At 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 3, the Mighty Wurlitzer at Old Town Music Hall will open the night with spooky organ music and a sing-along. Then the lights go down on House on Haunted Hill. The film is the 1959 Vincent Price picture directed by William Castle, whom the hall's listing calls "the king of gimmicks," and author Julian David Stone introduces it.
That first Saturday sets up the rest of the month. Four of October's Saturdays already have an evening film on the schedule. The city's Halloween events for kids and families fall in the daytime hours before them, and they bunch up on the last two weekends. If you treat the evening film as the fixed point, the rest of each Saturday is easy to plan.
The Saturday spine
Here are October's Saturdays side by side, with daytime and evening listed separately.
| Saturday | Daytime | Evening |
|---|---|---|
| October 3 | No city event found | House on Haunted Hill, Old Town Music Hall, 7 p.m. |
| October 10 | No city event found | Sunset Cinema: Ghostbusters, Library Park, activities from 6 p.m. |
| October 24 | Water Harvest, Rock & Run 5K, Pumpkin Poolooza | Poltergeist, Old Town Music Hall, 7 p.m. |
| October 31 | Halloween Frolic on Main Street, noon to 4 p.m. | The Phantom of the Opera, Old Town Music Hall, 7 p.m. |
The first half of the month is quiet in daylight and lively at night. Sunset Cinema's Ghostbusters night on October 10 is a Recreation & Parks event at Library Park. Activities start at 6 p.m. and the movie starts at sunset. The series already ran one fall screening this season, Pretty in Pink on September 19, which the Hello Gundo newsletter listed as aimed at "older teenagers and adults." Ghostbusters is a much easier choice if you're bringing kids.
The second half of October is where the two calendars land on the same days.
October 24 is the busiest Saturday of the month
Four separate events share this date, and the times barely overlap. That makes it possible to do all of them.
The morning starts on Hughes Way. West Basin Municipal Water District holds its free Water Harvest festival at 1935 S. Hughes Way from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with family activities, exhibits, and tours of the facility.
The Rock & Run 5K is on the same date. Hello Gundo flagged it in its September 24 save-the-dates. Registration details are on the race's RunSignup page.
From 1 to 3 p.m., The Plunge at 219 W. Mariposa holds Pumpkin Poolooza. The city describes it as a floating pumpkin patch, along with pumpkin decorating, games, and raffles. Since it starts at 1, a family can finish at Water Harvest, eat lunch, and get to the pool on time.
At 7 p.m., Old Town Music Hall shows Poltergeist, introduced by Samantha Hale. As with the October 3 show, the Wurlitzer plays spooky music and leads a sing-along first.
That's four events in about nine hours, with no time conflicts if you leave the 5K for the morning.
October 31 has two showings, and the matinee overlaps the Frolic
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year. The Recreation & Parks Halloween Frolic takes over the 300 and 400 blocks of Main Street from noon to 4 p.m., with games, food, music, and family activities. If you have questions, the city's flyer lists 310-524-2700.
Old Town Music Hall's Halloween program is the 1925 silent The Phantom of the Opera with Lon Chaney. It plays twice, at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Robert York plays the live score on the Mighty Wurlitzer, and film archivist Stan Taffel introduces the film.
The 2:30 showing starts in the middle of the Frolic, so households will probably end up choosing one of two routes:
- Frolic first. Spend noon to 4 on Main Street with the kids, go home for trick-or-treat prep, and come back without them for the 7 p.m. Phantom.
- Phantom first. Head to the 2:30 matinee with older kids or anyone who'd rather skip the crowds. A silent film with live organ accompaniment works for anyone who can follow a story without dialogue. Then reach Main Street for the last part of the Frolic.
The first route gives you more of the street fair. The second uses the only daytime organ showing of the month on our list.
The two weeknights in between
Thursday, October 22 and Friday, October 23 make a small weeknight cluster ahead of the last two Saturdays.
On Thursday, the El Segundo Certified Farmers Market runs as usual on Main Street at 350 Main between Holly and Grand, from 3 to 7 p.m. The state's roster lists it as year-round with no seasonal change in hours. That evening, City Hall Plaza hosts El Segundo's United Against Hate cultural celebration from 5 to 6:30 p.m., with performances, booths, arts and crafts, and a food drive. Both events are in the same downtown window, so one Thursday trip covers your produce run and the celebration. Bring something for the food drive.
On Friday, the Boo Bucket Bonfire runs from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Recreation Park Fire Circle. It's free and meant for kids ages 3 to 5 with an adult. The city lists candy bucket painting, s'mores, and sweet treats. Families with preschoolers can make the bucket on Friday and carry it through the Frolic a week later.
There's one more October date off the Saturday schedule. Sugar Monkey Brewing hosts a Bonsai Bar workshop on Sunday, October 18, according to the same Hello Gundo save-the-date list. It's a calmer option for the one weekend without a big city event.
Where to eat between events
A few newer spots on Main Street and nearby help fill the gaps between a daytime event and a 7 p.m. show.
Unico Tokyo Pasta at 411 Main St. began showing up in local coverage in late July. Hello Gundo's July 23 issue mentioned "a new restaurant open on Main Street." Its own site now lists the El Segundo location with online ordering and reservations, open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The weekend hours make a pre-show dinner on October 24 or 31 realistic. For the 7 p.m. showings, plan to eat early.
HomeState at The Point scheduled its grand opening for September 19. Hello Gundo previewed giveaways all day, balloon animals at lunch, and a face painter at dinner. If you haven't been yet, check its current hours before planning a Halloween dinner around it.
Blaze Pizza also announced in a September 21 release that its location at 309 N. Pacific Coast Highway is open. It's a quick option for a group of kids after the Frolic.
A few regulars also appear in the newsletter's weekly listings. Trivia with MC Ken runs Thursdays at 7 p.m. at Five Point Five Brewing, and The Tavern on Main has free live music at 8 p.m. on weekends. Those are September listings, so confirm with the venues for October dates.
Why the hall sets the pace
The Wurlitzer programs work as the month's anchor because Old Town Music Hall already keeps a heavy Saturday schedule outside of Halloween. On September 19, for example, the hall showed the 1953 French comedy Mr. Hulot's Holiday at 2:30 p.m. and the 1974 disaster film Earthquake at 7 p.m. The October horror lineup uses the same matinee-and-evening schedule. Phantom on Halloween is the one show this month that fills both slots. Ticket prices weren't posted on the listings we reviewed, so check the hall's site before you go.
Further out, the city calendar lists the Ignite Joy Toy Drive, which runs November 30 through December 18 at Fire Station #1, 314 Main St.
If you're mapping out these Saturdays and wondering how a Main Street event weekend affects a showing, or which blocks around downtown stay quiet on a busy day, Colin Aita can talk it through. Contact Colin for a private, no-pressure consultation.
