Several of the biggest dates on Murrieta's October 2026 calendar need residents to take part. A brewery earns a tap line only if ticket holders choose its beer. A classic car show on Washington Avenue runs entirely on unpaid volunteers and sends its proceeds to a single local charity. The City's Halloween contest turns entered homes into a map that other people use.
Most of this happens on a few blocks of Historic Downtown, and Town Square picks up the rest. Here is how the month lines up and what each event asks of you.
The Month on One Page
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Oct 1 | Murrieta Market Nights, 5–9 p.m. | Downtown Murrieta | Free |
| Thu, Oct 1 | Crafternoons: Pumpkin Wreath, 4–6 p.m., adults 18+ | City program | Free |
| Sun, Oct 4 | DownTown PUBlic's Oktoberfest, 2–4 p.m. | 24619 Washington Ave. | Listed at $21.05 |
| Wed, Oct 7 | Halloween Home Decorating Contest registration closes | Homes within city limits | Free |
| Fri, Oct 9 | Murrieta Rod Run Friday Cruise, 4–8 p.m. | Washington between Ivy and Kalmia | Free to watch |
| Sat, Oct 10 | Murrieta Rod Run Show & Shine | Washington between Ivy and Kalmia | Free to watch |
| Sat, Oct 10 | Paint & Sip Halloween Party, 7–10 p.m., 21+ | 24910 Washington Ave., Suite 201 | $35 |
| Wed, Oct 14 | Teen: Crafts & Crumbs, 4–6 p.m. | Murrieta Public Library, 8 Town Square | Free, registration required |
| Thu, Oct 15 | Murrieta Market Nights, 5–9 p.m. | Downtown Murrieta | Free |
| Fri, Oct 23 | Dark in the Park, 5:30–8 p.m. | Town Square Park & Amphitheater, 11 Town Square | Free |
| Fri, Oct 30 | Halloween Carvinal Party, 6–11 p.m., 21+ | Guenther's Lounge, Murrieta Hot Springs Resort | $45 presale, $55 day-of |
Four of these dates fall on or right off Washington Avenue, and two more are Market Nights downtown. Taken together, they make the first half of October a string of reasons to be in Historic Downtown.
Two Beers Decide a Tap Line
The month starts with a vote on Sunday, October 4. DownTown PUBlic's Oktoberfest, billed as a Multi Brewery Biergarten Competition, brings six breweries to 24619 Washington Avenue from 2 to 4 p.m.: Prolific, 8-Bit, Smog City, Bottlelogic, Mother Earth and Karl Strauss.
Each brewery pours an Oktoberfest beer plus one other beer of its choice. A general ticket includes 12 tastings, two from each brewery, and then two full beers of your choice. According to the event listing, those two picks decide the two winning breweries, and the prize is a permanent tap line at the pub for the next six months.
So the ballot carries real weight. Whatever wins on October 4 stays on tap downtown for six months after the event. Organizers added three competitions this year: a costume contest, a beer stein holding contest and a pretzel toss. German-style food is sold on site. The listing says tickets are limited, and the Eventbrite page showed a $21.05 price when we checked. That figure may include checkout fees and could change.
A Car Show Where Nobody Gets Paid
Five days later, the same street fills with pre-1981 steel. The Murrieta Rod Run returns October 9 and 10 on Washington Street, which the organizer notes was historically part of Highway 395, between Kalmia Street and Ivy Street.
The money is what makes the Rod Run unusual. The Drifters Car Club hosts it, handling planning, logistics and day-of execution for one recipient charity, Murrieta's Oak Grove Center. The club says no Drifter is ever paid for this work, every task is done by volunteer members, and all show revenue goes to Oak Grove Center for its work with children. The organizer expects the event to generate more than $60,000 in net proceeds.
This means each $45 registration and each $20 Friday cruise fee goes to a nonprofit in town. The show started in fall 2013, when Pat Vesey founded the first Murrieta Rod Run.
Logistics from the organizer's site:
- Friday Cruise, October 9, 4–8 p.m. Cars enter on Ivy Street only. Registered cars cruise free, and non-registered cars pay $20.
- Saturday Show & Shine, October 10. The FAQ lists 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the homepage lists an 8 a.m. start. Streets open to show cars at 6 a.m., and every car must be parked by 8:30 a.m., when the street closes until the show ends. Cars enter at Kalmia Street only.
- Eligibility. Only cars from 1980 and older can enter, for both the cruise and the show.
- Parking. Once reserved spots on Washington sell out, side streets and parking lots are first come, first served. The organizer says groups that want to park together should arrive together because spaces can't be saved.
- Admission. A 2026 event listing on idrivesocal says spectators get in free and estimates more than 600 participating cars.
If you live near the Kalmia or Ivy end of Washington and plan to drive through downtown on Saturday morning, the 8:30 a.m. closure is the time to plan around.
Saturday Night Stays Downtown
After the Show & Shine wraps, the evening stays on Washington Avenue. The Paint & Sip Halloween Party runs from 7 to 10 p.m. that Saturday at 24910 Washington Avenue, Suite 201. Tickets are listed at $35 per person, and guests 21 and older may bring their own beer and wine.
The format fits the month. The painting you take home is something you made, not something you watched.
The same weekend is busy at the library too. On Friday, October 9, Murrieta Public Library at 8 Town Square hosts Library for All: Halloween Craft Party, a free event for adults and older teens with disabilities. The City's listing gives two end times, 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., so check with the library before you go.
Your Porch Goes on the City's Map
The deadline that can sneak up on you is Wednesday, October 7. That's when registration closes for the City's free Halloween Home Decorating Contest. Any home inside Murrieta city limits can enter, and the City plans to share a map of participating homes.
The map works a lot like the tap vote. The contest only exists if residents enter, and once they do, their entries become a route for everyone else in town. A decorated front yard becomes a stop on someone else's evening drive.
Teens get their own hands-on project the following week. Teen: Crafts & Crumbs meets October 14 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the library, and this month's project is a Halloween Art Upcycle. It's free, but registration is required.
The Free Nights in Between
Some dates simply ask you to show up. Murrieta Market Nights take over Downtown Murrieta on Thursdays, October 1 and 15, from 5 to 9 p.m., with vendors, food trucks, artisans, live music and family activities. Entry is free.
The Murrieta Certified Farmers' Market also keeps going through October. Riverside County's Agricultural Commissioner lists it as a year-round market open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Village Walk Plaza, 24422 Village Walk Place.
The largest free event of the month moves the action off Washington Avenue. Dark in the Park fills Town Square Park & Amphitheater at 11 Town Square on Friday, October 23, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., with a free concert, a laser-light show and food vendors. Later that same night, a Halloween-themed open mic for guests 21 and older runs from 7 to 11 p.m. at 26305 Jefferson Avenue, Suite K. Eventbrite lists tickets from free to $12.51.
The month's last ticketed party is at the resort on the east side of town. The Halloween Carvinal Party at Guenther's Lounge, inside Murrieta Hot Springs Resort at 39405 Murrieta Hot Springs Road, runs from 6 to 11 p.m. on Friday, October 30. It's for guests 21 and older, with tickets at $45 presale and $55 at the door.
Living a few minutes from Washington Avenue shows up in your October plans, and it can show up in your home's value too. If you're curious how being close to Historic Downtown affects what your home would sell for, Meeker Realty Group can walk you through the local numbers. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
