Fall Events in Ventura County 2026: Month by Month

Fall is the fullest stretch of the year on the Ventura County calendar, and 2026 stacks up fast. Between now and Thanksgiving you have pumpkin patches open daily, two very different Oktoberfests, a haunted house with 145 rooms in it, and a Day of the Dead celebration on Main Street in Ventura that organizers say is expanding. I put this together as a planning reference, sorted by month and then by date, so you can claim your weekends early. Every price and time below comes from the organizer unless I note otherwise.

Quick facts

• Ventura Harvest Festival: September 11 to 13 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, 10 W Harbor Blvd, Ventura. Friday 10 AM to 4 PM, Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM, Sunday 10 AM to 4 PM. $9 general, $7 seniors and military, $4 ages 13 to 17, free 12 and under. Parking is a separate $10 charged by the fairgrounds.
• Ventura Art and Chalk Festival: September 12 and 13, 10 AM to 5 PM, Ventura Harbor Village, 1583 Spinnaker Drive. Free.
• Underwood Family Farms Fall Harvest Festival: September 26 through October 31, daily 9 AM to 6 PM, 3370 Sunset Valley Road, Moorpark. Weekdays $16 at the gate, weekends online only.
• Reign of Terror Haunted House: September 25 through November 1, 285 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks. General admission $39.99 to $49.99 depending on the night.
• Busiest single day: Saturday, October 24. Several separate events land on it.
• Halloween weekend: Downtown Ventura Día de los Muertos, Saturday October 31 and Sunday November 1, free.

September: what is still on the board

The Ventura Harvest Festival runs Friday September 11 through Sunday September 13 at the fairgrounds. It is in its 54th year. Hundreds of exhibitors are reported to bring more than 24,000 handmade pieces, along with specialty foods, a KidZone and strolling performers. The organizer advertises daily "Harvey Bucks" drawings at 1:30 PM on the stage. Budget for the $10 parking on top of the $9 door.

The same weekend, the Ventura Art and Chalk Festival takes over the Harbor Village promenade on Saturday and Sunday, 10 AM to 5 PM, and it is free. More than 30 chalk artists work the pavement from Andria's Seafood down to Island Packers, with about 50 art and artisan vendors alongside them. Greg Wray, known for his Sonic work, is the featured artist. Live music is free both days, 11 AM to 1 PM and again 1:30 to 4:30 PM. Parking is the thing to plan: Village lots run $1 per hour up to four hours, or $10 for the day, but the Dolphin Lot at Safe Harbor Ventura Isle and marked Spinnaker Drive spaces are free and first come. The Rotary Club of Ventura presents it and says 100 percent of proceeds go to local charities.

Sunday September 13 brings the 26th annual C.A.R.L. Pooch Parade, 11 AM to 4 PM, with registration opening at 10:30. After years at Ventura Harbor, Canine Adoption and Rescue League moved it to 'olołkoy Beach Park, 1601 S. Harbor Blvd in Oxnard, for wider walking paths and a larger vendor fair. The day includes live entertainment, dog demonstrations, a silent auction and adoptable dogs on site. Walker fees are not published; registration, vendor booths and sponsorships all run through one Cheddar Up portal.

Sunday September 20 forces a choice. The Ventura Super Indoor Car Show is at the fairgrounds, 11 AM to 5 PM, $35 admission plus $10 parking, with custom cars, hot rods, imports, motorcycles and displays of pedal cars and RC models. The concert lineup includes Mack 10, Dezzy Hollow, J-Me, Chris Garcia, and XL Middleton with Moniquea, with more acts still to be announced. Check the ticket page for child pricing before you assume the kids are free. Four blocks away at Plaza Park, 651 East Thompson Boulevard, Boots and Brews starts at 2 PM with Bailey Zimmerman, Rodney Atkins, Frankie Ballard and Jayden Secor. No end time is published. Tiers run roughly $110 to $210 including fees, VIP is 21 and over, children 4 and under are free, and there are no in and out privileges. Paid parking passes sell through the ticket page for the fairgrounds lot, a short walk from the park.

Two more before the month closes. The Farm Bureau's Agri-Tech Fair is Tuesday September 22, 7 AM to 4 PM at the Holiday Inn Oxnard-Ventura, and general admission including all workshops is free. Then Sunday September 27, the 14th annual Cops N' Cruisers car show fills the lot at Simi Valley City Hall, 2929 Tapo Canyon Road, 9 AM to 2 PM, benefiting the Simi Valley Police Explorer Program. Vehicle registration is now $45; the $35 early rate closed September 8. There are 13 classes this year after Rat Rods was added. Show cars need to be in by 8:30 AM. Spectator admission is reported to be free, and yes, the Dunk-a-Cop tank returns.

Closing weekend, September 26 and 27, gives you ArtWalk Ventura, free, with more than 300 artists, two stages, CineFest screenings at the Century 10 and free Gold Coast Transit service across the festival, plus the fifth annual Seaside Oddities Expo at the fairgrounds, noon to 8 PM both days.

Pumpkin patches and corn mazes

Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark is the anchor of the season, open daily 9 AM to 6 PM from September 26 through Halloween. Admission covers tractor wagon rides, the corn maze, the pumpkin patch, pick your own field entry, the animal center, hay pyramids, corn slides and Farmer Craig's Chicken Show, with animal shows, pig races and live bands added on weekends across 50 acres. Pricing rewards planning ahead: weekdays are $16 at the gate, weekends must be bought online at $25 presale, $30 regular or $34 day of for September 26 and 27 and October 3 and 4, then $34 regular and $38 day of for every weekend after that. The cheapest way in is the preview week, September 21 through 25 at $8, or Customer Appreciation Weekend September 19 and 20 at $12. Parking is free, under 2 is free, and seniors 65 and up, military, veterans and first responders get $2 off daily with valid ID. Themed weekends run Friends of the Farm, Farm Country, Antique Tractor, Wild West and All About Pumpkins.

Conejo Family Farms in Camarillo, 5937 Ridge View Street, is the smaller alternative and opened earlier, September 18 through October 31. It is closed Monday and Tuesday, open 2:30 to 7:30 PM Wednesday and Thursday, 2:30 to 8:30 PM Friday, and 10 AM to 8:30 PM on weekends. Admission is $15 Wednesday through Friday and $20 on weekends, $10 for seniors, military and first responders bought on site, free for 5 and under, parking free. Entry covers the hayride, corn maze, hay maze, pumpkin patch, sunflower fields, bounce houses and live music, with the petting zoo weekends only. Sunflowers are $1 a stem and sweet corn is $1 an ear.

McGrath Brothers Great Pacific Pumpkins at 5100 Olivas Park Drive in Ventura is the old school one, a fifth generation farm with tractor drawn hay rides, a hay maze and farm animals. As of early September the farm had not posted 2026 dates or prices, so call (805) 644-1235 before you drive over.

October: the deep end

Reign of Terror inside Janss Marketplace at 285 N. Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks is the one large scale haunt I know of in the county, and note that address, since several listings still print 197. Its 27th season runs 18 nights across September, October and November in more than 35,000 square feet, with 12 connected haunts and 145 rooms, two new sections called Backwoods and The Hotel, and a reimagined Funhouse. Most nights run 7 to 11 PM, while opening night September 25 and Sundays October 11, 18, 25 and November 1 run 7 to 10 PM. General admission is $39.99 to $49.99 and Immediate Access is $64.99 to $74.99 depending on the night. Parking is free. It is recommended for 13 and up, which is why the two odd nights matter: Lights ON is a fully lit daytime walkthrough on Saturday October 17, noon to 3 PM, $15 at the door only, and Lights OUT closes the season Sunday November 1, 7 to 10 PM, walked in the dark with glow sticks. For younger kids, Boo at the Zoo at the Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College runs two October weekends, 11 AM to 4:30 PM, with trick or treating, Pumpkin Bingo and Wild Encounters animal meet and greets. Advance tickets are $15 adults and $13 kids and seniors, $17 and $15 at the gate. The exact 2026 dates had not been published as of September 9.

The first weekend is crowded. The fairgrounds hosts its second annual Oktoberfest October 2 through 4, all ages, with carnival rides, crafts, live entertainment, German food and local craft beer. Presale is $10.45 adult, $6.29 for kids 6 to 12 and seniors, $26.95 for a weekend pass and $17.45 for a five taste beer flight. On Saturday October 3, Simi Valley Oktoberfest runs 11 AM to 6 PM at Rancho Tapo Community Park, 3700 Avenida Simi, and it is 21 and over only with ID required, which catches families out. General admission is $30, VIP is $150 early bird or $200 at the gate, and a reserved table for ten is $2,500. Hammerstein Musik Bavaria plays polka, tango and the occasional classic rock song. The Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise runs it and bills it as the largest one day Oktoberfest event in California. Parking shares a lot with the Simi Valley Police Department. The same Saturday, Moorpark Country Days takes over High Street, and Ventura County Coast lists the 29th annual Oxnard Multicultural Festival at Plaza Park, 500 S. C Street, 10 AM to 4 PM, free, with cultural booths, international food and a children's cultural passport.

Mid month, the Seaside Highland Games take the fairgrounds October 10 and 11, 9 AM to 5 PM, one ticket good for either day, with heavy athletics, pipe bands, Highland dancing, herding dog demos and three stages of music. Friday October 9 adds a whisky tasting at $30 and a Scottish dinner at $50 at the Four Points by Sheraton. Saturday October 17 brings Panteón Fest to Heritage Square in Oxnard, reported as 1 PM to 9 PM with live music, community altars and a catrín and catrina contest, with a 2026 theme honoring Chespirito; Visit Oxnard warns it sells out, so buy ahead. Sunday October 18 is the 34th Thousand Oaks Rotary Street Fair on Moorpark Road between Hillcrest and Wilbur, 9 AM to 4 PM, free, with free parking across the street at Janss.

Then Saturday October 24, which is the single busiest day of the season. The Simi Valley Street Fair runs 9 AM to 4 PM on Simi Town Center Way with a main stage, a free Kids' FunZone and a beer and wine garden. Channel Islands Harbor holds a Pumpkin Paddle from 10 AM to noon and the fifth annual Parade of Frights, free, with landside activities 3 to 8 PM and a Halloween themed boat parade at 7 PM. Ventura Harbor Village runs its HOWL-O-WEEN dog costume contest at noon. And the Brick Convention LEGO fan event fills the fairgrounds October 24 and 25 at $15 admission plus $10 parking. Pick two, not four.

All month, Downtown Harvest Days gives Ventura a Fall Flavor Trail, a Scarecrow Stroll and a downtown pumpkin patch, with dated weekend events: a kickoff and community day October 3, Taste of the Season October 10, Harvest Hootenanny October 17, Harvest After Dark on the 200 block of Main October 24, trick or treating and a costume contest October 29, and Halloween on Main October 31. Moorpark runs Haunted High Street on Halloween itself, and the Oxnard Police Department's Trick or Treat Spooktacular is reported for Thursday October 22, 5 to 7 PM at the police station, 251 South C Street.

Día de los Muertos and the turn into November

The biggest thing in this whole window is the free, all ages Día de los Muertos celebration in Downtown Ventura on Saturday October 31 and Sunday November 1, presented by The Social Club and led by Robby Lopez. Organizers told the Ventura County News-Press the footprint expands to about seven blocks of Main Street, up from four last year, with roughly 200 lowriders, plus a trunk or treat on the 31st, sugar skull displays and alebrije workshops. Another current listing describes a smaller three block footprint, so treat the size as reported rather than settled. Hours have not been published anywhere I can verify, so check ddlmventura.com before you head down. Expect Catrinas, community altars, folkloric dance, a tianguis street market, food vendors and a classic car show.

November thins out, honestly. The Ventura Potter's Guild Bowl of Thanks and Pottery Market is at Ventura Harbor Village November 7 and 8. Thanksgiving morning, November 26, brings the Ventura Turkey Trot 5K and Kids 1K, benefiting the Kirwin International Relief Foundation, with a finisher's medal and a choice of shirt or mug; the start line has historically staged at the Ventura Auto Center but confirm with the organizers. The Five07 Turkey Day Dash in Thousand Oaks is reported for the same morning, raising money for Hospice of the Conejo and two other local groups. Beyond that, the holiday tree lightings are the weak spot. Visit Simi Valley lists a Snowfest and a Holiday Tree Lighting for November with dates still to be announced, and the Collection at RiverPark typically holds Oxnard's first lighting of the season in November before Thanksgiving with live entertainment, Santa and fireworks, but no 2026 date is published. Ojai Day is the same story: vendor applications and the poster competition are open, but the city has not published a date, hours or street closures.

Common questions

Where are the best pumpkin patches in Ventura County?

Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark and Conejo Family Farms in Camarillo are the two full experiences, both open daily or near daily through October 31 with corn mazes, hayrides and animals. Underwood is bigger and busier at $16 weekdays and $25 and up on weekends. Conejo Family Farms is smaller and cheaper at $15 weekdays and $20 weekends, closed Mondays and Tuesdays. McGrath Brothers Great Pacific Pumpkins in Ventura is the simple old school option, but call (805) 644-1235 first because 2026 dates were not posted as of early September.

What is there to do for Halloween in Ventura County?

Downtown Ventura is the center of it, with Halloween on Main and the first day of the free Día de los Muertos celebration on Saturday October 31. Moorpark runs Haunted High Street the same day, and Reign of Terror in Thousand Oaks is open that night at premium pricing. Earlier in the week, Downtown Ventura holds trick or treating and a costume contest on October 29.

Is there a haunted house in Ventura County?

Yes, Reign of Terror at 285 N. Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks, open 18 nights from September 25 through November 1 with 12 connected haunts and 145 rooms. General admission is $39.99 to $49.99 by night and parking is free. It is recommended for ages 13 and up, so for younger kids the fully lit Lights ON walkthrough on October 17, noon to 3 PM at $15 at the door, is the version to do. Ventura County Fear Grounds has no announced 2026 season.

What fall events in Ventura County are free?

The Ventura Art and Chalk Festival on September 12 and 13, ArtWalk Ventura on September 26 and 27, the Agri-Tech Fair on September 22, the Thousand Oaks Rotary Street Fair on October 18, the Parade of Frights at Channel Islands Harbor on October 24, and the two day Día de los Muertos celebration in Downtown Ventura on October 31 and November 1 are all free to attend. The Oxnard Multicultural Festival on October 3 is reported as free as well. Parking is the cost to watch, not admission.

When is Día de los Muertos in Downtown Ventura?

Saturday October 31 and Sunday November 1, 2026, on Main Street in Downtown Ventura, free and all ages. Organizers say the event grows this year and told the Ventura County News-Press it will span about seven blocks with roughly 200 lowriders, though another listing puts it at three blocks. Hours have not been published, so confirm with the organizers before you go.

Are the November holiday tree lightings scheduled yet?

No. As of September 9, 2026, no Ventura County city or shopping center has published a November tree lighting date. Visit Simi Valley lists both a Snowfest and a Holiday Tree Lighting as November, to be announced, and the Collection at RiverPark's ceremony, usually the first in Oxnard, has no date either. December is more settled: the Ventura Winter Wine Walk and Holiday Street Fair on December 5, the Camarillo Christmas Parade and Santa's Village on December 12, and the 50th annual Ventura Harbor Parade of Lights and Fireworks on December 18 and 19.