Where are the best pumpkin patches and Halloween events in Novato and Petaluma in 2026? They are open right now, and they run through Halloween. Across both towns you will find pick-your-own pumpkin patches, corn mazes, farm animals, and family-friendly events, most of them free or a few dollars a person. Here is the confirmed 2026 lineup, straight from the farms and venues themselves.
Pumpkin patches in Novato
Novato's homegrown pick is Grossi Family Farm at 3666 Novato Boulevard, open since late September. It is a classic family patch: pick-your-own pumpkins, a petting zoo, a toddler hay maze, a hay pyramid, and a mini pumpkin slingshot that kids of a certain age will not want to leave. It is the kind of place where the hay bales and the October light make the whole outing feel like a postcard.
Pumpkin patches in Petaluma
Petaluma has more patches than any town in the county, and each has a personality. The Petaluma Pumpkin Patch and Amazing Corn Maze at 450 Stony Point Road spreads across five-plus acres of pumpkins with a big corn maze, farm animals, and kids' rides, and the maze gets a flashlight edition on weekend nights. Mickelson's Pumpkin Patch runs daily through Halloween with a tractor-pulled train, an apple cannon, a corn pit, a hay maze, and a jump zone. Pronzini Farms at 3795 Adobe Road leans theatrical with haunted and western villages, a corn pit, inflatables, and live music on weekends, plus a Fright Night for the brave. And Tara Firma Farms hosts Pumpkins on Pikes on October 17, 24, and 25, with pumpkin carving, live music, food, a straw maze, and games.
Family Halloween events in both towns
If your family likes a little theater with the season, San Marin High School in Novato stages The Addams Family on October 15 through 17 at 7 p.m. and October 18 at 2 p.m., an all-ages musical with a great soundtrack. On the river in Petaluma, The Floathouse hosts Witches and Wizards on the Water on Saturday, October 24 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a costume contest and a trick-or-treat water trail, and Charlie's Acres runs a daytime Halloween trick-or-treat the same morning for its youngest visitors. The season ends downtown on Halloween, October 31, when more than 50 Petaluma merchants hand out candy along the Trick or Treat Trail from 3 to 5:30 p.m.
Why the event calendar matters when you are house hunting
I lived in Novato for 46 years and have called Petaluma home for more than 16, and I tell every buyer the same thing: a house is a structure, the neighborhood is your life. A Saturday at a pumpkin patch or a Halloween walk down Petaluma's main street tells you more about whether a town fits your family than any listing photo. When we tour together, I care about the roof and the inspection just as much as whether you can picture your kids at these events for the next ten Octobers.
Looking for a home near the good patches, or thinking about selling before the holidays? Call or text me at (415) 328-2637, or send a message, and I will help you find the right neighborhood for the life you actually want to live. Love where you live.
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Written by
Peter Schardt
21 years in real estate, 100+ homes sold, and a lifetime in the North Bay. Sales Associate · 01702383 · California.
