Halloween for Adults in Santa Barbara

Once you have kids, whose seasonal calendars orbit inordinately around candy and costumes, it’s easy to forget that Halloween can still be plenty of fun for adults. But then you remember that dress-up parties never stopped happening, and that the creativity around this spookiest of nights only amplified since your October 31 became more about following than swallowing. 

As Halloween overtakes Friday night this year, the grown-up fun should be at full tilt. Here are a few options for your adult enjoyment. 

Carr Winery’s Pink Monster Rosé:  Every ticket to Halloween Night at Carr Winery (414 N. Salsipuedes St.; [805] 965-7985; carrwinery.com) includes a glass of their Pink Monster Rosé, which is a light, crisp rosé made up of all the varietals the winery produces. It’s Carr’s version of Beaujolais nouveau, meaning that it’s a fast release, coming from this fall’s 2025 vintage. “The tradition began back in 2006,” said Jessica Carr. “We only produce a few cases, and each year the wine has a new Halloween-inspired label designed by one of our employees.” As you sip on that, enter the costume contest, listen to the bluegrass of the Van Allen Twins Band, and vie for entrance to the Haunted Wine Cave from 7 to 10 p.m. Click here for tickets and details.

Dusk Till Dawn Drinks @ Dusk: Not only is From Dusk Till Dawn probably Quentin Tarantino’s best acting performance ever, it’s also one of the most entertaining vampire flicks ever made — in large part because it doesn’t even go vampire until nearly halfway through the film. In an ode to such magnificence, Dusk Bar at the Drift Hotel (524 State St.; [855] 721-2658; @duskbarsb) is again hosting a Dusk Till Dawn–themed cocktail menu all month, featuring drinks like Para Vampiros, a tangy mezcal concoction with shellfish-kissed sangrita; He’s Not Your Brother Anymore, a Oaxacan rum drink with top-shelf curacao; and All Right, Vampire Killers, in which garlic-infused tequila is paired with olive oil, cilantro, vermouth, and oregano. 

Final Girl Wines in Solvang:  Solvang isn’t just Christmas town anymore. Halloween now rocks the city’s October, and that’s in part thanks to Final Girl Wines (485 Alisal Rd., Ste. 152, Solvang; [805] 350-2758; finalgirlwines.com), whose entire label is an homage to those last-standing baddies in slasher films. There was a Spooky Food Week, an all-ages trick or treat night, and this Halloween, a big haunted house around the corner, not to mention their weekend horror movie nights that go all year long. They’ve just released a lineup of cabernet sauvignon, grenache, and petit verdot — with that chainsaw-wielding-lady logo leading the way.

The Grimm Manor @ Miramar:  Man, what holiday or themed cocktail affair has The Manor Bar at the Rosewood Miramar Beach (1759 S. Jameson Ln., Montecito; [805] 900-8388; rosewoodhotels.com; @themanorbar) not taken advantage of? In this case, it’s The Grimm Manor, in which the bar will team with Boston’s Hecate speakeasy staff to morph into a “shadowy drawing room” full of “fantastical, fairytale-themed cocktails.” Expect surprises, mystery, and vinyl as a soundtrack. Click here for details.

Two Snakes @ Dom’s Taverna:  The brand new Dom’s Taverna (30 E. Victoria St.; [805] 724-4338; domstaverna.com; @domstaverna) isn’t hesitating to get onto the Halloween scene with a themed cocktail called the Two Snakes by mixologist Ben Carey. Featuring both mezcal and reposado tequila plus agave, squid ink, molé foam, and black truffle, it’s gonna look dark and taste dangerous. 

Zombie Crawl on State Street:  If you really wanna get after it, and do so with like-minded ghosts, goblins, and goons, then the Santa Barbara Zombie Crawl is the place to be. For about $30, you can join a free-flowing mob of revelers from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. enjoying free shots, discounted drinks, and special combos from at least 11 separate establishments. Check-in is at Eos from 7 to 10 p.m., and then you’re free to crawl. See santabarbarazombiecrawl.com.