Calabasas's Pumpkin Sunday: Festival by Day, Night of the Jack After Dark

"Local folklore tells of a wagon carrying pumpkins or gourds that overturned in the area, leaving its cargo scattered across the landscape." That is how the City of Calabasas tells the story of its own name on this year's Pumpkin Festival page. The Spanish "calabaza" became "Las Calabazas," and more than two centuries later the city holds a festival for it at Juan Bautista de Anza Park.

This year the festival is on Sunday, October 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. That same evening, about half an hour after the festival closes, the grounds at King Gillette Ranch open for Night of the Jack. Calabasas has two pumpkin traditions, and on that one Sunday they happen back to back. The schedule makes doing both easy. The tickets are the hard part, because the two events sell them in opposite ways. You can buy a festival ticket at the gate with cash. Night of the Jack won't let you in, or even park, without buying ahead.

The Handoff Between 5:00 and 5:30

Here is how October 18 lines up, based on each event's posted hours:

Timed tickets at King Gillette Ranch start with a 6:00 p.m. slot and go every half hour until 8:30, and each slot comes with an arrival window, so a 6:00 ticket can check in from 5:30. So you could leave the festival late in the afternoon and still choose any of the six slots that night. Whether you get the slot you want depends almost entirely on when you buy.

Two Events, Opposite Ticket Rules

The festival is easy to walk into. Gate tickets cost $20 per person, and the City takes cash at the door. There is no ATM on site, so bring the cash with you. Children under 24 months get in free, and gate sales stop at 4:30 p.m. Buying ahead saves money. Online presale tickets are $15 until 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, October 17. Card and online payments carry processing fees. On the TicketLeap checkout, that works out to $16.30 per general-admission ticket, which is the $15 price plus a $1.30 service fee, and paid orders add a 3% online transaction fee on top. For a family of four, buying ahead saves a few dollars a person. Waiting until Sunday costs a little more, but you can still get in.

Night of the Jack works the other way. Every guest needs an advance timed ticket. If you show up outside your arrival window, you may be turned away, and you won't get a refund. Parking also has to be bought in advance, and the venue doesn't sell parking passes on site. Prices change with demand, ranging from $24.99 to $74.99 plus fees. As of early October, the Tixr listing for October 18 showed these prices:

• Timed admission from $29.99 base, or $34.50 with fees and taxes, up to $39.99 base, or $44.79
• An anytime ticket at $74.99 base, or $83.14
• Standard parking at $11.99 base, or $15.98
• VIP parking at $50 base, or $57.43

Because prices are dynamic, these figures can change before the night itself. Some time slots also sell out. The Tixr listing for tonight, Saturday, October 3, already shows the 6:00 p.m. "Almost Dark" option as sold out, while later slots still have prices. According to the organizers, Fridays, Saturdays and dates closer to Halloween usually sell out first. Weekdays and earlier dates are less crowded. October 18 is a Sunday in the middle of the season, so it doesn't fit the busiest pattern. That gives the double-header a real chance, as long as the evening tickets come first.

Getting Around on Festival Weekend

Most of the festival planning is about parking. The City offers free parking in business lots along Lost Hills and Agoura roads, with free shuttles to the main ticket gate. The shuttles run from 9:45 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and have a platform lift. Accessible parking is on Lost Hills Road next to the shuttle stops, and tow-away zones are enforced.

The City's 2026 traffic advisory says the Lost Hills route will be affected from Saturday, October 17, through Sunday, October 18. The posted graphic doesn't list specific closures or detours. If you live near the park, the safest assumption is that Lost Hills will be busy both days, including the Saturday setup.

Night of the Jack's entrance is at Wickland Road and Mulholland Highway. The parking entrance closes at 9:00 p.m. That leaves some room after the 8:30 arrival slot, but not much.

Separate from the festival, the City is building a one-lane roundabout at Calabasas Road and Mureau Road. Traffic there is down to one lane in each direction, and the City expects delays through February 2027.

What Fills the Afternoon at De Anza Park

The City has posted part of the 2026 lineup. The Monster Mash-up Costume Party starts at 11:00 a.m., and The Reptile Family runs its Creepy Crawly & Critter Shows every 30 minutes. The main-stage bands are still listed as "Info coming soon!" The City's general activity list includes:

• More than 75 Marketplace vendors
• Unlimited inflatable rides and games
• Reptile and bug shows
• Photos and dance parties with Punky and Halloween characters
• Car displays and food trucks
• A pumpkin patch and crafts
• Pumpkin pie and pumpkin beer

Some of the festival starts before the gates open. The City's Great Pup-Kin virtual costume contest takes entries through October 5, which is this coming Monday. Online voting runs October 7 through 15, and winners are announced at the festival on the 18th. If your dog already has a costume, the deadline is only a couple of days away.

What's New at King Gillette Ranch After Dark

Night of the Jack is a one-mile Halloween trail lined with pumpkin displays, with food trucks on site. For 2026, the organizers say they've changed several things:

• The trail has a new layout.
• Jack's Carnival is new, with more than 10 rides and attractions.
• New lantern art includes pirates, aliens and music.
• New pumpkin displays draw on mythology, dinosaurs and carnivals.
• The projection and pixel technology has been reworked.

Admission includes entry to the carnival, but unlimited rides require a separate wristband for each person. The FAQ doesn't list the wristband price, and it warns that rides can change or be unavailable. Plan on paying one more charge at the ranch even if you've already bought tickets and parking.

That means the full October 18 costs come in this order. The festival presale ends Saturday night. Timed tickets and parking for the ranch are priced by demand, so the cost depends on when you buy. The carnival wristband is the only price you won't know until you get there.

The Rest of the Pumpkin Month

Night of the Jack runs on select dates through November 1, so October 18 isn't your only chance to go. The City's calendar also has smaller events before and after the festival:

1. October 10, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: a Winnie-the-Pooh celebration for kids, with games and crafts
2. October 30, 10 a.m.: Children's Halloween Story Time in the Library amphitheater, with no reservations required
3. November 5, 12 and 19: Pumpkin Patch Story Time, which keeps the theme going into November

Fall sports keep going at De Anza Park too. The City's Fall Pickleball League runs October 4 through December 13. MLS GO youth futsal plays Friday evening games on the park's multi-use court through November. Still, October 18 is the date to plan around. A festival you can walk into with cash is followed that evening by a trail you can enter only with a timed ticket. To do both, buy the evening tickets first.

At The Malibu Life, we follow Calabasas's calendar as closely as its market, from festival day at De Anza Park to evenings at King Gillette Ranch. If you'd like a local perspective on Calabasas this fall, Work With Us.