8 Bay Area neighborhoods that make trick-or-treating a scream

In our age of smartphones and anxious parents, it’s easy to feel nostalgic for the low-tech Halloweens of yore when kids put on their colorful costumes, went out when it was just a little bit dark and rang neighbors’ doorbells to scream, “Treat or treat!”

Fortunately, the Bay Area still has dozens of neighborhoods where the streets are safe, the candy is plentiful and the Halloween decorations are immersive and deliciously over-the-top. Here are eight of our favorite neighborhoods to trick or treat this year.

Gold Coast, Alameda

A Halloween display features a funeral procession with second line skeleton musicians ready for the upcoming trick-or-treat night on Paru Street and San Antonio Avenue in Alameda on Oct. 26, 2022. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

The island of Alameda, with its grand old houses and small-town enthusiasm for public holidays, is a fine place to hunt for treats, and perhaps a few tricks. The Gold Coast neighborhood is prime territory for Halloween activity. Last year, residents reported having good luck treatin’ and sight-seein’ on Grand and Paru streets just south of Encinal Avenue. And while the famed “Christmas Tree Lane” on the 3200 block of Thompson Avenue shines especially bright in December, its lights and inflatable-loving residents put on a terrific show for the spooky season, as well.

Willow Glen, San Jose

Behind Bay Area man’s triumph in Super Bowl of giant pumpkin contests in Half Moon Bay

McDonald’s will bring back Boo Buckets on Tuesday, Oct. 21

Get your thrills, chills and plain old Halloween silliness at these Bay Area events

I joined a killer clown cult at Six Flags Fright Fest

From pumpkin to ginger: Fall flavors pop up in liquor market

The Willow Glen neighborhood is worthy of a driving tour on the nights leading up to Halloween, with decorated homes on Cherry, Cottle, Lester, Glen Una and Lupton avenues coming in for praise this season. Then on Thursday, Oct. 30, local merchants will conduct their annual Trick or Treat Along Lincoln Avenue with candy and other goodies for youngsters. Toddlers (up to age 4) get the first time slot, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and school-age kids (ages 5 to 11) are welcome from 3 to 4:30 p.m. But the real treat during those hours will come from a nonprofit group called Books for Treats. Operating since 2001 with the motto “just one great book can spark a lifelong love of reading,” the group will let each preschool and elementary school child select a free book of their choice. For children in that first time slot, the pickup location will be in front of Bertucelli’s La Villa Deli. For kids from first grade through sixth grade, the book giveaway will begin at 3 p.m. at the Garden Theater. Details: www.willowglen.org

Burton Valley, Lafayette

Who would dig graves in their own front yard, then hire actors to dress up as scary characters and pop out of the grave just in time to send a child into a full-blown panic? Or turn the front side of their house into a movie screen that plays a horrific film? Homeowners in Burton Valley, that’s who. The Halloween frenzy is fierce among those near Burton Valley Elementary School, particularly along Merriwood Drive and Silverado, where families are said to be in an expensive competition to see who can celebrate the hardest. One neighbor reported spending more than $1,000 on candy for all the kids who are being driven from all over the place to experience the festivities.

Almond Grove, Los Gatos

The quaint, historic Almond Grove district of stately Victorians and other architectural gems is prime territory for trick-or-treaters and those who appreciate decked-out homes, say South Bay holiday experts. Even real estate websites mention this attribute — for those who might want to move into this festive neighborhood. (Christmas season is big here also.) A lovely residential thoroughfare, Tait Avenue, is typically closed to cars on Halloween so that pint-size princesses and pirates and their parents can safely cross from one decorated home to another.

Children stop at the front porch of a home while trick-or-treating in Pleasant Hill on Oct. 31, 2019. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Staff Archives)

Poets Corner, Pleasant Hill

Full-sized candy bars, haunted walkways, spooky sounds and animated Halloween characters are among the highlights for this trick or treating neighborhood, which has reportedly exploded in the last few years. Jello shots for the adults, too!

Creepy Crawly Halloween, Campbell

Kids can get a head start on trick-or-treating five days before the actual holiday at downtown Campbell’s annual Creepy Crawly Halloween. But families attend this event mainly for the festive atmosphere, so don’t go expecting to fill up your Halloween pail. “Most people come mainly to revel in a community-wide costume party in the streets and get some candy as an added bonus,” the business association says. Well-behaved, four-legged ghouls are welcome to attend, too. The event runs from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, near East Campbell Avenue and North First Street. Details: www.downtowncampbell.com

First and Second Street, Pleasanton

First Street is known as a popular Halloween spot, where businesses and homes go all-in on decorations, while Second Street reportedly gets thousands of visitors each year, to the point where neighbors asked for candy donations last year.

Professorville, Crescent Park and Old Palo Alto, Palo Alto

Full-size candy bars and stuffed animals are among the Halloween goodies whispered about in these neighborhoods that a number of Silicon Valley tech billionaires and celebrities call home. Visitors of years past swear by their trick-or-treating hauls from these affluent neighborhoods, specifically the homes of Marissa Meyer (Professorville), Mark Zuckerberg (Crescent Park) and Larry Page and Laurene Powell Jobs (Old Palo Alto).