsf.org.
Potrero Hill Halloween Parade and Costume Contest
An early-evening Halloween party with a movie, prizes for best costume, and a parade down to 18th Street.
When: Sat., 10/31, 4-7pm; All Ages; Free.
Where: Axis Cafe, 1201 Eighth Street (at Irwin Street), San Francisco; 415-279-1899; axis-cafe.com.
Exploratorium Halloween
A grand Halloween party with a visit from the Neverwas, a Victorian mansion on wheels, and creature features like giant insects and hissing cockroaches.
When: Sat., 10/31, 3-8pm; Free-$14.
Where: Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street (at Jefferson Street), San Francisco; 415-561-0360; exploratorium.edu.
Dia de los Muertos Family Concert
A special concert for families with classical music from Latino conductors and pre-concert festivities like sugar skull-decorating and a display of family altars.
When: Sun., 11/1, 1pm; Age 4+; $15-65.
Where: Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Avenue (at Grove Street), 415-864-6000; sfsymphony.org.