Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, and the Peninsula's calendar for October 31 opens with dogs. At 10 a.m., Rancho Palos Verdes starts its Howl-O-Ween Dog Paw-Rade at the Eastview Park dog park. An hour later, the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy starts its own Halloween Dog Parade at White Point Nature Preserve. That same weekend is the last one for Dogtoberfest at South Coast Botanic Garden, a monthlong event built around dog races, a Pup Crawl and a beer garden with a dog-beer option.
Taken together, the weekend is set up for the dog first and the kids second. The kids' events are good ones, but they come later in the day. The timing works out well. The two parades share only one hour, and the rest of the day's dog events are spaced around them, so a household with one costumed dog and one or two costumed kids can do nearly all of it. The only real decisions are which parade to give the 11 o'clock hour and which day to spend at the Garden.
Thursday is the warm-up
The weekend starts two days early at the same park where Saturday's first parade happens. Rancho Palos Verdes is holding a free Pumpkin Decorating Event at Eastview Park, 1700 Westmont Drive, on Thursday, October 29, from 4 to 6 p.m. The pumpkins are free and first come, first served, and supplies are limited. It's a decorating event, so leave the carving knives at home. Get there close to 4 if your kids care about having a choice of pumpkin.
That same afternoon, the Palos Verdes Library District is showing its Spooktober Movie at the Annex from 4 to 6 p.m. The two events run at exactly the same time, so families with kids of different ages may end up splitting up for the afternoon.
Some households start even earlier in the week. On Tuesday, October 27, the Land Conservancy holds its signature Palos Verdes Pastoral garden-to-table dinner at Terranea. This year's theme is "Garden Nocturne," and the menu is served outdoors at sunset. Palos Verdes Pulse reported that individual tickets went on sale October 1 and that seating is limited and sells out quickly. Ticket details are on the Conservancy's Pastoral page.
Saturday morning: two parades, one overlapping hour
The Eastview event runs 10 a.m. to noon and is free, according to the City of Rancho Palos Verdes event listing. The city calls it Eastview Park's "Annual Howl'oween Party." It includes a costume dog parade and a photobooth, and every dog in costume gets a goodie bag. It's held at the city's dog park at the same Westmont Drive address as Thursday's pumpkin event.
The Conservancy's parade is a single scheduled moment. Palos Verdes Pulse lists it for Saturday, October 31, at 11 a.m. at White Point Nature Preserve, 1600 W. Paseo del Mar in San Pedro, and invites "costumed pups" to "strut." The roundup doesn't mention a fee or registration.
Because Eastview runs for two hours and White Point is a single 11 a.m. start, you can do both if you plan for it. Here's how the morning can go:
- 10 a.m. at Eastview Park. Arrive at the open, take the dog through the photobooth, walk in the parade and pick up the goodie bag while the crowd is still small.
- Leave Eastview with time to spare before 11. On Saturdays, White Point opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m., according to the City of Los Angeles park page. The Conservancy tells visitors to reach Paseo del Mar from Western Avenue and to park in the lot at 1600 W. Paseo del Mar. The entrance is on the left where the road dead-ends.
- 11 a.m. at White Point. Walk in the Conservancy's parade, then stay for the bluff-top preserve while the morning is still cool.
- Lunch near White Point. The Corner Store, at 1118 W. 37th St. in San Pedro, has dog-friendly outdoor seating, and a guest review on BringFido says dogs are "always welcome" there.
If one parade per morning is your limit, pick based on how your dog does with a long event. Eastview's two-hour window, with a photobooth and goodie bags, gives a nervous dog time to settle in. White Point's 11 a.m. start is a single walk, so it's easier to time.
Saturday afternoon belongs to the kids
The Promenade on the Peninsula's Halloween Trick or Treat Event and Costume Contest runs from 3 to 6 p.m. on October 31 at 550 Deep Valley Drive in Rolling Hills Estates. The Palos Verdes Magazine calendar lists it as free and mentions food, cotton candy, a costume contest, a haunted house, face painting and games.
That leaves a gap from noon to 3. For families with older kids, the library district has Check Mates, a multigenerational chess meetup, at Malaga Cove Library from 1 to 3 p.m. on Halloween. The library is at 2400 Via Campesina in Palos Verdes Estates.
For a pre-trick-or-treat meal at the Promenade, Good Stuff Palos Verdes is in Suite 151 and lists hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. It has outdoor seating by the splash-pad fountain, and the menu includes dog meals. The restaurant doesn't say whether dogs can sit on the patio, so ask before you bring one to the table.
Why Dogtoberfest works better on Sunday
South Coast Botanic Garden's Dogtoberfest has run every Saturday and Sunday since October 10, with Bavarian-style food and drink, live music, competitions, dog races and a Pup Crawl. Its final weekend is October 31 and November 1. The Garden is at 26300 Crenshaw Boulevard.
The schedule shows the problem with going on Saturday. Dog races for dogs 30 pounds or under are scheduled at noon and 3:30 p.m. On Halloween, the noon race comes right after the White Point parade, and the 3:30 race starts half an hour after the Promenade trick-or-treat. On Sunday, November 1, nothing else on the Peninsula calendar competes with it, so a small dog that spent Saturday in costume can race twice.
On both days, music sets are at 10 and 11 a.m. and at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Games are at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. and at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m.
Here's what the Garden lists for prices:
| Ticket | General admission | VIP |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | $18 | $38 |
| Senior or student | $14 | $34 |
| Child, ages 3 to 12 | $8 | $28 |
| Garden member | Free | $20 |
| Dog, nonmember | $7 | $25 |
| Dog, member | $6 | $19 |
Children 2 and under get in free. The VIP upgrade is mostly for the dog. VIP dogs get a dog-beer tasting, a treat, access to the Top Dog Zone and an event photo. VIP adults get four beer tastings, with root beer as an option, plus one full beer, express bar access, a pretzel-necklace activity and first pick of competitions.
The rules are short and enforced. Dogs must stay leashed and with you, and they need to be socialized, vaccinated and registered. Stay on the paths and clean up after your dog. Dogs aren't allowed in the Rose Garden or near the Koi Pond. The Garden's page doesn't list overall event hours, parking details or a limit on dogs per person, so check the Garden's site before you go if any of those matter for your group.
The weekend after the costumes come off
Once Dogtoberfest ends, the Garden's calendar moves to outdoor craft workshops, held weather permitting. Its fall workshop schedule starts with Cozy Crafting: DIY Cornucopia on November 7 and 8, at $45 for members and $59 for nonmembers. Wreath Making sessions follow on November 29 and December 5 and 6, at $50 for members and $64 for nonmembers. Rancho Palos Verdes has already opened registration for Breakfast with Santa at Hesse Park on December 12.
For dog owners, there isn't another stretch like this coming up. With two parades on one morning, a closing weekend of dog races and a free costume contest on the same Saturday, it's the busiest weekend of the year for anyone on the Peninsula with a leash by the door. The Eastview parade starts at 10 a.m. on October 31.
If your dog has a Halloween routine on the Peninsula and you've started thinking about a home that's closer to it, whether that means near Eastview, a short drive from White Point or within walking distance of the Promenade, Colin Aita knows these streets block by block. Contact Colin for a private, no-pressure consultation, and bring your dog's Halloween photos.
