Halloween in the Village has usually been held on a Saturday before Halloween. This year it falls on October 31 itself. The fall Carlsbad Village Street Faire is the next morning, so the Village hosts its biggest costume day and its biggest crowd day within about 30 hours. Most families will be on the same few blocks for both, so it helps to plan the two days together.
The organizers' published details also give each day its own rules. Saturday is laid out for walking from one stop to the next. On Sunday the streets close, parking is limited, and one familiar way of getting in won't be offered this year.
The date that moved
The Carlsbad Village Association's announcement says this year's event "is taking over Carlsbad Village on Halloween itself." Here's how that compares with earlier years:
- 2018: Saturday, October 27
- 2023: Saturday, October 28
- 2025: Saturday, October 25
- 2026: Saturday, October 31, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Street Faire always falls on the first Sunday of November. The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce lists this year's date as November 1, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. With Halloween on a Saturday, the two events now sit next to each other on the calendar. Last year a week separated them.
The city is also holding a Haunted Halloween Bash on Friday, October 30, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Pine Avenue Community Center, with carnival games, inflatables, a haunted house and crafts. Registration is required. Counting Friday, that's three days in a row of events in and around the Village and Barrio.
Saturday starts inland at Leo Carrillo Ranch
The city's free Día de los Muertos celebration at Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on October 31. You don't need to register. The ranch will be decorated for the holiday, with a traditional ofrenda honoring the Carrillo family. There will be music, storytelling, face painting and performances by Ballet Folklorico de Tapatio de San Dieguito and Grupo Bella. The park is at 6200 Flying Leo Carrillo Lane.
The hours overlap with the Village event for three hours, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you want both, the schedules suggest a simple order: go to the ranch first, then head west. The Village costume contest finishes at 1 p.m., but candy stops and carnival games continue until 4 p.m.
Saturday in the Village is built to be walked
The Village Association designed the day as a walk between businesses, not a single gathering spot. Its announcement describes families strolling "from business to business" to collect treats. The published details also suggest an order:
- Pick up a bucket on State Street. The first 250 kids get a pumpkin candy bucket at CalRes Homes, 2691 State St.
- Follow the Candy Corn icon. Participating businesses become official Candy Stops and post a Candy Corn icon in their windows.
- Make it to Village Faire by 11:30 a.m. if you're entering the costume contest. Sign-ups open then at the Village Faire Shopping Center, 300 Carlsbad Village Drive, and the contest runs from noon to 1 p.m. Four winners will be named: Most Creative or Spookiest in ages 1–4, ages 5–8 and ages 9–12, plus a family or group category.
- Finish on Roosevelt Street. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Carlsbad at 3115 Roosevelt St. will have indoor and outdoor carnival games, a bounce house, candy corn and popcorn, with no entry fee.
Down the block at 2965 Roosevelt St., there will be sensory-friendly activities and allergy-friendly treats for kids who'd like a quieter Halloween.
Parking in the Village is a little easier than it was last Halloween. The City of Carlsbad's October 9 parking update says it recently added 11 spaces on State Street, on Oak Avenue between Tyler Street and the railroad tracks, and near the beach. Those follow 44 spaces added last year. Eleven spaces is a modest gain, but those streets are right along Saturday's route.
Sunday changes how you get in
Overnight, the Village goes from a walking route to a closed street event. The Chamber describes the faire as the largest one-day street faire in the country, with more than 100,000 visitors twice a year and 900 booths. The city hasn't yet posted a street-closure permit for November 1. For the May 3, 2026 faire, the city's permit listing closed streets from about 4 a.m. to 8 p.m.:
- Grand Avenue, from Carlsbad Boulevard to Jefferson
- Washington, from Carlsbad Village Drive to Christiansen Way
- State and Roosevelt, from Carlsbad Village Drive to Beech
- Madison, from Carlsbad Village Drive to half a block north of Grand
- The connecting alleys and the Oak Avenue public lot
Expect a similar footprint in November, but check the city's notice once it's posted. That Oak Avenue lot, and some of Saturday's new spaces, sit inside the area that closed in May.
Here are the options for getting there on Sunday:
| Option | What the organizers say for Nov. 1, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Free shuttle from the Shoppes at Carlsbad | Pickup at the northwest corner of the former Sears building, near Highway 78 and Jefferson; runs every 15 minutes |
| Free shuttle from Poinsettia Coaster Station | Avenida Encinas, off the Poinsettia exit west of I-5; runs every 15 minutes |
| COASTER to Carlsbad Village station | Weekend timetable in effect since July 26, 2026, with 11 trains in each direction |
| Bike valet | Not offered in 2026, according to the Chamber |
| Driving in | Parking is limited, and so is accessible parking |
The bike valet is the biggest change for anyone who lives close enough to ride. In past years it ran in the parking lot at 2965 Roosevelt St., staffed by the San Diego County Bike Coalition. The Chamber's faire page now reads "UPDATED: No Bike Valet in 2026!" and says the service is currently unavailable. The Village Faire Shopping Center's event page still lists a free valet. The Chamber organizes the faire, so its notice is the one to plan around unless that changes before November 1.
The NCTD weekend COASTER schedule shows a 7:03 a.m. southbound and a 9:17 a.m. northbound departure from Carlsbad Village, with more trains later in the day. NCTD hasn't posted a faire-specific service plan, so check NCTD's service alerts on Sunday morning before you go.
A first faire for some of the newer Village stops
The spring faire was May 3. Several Village businesses opened over the summer, so November 1 is their first Street Faire. The faire also runs right past them.
Carlsbad Village Books opened July 2 at 640 Grand Ave. It's an independent bookstore with Marla's Coffee inside, in the space that used to be an Irish pub. In May the faire closed Grand Avenue from Carlsbad Boulevard to Jefferson, which would put the bookstore inside the faire.
Barons Market opened in the Village on June 27 and 28, after a neighborhood preview on June 25 and 26, according to the Village Association. If you're hosting a Halloween party Saturday night or need snacks for the faire, it's one more grocery option in the Village.
Little Kiki Katsu & More at 2958 Madison St., Suite 101, appeared on Eater San Diego's map of new restaurants in its October 1 update. Eater reports it serves dinner and dry-ages pork, chicken, salmon and cod in-house. It's a sit-down option once the costume contest and candy route are done.
New Village Arts adds an evening option for the whole weekend. Its musical adaptation of As You Like It runs October 16 through November 29 at the Dea Hurston New Village Arts Center. The Village Association notes that it's founder Kristianne Kurner's last production before she retires. That gives the Village something to do on Saturday night, between trick-or-treating and the faire.
If you're going to both days, here's the order the schedules point to:
- Friday at Pine Avenue
- Saturday morning at the ranch
- Saturday afternoon walking Candy Stops from State Street to Roosevelt
- Sunday on a shuttle or the COASTER, with the bike at home
At Mike Williams, our team has worked the Village calendar for decades, and weekends like this are part of what we know about each part of Carlsbad. If you have family or friends visiting for the faire and someone asks what living near the Village is like, we're happy to talk it through. When you're ready to know what your home is worth, schedule a tailored consultation or start with a free home valuation.
