"It's an afternoon of costumes, candy and games," organizer Jill Hunter told the Mercury News about the Witchy Walk-A-Bout. This year is the event's 21st. She said afternoon, and she meant it. The walk runs from 2 to 4 p.m. this Saturday, October 31, along Big Basin Way. Most of what follows it between now and the day after Thanksgiving keeps similar hours.
Saratoga's season packs itself into late mornings and early afternoons, and it starts on the same Saturday that Hakone moves to shorter winter hours. The one big evening event is the one that sells out.
Halloween Saturday is also the day Hakone's clock changes
On Saturday, October 31, Hakone Estate and Gardens at 21000 Big Basin Way starts its winter schedule. Weekday hours become 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with last admission at 3:30. Weekend hours become 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with last admission at 3. Under the summer schedule that ran through October 30, closing time was 5 p.m., with last admission at 4. On weekends, that's an hour gone from the end of the day, right as the days get shorter anyway. The winter schedule runs through March 15, 2027, according to Hakone's visitor page.
So Halloween afternoon in Saratoga has two clocks running a few minutes apart on the same road. Up the hill, the last weekend entry to the gardens is at 3. Down in the Village, the Witchy Walk-A-Bout runs until 4, sponsored by the Saratoga Village Development Council. Costumes are encouraged. If you want both, go to the garden first.
The Village already looks the part. More than 75 homemade scarecrows went up for Scareatoga. One is a tricycle rider with stuffed dogs by co-organizer Lynda Pevar, at the corner of Third Street and Big Basin Way. Winners were announced October 22 in five categories: scariest, funniest, most creative, most original, and best scarecrow created by an organization. The Mercury News column talked to visitors who came from Capitola, Pacific Grove and Ben Lomond to see them. If you live a few blocks away, you're starting with an advantage.
Sunday, November 1, stacks up by the hour
The day after Halloween is the clearest example of the afternoon pattern, because the events line up almost back to back:
| Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 12 p.m. or 1 p.m. | Omote-senke tea ceremony demonstration with Sensei John Larissou | Hakone Cultural Exchange Center |
| 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. | SMASH, a free maker fair where student-built machines smash Halloween pumpkins for compost | Saratoga High School |
| Last weekend entry 3 p.m. | Hakone gardens, first Sunday of winter hours | 21000 Big Basin Way |
The tea ceremony is open to guests ages 5 and up. Tickets are sold separately from garden admission, which is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $10 for youth. SMASH is run by Saratoga High's robotics team and has more than 40 booths from makers, school clubs and robotics teams. It's a free, drop-in, all-ages event, and it gives your porch pumpkin somewhere to go besides the green bin.
While you're at Hakone, UMI by Chris Sicat is in the Cultural Exchange Center through December 2026. The installation and watercolors take off from Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa and the Prussian Blue pigment behind it. Sicat teaches art at West Valley College's Cilker School of Art and Design, which makes this exhibit local in a way most gallery shows aren't. Hakone Zendo also holds Rinzai Zen meditation every Sunday in the historic Moon Viewing House, with registration through hakone-zendo.org.
The weeks in between run on Saturday mornings
Mid-November is quieter, and the anchor is the morning. The Saratoga Farmers' Market runs every Saturday, year-round, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in West Valley College Parking Lot 3 at Fruitvale Avenue and Career Way. It has more than 50 local farmers selling seasonal Santa Clara County produce, according to the California Farmers' Markets Association. It doesn't shut down for winter, so it stays fixed while the event calendar shifts around it.
Saratoga Theater Arts adds the one run of shows in this stretch: Shakespeare's Macbeth at McAfee Performing Arts Center on October 30 and 31 and November 5 and 6. Check saratogatheaterarts.org for curtain times.
The Village itself also has something on the way. The Mercury News reported in August that Sultan's Kebab is planning a Saratoga location at 14554 Big Basin Way, Unit A. Owner Fatih Ulas said the restaurant was "opening soon" and that "we are excited to continue growing the brand and bringing our Mediterranean cuisine to more Bay Area communities." No Saratoga opening date had been announced as of that report.
Yuletide at Montalvo closes at 3 p.m. all three days
The weekend before Thanksgiving brings the season's biggest shopping event, and it fits the pattern too. Montalvo Arts Center's Yuletide Boutique fills the historic Villa with a free holiday market organized by the Montalvo Service Group.
- Friday, November 20: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Saturday, November 21: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Sunday, November 22: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with everything left in the Vintage Treasures area half off
Entry is free, but Montalvo asks you to register so it can plan parking. The 2026 vendor list is mostly makers you won't find at the mall. It includes Anita Clemetson Pottery, Roxanne's Biscotti, Redwood Soaps, Whiskey Oak Seasonings, Mango Blossom Apiary, Scandinavian Form & Design, Kavita Painted Silks and Totes by Clydesdale.
Sunday also has the Yuletide Holiday Teas, with seatings at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Reservations are $70 per person plus a $5 service fee, and tables seat up to six under one name. Champagne is available for purchase. Book the 11:30 seating and you'll have time to walk the grounds, browse the half-off Vintage Treasures and still get to Hakone before its 3 p.m. weekend cutoff.
November 27 is the one day that runs into the evening
Hakone is closed on Thanksgiving. On the Friday after, its regular weekday hours apply, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and that day is when the Village has its biggest afternoon of the season. Here's how it runs, according to the City of Saratoga calendar and the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce:
- 3 to 5 p.m., Candy Cane Village at the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, 14460 Big Basin Way. It's free, with complimentary photos with Santa and his elves, horse-carriage rides, holiday crafts for kids, and live sing-along music.
- The Tree Lighting Ceremony. The city calendar lists Candy Cane Village as a lead-in to the ceremony but doesn't give a start time for the lighting itself.
- 6 to 9 p.m., Saratoga's Holiday Wine Experience in Historic Saratoga Village, with wine tasting and live music by Kurt & Johnny.
The wine stroll is the only event in this whole stretch that runs well after dark, and it's the only one the Mercury News warned about. Tickets are limited, and "this event often sells out." Free parking is available throughout the Village, and the Chamber's number is 408-867-0753. If November 27 is the night you want, buy tickets well before Thanksgiving week.
What comes after the tree lighting
Hakone holds one more tea ceremony demonstration on Sunday, December 6, at noon or 1 p.m. Sunday Zazen meditation keeps going through December. The next annual event is Oshogatsu, the Japanese New Year celebration, on January 2, 2027. Details are due on Hakone's events page sometime this winter. The gardens are closed on Christmas and New Year's Day. The Saratoga resident perk still applies all winter: free admission on the first Tuesday of each month with a photo ID showing a Saratoga address.
Working out your own Saturday-to-Sunday loop between Montalvo, Hakone and the Village this season? I put together short videos of Saratoga's favorite weekend spots all year, and I'm always up for comparing notes on where to park and when to show up. And if all this time in the Village has you curious what your own place is worth heading into 2027, Homes by Brianna can get you a free home valuation.
