The first month of fall has come to an end. The leaves are yet to change, but the community has put on many different festivities to celebrate. With holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving nearing, there are holiday events hosted by the San Diego community to choose from.
From Sept. 22 to Oct. 31, Balboa Park hosted its “Haunted Trails.” Horror fanatics who attended had to go through a 3,500-square-foot experiment maze when entering the trails. Upon completion of the maze, guests would then begin their mile-long journey on the dark haunted trail. On the trails, there were horrific costumes, such as nuns, clowns, scarecrows and more to bring a sense of chills down your spine. This year, new costumes were also added to the experience, such as rat people, according to first-year writing major Kate Williams.
“They had us watch a little video, then shuffled us into the dark,” said Williams. “Each house had its theme, in particular, one had a man with a chainsaw chase us through a ranch which was pretty scary.”
The trails included pitch-black rooms, where guests are left with no idea of what’s to come.
“People are walking behind you and blowing in your ears,” said Williams. “There was also this one hallway with black and white spirals. At the end was a clown.”
During her experience, people from behind pushed the group forward, closer to the clown, until his face disappeared and he ran toward the guests.
Williams mentioned that her favorite segment of the experience, the part that got her heart racing, was a bus full of nuns.
“As you passed bus benches, several realistic nun mannequins filled the rows. I leaned in to get a closer look at one thinking it was another mannequin when she lunged toward me shrieking,” said Williams.
La Mesa put on an Oktoberfest, open to the public from Sept. 29-Oct. 1. The fest was family-friendly, offering more than your average beer vendors. There were bounce houses, food trucks, live music, a doggie fashion show and dachshund races.
Gift bags were handed out at the races, with toys and treats for all the pups to enjoy. All the dogs were dressed up in their fall attire, ready to celebrate the new season. Everyone crowded around the tracks to watch the pups run, and the winners who placed top were brought up to the podium to celebrate.
For the fashion show, pups were dressed as baby Yoda, cocktail weenies and more creative looks.
Liberty Station also hosted a few events this October. They hosted their own Oktoberfest and the Goff Family Pumpkin Patch. Oktoberfest was full of vendors serving different dishes, live music and one of San Diego’s largest vinyl record sales.
The Goff Family Pumpkin Patch consisted of activities for families to participate in, c free of cost. There were games like tic-tac-toe and chess with different colored pumpkins. There were also photo booths and plenty of photo opportunities, making for a picture-esque fall adventure.
Zoe Golden, a first-year viola major, stopped by Liberty Station with her family.
“It was a very unique fall experience, especially with all the decorations. It was a smaller pumpkin patch and a much different experience than what I am used to,” said Golden. “It was a very cute setup and fun to explore.”
The first month of fall has gathered the community for holiday fun, with more to come in November. From haunted houses to racing dachshunds, these events have brought screams and cheers to San Diegans.
Tessa Balc 
Grace Chaves 
Grace Barrera