Saratoga's Fall Turns on October 31, When the Gardens Close Early and the Village Takes Over
"100 years of supporting local businesses, strengthening community connections, and helping make Saratoga such a special place to live, work, and visit." That is how the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce describes the milestone it marks this Saturday, October 10, at Odd Fellows Saratoga on Oak Street.
A centennial can look like a single evening on the calendar. In Saratoga this fall it covers a whole season. The Chamber's events run from a scarecrow contest in early October to a holiday wine stroll the day after Thanksgiving. Halfway through, on October 31, Hakone Gardens shifts to winter hours that same afternoon. Through October the scheduled things are mostly up the hill, at Hakone and Montalvo. From Halloween on, the daytime calendar moves down to Big Basin Way and stays there through November.
This Saturday shows the split clearly. At Hakone, garden curator Jacob Kellner leads the first day of a two-day bamboo fence workshop, October 10 and 11, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Participants build a traditional Kenninji-gaki fence and learn bamboo preparation and knot tying, and the work goes toward the ongoing care of Hakone's landscape.
An hour after the workshop ends, the Chamber's 100th Anniversary Celebration starts at Odd Fellows Saratoga, 14414-A Oak St., and runs from 6 to 9 p.m. It's free and open to the public. The Chamber is serving light hors d'oeuvres and drinks and asks guests to RSVP. Donations are welcome but not required.
The fall works this way all season. The hillside venues run hands-on, small-group programs during the day. The Village holds gatherings for the whole town. The Chamber had already started its season before the anniversary party. SCAREatoga, its scarecrow contest, took homemade entries at the Chamber office from September 25 through October 9. The categories are Most Creative, Funniest, Scariest, Most Original and Best Organization.
Hakone's current schedule gives weekday visitors the most time. The change on October 31 cuts an hour off the end of every day.
| Weekdays | Weekends | |
|---|---|---|
| Current hours | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., last admission 4:30 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., last admission 4 p.m. |
| Starting October 31, 2026 | Garden closes at 4 p.m. | Garden closes at 4 p.m. |
Hakone hasn't posted winter opening times yet, but either way the weekend day now ends an hour sooner. The garden's notice calls October 31 a Sunday, but on this year's calendar it falls on a Saturday.
The garden's programs keep going through the shorter days. Tea ceremony demonstrations are scheduled for Sunday, November 1, and Sunday, December 6. Chris Sicat's "UMI" exhibit stays at the Cultural Exchange Center through December 2026. Anyone who missed "UMI" over the summer has until the end of the year, and each visit now has to finish an hour earlier.
Hakone's day gets shorter, but evenings up the hill at Montalvo Arts Center stay busy. Its 2026–27 Carriage House season puts concerts on the calendar from October through December. Here's what's posted for the next few weeks:
The rest of the fall lineup includes the Music of ABBA, SOLAS, The Smithereens, Marc Broussard, the Sarod Trilogy and Pablo Cruise. Four holiday-themed concerts close out the year in December.
Goblins in the Garden on October 25 is the last big costume event up the hill before Halloween. Six days later, the Halloween event happens on Big Basin Way.
The Chamber's Witchy Walk-A-Bout runs along Big Basin Way on Saturday, October 31, from 2 to 4 p.m. The listing describes it as a free family event. The city's own calendar lists the same date and time.
That afternoon, the Village event and the garden's new winter schedule end at the same hour. The Walk-A-Bout wraps up at 4 p.m., and on that same day Hakone starts closing at 4 p.m. Through October, a Saturday could include an afternoon in the garden and an evening downtown. Starting on Halloween, the afternoon is spent in the Village too.
So far, the listings give only the date, place and admission. The Chamber hasn't posted details of the afternoon's activities. The Chamber's events page is the place to watch for updates as the date gets closer.
The Chamber's last big Village event this year comes the day after Thanksgiving. Friday, November 27, is split into two parts, and both happen on the same block.
Both the children's event and the wine stroll's check-in are at 14460 Big Basin Way, the Chamber's address. The afternoon event ends at 5 p.m., and stroll check-in opens at the same spot at 5 p.m.
Altogether, the Chamber's 100th season runs from a scarecrow drop-off window in late September to a wine glass handed out on Big Basin Way in late November. It begins and ends on the Village's main street, with the Oak Street anniversary party in between. Earlier in the fall, on October 1, Saratoga Nights filled the Village Center parking lot with live music by Fishhook, beer and wine, children's games, restaurant discounts and a food truck.
There's also a business change on the way. In late August, the East Bay Times reported that Sultan's Kebab plans a Saratoga location at 14554 Big Basin Way, Unit A. Owner Fatih Ulas says it is "opening soon." The report gave no opening date, so for now it's a planned opening. Along with a new location in Concord, the Saratoga shop would bring the chain to six locations. The others are in Danville, Livermore, Campbell and Pleasanton, where the first one opened. In June, the Campbell location hosted a World Cup watch party on June 13 for Turkey's match against Australia.
The timing lines up with the Village calendar. If the Big Basin Way location opens before November 27, the Village will have a new restaurant in time for its busiest evening of the Chamber's centennial year. If it doesn't, the storefront at 14554 is one to keep an eye on along the way to the stroll.
For more about how the year has run here, see our look at Saratoga's summer evenings or the ongoing local happenings calendar. The Saratoga neighborhood page covers the town more broadly.
Janet loves this time of year in Saratoga, as the calendar moves from Hakone's bamboo and Montalvo's concerts to a wine glass on Big Basin Way. If you're curious how that Village-centered rhythm shows up in the way Saratoga homes are presented and enjoyed, Janet Souza would enjoy hearing from you. Schedule a Chat whenever it suits you, even if it's over a glass at the Holiday Wine Stroll.
Hello! I'm Janet Souza, lifestyle blogger and REALTOR® at Christie's International Real Estate Sereno. I live and work in Silicon Valley and love everything our wonderful area has to offer. If you live in Silicon Valley or are thinking about moving here, you've come to the right place! Stay up to date with local events, theater, concerts, Real Estate and more!
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Fundamental to how Janet Souza views her role as her client’s real estate advisor, she seamlessly blends her former professional worlds that span consulting, engineering, marketing, strategy, and executive sales negotiations as her frame of reference, bringing a premier standard of performance and uncompromised integrity to her clients.