On Oct. 31, two things happen on Big Basin Way. Hakone Gardens, at 21000 Big Basin Way up the hill, switches to winter hours and starts closing at 4 p.m. Down in Historic Saratoga Village, the Witchy Walk-A-Bout runs from 2 to 4 p.m. Both end at the same hour on the same road, and almost every Saratoga event between now and Thanksgiving weekend works the same way.
Most of what happens in town from late October through late November is scheduled for the afternoon. If you can be free from about 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can do most of it. The few evening events are the exceptions.
The summer evenings ended Oct. 1
The summer schedule ran in the evening. Saratoga Nights filled the Saratoga Village Center Parking Lot on first Thursdays from May through October, with food, beer and wine, live music and family activities. The series ended its 2026 season on Oct. 1. Its supporting report from Silicon Valley described this year's series as adding more food and entertainment than the year before.
What comes next is set by the hours of the two places that anchor the hill and by the city's own afternoon events.
Hakone's hours cut each weekend visit by an hour
Hakone's visitor information page lists the change in full. Oct. 31, 2026 is a Saturday, so Halloween is the first weekend day on the shorter schedule.
| Summer hours, March 9 to Oct. 30, 2026 | Winter hours, Oct. 31, 2026 to March 15, 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| Weekdays | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., last entry 4:30 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., last entry 3:30 p.m. |
| Weekends | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., last entry 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., last entry 3 p.m. |
On a winter weekend, the window from opening to last entry drops from five hours to four. Admission stays the same: $15 for adults 18 to 64, $12 for seniors 65 and over, $10 for ages 5 to 17, and free for children four and under.
Two indoor exhibits make an earlier arrival worthwhile. In the Cultural Exchange Center, UMI by Bay Area artist Chris Sicat runs through December. Inspired by Hokusai's The Great Wave, it traces the history of Prussian Blue in Japanese art. In the Lower House, a display of Shippō-yaki, Japanese cloisonné on loan from John Cherbone, shows the wire-and-enamel technique up close.
Halloween is one trip down the same road
On Oct. 31 the two schedules fit together. Hakone opens at 11 a.m. and takes its last weekend entry at 3 p.m. The Witchy Walk-A-Bout starts at 2 p.m. along Big Basin Way in the Village. The city lists it as free and family-friendly, with games, crafts, trick-or-treating at local businesses, scarecrows and live entertainment.
A morning at the garden and an afternoon in the Village use the same stretch of road, in order, downhill. Both close at 4 p.m.
Oct. 25 is the crowded Sunday on both hills
On the Sunday before Halloween, Montalvo and Hakone both have events on the same day.
At Montalvo, Goblins in the Garden starts at 11 a.m. on Oct. 25. The family event lists lawn picnicking, food trucks, a no-host bar and children's activities.
On the same day, Hakone has posted that it will stay open, but garden access and parking will be limited because of a special event. Tickets will be sold on-site only, and the garden recommends visiting another day for the full experience. Oct. 25 still falls under summer hours, so Hakone's weekend close that day is 5 p.m. If Goblins in the Garden is your plan for the day, Hakone fits better on a different weekend.
The rest of the season, in date order
Starting from Thursday, Oct. 22, most of what follows begins before 3 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 22, 1 to 3 p.m. Hakone's Japanese Flower Arrangement Workshop, the second of two sessions after the Oct. 21 date. Participants build a seasonal arrangement on a traditional kenzan in a shallow bowl from Japan and take it home. The cost is $100 per person plus Eventbrite fees.
- Friday, Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m. An Intimate Evening with Kalani Pe'a at Montalvo, one of the few evening events on this list.
- Sunday, Oct. 25, 11 a.m. Goblins in the Garden at Montalvo, with limited access at Hakone.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 2 to 4 p.m. Witchy Walk-A-Bout on Big Basin Way, and the first day of Hakone's winter hours.
- Sunday, Nov. 1, 1 p.m. Montalvo's free, family-friendly 4th Lowrider Art Showcase, celebrating Día de los Muertos.
- Saturday, Nov. 14, 10 a.m. to noon. Mayor's Office Hours at the Saratoga Farmers' Market, 14000 Fruitvale Avenue.
- Sunday, Nov. 15, 10 a.m. or 3 p.m. Montalvo's Wild-Foraged Wreath-Making Workshop, with two sessions.
- Friday, Nov. 27, 3 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Candy Cane Village, then the Holiday Wine Stroll Experience, both starting from 14460 Big Basin Way.
Every Sunday on this list has its event starting at or before 1 p.m., except the second wreath session. That 3 p.m. slot is the only Sunday start on the list set late in the afternoon.
Thanksgiving Friday runs in two shifts
The city's Thanksgiving Friday shows the pattern most clearly, because the day runs in two parts.
Candy Cane Village runs from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, 14460 Big Basin Way. The free event offers photos with Santa and his elves, horse-carriage rides, holiday arts and crafts tables for kids, and live sing-along music. The city describes it as being held before the Tree Lighting Ceremony. The city's November calendar does not list a separate time for the lighting. The safest plan is to stay in the Village after 5 p.m.
The Holiday Wine Stroll Experience then starts at the same address and runs from 6 to 9 p.m., with wine tasting and live music by Kurt & Johnny.
The family program runs in the afternoon and the wine stroll runs in the evening, with both starting from the same Big Basin Way address an hour apart.
One more Big Basin Way address to watch
The Village may also gain a new place to eat during these afternoons. The Mercury News reported on Aug. 26 that Sultan's Kebab, a Bay Area Mediterranean chain, plans a location at 14554 Big Basin Way, Unit A. Owner Fatih Ulas described it as "opening soon." The restaurant's own website still lists the Saratoga address as coming soon. It is a short walk from the Chamber at 14460 Big Basin Way, where both Thanksgiving Friday events begin.
If you're thinking about selling in Saratoga this winter, the same 4 p.m. daylight that shapes this calendar also shapes when your home photographs and shows best. At Jill Chen & Oliver Huang, we schedule listing photos, video and open houses around those hours. Request a free home valuation, and we'll put together a pricing and timing plan for your home.
