Halloween Events in Fresno & the 559 (2026)

Halloween events and Oktoberfest in the 559: October 2026

October does not have to mean choosing between a costume party and a tasting festival. The 559 has horror-film double features, a real Oktoberfest biergarten, a two-day wine journey, live bands and Halloween parties stretching from downtown Hanford to Bass Lake.

This guide brings together the Halloween shows and fall festivals we compiled, with separate sections for Halloween entertainment and Oktoberfest plus October beer-and-wine festivals. The Big Fresno Fair Beer & Wine Fest and Haunted Harvest Wine Journey are tasting festivals—not Oktoberfest events—and are labeled accordingly.

Published October 12, 2026. All times are Pacific. These are upcoming picks for the remainder of October. Dates and key details have been checked against organizer information where available; follow the linked organizer or ticket page for current availability, prices and rules.

Looking for Halloween events in Fresno in October, things to do in the 559 on Halloween weekend, or Oktoberfest in Fresno? Compare dates and venues for local costume parties, horror shows, fall festivals and the traditional Oktoberfest celebration below. For haunted houses and scare attractions, see our separate 2026 haunted-attractions guide for the 559.

Cover image: the Big Fresno Fair's Beer & Wine Fest. It illustrates the festival side of this guide, not a Halloween show.

Your October dates at a glance

- October 16–17: Tower Horror Film Fest, Fresno. - October 16: Witches Night Out, downtown Hanford. - October 17: Big Fresno Fair Beer & Wine Fest, Fresno. - October 22: WHH Oktoberfest, Fresno. - October 24–25: Haunted Harvest Wine Journey, participating Fresno County locations. - October 30: Stealing Nicks at Engelmann Cellars, VFW Halloween Dance, South Gate Brewing's costume party and Jaded at The Pines Bar. - October 31: The Standard's Haunted Mansion party, Kings River Winery's Halloween Bash, Monster Mash at Raisin Hell Ranch and Rocky Horror at Tower Theatre.

Oktoberfest & October beer-and-wine festivals

Big Fresno Fair Beer & Wine Fest — Saturday, October 17

1–5 p.m. | Infield Party Tent, Fresno Fairgrounds | 1121 S. Chance Avenue, Fresno | 21+

For a daytime outing before the evening Halloween shows, the Fair's 11th annual Beer & Wine Fest brings unlimited tastings from more than 20 breweries and wineries into the racetrack's Infield Party Tent. Live music, lawn games and food trucks make this more than a quick tasting stop.

The organizer lists $35 tasting tickets including Fair admission and a $20 designated-driver ticket. Plan transportation before you buy. This is a beer-and-wine festival, not a German Oktoberfest celebration.

Official Fair details and tickets

WHH Oktoberfest — Thursday, October 22

4–7 p.m. | Wiebe Hinton Hambalek, LLP | 7090 N. Marks Avenue, Suite 104, Fresno | 21+

This is the guide's traditional Oktoberfest pick: a tented biergarten, German food, lively music, beer tastings and this year's collectible stein. Wiebe Hinton Hambalek invites friends, family and colleagues to its annual harvest celebration at the firm's Fresno office.

Its real start time is 4 p.m., so you can make it an after-work stop without waiting for a late-night party. Use the organizer's registration page for current admission information rather than assuming it is free.

WHH Oktoberfest registration

Haunted Harvest Wine Journey — Saturday–Sunday, October 24–25

Noon–5 p.m. both days | Participating Fresno County wineries, tasting rooms and breweries | 21+

One wristband covers both days of this self-directed tasting weekend. The organizer lists $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Bring your own tasting glass, choose your stops ahead of time and arrange a designated driver.

Kings River Winery in Sanger is one participating stop—not the only venue and not a mandatory starting point. The compiled route also includes locations such as Engelmann Cellars, LoMac, Moravia Wines, Ziveli, Solitary Cellars in Friant and Two Ravens Brewery in Clovis. Check the organizer's current participating-location list before planning the drive.

Costumes are encouraged but optional. Music, vendors and seasonal activities vary by stop, so do not assume every winery offers the same entertainment or hours. This is a wine journey with beer and spirits at participating locations, not an Oktoberfest.

Wine Journey details, participating locations and wristbands

Halloween shows before the big weekend

Tower Horror Film Fest — Friday–Saturday, October 16–17

5:30 p.m. doors; 6 p.m. show both nights | Tower Theatre | 815 E. Olive Avenue, Fresno

For Halloween atmosphere without committing to a nightclub, book a seat at Tower Theatre. Friday features Tales from the Crypt: Bordello of Blood and Halloween (1978), an indie-filmmaker panel and horror-short finalists. Saturday switches to Demon Knight, a live Q&A with Crypt Keeper performer John Kassir, shorts and vendors.

Treat the two nights as separate ticket choices. The theatre lists age restrictions and accompaniment rules on its event pages; check those before bringing younger guests.

Friday tickets | Saturday tickets

Witches Night Out — Friday, October 16

6–9 p.m. | Downtown Hanford | Main Street Hanford, 219 W. Lacey Boulevard

Main Street Hanford's Witches Night Out combines participating downtown businesses with cocktail tastings, snacks, photo opportunities, entertainment and shopping offers. Tickets include entry to participating businesses and a goody bag.

Use Friday, October 16 as the date. The organizer's calendar confirms that date; an earlier scraped listing showed October 15. This is a downtown event across participating businesses, not simply a show inside the Main Street office.

Main Street Hanford's official calendar and ticket information

Friday, October 30: live music and costume parties

Stealing Nicks: Witches and Warlocks — Engelmann Cellars

6 p.m. gates; 7–10 p.m. music | 3275 N. Rolinda Avenue, Fresno | 21+

Choose Engelmann Cellars for a Halloween-weekend live-band night with Stealing Nicks. Our compiled listing has $22.61 general admission including fees; VIP tables are a separate reservation. Confirm current ticket availability and the winery's admission policies before heading out.

Engelmann Cellars event information | Our event listing

VFW Post 8900 Auxiliary Annual Halloween Dance — Fresno

7:30–11:30 p.m. | 3585 N. Blythe Avenue, Fresno

DJ Matt in the Mixx provides the music for the auxiliary's annual Halloween dance. This is an alternative to the larger nightclub parties if you want a dedicated dance night. Admission details were not confirmed in the compiled announcement, so contact the organizer rather than assuming free entry.

Our VFW Halloween Dance listing

Halloween Costume Party — South Gate Brewing, Oakhurst

6–9 p.m. | 40233 Enterprise Drive, Oakhurst

South Gate Brewing's official flyer confirms its Friday costume party. Make it a mountain-town brewery stop, with the earlier hours leaving room for dinner or another local stop afterward. Check the brewery for admission and age rules; the published flyer does not establish those details.

South Gate Brewing's official events page

Halloween Party with Jaded — The Pines Bar, Bass Lake

9 p.m.–midnight | 54432 Road 432, Bass Lake | 21+

Jaded brings rock, pop, Top 40 and disco to The Pines Bar's costume party. If your group wants live music with a lakeside setting, this is the late-night mountain option. Allow for the drive, choose a sober driver and check admission details with the venue.

Official Yosemite/Madera County visitor-bureau event details

Halloween night: Saturday, October 31

The Standard's Haunted Mansion Halloween Party — Fresno

8 p.m.–2 a.m. | 9455 N. Fort Washington Road, Fresno | 21+; valid ID required

The Standard's indoor/outdoor Haunted Mansion celebration is the late-night costume-party option in this group. Expect a Halloween setting with music and dancing. Purchase admission through the venue's ticket listing and review any entry or costume rules there.

The Standard's official Halloween tickets

Halloween Bash with the Marie Wilson Band — Kings River Winery, Sanger

5 p.m. gates; 6–9 p.m. concert | 4276 S. Greenwood Avenue, Sanger | 21+

Kings River Winery gives Halloween night a live-band format with the Marie Wilson Band. The compiled admission prices are $20 presale or $25 at the door. A $50 VIP table reservation does not include admission tickets, so do not treat a table purchase as your group's entry.

For readers comparing the two winery outings, this is a single evening concert at Kings River Winery. It is separate from the October 24–25 multi-location Haunted Harvest Wine Journey.

Kings River Winery's Halloween Bash tickets

Monster Mash Party — Raisin Hell Ranch, Madera

Opens at 7 p.m. | 7451 Road 32, Madera

Raisin Hell Ranch's Halloween party combines live music, horror movies on a 30-foot screen, food vendors and midway entertainment. The compiled listing has $5 admission for visitors who are not entering the haunted attractions; haunt tickets are separate.

The ticket booth closes at 10 p.m., but that is a last-entry cutoff—not a confirmed party end time. The organizer says its haunts remain open until the last guest has gone through. Review attraction-specific age and scare guidance before bringing children.

Raisin Hell Ranch's official event information | 2026 tickets

The Rocky Horror Picture Show — Tower Theatre, Fresno

11 p.m. doors on October 31; midnight screening | 815 E. Olive Avenue, Fresno | All ages, according to the theatre

Close out Halloween with the cult-film screening hosted by Sidney Sin. Costumes, singing and dancing are encouraged by the theatre. The important timing detail: doors open Saturday night, but the midnight screening begins at 12 a.m. on Sunday, November 1. Put the Saturday-night arrival in your plans so you do not show up a day early.

Tower Theatre's official Rocky Horror screening details and tickets

Pick the right kind of outing

For a daytime tasting: choose the Big Fresno Fair Beer & Wine Fest on October 17 or Haunted Harvest Wine Journey on October 24–25. Both have confirmed afternoon hours; neither needs a made-up evening start to belong in this guide.

For an after-work Oktoberfest: WHH on October 22 is the German-food-and-biergarten option. It is separate from the other fall tasting festivals.

For horror fans: Tower Horror Film Fest offers two nights of screenings on October 16–17, while Raisin Hell Ranch and the Halloween-night Rocky Horror screening offer different ways to spend October 31.

For a live-band Halloween: compare Engelmann Cellars, Kings River Winery and The Pines Bar. Check actual performance times, not just gate-opening times.

Do not combine distant cities into a tight itinerary just because the events share a date. Fresno to Hanford, Sanger, Oakhurst or Bass Lake requires real driving time. Book one main event, allow for travel and dinner, and arrange a sober ride for every tasting or drinking outing.

Before you buy or head out

- Follow the organizer's current ticket page for availability and final fees. Unknown prices are not listed as free. - Want a haunted attraction rather than a Halloween party or film? See 2026 haunted houses and Halloween attractions across the 559. - Check age restrictions separately for each event; a 21+ winery concert is not the same as an all-ages film screening. - Bring required ID and your tasting glass where requested. Check costume, bag and outside-food rules with the venue. - Unconfirmed Fresno Fright Crawl venues are intentionally left out of this guide. We will not send readers to a TBA address. - Earlier Oktoberfest events that ended before this October 12 publication are not presented as upcoming.

Browse the current 559 event calendar for additional listings, or get the free 559 After Dark newsletter for upcoming local picks.