Halloween Trick or Trot: A Low-Key Wave Run at Spanish Landing, Not a Street Festival
A Halloween morning 5K, 10K, half marathon or family mile along the bay at Spanish Landing — waves at 7:30, 8:00 and 8:30, candy at the finish, and a much smaller, quieter event than the name suggests.
Overview
Worth setting expectations honestly, because the name and the date promise something this race doesn't deliver.
The Halloween Trick or Trot is a small, self-timed group run put on by The Best Races, a series operator that stages near-identical events in roughly sixteen cities. There's no chip timing, no packet pickup, no expo, no named charity, and no published course map. What there is: a flat bayfront setting, a choice of four distances, three staggered wave starts, and free Halloween candy when you finish.
If that's what you want on a Saturday morning — and on Halloween falling on a Saturday, plenty of people will — it's a good, low-friction way to run. If you were picturing a costume parade down a closed street, that's a different event.
Two things most listings get wrong: it isn't just a 5K/10K — there's also a half marathon and a 1-mile family fun run — and it has moved venues to Spanish Landing.
What You Need to Know
When: Saturday, October 31, 2026 — Halloween
Wave starts: 7:30 a.m. (A), 8:00 a.m. (B), 8:30 a.m. (C) — you pick your wave at registration
Every distance starts at the same time. There's no separate gun time per distance
Where: Spanish Landing Park (West), 4200 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101
Distances: 5K · 10K · 13.1 half marathon · 1-mile family fun run · virtual
Cost: $32.80–$54.00 depending on distance
Registration closes: October 30 at 10 p.m.
Timing: Not chip-timed. You track your own
Info: Race page on RunSignup · thebestraces.com
Prices
| Distance | Price |
|---|---|
| 5K | $45.52 |
| 10K | $48.70 |
| 13.1 half marathon | $54.00 |
| 1-mile family fun run | $38.10 |
| Virtual | $40.22 |
| Eco-registration (no shirt), any distance | $32.80 |
All prices include the registration fee. There's a $5 optional technical-shirt upgrade, and no refunds.
The eco-registration is the quiet value here — skip the shirt and any distance drops to $32.80.
The Venue Changed This Year
The 2024 and 2025 editions ran at Liberty Station. 2026 is at Spanish Landing Park West, on North Harbor Drive across from the airport.
This matters because older listings still rank well and still say Liberty Station. Check what you're looking at before you drive.
Parking is paid. Spanish Landing charges 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily except holidays, and Halloween isn't one — so budget for race-morning parking. The park opens at 6 a.m.
How the Waves Work
You request a wave when you register — A at 7:30, B at 8:00, or C at 8:30 — and every distance shares those same three starts. The organizers cap each wave, describing it as "a smaller, private group run."
Their instruction is simply to arrive 10 to 15 minutes ahead of your wave. They only contact you if there's a problem with your request.
The overall event window runs 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.
No Packet Pickup, No Chip Timing
Both are deliberate and both are unusual, so they're worth stating plainly:
There's no packet pickup. Your shirt ships directly to your address ahead of time, and race bibs are handed out on race day — just show up 10 to 15 minutes before your wave.
There's no chip timing. The organizers describe timing as optional and suggest you track yourself on Strava, RunKeeper or Nike Run, with coordinators walking you through noting your start and stop time. There are no timing chips and no live results.
What You Get
A running T-shirt shipped to a U.S. address, a finisher's medal, a finisher's towel or giveaway, a digital training pack, online results and a certificate, an invitation to a local run club — and free Halloween candy after your run.
Policies
Strollers: allowed — "so long as you are supervising."
Dogs: allowed if leashed and where park rules permit.
Walkers: explicitly welcome. The organizers describe the event as casual and suited to walkers and all fitness levels. Under 18 needs a guardian.
Good to Know
Check availability before you plan. RunSignup shows entries purchasable, but the Eventbrite listing for the same race showed sold out, and waves are capped. Verify before you commit to a morning.
Costumes: unclear. It's a Halloween-themed run with candy at the finish, but no costume rule, encouragement or contest appears anywhere on the organizer's pages. Wear one if you like — just don't expect judging or prizes.
There's no published course map. Nothing on any of the organizer's platforms describes the route beyond "a beautiful route." Spanish Landing is a flat waterfront strip, so the terrain is predictable, but you won't know the turns in advance.
Don't confuse it with the other Halloween runs. SeaWorld's Howl-O-Scream 5K is a different event on Sunday, October 18. And the same operator runs near-identically named races in San Antonio and San Francisco — check the city in the link before you register.
If you want the 21+ Halloween option the same month, the San Diego Zombie Crawl runs four separately ticketed nights in the Gaslamp, and LEGOLAND Brick or Treat is the family version up in Carlsbad.
