The first trail group leaves at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, from Thousand Oaks Community Center at 2525 N. Moorpark Road. By then the costume contest will have wrapped up, the reptile show and puppet show will have followed it, and Trunk-or-Treat Street will have been running for an hour. The Haunted Trail & Costume Contest opens the Conejo Recreation & Park District's late-year season. Four more events follow it between now and December 19, and each one is at a different address.
The season has no single plaza or town square. It moves from Moorpark Road to Newbury Park, then to Janss Road, Hendrix Avenue and the Cal Lutheran campus. The hikes start from community centers, the skate night uses the Teen Center, and the plunge needs a pool. Read that way, the calendar works as a map of the district's facilities, one event at a time.
Five Events, Five Addresses
| Date | Event | Venue | Time | Cost listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Haunted Trail & Costume Contest | Thousand Oaks Community Center, 2525 N. Moorpark Rd. | 6:00–9:00 p.m. | Not stated |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Festival de los Muertos | Borchard Community Center, 190 N. Reino Rd., Newbury Park | 4:00–8:00 p.m. | Free |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Family Roller Skate Night | Thousand Oaks Teen Center, 1375 E. Janss Rd. | 6:30–9:00 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Jingle Bell Hike | Conejo Community Center, 1175 Hendrix Ave. | 10:00 a.m.–noon | Not stated |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Polar Bear Plunge | Community Pool at CLU, 100 N Overton Ct. | Starts 9:00 a.m. | $5 per person |
The times shift as the season goes on. The October and November events all start in the late afternoon or evening. Both December events start in the morning, and both include a hike. The Saturday after Halloween weekend belongs to an evening festival. The last Saturday before the winter holidays starts at 9:00 a.m. with a walk and ends in cold water.
Moorpark Road Takes the Opening Night
The Halloween event at Thousand Oaks Community Center is built around a trail. According to CRPD's event page, the evening runs on staggered tracks. The costume contest goes from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. and is followed by the reptile and puppet shows. Trunk-or-Treat Street runs from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Games and a petting zoo stay open the full three hours, and food and drinks are on site.
The staggered schedule rewards some planning. Families with younger children can do the contest, the shows and the petting zoo and be home before the trail opens at 7:00. Families who came for the trail can arrive later and still catch most of Trunk-or-Treat Street, which closes at 8:30.
Trunk-or-Treat Street also depends on the community to fill it. CRPD has asked school clubs, scout troops, local businesses and families to decorate a booth and staff it for the night, and the event page links to a volunteer sign-up form. The page does not list an admission price, registration requirements, age guidance, parking instructions or a rain plan. Check it the morning of the event.
Newbury Park Gets the Season's Newest Event
Two Saturdays later the calendar moves west to Borchard Community Center at 190 N. Reino Road in Newbury Park, for an event CRPD has never held before. The district's Festival de los Muertos page describes it this way:
"Join us for an unforgettable celebration at our Festival de los Muertos event- a first of its kind for CRPD! This vibrant and free event is perfect for the whole family."
The festival runs Saturday, November 7, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. The page lists crafts, live music, vendors and food. It is one of only two events in the five-event run that the district lists as free, and it is the only new addition. Every other event on the calendar follows a familiar seasonal format: a haunted trail, a skate night, a holiday hike, a cold plunge.
Vendors were still being recruited as of mid-October. The application is at bit.ly/MuertosVendor, and questions go to [email protected] or the Borchard Community Center at 805-381-2791. With a first-year event, the vendor list is still being built, so the lineup on November 7 depends on who applies in the next few weeks.
The Teen Center Hosts the Free Friday
Family Roller Skate Night is the only Friday event on the calendar. It is at the Thousand Oaks Teen Center, 1375 E. Janss Road, on Friday, November 13, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. According to the event listing, it is free, open to all ages, and includes music. Skate rentals are available while supplies last.
"While supplies last" makes arrival time matter. Anyone who owns skates should bring them. That leaves the rental supply for families trying skating for the first time and makes the 6:30 start less of a scramble.
December Moves the Season Outdoors and Into the Morning
Both of the last two events open with a walk before the main event.
The Jingle Bell Hike is Saturday, December 12, from 10:00 a.m. to noon at Conejo Community Center, 1175 Hendrix Avenue. The event page promises a holiday-themed hike, fresh air and a visit with Santa. It does not name the route or list a fee.
The Polar Bear Plunge is Saturday, December 19, starting at 9:00 a.m. It begins with a 1.5-mile hike, and the plunge itself happens at the Community Pool at CLU, 100 N Overton Court. The cost is $5 per person. CRPD's pool page says parking is provided by Cal Lutheran. The district's Fall/Winter 2026 program guide lists 805-381-1237 for pool-condition information in rainy weather. The plunge page does not give an event-specific rain policy, so call that line before heading out on a wet morning.
These are also the only two event pages that ask attendees to sign up in advance.
What Needs Registering, and When
Here is the order to handle sign-ups in, by the date each one matters:
- Haunted Trail booth volunteers: use the sign-up form on the Haunted Trail page before October 24. This applies to school clubs, scout troops, local businesses and families who want to run a Trunk-or-Treat Street booth.
- Festival de los Muertos vendors: apply at bit.ly/MuertosVendor ahead of November 7.
- Jingle Bell Hike: register at crpd.org/reg with class ID 41305961.
- Polar Bear Plunge: preregister at crpd.org/reg with class ID C810, at $5 per person.
None of the event pages lists a registration deadline. Registering early for the two December events keeps them from getting lost in the holiday rush.
One Season, Spread Across the City
Put the five addresses on a map and the season covers Moorpark Road, Reino Road in Newbury Park, Janss Road, Hendrix Avenue and the Cal Lutheran campus. The district's special events listing shows the full run from October 24 through December 19. Following the whole season means visiting five different CRPD facilities in about eight weeks, each chosen for the event it hosts.
The listing does not include a holiday tree lighting. The district's late-year calendar ends with the plunge at Cal Lutheran on the Saturday before Christmas week.
Tina Lucarelli has followed the Conejo Valley's seasonal calendar for more than 20 years, and the community spaces on this list are part of what makes Thousand Oaks feel like home to the people who live here. If you are thinking about where your next chapter in the Conejo Valley might be, or what your current home is worth, Tina Lucarelli would be glad to talk it over. Request a Private Consultation & Complimentary Home Valuation.
