On Friday, UCSD students dropped two, 200-pound, candy-filled pumpkins from the 11th story of Tioga Hall, the tallest building on the Muir College campus. Each year, the pumpkins get named; this year they were dubbed "out" and "in." The pumpkins' "splat" is measured each year. The largest splat in the history of the pumpkin drop occurred in 1995, when a 398-pound pumpkin spewed more than 100 feet. The Muir College Halloween Festival also included games, prizes, candy, a BBQ and plenty of pumpkin pie.
All dressed up and no where to go this Halloween? Check the following list of seasonal fun for all ages - most events are happening right in your own back yard!
La Jolla Halloween Festival: 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 31 at La Jolla Recreation Center, 615 Prospect. Carnival games, face-painting, arts and crafts, rides, astro jump, music. Four tickets for $1. (858) 552-1658.
Family Harvest Festival: 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 30 at La Jolla Community Church and Eastgate Christian School, 4377 Eastgate Mall, east of Genesee. Bounce houses, crafts, pumpkin decorating, game booths, prizes, hot dogs, popcorn, cotton candy and lemonade. Free. Midnight Rising will perform. Child-friendly costumes only. (858) 558-9020, ext. 208.
Boo Fest: 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 30, Whole Foods Store, 8825 Villa La Jolla Drive. Treat or treating for kids in costume through the store. Winner of pumpkin-coloring contest will be named. (858) 642-6700.
Del Mar
Scream Zone: 7 p.m. to midnight Friday-Saturday, 7 to 11 p.m. other nights, Oct. 22-31, Del Mar Scaregrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. Triple Haunt: House of Horror, Haunted Hayride and The Chamber, $27.99; House of Horror or Haunted Hayride, $14.99, at http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/81980.
Pumpkin Station: Activities, rides, inflatables, slides, petting zoo and more throughout the park through Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Free parking and admission. 15555 Jimmy Durante Blvd. (858) 481-4254.
Symphony concert: Dia de los Muertos, a Mexican Day of the Dead Celebration, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1, features the music of Mexico's greatest musicians with Mariachi Champana Nevin, vocalists Monica Abrego and Jorge Lopez-Yanez, and Ballet Folkloric Flores del Desierto. Tickets: $20-$85. (619) 235-0804, www.sandiegosymphony.com.
Bar party: Halloween Heat with Blasphemous Guitars, 9 p.m. Oct. 31, Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. $25. (858) 481-8140.
Worth a trip
Botanic Garden Fun. Halloween Party and Parade, 9:30 to 11 a.m. or 11:15 to 12:45 p.m. Oct. 31 for ages 2-6, crafts, plant potting, treat hunting, snacks, Seeds of Wonder area. $12 per child, nonmembers $17 per child. Reservations required. San Diego Botanic Garden, 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas. (760) 436-3036, ext. 222. E-mail SOW@sdbgarden.org.
Brick-or-treat: Legoland California, 5 to 9 p.m. Oct. 31. Costume contests, treat or treating, live music and entertainment. Some rides open late. Themed exhibits. $25 event only; www.legoland.com or (760) 918-LEGO.
Fiesta de Reyes: Trick or treating through shops and museums, 4 to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 31; storytelling of "Legend of Sleepy Hollow," 8 p.m. in the yard behind Seeley Stables. Free. Old Town San Diego State Park. (858) 689-9909.
Ghosts at Old Town: Led by a clueless ghost hunter, visitors are off on a search for the ghosts of real San Diegans who met tragic deaths in Old Town during the 1880s. 6:30 and 7 p.m. Oct. 30-31. Meet near Visitor Center, Wallace/Calhoun streets. Tickets: $10. www.brownpapertickets.com.
SeaWorld Spooktacular: Noon to 6 p.m. weekends through Nov. 1, "Clyde and Seamore's Trick or Treat" show, costume contests, treat or treating. Seasonal fun included with park admission, from $55. Exit SeaWorld Drive, off Interstate 5. (800) 25-SHAMU. Seaworldsandiego.com.
Pumpkins at the Park: Weekends through Nov. 1 at San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park, Escondido. Extinct animal graveyard, scavenger hunt for treats, costume contest. Details at http://www.sandiegozoo.org/park/.
Balboa Park-wide Family Day: Museum discounts and special events throughout Balboa Park on Oct. 31. Science fun from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, where ages 17 and younger will be admitted free with a paid adult admission. Science-themed pumpkin contest with prizes in three age categories. (619) 238-1233. Costumes encouraged, but not required. Discounted IMAX films $8.50.
The Haunted Trail of Balboa Park: 7 p.m. to midnight through Oct. 31. Located in the woods of Balboa Park, east of Sixth and Juniper; cash-only tickets $14.99, $4.99 extra for clown maze. No kids younger than 10. (619) 696-SCARE. www.hauntedhotel.com
Puppet show: "The Polka Dot Ghost" has a big problem and needs help getting ready for the big night, 10 and 11:30 a.m. Wednesday-Friday; 11 a.m. and 1 and 2:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; Oct.30-31; Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater, 2130 Pan American Place, Balboa Park; $3-$5; (619) 544-9203 or www.balboaparkpuppets.com.
The Haunted Hotel. Terrifying tour of one of Gaslamp's deepest and darkest basements, from 7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday through October, 424 Market St., San Diego. Tickets: $14.99 online at www.gaslamp.org or (619) 231-0131.
Stay safe American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers these tips to help assure an injury-free Halloween: Pumpkin-carving - Use specifically designed carving knives, not kitchen knives. Carving knives are less likely to get stuck in the thick pumpkin tissue where injuries can occur when a carver tries to yank out the stuck knife. - Never let kids carve pumpkins. Adults carving pumpkins should remember to cut in small, controlled strokes, away from themselves. - If you cut a fingertip or hand while carving, elevate the hand above the heart and apply direct pressure to the wound with a clean cloth to stop the bleeding. If continuous pressure does not stop the bleeding after 15 minutes, an emergency room visit may be necessary.
Costumes - Trim costumes and bags with reflective tape for visibility. - Make sure costumes fit properly; those that are too long may cause trips and falls. - Shoes for "begging" should be sturdy, comfortable and slip-resistant. - Masks and hats can impair vision, so secure hats well and consider using face makeup instead of masks.
Trick or treating - Keep to familiar neighborhoods, and only approach homes that are well lit. - Be accompanied by an adult at all times. - Walk on sidewalks and never cut across yards or driveways. - Obey traffic signals and use designated crosswalks when crossing the street. - Carry flashlights to see and be seen. - Examine all treats for tampering before eating them.
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