See What Our State’s Scaring Up in October

Pumpkins, pits and planes … oh my!

California Avocado Festival

October 4-6

The California Avocado Festival Board of Directors welcomes visitors to downtown Carpinteria for three days of Peace, Love and Guacamole. The event will feature 60 bands, 50 arts & crafts and commercial vendors, 15 delicious food vendors and over a dozen nonprofits on site for you to help support. All proceeds of the festival go to the Carpinteria Education Foundation and the Future Farmers of America.

Carved at Descanso Gardens

October 4-30

Come discover a mesmerizing pumpkin wonderland featuring a new route, and even more pumpkin fun/ The new Descanso Railroad will be specially lit the event, and a family of wood spirits carved from five enormous logs by Chainsaw Jenna will add a touch of playful mischief. You’ll be amazed by luminous jack-o’-lanterns, hand-carved giant pumpkins and a “Rhizome” installation by Tom and Lien Dekyvere.

Fleet Week. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Christine Montgomery.

San Francisco Fleet Week

October 7-14

Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen from several ships will be in San Francisco for the annual San Francisco Fleet Week. Highlights include neighborhood concerts, marching bands, a parade of ships and, of course, a much-anticipated air show.

Toast to Sausalito

October 19

Presented by the City of Sausalito’s Parks and Recreation Department and Sausalito Chamber of Commerce, A Toast to Sausalito, features a beer, wine and spirits festival, multiple artist competitions, local vendors and merchants, musical acts and an interactive stage with a variety of performances. This event is free for all to attend.

Truckee River Day and River Fair

October 20

It was that first Truckee River Day in 1996 that spawned today’s Truckee River Watershed Council. Since then, thousands of nature-lovers have shown up yearly with their gumboots, buckets, shovels and smiles to take on 100s of restoration projects throughout the watershed. Restoration projects begin at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. and are open for all ages and abilities. Truckee River Day projects are designed to boost the benefits of large-scale restoration construction that has been completed in recent years.

Modernism Week—October

October 24-27

Celebrate midcentury architecture, arts, and culture at Modernism Week—October. Tour iconic homes and neighborhoods, see landmark buildings and estates on our popular bus tours, attend engaging presentations, and enjoy a variety of unique experiences from live music to dinner and cocktail parties.