The Count’s Halloween Spooktacular, Sesame Place San Diego

The Count’s Halloween Spooktacular is back at Sesame Place San Diego, and this fall the monsters get their own game show. The event runs every Saturday and Sunday from September 12 through November 1.

Monster Mayhem is the new piece. It’s an interactive show at the Sesame Street Theater where the monsters lead teams through games like Monster Pumpkin Toss and the Monster Matching Game, with furry hugs along the way. The park is pitching the whole season as not-too-spooky, which is the right call for a place built around the 123 Stoop.

What else is happening around the park?

Trick-or-treating spreads across the park, with treat stops at Big Bird’s Nest, the Neighborhood Stoop, Park Photo and Hooper’s Store. One thing to handle first: kids need a reusable tote bag to participate, and those are sold at Hooper’s Store, Sesame Souvenirs and select merchandise carts.

The Halloween Costume Parade happens daily at Abby’s Garden and takes a fun stroll through the Sesame Street Neighborhood, and Halloween Storytime brings a Sesame Street friend to Big Bird’s Nest to read a Halloween tale.

Then there are two scavenger hunts. The Sesame Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt sheet is free at Guest Services, and completing it earns a Halloween prize. Spot-the-Ghost works the same way, except you buy the map first. Kids will want to do both.

Halloween Dine with Elmo puts Elmo, The Count and more Sesame Street friends at a buffet meal, all of them in costume for photos.

When is the Halloween costume contest?

The contest is on October 31. Guests wear their best costume and sign up, and prizes go to first, second and third place in both the Child and Family categories. That lands on the closing weekend of the season.

Costumes are welcome throughout the event. Guests ages 13 and older can’t wear full face coverings, costume masks or hoods, and the park’s normal dress code still applies. Face painting is only allowed when the park’s own face painting artists do it.

Are the water attractions open in the fall?

Water attractions stay open through October, including the family wave pool, the lazy river and slides built for the smallest kids. On cooler days, Big Bird’s Beach wave pool and Big Bird’s Rambling River are heated. Dry rides run too, from a child’s first roller coaster to the carousel and an Elmo-themed rocket ship.

The park is also selling the 2027 Season Pass at 25% off for a limited time, and it’s good for the rest of 2026 through January 2, 2028. Unlimited admission, free parking, free friend tickets and in-park discounts come with it.

Sesame Place San Diego sits at 2052 Entertainment Circle in Chula Vista and is open weekends for the fall season.

Shark Take: If trick-or-treating is the reason you’re going, buy the tote bag at Hooper’s Store before you start the loop. And if the costume contest is the goal, that’s the same weekend the season ends.

Source: Dixon, Brooke