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No Tricks — October Starts with a Treat
October’s first weekend comes out swinging with Broadway, jazz, BMX bikes, live music, Porsches, and plenty of pumpkins.
Start Friday, Oct. 2, by choosing your soundtrack. At Pleasanton’s Firehouse Arts Center, Spooktacular Broadway 2 takes the stage from 7-9 p.m., bringing Broadway’s witches, phantoms, monsters, and other spooky favorites together for a Halloween-inspired evening of songs, laughs, and theatrical surprises.
Or make the short trip to Livermore’s Bankhead Theater, where Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves Celebrate John Coltrane at 8 p.m. The two jazz luminaries come together to mark the centennial of Coltrane’s birth and revisit music from his landmark 1963 collaboration with vocalist Johnny Hartman.
On Saturday, the celebration moves outdoors. Pleasanton Palooza takes over Main Street from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 3, with live music, vendors, family activities, a kids’ zone, BMX performances, a pet fair, shopping, dining, and plenty happening from one end of downtown to the other.
Then Main Street changes gears. Porsches on Main rolls into downtown from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, bringing more than 200 Porsches together with live music and DJs for a free, family-friendly car show.
Check out all the Pleasanton Downtown Association has planned for this fall on their website.
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Orange You Glad It’s October?
Keep your eyes open while you’re downtown because Pumpkins on Main runs Oct. 1-17, inviting children of all ages to take part in the annual scavenger hunt through Pleasanton businesses.
Pick up a map at Museum on Main or Towne Center Books, search for pumpkins along the way, and collect a stamp or signature at each stop.
The hunt wraps up with a new celebration this year. The first Trick or Treat Boo Bash takes place from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. Beginning at Museum on Main, families follow clues to more than a dozen downtown businesses where treats await. Bring your own bucket or treat bag and put those detective skills to work.
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Something Witchy This Way Comes
Grab your broomstick and head for Livermore.
Witches Night Out casts its spell over downtown Livermore from 4-9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, when witches — and those willing to dress the part — take over downtown for an evening of moonlight shopping, themed cocktails, restaurant specials, and a little friendly mischief.
General attendance is free, so wander the shops, collect stamps for the Event Specials Pass, and enter for a chance to win a downtown gift basket. Participating restaurants also offer special 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. seating if you reserve in advance.
Pointy hats optional. Spirit of the evening highly recommended.
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Eat Your Way Through the Night
Come hungry. 626 Night Market returns to the Alameda County Fairgrounds from 3-11 p.m. Oct. 9-11, bringing its celebration of Asian food and culture back to Pleasanton.
Inspired by Asia’s open-air night markets, the festival combines an enormous variety of street food with live entertainment, artists, makers, and shopping. Wander the market, try something new — or several somethings — and make dinner part of the evening’s entertainment.
General admission is $6, with children 3 and younger admitted free. Prices are subject to change.
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No Rest for the Spirited
Prefer your October nights with more ghosts than grub?
The Museum on Main Ghost Walk has been a Pleasanton Halloween tradition for more than 17 years, mixing local history with tales of the spirits rumored to still inhabit some of downtown’s historic buildings.
This year’s walks take place Oct. 9, 10, 16, and 17, with approximately two-hour tours departing every half-hour from 6-8 p.m. A Ghost Host leads the way through downtown, sharing the stories behind some of Pleasanton’s best-known haunts.
Ghost Walk regularly sells out, so this is one October tradition you’ll want to plan ahead for. And when the ghosts have had enough of you, The Rose Hotel is just a short walk away.
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Fall Is an Art Form
Saturday, Oct. 10, brings enough fall happenings around the Tri-Valley to turn one afternoon into a road trip.
ArtWalk Livermore fills downtown from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., showcasing the work of more than 200 local artists along the sidewalks. Browse paintings, photography, jewelry, ceramics, and other original creations while exploring downtown shops and restaurants.
Nearby, Alden Lane Fall Fest runs from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 10-11, pairing the nursery’s beautiful fall setting with farm-fresh apples, seasonal plants, local crafts, and autumn activities. Activities include a Scarecrow Building Contest, animals from Crane Ridge 4-H, local quilters will have an exhibit, service dogs will show their skills, and there will be plenty of fall photo ops.
Or head to Dublin, where the Dublin Harvest Fair runs from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 10 at Dublin Heritage Park, with historic house tours, children’s crafts, vendors, and old-fashioned harvest fun.
Three communities, three different ways to spend a fall day, and your room at The Rose will be waiting back in Pleasanton when exploration comes to an end.
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Arrr You Afraid of the Dark?
If Pleasanton’s ghosts aren’t scary enough, there are always pirates.
Pirates of Emerson celebrates 36 years of fear this October at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. The long-running Halloween tradition begins Friday, Oct. 2, from 7:05-10 p.m. and continues on select nights throughout the month with four haunted houses, a virtual reality ride, games, live bands, and plenty of things waiting in the dark.
Unlike some of Pleasanton’s sweeter Halloween festivities, leave the little pumpkins at home for this one. Pirates of Emerson bills itself as an extremely frightening walk-through attraction and is not geared toward children.
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The Great Pumpkin Glow-Up
For something, a little less terrifying, head back to the Alameda County Fairgrounds after sunset.
Pumpkins After Dark runs through Oct. 31, transforming the grounds into a nighttime walk-through filled with illuminated pumpkin displays, hand-carved creations, and larger-than-life sculptures.
The family-friendly experience begins nightly around 5 p.m., making it an easy addition to an October evening in Pleasanton — and proof that pumpkins can be impressive without making you scream.
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Pleasanton Shines Bright for Diwali
Pleasanton gets considerably brighter Saturday, Oct. 17, when the Diwali Festival of Lights & Fireworks fills the Alameda County Fairgrounds from noon-11 p.m.
The Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka celebrates one of the most important festivals in Indian culture with a full day of traditions, food, music, and entertainment. The celebration includes a 40-foot Ravan effigy burning, Rath Yatra, RamLeela dance drama, Disco Dandia, Bollywood dancing, an Indian food festival, and a spectacular fireworks show.
General admission is $12, with children 5 and younger admitted free. Early bird and group discounts are also available.
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Made for a Fall Weekend
Looking for something you won’t find at the mall? Harvest Fest comes to the Alameda County Fairgrounds Oct. 23-25 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., bringing hundreds of artisans together for a weekend of handmade finds, specialty foods, and live entertainment.
Then Saturday night takes a decidedly spookier turn downtown.
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Something Wicked This Way Brews
The Halloween Zom-Brew Crawl creeps through downtown Pleasanton from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, with more than 20 local brews to sample at participating locations, food bites at select stops, live music, costumes, and — because apparently ordinary bar hopping wasn't spooky enough — zombies roaming downtown.
Check-in begins at Museum on Main, and tickets include beer tastings, select food bites, a commemorative glass, wristband, and map.
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Fall for Downtown Pleasanton
October weekends don’t require a special event to be worth a visit. The Pleasanton Farmers’ Market fills Angela and Main streets every Saturday, rain, or shine, with fresh California produce and locally grown and made finds.
Add downtown restaurants, shops, tasting rooms, and an easy stroll back to The Rose Hotel, and you have all the ingredients for a fall weekend without needing much of an itinerary at all.
And while we love The Rose dressed in its autumn best, we’ll let you in on a little secret: The holidays are right around the corner, and Christmas at The Rose is something special.
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Event schedules and ticket availability may change. Please visit the linked organizer websites for the latest details.
Reach us by emailing info@RoseHotel.net, calling (925) 846-8802, or stopping by to visit at 807 Main St., Pleasanton, CA 94566. Click here to book your next visit to The Rose Hotel.