FUNtazmagoria

Visit the Children’s Museum for our Annual Kid-friendly Halloween Event! FUNtazmagoria at the Children’s Museum is the #1 Halloween event for kids! Stop by the Children’s Museum for kid-friendly, spooky (but not scary) fun. We invite children, families and caregivers to join us for some Halloween themed attractions and hands-on activities.

October 25th, 26th, and 27th
9:00am – 4:00pm

Get ready for an unforgettable experience at the Children’s Museum’s annual FUNtazmagoria event! This one-of-a-kind seasonal celebration is perfect for families, offering a blend of spooky fun that’s spooky not scary. Step into our Mad Scientist Lab for a walk-through adventure filled with electrifying interactive experiments. Don’t forget to say hello to our resident Mad Scientists as you explore!

Hours

Join us from 9:00am to 4:00pm on:

  • Friday, October 25, 2024
  • Saturday, October 26, 2024
  • Sunday, October 27, 2024

Admission

Museum members$12
Infants 11 months and youngerFREE Admission
Adults and children$20
Discounted Admission available for Seniors, Military, Teachers, EBT/WIC/MediCal beneficiariesvariable

FUNtazmagoria is one of our biggest fundraising events, and the proceeds help us provide support to underserved kids all year long. Thank you for your gift to the Museum and these families!

Event tickets are not refundable and may not be re-sold.

The Children’s Museum of Sonoma County accepts cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.

Your family is in for a treat, combining the excitement of spooky season with interactive, educational fun—all while making a meaningful impact! Venture into the Ghostly Glow Lab, where everything is aglow with eerie, luminescent effects. Watch as spider webs, ghostly shapes, and slime transform under changing lights. Each day, we’ll feature themed programming to enhance your spooky experience, including bubbling potions and real live creepy crawlies in Mary’s Garden.

The event’s grand spectacle is the PG&E Pumpkin Plop, where pumpkins are dropped from heights of 50 to 100 feet. Prepare to be amazed as they explode on impact! Also, keep an eye out for the giant cuttlefish mobile, and don’t miss our daily double showings of Crazy Awesome Science, featuring flames and explosive demonstrations.

Friday ONLY: Mini Monsters FUNtaz-tic Friday

Eye Popping Programming:

  • Lil’ Pumpkins Patch
    A cozy and playful area where toddlers and young children can explore a variety of small pumpkins and gourds. Perfect for sensory engagement, kids can touch, feel, and even decorate the pumpkins while enjoying a safe, festive environment of Totopia.
  • Crazy Awesome Science Show (10am & 2pm Daily)
    A thrilling science demonstration filled with mind-blowing experiments. This interactive show is designed to spark curiosity and wonder, with topics ranging from chemical reactions to physics tricks that will amaze kids and adults alike. The show takes place in the Wild Zone.
  • PG&E’s Pumpkin Plop (12pm Daily)
    A fun and quirky event where PG&E drop pumpkins from a height to see them splatter and burst. Perfect for an exciting midday spectacle that draws a crowd and adds excitement to the festival.
  • Potion Making
    A magical experience where kids can mix “potions” using colorful, fizzy ingredients. This whimsical program encourages creativity and a sense of wonder as children create their own fantastical brews in a safe and fun environment. 
  • Cuttle Fish Rave
    A colorful and visually stimulating Cuddle Fish Car where kids dance to funky beats, and touch the plushy tentacles.
  • Freaky Things Fling
    A creative game where children fling rubber spiders, creepy crawlies, and other spooky items onto targets. It’s a fun, light-hearted way to test aim and coordination in a playful setting.
  • Hay Pyramids
    A playful and adventurous climbing zone made entirely of hay bales stacked into pyramid shapes. Kids can climb, jump, and explore the hay pyramids, getting active while engaging in some good old-fashioned farm fun.
  • Pumpkin Carving
    Local Artist Steve Purcell will demonstrate his skills carving large pumpkins to be raffled off, just in time for Halloween!
  • Floating Eyeballs
    A spooky activity that lets kids find floating “eyeballs” in water. Using ping-pong balls, this activity brings a creepy and exciting visual effect to life.
  • Oobleck
    A sensory science station where kids can make and play with Oobleck—a fascinating substance that behaves like both a liquid and a solid. It’s messy, squishy, and a perfect hands-on experience for curious minds.
  • Guess the Weight
    A fun guessing game where participants try to estimate the weight of various large pumpkins. A great activity that engages critical thinking and offers a challenge for both kids and adults. We will again host a GIANT pumpkin grown by local farmers.
  • All About Owls
    An educational program where participants can learn fascinating facts about owls. Featuring live owls the program covers the unique adaptations, behaviors, and importance of these nighttime hunters.
  • Creepy Crawlers
    An interactive exhibit where children can get up close and personal with a variety of insects and other critters. With an emphasis on education, this program allows kids to safely learn about bugs and their role in nature.

Mad Scientist Laboratory:

  • Mad Scientist Table
    A DIY science lab where kids can conduct a variety of fun, hands-on experiments. This station is filled with bubbling beakers and fun chemical reactions, bringing out the mad scientist in every child.
  • Glowing Pendulum Table
    A mesmerizing art and science experiment where kids use glow-in-the-dark pendulums to create beautiful patterns. The swinging pendulums leave trails of glowing light, teaching physics while creating a stunning visual display.
  • Cat and Pumpkin Painting Experience
    A creative station where participants can paint adorable a cat skeleton and pumpkins. With brushes, paint, and templates available, this program lets kids express their artistic side while it all glows in the dark!
  • Slime Tables
    A gooey and fun-filled station where children can sink their hand into tables of slime. With different colors and textures to choose from, this hands-on activity is always a crowd favorite.

All proceeds from signature events like FUNtazmagoria go toward supporting our mission to inspire curiosity and creativity through joyful, transformative experiences. Fundraisers at the Children’s Museum allow us to offer programs like our Museum Access Program, as well as allow us to function as a valuable community resource. Our goal this year is to raise $50,000, ensuring we can continue to offer programs that ignite creativity, curiosity, and a passion for learning throughout Sonoma County.

The Children’s Museum will be closed the day before and after the event

The museum will be closed to the public the Thursday before the event in order to set up all of the amazing attractions and decorations. We will also be closed Monday and Tuesday for the event break down and to give the Museum facility a much-deserved deep cleaning. We look forward to seeing visitors again during general admission the following Wednesday.

This year’s generous FUNtazmagoria sponsors:

FUNtazmagoria Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! The Museum has changed FUNtazmagoria hours. We are now hosting the event during normal business hours 9:00am to 4:00pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Yes. The Museum will be closed prior to and after the event on Thursday, October 24, 2024 and Monday October 28, 2024.

FUNtazmagoria is a family-friendly experience and meant for all ages. It is spooky, NOT scary!

Parking in the Children’s Museum’s lot is limited. If our parking lot is full, please find parking on West Steele Lane, Hardies Lane, or Range Ave. We strongly encourage guests to carpool or use public transportation like the Santa Rosa bus and SMART train.

We ask that our guests NOT park in lots for the Charles Schulz Museum or Snoopy’s Home Ice.

We always have healthy snacks in our gift corner. Outside food and drink are always allowed at designated picnic areas! Mama Zara’s Empanadas and Fruta Ice Cream will be selling food all three days of the event.

We Need Volunteers for our Signature Events

We welcome volunteers of all backgrounds. From setting up bubble machines to creating train art, there’s a role for everyone to showcase their inner child skills!

Please contact us with your availability:
volunteers@cmosc.org

Thank You!

Make sure to “like” our Facebook page for updated information!

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