Goblins in the Garden

ABOUT

Costume up (!) and join us for a spirited afternoon of community, creativity, laughter, a little bit of spooky fun, and Halloween joy at the enchanting Montalvo Arts Center. 

Bring the whole family to Montalvo, along with your picnic blanket and bring-your-own picnic and enjoy our Great Lawn or West Lawn. Food trucks and our no-host bar serving up adult and child beverages. Explore the historic Villa grounds while enjoying hands-on activities for kids of all ages.  

Design your own slime in our slime-making workshop, let your imagination run wild with colorful chalk art on the pathways, create your own Halloween potion in the Potion Lab, saddle up at the face painting station.  

The Fratello Marionettes Spooktacular is a family-friendly variety show for all ages. The show features happy ghosts, Frankstein, the Purple People Eater, a not-so-scary spider and more… and of course, no Halloween show would be complete without a witch! Special care is taken to make this production a kid-friendly experience.  Catch one or both of the 30-minute performances in the Oval Garden at 11:30am and 1pm.   

Show off your best costumes in our family-friendly costume contest, With plenty of space to play and explore, plus activities that spark both imagination and giggles, this is the perfect way to celebrate the season together. 

This family event activities have been designed for 0 – 10 year olds, while fun for all ages! 

Program

10:30am–1:00pm Bring Your Own Family Picnic / Onsite Food Trucks

• La Fenice Pizza
• Main Squeeze (Glitter Lemonade)
• Side Veranda Bar
• …and more

11:00am–2:00pm Hands-on Art Activities & Game Zone

• Make your own glow-in-the-dark slime
• Make your own glow-in-the-dark potion (Potion Lab)
• Face-painting station
• Glow-in-the-dark painting activity (take home your artwork)
• 11:30am–12:00pm The Fratello Marionettes Spooktacular
• 12:30pm–1:00pm Costume Contest (whole family)
• 1:00pm–1:30pm The Fratello Marionettes Spooktacular

Discover a cultural oasis in Silicon Valley’s foothills. Montalvo Arts Center spans over 100 acres of woodland trails and gardens in Saratoga, located less than 20 minutes from Los Gatos, West San Jose, Monte Sereno, Campbell, Cupertino, Los Altos, Mountain View, Santa Clara, and Sunnyvale. We are a member-supported nonprofit organization whose mission is to enrich the lives of all people through the arts.

We serve our community year-round through diverse programming, including summer camps, educational field trips, concerts in the Carriage House Performing Arts Series, rotating exhibitions, the prestigious Lucas Artists Residency Program, and free community festivals.

Beyond our programs, everyone is welcome to enjoy a picnic on the Great Lawn, stroll through beautiful gardens, and experience our permanent outdoor sculpture collection—all free of charge. With the support of our community, we’re making the arts accessible to all in this remarkable setting.