What to Do on Halloween in San Francisco

We know Halloween isn’t such a big thing in many parts of the world, but in San Francisco, it’s huge. There’s countless bars having costume parties and constant fun events happening all over the city. But how are you supposed to know where to go if you’re traveling, just passing through for the day, and on a budget? Just read this! We’ll tell you everything you need to know.

Free Donuts at Krispy Kreme

8 a.m. - 11 p.m.

If you don a costume anytime on Halloween day and head to Krispy Kreme by Fisherman’s Wharf, they’ll give you a free donut. No worries if you don’t randomly have a costume in your suitcase or backpack - if you are staying at Pacific Tradewinds, we have several costume boxes you can dig through and borrow costumes from. Or, head to the nearest Goodwill store or Halloween shop and buy a cheap wig or hat to wear to get your free donut. You’ll need some kind of costume for later in the day anyway. Make sure to get to Krispy Kreme early, as there may be a line. Who doesn’t want a free donut?!

Free Rooftop Silent Disco

6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Ever seen a bunch of people in costume silently dancing on a rooftop in San Francisco? You wanna? In case you’ve missed the craze, a silent disco is when everyone has headphones tuned to one of several stations. What’s going on in your headphones might be totally different than what the person next to you is hearing. So, you’re all dancing, but all to different music, and you can’t hear anyone else’s. Silent discos are pretty popular here in the Bay Area. See for yourself by going to the silent disco on the roof of the Salesforce Tower. Get there early to make sure you snag a pair of headphones.

Spooky Tour of San Francisco

6:30 p.m. OR 9:30 p.m. (pick your tour time)

Not for the faint of heart (or faint of wallet), this spooky tour meets in Union Square and takes you down San Francisco’s back alleyways, areas that are believed to be haunted, and spots where real-live crimes actually happened. It’s $22.90 for each tour, which lasts about an hour and 15 minutes, and it’s very highly-rated, so if you have some extra dollars in your pocket, want to hear some unique San Francisco History, and love a bit of a spook on Halloween, this tour might be perfect for you. Your tour guide will drop you back off at Union Square at the end of the night. Don't worry - when the night of spooky stories is over, you can come back to your safe hostel community. The scariest thing we have here is the fake rubber foot behind reception. 

Hostel Halloween Party!

8 p.m. - 12 a.m.

If you’re staying at Pacific Tradewinds Hostel, come join us for our costume party! We’ll have a costume contest, spooky decorations, music, candy and other fun Halloween treats. Like we mentioned before, we have these massive costume boxes you’re more than welcome to dig through and pick from. If it gets to be 10 or so and people want to go dancing, we’ll walk the 6 minutes down to...

Halloween Costume Ball at Bar Fluxus

8 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Bar Fluxus is basically our neighbor, and they’re having a costume party too! They’ll have a costume contest with prizes, dancing, DJs, and enough people in costumes to make all your friends back home watching your Instagram story go, “Woah, where did you go last night?” Best of all, it’s free before 10:30 p.m., and only $5 after. And then you can just stumble six minutes back home to the hostel later. Simple.

Here at Pacific Tradewinds Hostel, we wish everyone a fun and safe Halloween!