City of Berkeley News October 26, 2023

Government and Politics

October 28, 2023

Halloween events in Berkeley for everyone

Dress up, seek a fright, parade your pooch, skate in costume, swim among the gourds and vie for costume prizes. Events on Oct. 28 and 31 are for a variety of ages, interests.

Halloween in Berkeley means our parks, pool, and community centers have events for a variety of ages and interests.

For those who dress up, we have parades and costume contests for young kids -- or even one for dogs and their owners. You can also get decked out in character and then shred at our skatepark.

If pools are your playground of choice, jump in the water at our floating pumpkin patch. Or you can show off your cool costume from the pool deck.

Those seeking a scare can dare to traverse our haunted house.

Whether you're young or old, dressed up or not, there are Halloween events for you and your family to enjoy in Berkeley.

Dive into pumpkins at our floating patch, Oct. 28

Register in advance to swim among pumpkins, decorate them on the pool deck, and bring one home with you. Play cornhole and enjoy some poolside fun.

Floating Pumpkin Patch
Saturday, October 28, 2023, three sessions between 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
West Campus Pool, 2100 Browning St, Berkeley, CA 94702
Advanced registration required; no on-site registration
Fee per person $10 residents /$12 non-residents

Dress up however you like on the pool deck, but you’ll need to shed your face paint and garb for proper swimwear before you enter the water. Register for one of three session times: 10:00 am - noon, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm.

Strut and howl at the dog parade, Oct. 28

Berkeley dogs and their owners will be able to parade around James Kenney Park. Afterward, we’ll crown winners for their getups, including categories for: spookiest, cutest, most creative, and best doggie-owner duo.

Dogs must be on a leash at all times, be up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations, and behave safely around other dogs. Dogs displaying aggressive behavior will be asked to leave.

Halloween Howl Dog Parade & Costume Contest
James Kenney Park, 1720 8th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
Saturday, October 28, 2023, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Register
$5 Fee

Skateboard into the night, Oct. 28

Get on your board and throw down some sick tricks! Costumes are encouraged, helmets are required.

Halloween Skate Jam
Harrison Park, 1104 4th St, Berkeley, CA 94710
Saturday, October 28, 2023, 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Free

The Skate Jam will also have a costume contest, a skate trick contest, and a race. Throughout the event we’ll give out skateboard prizes: wheels, boards, trucks, and stickers.

Parade and kids’ costume contest, Oct. 31

Dress up and join others from Berkeley in a parade. Kids in kindergarten up to 5th grade can participate in a costume contest.

Halloween Parade and Costume Contest
Tuesday, October 31, 2023, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Frances Albrier Community Center, San Pablo Park, 2800 Park St
Registration is recommended
Free

Starting at 4 pm, the group will stroll around San Pablo Park to show off their costumes. At 5 pm, head to the auditorium, where we’ll have a contest divided by kindergarten up to 5th grade for costumes that are the scariest, cutest, and most creative.

First, second, and third-place winners from each category will receive certificates.

Experience the haunted house thrills, Oct. 31

After the parade, head to MLK Jr. Youth Services Center if you're looking for something a little more frightful. Twist and turn your way through a haunted house with a Clown Room, Insane Room, Alien World, Corn Field, and the Graveyard.

Enjoy additional activities, including music, popcorn and cotton candy, a photo booth, and jumpers for the little ones, age 5 to 10. Kids will receive a goody bag with treats.

House of Screams Haunted House
Tuesday, October 31, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
MLK Jr. Youth Services Center/Young Adult Program, 1730 Oregon St.
Children age 9 and under must be accompanied by an adult
Registration is recommended
Free

Guests must remove all costume masks and hoods before entering the haunted house. They may not touch or hit the characters. Security will be on site.

These events are organized by the City of Berkeley's Recreation Division, which offers dozens of camps, classes, and other activities for participants of all ages. Learn more and sign up via our registration portal and see more opportunities on our events calendar.

To get to these events without a car, you can use AC Transit's route planner. Or bike there using our bike boulevards.

Dress up. Seek a fright. Parade your pooch. Or swim among the gourds. Whether you prefer our parks, pools, or community centers, we have a Berkeley Halloween event for you.

Links

Saturday, October 28:

Floating Pumpkin Patch

Halloween Howl Dog Parade & Costume Contest

Halloween Skate Jam

Tuesday, October 31:

Halloween Parade and Costume Contest

House of Screams Haunted House

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Job openings with the City of Berkeley

We're looking for a Mental Health Nurse, a Communications Specialist, a Lactation Counselor, and others who reflect a portion of the breadth of services we offer to the Berkeley community.

In one of these or other open positions, you’d join a team committed to serving our diverse community by creating a safe, accessible, culturally rich, environmentally sustainable, and healthy city. We strive to support local businesses and respond quickly and effectively to neighborhood and commercial concerns.

Visit our complete job listings, which are updated almost weekly with new positions. Sign up for job alert emails, sent when jobs in a selected category open for applications.

Read more at berkeleyca.gov.

Neighborhood parking restrictions for Cal football games in 2023

Avoid parking in certain residential areas on Cal football local game days, when increased fines and towing start at 8:00 am.

The next scheduled game days fall on October 28 and November 11.

Avoid parking in areas where you don't have a residential permit. If you’re coming from out of town, use BART, AC Transit, or find an alternative mode, like shared bicycles and scooters, that reduce traffic and are better for our climate.

Parking fines for those without residential permits are $225, and tow-away areas have been added in various sections of Residential Parking Permit Zones B, D, F, G, I, and K. See larger images of the enforcement map and parking garage options.

Read more at berkeleyca.gov.

Learn about discounted rooftop solar and battery storage for homeowners

Homeowners can get discount rates on rooftop solar and backup battery storage by pooling your buying power with others — learn how to do so at a webinar series.

This limited-time group buying program is available to homeowners, Bay Area SunShares offers free site evaluations and quotes, pre-negotiated price discounts, and other incentives for rooftop solar and battery storage.

Combined with a 30% federal tax credit for rooftop solar this program can help put clean, carbon-free renewable energy within reach of more Berkeley households.

Rooftop solar can lower utility bills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and increase the value of your home. Battery backups allow you to store energy for later use, which can help keep essential devices like medical equipment and refrigerators running during power outages.

Read more at berkeleyca.gov.

More news from the City of Berkeley

New program launches for non-police mental health crisis response

New siren will signal an emergency, need to seek information

Sign up for AC Alert for official emergency information

See all news from the City of Berkeley.

We're hiring! Featured jobs:

Communications Specialist, closing November 6, 2023

Lactation Counselor, closing October 30, 2023

Parking Enforcement Officer, closing November 20, 2023

Social Services Specialist, closing November 13, 2023

Supervising Librarian, closing November 10, 2023