How many contests can one Encino costume enter before dark on October 31? Three, and a dog in costume gets two. Every one of those contests is run by the city's recreation department, the Encino Neighborhood Council or a group of neighbors on one residential street. None is run by a business on Ventura Boulevard.
The calendar is the reason. Halloween falls on a Saturday in 2026, so the events don't have to squeeze into a weeknight. They run in sequence from a 10 a.m. start at Encino Community Center on Balboa Boulevard to a 6 p.m. finish on Babbitt Avenue. Los Encinos State Historic Park adds Día de los Muertos on Saturday and again on Sunday, November 1.
10:00 a.m. at 4935 Balboa Boulevard
The day starts with Haunt on the High Seas, the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks festival at Encino Community Center, 4935 Balboa Blvd. It runs from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The official flyer lists costume contests for all ages, game booths, moon bounces, "sweets, treats, and treasures," and arts, crafts, games and activities.
The flyer doesn't list a price. The SFVLocal event listing describes it as free. For anything the flyer doesn't cover, the community center's number is (818) 995-1690.
That "all ages" line matters for the rest of the day. The morning festival is a costume event for adults as well as children, so the costume someone puts on at 9:30 can be judged here first.
1:30 p.m., Same Address, Different Contestants
The second contest happens at the same community center before the festival closes. The Encino 3rd Annual Doggy Costume Contest starts at 1:30 p.m. at 4935 Balboa Blvd. The Encino Neighborhood Council's notice says entry is free, registration goes through a linked form, and spots are limited.
Because of that timing, Haunt on the High Seas and the dog contest share the last half hour of the festival, from 1:30 to 2:00 p.m. A household can stay at one address from mid-morning into the early afternoon and catch both contests without moving the car.
This is the third year for the dog contest. That makes it a newer tradition than the block party later in the day, which is in its fourth year.
The Hour Between
Haunt on the High Seas ends at 2:00 p.m., and the next event starts at 3:00 p.m. That gap is the only break in the Saturday schedule.
For anyone carrying a costume through the whole day, this is the hour for lunch, a change of shoes or a re-pinned cape. For anyone planning to visit Los Encinos State Historic Park, it's also the most natural window. The park sits a short drive from the community center along Balboa Boulevard, and its directions are covered in the last section.
3:00 p.m. on Babbitt Avenue
The 4th Annual Encino Village Halloween Block Party runs from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Babbitt Ave. Unlike the morning's events, this one is put on by neighbors. According to its Eventbrite listing, two neighbors sponsor it and others on the street chip in, and the listing asks for a $20 suggested donation per family.
The same listing names the lineup:
- A pie-eating contest
- Face painting
- Balloon monsters
- A costume parade and contest
- A Halloween-themed photo booth
- A taco truck
- Picnic tables set up "to chat and hang"
The agenda is detailed down to the vendors. Always Sparkle Parties handles face painting from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Photographer Jessie Cohen runs a harvest-themed photo booth over the same two hours, taking candid portraits that are sent to families after the event. The costume parade and contest starts at 4:30 p.m., and the listing describes the judging like this:
"A special judge will decide the best disguised kids, adults, and four-legged friends!"
That one sentence brings the whole day's costume schedule to one street. Adults were eligible at 10:00 a.m. on Balboa, dogs at 1:30 p.m., and at 4:30 p.m. on Babbitt all three groups compete together.
Two practical details. The Eventbrite listing gives Babbitt Ave without a street number, so the map pin on the listing is the most precise guide to where the tables will be set up. Also, the listing allows refunds only up to seven days before the event, which puts the cutoff at Saturday, October 24. The donation is suggested, so the amount is up to each family.
The Full Saturday, by the Clock
Here is the day laid out as a single sequence:
- 10:00 a.m. Haunt on the High Seas opens at Encino Community Center, 4935 Balboa Blvd. Costume contests for all ages, moon bounces, game booths, crafts.
- 1:30 p.m. Encino 3rd Annual Doggy Costume Contest, same address. Free, registration required, limited spots.
- 2:00 p.m. Haunt on the High Seas closes.
- 3:00 p.m. Encino Village Halloween Block Party begins on Babbitt Ave. $20 suggested donation per family.
- 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Face painting by Always Sparkle Parties and the harvest-themed photo booth with Jessie Cohen.
- 4:30 p.m. Costume parade and contest for kids, adults and four-legged friends.
- 6:00 p.m. Block party wraps.
Taken together, a family could spend eight hours at public and neighbor-run events without setting foot in a restaurant or shop. A costume could be judged at 10:00 a.m., a dog at 1:30 p.m., and both again at 4:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday at Los Encinos
The fourth venue is the one that keeps going after Halloween. Los Encinos State Historic Park lists Día de los Muertos on both October 31 and November 1. It is the only event this weekend that runs into Sunday, and the only one tied to the history of the land under Encino.
The State Parks listing gives the two dates. For event hours and the program, check the park's event calendar before heading over. The park's regular hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and both days of the weekend fall within that schedule. Those are the park's standard hours, and the event's hours may differ. General entry to the park is free.
The park has no parking lot. The State Parks directions say to take Balboa Boulevard south to Moorpark Street, one block before Ventura Boulevard, turn left onto Moorpark, park on the street and enter through the gate. Street parking nearby is limited to two hours, and only authorized vehicles can park inside the park. That two-hour limit works well with the 2:00-to-3:00 gap on Saturday, and on Sunday nothing else competes for the time.
Los Encinos has a second date this fall. Heritage Days is scheduled for Sunday, November 22, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., with live rancho-era demonstrations, and the state's listing says it is free. For households that spend Halloween on Balboa and Babbitt, that's the next free date on the park's calendar.
If the Saturday schedule has you thinking about which Encino streets have their own neighbor-run traditions, Antonio Bruno can walk you through them block by block. Schedule a private consultation.
