2025 Port of Hueneme Banana Festival Planned for Saturday, September 27th

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The 12th Annual Port of Hueneme Banana Festival will be back on Saturday, September 27, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Come celebrate our diverse working port and explore its amazing contribution to our community focusing on one of its primary imports….bananas. Enjoy a family-focused day with music, food, entertainers, vendors, arts and crafts, kids activities, and banana-themed attractions.

The festival is located at 105 E. Port Hueneme Road. Free admission and parking at the beach lots.

For festival information, visit www.BananaPortFest.com.

2025 City of Oxnard Christmas Parade, Tree Lighting and Other Holiday Events

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Many holiday season events are planned once again this holiday season in and around Downtown Oxnard. More details at www.downtownoxnard.org.

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

Thursday, December 4, 2025 5 to 9 p.m. at Plaza Park
Join this six-decade tradition and watch as Ventura County's tallest Christmas tree light up the sky. This year’s event will also include gourmet food trucks and a special holiday makers’ market. More info at 805-247-0197.

Oxnard Christmas Parade

Saturday, December 6, 2025, 10 a.m. to noon in Downtown Oxnard
Come enjoy colorful marching bands, equestrian units, local school groups, spirited floats at the annual Oxnard Christmas Parade!  Parade route goes from A & 9th Streets to west on 5th, to north on C Street, and ending at 2nd Street.

19th Annual Holly Trolley Tours

Dates for this year’s Holly Trolley Tours are 12/16, 12/17 and 12/18. More details TBA.

Christmas Tree Lane Drive-Through

December 14th through 26th, 2025. Nightly displays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., F & G Streets between 5th & Palm. Drive through Ventura County’s largest holiday light display in the Henry T. Oxnard National Historic District. Residents provide all holiday decorations and lighting.

Christmas at the Ranch with Santa at the Camarillo Ranch House on December 2-3, 2025

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The Camarillo Ranch presents its annual Christmas at the Ranch on December 2 and 3, 2025 from 5-8pm.

Give your family the gift of a beautifully unique Christmas experience by visiting Camarillo’s very-own historic landmark, magically transformed for the holiday season. Join the Camarillo Ranch Foundation for a special historic home tour of Adolfo Camarillo’s 1892 Queen Anne Victorian Mansion plus the 1905 Red Barn transformed into Santa’s Workshop. Learn about Camarillo family Christmas traditions as you step back in time with visions of bygone eras.

This year’s event features:

  • Photos with Santa by a professional photographer ($20)

  • Tours of the holiday-dressed Camarillo Ranch House (free; donations appreciated)

  • Visit Santa’s Workshop in the Red Barn

  • Victorian carolers

  • Local craft vendors

  • Festive beverages and treats for purchase

camarilloranchfoundation.com/christmas-with-santa

4th Annual Native Plantpalooza & Eco Fest in Thousand Oaks on Saturday, October 11, 2025

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The Conejo Open Space Foundation (COSF) will host its fourth annual Native Plantpalooza & Eco Fest on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Conejo Creek North Park Lakeside Pavilion area. This free family-friendly outdoor festival celebrates native plants, sustainable living, and environmental conservation — with a strong focus on fire prevention and community resilience.

With wildfire season a pressing concern in the Conejo Valley, this year’s event will showcase how native plants and sustainable landscaping practices play a critical role in creating fire-safe communities. Experts will share information on designing defensible space, choosing fire-resistant native plants, and maintaining landscapes to reduce wildfire risk.

Activities to include:

  • Fire-safe landscaping education: Learn how native plants can reduce fire danger while supporting biodiversity and saving water.

  • On hand experts: Meet fire prevention specialists, environmental leaders, and wildlife advocates on how to keep homes and open space safer.

  • Exhibitors: Over 35 eco-focused organizations and vendors will be on-site, including Ventura Firesafe, The Theodore Payne Foundation, Wild Birds Unlimited and The California Wildlife Center.

  • Interactive kids’ activities: Families can explore hands-on stations, including microscope explorations, temporary tattoos, planting and crafts.

  • Native plant & compost giveaways: Free resources to encourage residents to plant wisely and reduce fire risk, including free compost from Athens Services (bring your own bucket).

  • Food trucks & community gathering: Local favorites, including Chendo’s Tacos, will serve up delicious food and drink for attendees.

Located at 1379 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks (behind the Thousand Oaks Library).

https://cosf.org/about-native-plantpalooza-eco-fest/

Register at https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/T4jjfa4YQzmeCp2w2n7YHA?field_30=dposter

Inaugural Pumpkin Paddle at Channel Islands Harbor on Saturday, October 25th

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The Channel Islands Harbor will host its inaugural Pumpkin Paddle at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 25, inviting kayakers and paddleboarders to dress up in costume and celebrate Halloween on the water. This new event is part of the Harbor’s ongoing 60th anniversary celebrations, bringing the community together for festive and family-friendly activities.

Event will start at East Bank Day Dock (between Fisherman’s Wharf and the public launch ramp), then paddle to the docks at Peninsula Park.

Costume Contest

Participants are encouraged to wear costumes. A costume contest will be held following the paddle, with winners receiving gift cards to dine at local Harbor businesses SeaFresh Channel Islands and Harbor Mart. The grand prize winner will receive 4 tickets to Six Flags Magic Mountain, courtesy of Cumulus Media.

Registration & Giveaways

Registered participants will receive:

  • A pair of festive pumpkin sunglasses

  • Additional Harbor giveaways

BE SURE TO REGISTER IN ADVANCE TO ENSURE YOU RECEIVE A GIVEAWAY

Need Equipment?

If you don’t own a kayak or paddleboard, don’t worry – there are several ways to get on the water.

Hopper Boat Rentals and Channel Islands Kayak Center both offer rentals within the harbor.

4th Annual Touch-a-Truck Event at Hueneme Beach on Saturday, October 11, 2025

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The City of Port Hueneme presents its 4th Annual Touch-a-Truck event at Hueneme Beach, 550 Surfside Drive on Saturday, October 11, 2025 from 11am to 3pm. Free event will feature trucks and vehicles, arts and crafts, food trucks, music and more. Free parking in lots A and B and along Surfside Drive. www.ci.port-hueneme.ca.us/1382/Touch-a-Truck

28th Annual Fall Harvest Festival at Underwood Family Farms September 27 to October 31, 2025

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The 28th Annual Fall Harvest Festival returns at Underwood Family Farms, 3370 Sunset Valley Road in Moorpark, starting Saturday, September 27 to Friday, October 31, 2025. The farm will transform into a giant Pumpkin Patch, Pick Your Own & Fall Harvest experience filled with games, rides, photo opportunties, live entertainment, themed weekends, bands and more. Festival hours are 9am to 6pm.

Admission: Weekday admission is $16.00, available at the gate only.

Weekend admission tickets are sold online only. (Walk-ins subject to availability.) Pricing for themed weekends as follows:

  • $25 Pre-sale online from 8/27-9/24 for the weekends of 9/27-9/28 and 10/4-10/5 only ($30 after 9/24) $32 day of admission (if spots available)

  • $30 Online admission for the weekend of 10/11-10/12 ($32 day of admission, if spots available)

  • $34 Online admission for the weekends of 10/18-10/19 and 10/25-10/26 ($36 day of admission, if spots available)

Children UNDER 2 and parking are FREE. Seniors (65+), Military, Veterans, & Emergency First Responders receive $2 discount daily (w/ valid ID) at the gate.

Included with Admission: Wagon rides, corn maze, chicken show, pumpkin patch, pumpkin house, corn stalk labyrinth (Oct 4th), giant tractor display, giant spiders, misting tunnel, hay pyramids, animal center, play equipment, cotton harvester and combine slides, wooden train and school bus and more, Plus on weekends, there will be animal shows, pig races, live music, demonstrations, roaming entertainment and more.

Themed weekends are as follows:

Sept 27-28 - Friends of the Farm Weekend (Public Safety Weekend)

October 4-5 - Farm Country Weekend

October 11-12 - Antique Tractor Weekend

October 18-19 - Wild West Weekend

October 25-26 - All About Pumpkins Weekend

Visit underwoodfamilyfarms.com/fall-harvest for all the details and to purchase tickets.

Nights of the Jack Halloween Experience at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas September 26 to November 1, 2025

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Nights of the Jack is back at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas from September 26 to November 1, 2025.

Local residents will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a Halloween wonderland, filled with thousands of hand-carved Jack O’Lanterns at this ranch, which is steeped in history. Legend has it that in 1824, at the top of the Calabasas grade on the original El Camino Real, a rancher from Oxnard spilled a wagonload of pumpkins while en route to Los Angeles. Sometime later, hundreds of pumpkin seeds sprouted alongside the road. As a result of the surprising event, the area was dubbed Las Calabasas—"the place where the pumpkins fell."

The trail is about 2/3rds of a mile and is self-guided. Guests typically spend 1 to 1 1/2 hours on the grounds.

Tickets range from $29 to $50 per person general admission. Ages 2 and under are free. Parking is $16.

Tickets are on sale now at nightsofthejack.com.

King Gillette Ranch is located at 26800 Mulholland Hwy, Calabasas.

"Boo at the Zoo" Event at The Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College, October 18-19, 25-26, 2025

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The Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College, 7075 Campus Road, Moorpark, turns wildly spooktacular the weekends of October 18-19 and 25-26, 2025 from 11am to 4:30pm for “Boo at the Zoo,” the annual Halloween-themed event that features animal shows, trick or treating, kids’ scavenger hunt, food trucks, free kids’ crafts and more.

For the family-fun event, the Zoo will be draped in decorations, and people of all ages can closely view the more than 100 animals cared for at the Zoo.

Admission is $12 for ages 12-64, $10 for ages 3-12 and $10 for seniors (65+). Kids ages 2 and under are admitted free. Tickets available at zoo.moorparkcollege.edu/boo-at-the-zoo.

The Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College is the only zoo in Ventura County and is the home of the Exotic Animal Training and Management Program, which started in 1971. The program offers preparation for those interested in entering the expanding animal care industry. The students study zoo keeping, basic medical care, wildlife education and training using positive reinforcement methods.

Channel Islands Harbor Parade of Frights on Saturday, October 25, 2025

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The 4th Annual Parade of Frights at Channel Islands Harbor is a non-competitive, Halloween-themed boat parade scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 25, 2025.

Prior to the Parade of Frights, a variety of organizations and businesses will be offering Halloween-related events and activities starting at 3 p.m.

Learn more at www.channelislandsharbor.org/event/2025-channel-islands-harbor-parade-of-frights.