Channel Islands Harbor doesn't spread Halloween across a week. The Harbor Department puts nearly all of it into Saturday, October 24, 2026, starting with paddleboards at 10 a.m. and ending with decorated boats on the water at 7 p.m. The day has a fixed schedule and three gathering points, so it's easy to plan around.
The date matters for a second reason. The contractor dredging the harbor is staging equipment this month, and dredging is expected to run 24 hours a day from November through February. October 24 is the last full day of west-side programming before the harbor's winter work starts.
The morning starts next to a construction fence
The 2nd Annual Pumpkin Paddle checks in at 9 a.m. and launches at 10 a.m. from the East Bank Day Dock. The event page places that dock between Fisherman's Wharf and the public launch ramp. This year, the wharf is a demolition site. The Harbor Department says demolition began in August 2026 to make way for Karls, a market-and-restaurant destination the department says is aiming to open in Spring 2028. Temporary fencing went up in May.
So kayakers and paddleboarders in costume will be launching beside a fenced-off lot that used to be the wharf. From there, the route crosses the water to the docks at Peninsula Park. You set your own pace, and Harbor Patrol handles safety. The route map on the event page is labeled 2025, so check in at 9 a.m. for current directions rather than relying on that graphic.
Registered paddlers get pumpkin sunglasses and other harbor giveaways. A costume contest follows the paddle, with prizes that include gift cards for local harbor businesses, Island Packers tickets and a Magic Mountain four-pack. Winners must be present. Registration goes through the Pumpkin Paddle event page.
The afternoon moves to the west side
After the paddle, there's a gap until 3 p.m., when activities open on the other side of the harbor around Harbor View Park, Marine Emporium Landing and the Channel Islands Maritime Museum. Everything sits close together near 3600 Harbor Blvd., but the activities end at different times, which makes order matter.
| Time | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| 3–6 p.m. | Channel Islands Maritime Museum | Haunted Courtyard with games, crafts, a scavenger hunt, prizes and candy. Free. |
| 3–6 p.m. | Harbor View Park | OPAC art activities, the returning puppet show, a new mini pumpkin patch and a haunted fish market with scare actors |
| 3–6 p.m. | Harbor View Park | Wolfsburg Finest VW Club trunk-or-treat, about 20 to 25 decorated Volkswagens |
| 3–6:30 p.m. | Harbor View Park | Channel Islands Farmers' Market, with vendors handing out candy |
| 3–7 p.m. | Harbor View Park | Parade of Frights Marketplace with crafts and an inflatable jump zone |
| 3:30–4 p.m. | Marine Emporium Landing | Dog costume contest, open to any dog in costume |
| 4–6 p.m. | Marine Emporium Landing | Scary-oke with DJ E.Z. You have to be in costume to sing. |
| 5 p.m. | Harbor View Park | Kids' costume parade and contest, with medals for participants |
| 7–7:40 p.m. | On the water | The 5th Annual Parade of Frights |
Most of the kids' activities close at 6 p.m., and the boats don't go out until 7. If you have children, plan to do the museum courtyard, OPAC's puppet show and the trunk-or-treat first, since those end at 6. The dog contest is a set 30-minute slot at 3:30, so arrive at the start if you're bringing a dog in costume. The Harbor Department is also giving out reusable Parade of Frights bags for kids while supplies last.
The farmers' market is on a different day than usual. The Channel Islands Certified Farmers' Market normally runs every Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 3600 S. Harbor Blvd. next to Marine Emporium Landing. For October 24, the event schedule lists it on Saturday from 3 to 6:30 p.m. at Harbor View Park. If you usually shop there on Sundays, this Saturday session is a separate listing tied to the parade.
Where to eat between the costume parade and the boats
There's about an hour and a half between the kids' parade and the boats, which is enough for an early dinner close to the viewing areas. Visit Oxnard places The Waterside Restaurant, Moqueca, Honey Cup and Sea Fresh at Marine Emporium Landing, which is where the afternoon's activities are. The harbor directory lists The Waterside and Honey Cup at 3500 Harbor Blvd., with Sea Fresh and Moqueca Brazilian Cuisine at 3550 Harbor Blvd. Farther north at Harbor Landing, Visit Oxnard lists The Lookout, Mrs. Olson's and The Masala Twist. The Masala Twist's own site gives its address as 2810 Harbor Blvd.
All of these places will be busy on a parade night. Eating before 5:30 or after the boats have passed is likely to mean a shorter wait.
Seven o'clock belongs to the boats
The parade runs from 7 to 7:40 p.m., with dozens of decorated boats moving through the harbor. The event page mentions a shoreline viewing map, but its main advice is to find a spot along the harbor early. Popular viewing areas fill up quickly, carpooling or ridesharing is encouraged, and the page reminds people that October evenings at the harbor can be cool.
If you own a boat, there's still time to enter. Harbor Director Michael Tripp's October message encourages boaters to join:
"You don't have to go overboard with the decorations; a little creativity and Halloween spirit can go a long way."
The Black Pearl Trophy goes to the best-decorated boat, and the first 30 boaters to register receive a commemorative Parade of Frights burgee. The 2026 boat entry form is on the harbor's site.
The rest of October builds toward that Saturday
The weekends before October 24 each have one main event, and the week after it shifts to Halloween events farther from the harbor:
- October 10, 10:30 a.m. The Anacapa Yacht Club's 2nd Annual Kayak Poker Run starts at the harbor boat launch and finishes at the Yacht Club.
- October 11, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ponies by the Sea brings the Tri-County Mustang Club to Harbor View Park, 3850 Harbor Blvd. It's free for spectators and has food trucks, live music and games. Vehicle registration fees benefit Guide Dogs of America.
- October 18, 3 p.m. The inaugural Tuna Invitational holds its public weigh-in at the Wharf Hoist, Marine Emporium Landing, 3600 S. Harbor Blvd., after fishing October 16 through 18.
- October 23 to 31 Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Beach is running a spooky bar at DIVE from October 23 through 30, a "Hocus Pocus" movie night on October 24 and a trick-or-treat trail plus a 21+ costume party on October 31. The movie night is the same evening as the parade, so a Mandalay household that wants both will have to pick.
- October 27, 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. The City of Oxnard's Halloween Float Tour for the Southwest Community includes stops at Sea Air Park, 'olołkoy Beach Park and Hollywood Beach School.
Four of those events take place at Harbor View Park or Marine Emporium Landing, where October 24 also ends up.
What shows up at Silver Strand once the costumes come off
The dredging schedule overlaps with Halloween. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' contractor, Manson Construction of Seattle, is staging equipment in October. Dredging is expected to start in November and continue through the end of February 2027, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Harbor Department says this is the third consecutive year of dredging, after 2024 work that couldn't be finished. It expects the harbor to return to its usual every-other-year schedule after this cycle.
For people who live near Silver Strand, the practical details are these. Dredging continues overnight, but heavy equipment on Silver Strand Beach is limited to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dredged sand is pumped about a mile south and placed on Hueneme Beach. The contractor may pause work over Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day, leaving a small crew and a portable generator on site. Tripp's October message adds that the Harbor Department is working with the contractor and the Corps on a temporary berm to protect the exposed dredge pipe, along with the lifeguard facility and parking lot at Silver Strand Beach. Crews are also surveying beach widths in case more berms are needed ahead of a possible El Niño winter.
A virtual community meeting on the dredging project is set for Wednesday, October 21, at 6 p.m. on Zoom, three days before the parade. The harbor's events don't stop for the winter, either. The Reindeer Paddle is listed for December 6, and the 60th Annual Parade of Lights is set for December 12, 7 to 9 p.m., with a Hawaiian and tropical theme. Both will take place during the dredging window.
If you watch the Parade of Frights from your own dock or a harbor-view patio and want to know what that waterfront spot is worth this fall, Debbie Curran can walk you through it. Request a Free Home Valuation, and you'll get a number based on the harbor you see from your own home.
