Family Friendly Halloween Events

Fresno is filled with activities and parties geared for your little pumpkin.

Let me tell you what really happens on Halloween if you have small kids and take them Trick-or-Treating. They don’t want to wear half of their costume and they want you to carry them after two houses. It’s a race against time as you go out, which is usually AFTER their bedtime. The costumes are usually hot/broken/missing a glove and the small people are MAD and tired as they gather candy. So much candy. By the time they get back home their feet are hurting. They are sweating and sleepy and screaming, and the fun size Snickers bar you give them to keep them from melting down only makes them more awake. Finally, at 11 p.m. the sugar wears off and they pass out with chocolate smeared on their faces. It’s exhausting, but I love it.

However, just because I’m doing things the old school crazy way doesn’t mean you have to. Be smarter than me! There are many fun, early events for children happening in FresYes. You can get all the fun in before bedtime!

Pre-Halloween Events That Require Tickets

Discovery Center

The Discovery Center is one of my favorite places in Fresno. There’s a ton of cool reptiles and small animals to see, scientific activities, musical instruments, and you can touch it all! Except, maybe, the gigantic cactus garden, which is super cool but sharp. Check out their Fall Fest this year, complete with a Trunk or Treat (where people decorate the trunks of their cars and hand out candy).  The Discovery Center event is October 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Included in the tickets are games, crafts, a costume parade and prizes, as well as entertainment.

Fresno Chaffee Zoo

If reptiles and cacti aren’t your thing, but you love baby lions, there’s the Zoo Boo at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. There are four dates to choose from this year: October 21, 22,28 & 29, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The whole zoo is decorated for Halloween, and there will be carnival games (these cost extra to play), trick or treating, a hay maze,  and a pumpkin walk. Even if your child hates their costume, they can dance their cares away at Dracula’s Disco. Children are encouraged to wear costumes, but since it’s a family event all horror themed elements are discouraged. If you like to be terrifying that’s okay, just skip the zoo and check out the events that Sarah has written about here.

Storyland

Storyland has been remodeled and it’s time for a party! There’s just something magical about costumed children running around the fairytale park at twilight. On October 28 & 29 from 6 to 9 p.m., Tales and Treats takes place. Buy tickets now and Trick-or-Treat around the park with fairytale characters. Enjoy harvest games with prizes, treat bags and free mini pumpkins to decorate. Children can have their face painted, and watch a magic show.

If  trick or treating isn’t your thing, on October 27th, Storyland is holding a Pumpkin Carving Contest.  Bring a pumpkin by 4 p.m. for judging. The winner receives a one year Mother Goose membership, 4 train tickets, 25 Playland Ride tickets, and a Magic Key. If you have a preschooler, that magic key alone is worth the mess of carving a pumpkin and lugging it down to be judged. My kid is OBSESSED with those magic keys, because THEY ARE MAGIC.

Events for Families and Furry Friends

If you like candy but feel like life would be better with a pet parade, the BooFest at the Sierra Vista Mall is your place. This event is sponsored by the Clovis Police Department as a safe event for families. On October 29 the leashed, costumed pets of Fresno gather to march in the Spooky Pet Parade. If you want to enter your pooch, it is $5 to enter and all proceeds benefit Miss Winkles Pet Adoption Center. You can register online here. There will also be an emergency vehicle display, carnival games, a reptile display, and bounce houses. Since this event is free, you can just show up from 4 to 9 p.m., no ticket required.

Need more cute puppies in your life? The Tower District at the corner of Olive and Yosemite Ave. is hosting Whitie’s Pets Pooch Parade, Canine Carnival and Costume Contest. On October 23 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., there will be a “Beer & Bone” Garden, family entertainment and free samples of dog food and treats. At 3 p.m. contestants will march along Olive Avenue and meet back at the old Blockbuster Parking Lot for judging. Prizes will be awarded for several categories including “Best Dog Float” (a cart, wagon, or other non-motorized device). You can register your dog here or on the day of the event. Call (559) 497-8362 for more information.

The 20th Annual “Kids Just Wanna Have Fun” Halloween Superhero Carnival and Festival is October 22, hosted by the Fresno Parks and Recreation Department. From 12 to 4 p.m. at the Holmes Neighborhood Center at 212 S. First Street, you can play fall and Halloween Carnival games,  enter contests,  make crafts, and munch candy. There will be info booths and a petting zoo. Costumes are welcome. For more information call 559-621-PLAY.

Trunk or Treat, Smell My Feet

The list of free family fun continues with a Trunk or Treat at People’s Church. Mark your calendar for October 30th. From 4 to 6 p.m. you can enjoy your share of two tons of candy.  Enjoy strolling through a pumpkin patch, and don’t forget hot cider to wash down all that fun.

Northpointe Church also has a fabulous Trunk or Treat from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on October 31. If collecting all that candy makes you hungry, you can snack on on hot dogs and other American culinary wonders for a minimal cost.

Campus Bible Church will “Glow”, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on October 31. Glow is a fun family party at both of their church campuses, on Maple and on Palm. This event will have photo booths, games, and bounce houses. If you want a break from cooking, food and drinks are available for purchase.

Northwest Church will be holding a Fallapalooza Halloween Night Celebration from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on October 31. At Northwest you can visit a petting zoo, play games, and a go on a scavenger hunt. Enjoy bounce houses and face painting after you pet a small farm animal!

Don’t worry, if you’re other side of town you can still get your bounce house fix. Loma Vista Community Church in Clovis is hosting a Harvest Festival on Sunday, October 30 from 5 to 8 p.m. on the Southwest corner of Shaw and McCall. Stop by for free games, bounces houses, and a carmel apple booth.

Oh you want more?! Okay! There’s more! Clovis EV Free is also ready for fun with Light the Nite. On October 31 from 5 to 8:30 p.m. there will be candy AND A CAKE WALK. You can literally walk around and win cake, which is my kind of exercise. There will be games, food, and a scavenger hunt with a prize for every participant.

So there you have it folks, a list of activities that start before sunset and don’t require a hike through the neighborhood, in the dark, while carrying a small, tired, child half-dressed as a superhero/princess. The craziest thing is that this isn’t even an exhaustive list. If you have an event that is family friendly in Fresno, please drop the info in the comments and share it with the rest of us. We at FresYes adhere to the motto that you can never have too many bounce houses/pet parades/trunks full of candy.