A scarecrow on a tricycle sits at the corner of Third Street and Big Basin Way with a basket of stuffed dogs. It was made by Lynda Pevar, a dog-walker who co-organizes "Scareatoga" and put some of her clients in the photo shoot, according to The Mercury News. It's one of more than 75 homemade scarecrows lining the Village this October. Between now and the Friday after Thanksgiving, the street gets passed between three different groups. The scarecrow builders have it now, the Saratoga Village Development Council takes Halloween afternoon, and the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce takes the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Each group runs its own leg. Most of the season is free and needs nothing more than showing up. The last leg is different. It has a ticket price, a check-in desk and a habit of selling out.
The first leg belongs to the scarecrow builders
Scareatoga runs on the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce calendar, but the scarecrows are handmade by whoever enters. The display launched September 25. Entrants dropped off their scarecrows and forms between September 25 and October 9, each one choosing a single award category. There are five categories: scariest, funniest, most creative, most original and best scarecrow made by an organization. Winners were set to be announced October 22. The Mercury News credits organizers Laurel Perusa and Lynda Pevar with building the event.
The scarecrows stay up for the Halloween season, and they draw people from well past the city limits. The same Mercury News column quoted visitors from Capitola, Ben Lomond and Pacific Grove. One of them, Barbara Weber, makes the trip every year:
"I enjoy coming to Saratoga to see the amazing homemade scarecrows. This is a wonderful community project."
Drawing visitors is one of the event's stated purposes, according to the column. That matters for anyone who parks on Big Basin Way on a weekend afternoon in late October. More people are walking the street than a usual Saturday brings.
Halloween afternoon goes to the Village Development Council, for the 21st time
On Saturday, October 31, the street passes to the Saratoga Village Development Council for the Witchy Walk-A-Bout, 2 to 4 p.m. along Big Basin Way. It's free. Kids can play games, make crafts, show off costumes, tour the scarecrows and trick-or-treat at Village businesses. The Saratoga High Robotics Team is giving demonstrations, and the lineup also has a giant bubble booth and the No Direction Ukulele Band.
Organizer Jill Hunter told The Mercury News that this is the event's 21st year and called it "an afternoon of costumes, candy and games."
The Witchy Walk is the first of three Halloween-weekend events in a row:
- Friday and Saturday, October 30 and 31: Saratoga Theater Arts performs Shakespeare's "Macbeth" at the McAfee Performing Arts Center. More shows follow on November 5 and 6. Details are at saratogatheaterarts.org.
- Saturday, October 31, 2 to 4 p.m.: the Witchy Walk-A-Bout on Big Basin Way.
- Sunday, November 1, 2 to 5 p.m.: SMASH, a free maker fair run by the same robotics team, at Saratoga High School. Bring your jack-o'-lantern. Student-built machines smash pumpkins so they can be composted, and more than 40 booths from makers, school clubs and robotics teams offer drop-in, hands-on science for all ages.
That Sunday has two more options up the hill. Hakone Estate and Gardens holds a public Omote-senke tea ceremony demonstration on November 1, at noon or 1 p.m. Garden admission is separate. Montalvo Arts Center has a Día de los Muertos lowrider art showcase the same day.
The four weeks in between belong to the hills
Big Basin Way has no scheduled event of its own between November 2 and Thanksgiving. Montalvo and Hakone carry the calendar through those weeks.
Montalvo's Carriage House concert schedule fills November:
- November 6: SOLAS
- November 12: The Smithereens
- November 13: Marc Broussard
- November 14: The Sarod Trilogy
- November 20: Pablo Cruise
At Hakone, Chris Sicat's "UMI" exhibit is in the Cultural Exchange Center through December. It makes a quieter weekday stop than the November concerts.
The Saratoga Foothill Club also starts its public events series on November 22 with an informal conversation with Congressman Sam Liccardo. He'll talk about his Saratoga roots and his time in public service, with time for questions. Students get in free with a school ID, and tickets are at saratogafoothillclub.org.
November 27 belongs to the Chamber, and it's the leg that needs a ticket
The Friday after Thanksgiving brings the season back to Big Basin Way for its biggest single day. Two events share the evening, one free and one ticketed, with an hour between the end of the first and the start of the second.
Candy Cane Village, 3 to 5 p.m. It's free and open to the public. The listed address is 14460 Big Basin Way, which is also the Chamber's office. The Mercury News reports that the day includes a community tree lighting.
Saratoga's Holiday Wine Experience, 6 to 9 p.m. Village merchants and restaurants host wineries for an evening of tasting along the street, with live music by Kurt & Johnny. The Chamber's 2026 listing has the logistics:
- Tickets are $50 in advance or $60 on the day, sold at the Chamber's door until 7:30 p.m. A group of eight costs $375. Processing fees and tax are extra.
- Check-in opens at 5 p.m. at the Chamber office, 14460 Big Basin Way.
- Every attendee's ID is checked, so bring a valid photo ID along with your ticket confirmation. Mobile confirmations are fine.
- At check-in you get a wristband, a wine glass and a brochure listing every tasting location.
The brochure handed out at check-in is the only place the tasting stops are listed. The Chamber's event page says the same thing and doesn't name the wineries ahead of time. The Mercury News notes that tickets are limited, the event often sells out, and parking is free throughout the Village. The scarecrows and the Witchy Walk only ask you to show up. Day-of tickets exist, but with a limited count and a record of selling out, buying in advance is the surer route.
Where to sit down between legs
The street that hosts all three legs has changed over the past two years, and two addresses show it.
Cinnabar Winery's downtown Saratoga tasting room at 14612 Big Basin Way closed for good on March 31, 2025, according to the winery's own visit page. The winery still pours at its Gilroy tasting room. Today Pop Haus Coffee, which calls itself "Saratoga's newest coffee and wine spot," is at the same street number in Suite A. It was open by August 21, 2026, when the City of Saratoga held its Coffee with the Mayor there. Its menu includes a Rose Cardamom Latte, which makes it an easy stop between the scarecrows and the bubble booth on Halloween afternoon.
A few doors down, Basil Audio opened its new Saratoga showroom this year at 14440 Big Basin Way, Suite B. It marked the opening with a ribbon cutting and a Linn product reveal the weekend of October 17.
For dinner on November 27, timing matters more than usual, because wine-stroll check-in opens at 5 p.m. These Village restaurants have current hours and reservation details on their own sites:
- The Plumed Horse, 14555 Big Basin Way. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 5 to 10 p.m.
- La Fondue, 14550 Big Basin Way. Posted service hours and an October 2026 menu.
- Bella Saratoga, 14503 Big Basin Way. Takes reservations online.
- The Hero Ranch Kitchen, 14583 Big Basin Way #1A. Dinner service, takeout and reservations.
A table that opens around 5 lines up with Candy Cane Village ending at 5 and the tasting starting at 6. A later table fits after the stroll ends at 9.
After the tree is lit
The street hands off one more time after Thanksgiving weekend, this time back to the hills for December. Montalvo's Carriage House has four December shows, including Christmas programs: a Carpenters tribute on December 3, Charo's Christmas show on December 5, Irish Christmas in America on December 10, and David Benoit's Christmas tribute to Charlie Brown on December 11. Hakone holds its second public tea ceremony demonstration on Sunday, December 6, again at noon or 1 p.m. For the Village itself, the Chamber's posted calendar currently ends with the November 27 tree lighting.
At Moles Group, we keep the same kind of close watch on Saratoga as we do on Big Basin Way's calendar. That includes which storefronts change hands and which events bring a crowd from Capitola or Pacific Grove. If you're thinking about what your home near the Village is worth, or just want to talk about how Saratoga is changing, schedule a complimentary consultation or request a free home valuation. We'd be glad to compare notes over coffee on Big Basin Way.