Every fall, Old Sacramento Waterfront turns its open-air space into something that feels like a neighborhood block party — but with a large outdoor screen and a lineup of films that gets progressively spookier as the month ticks toward Halloween. Movies Under the Stars runs every Thursday and Friday night in October, and eight screenings remain in the 2026 series.
What It Is
The series is an annual October tradition organized by the Old Sacramento Waterfront district. The outdoor format is exactly what it sounds like: guests bring chairs or blankets, gather along the Sacramento River waterfront, and watch classic and cult films as the sun drops behind the old wooden buildings. The organizers describe it as an “immersive outdoor movie experience,” with themed Halloween activities woven through the full month. The event runs each Thursday and Friday from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, giving visitors about three hours on the waterfront per evening.
The 2026 Movie Schedule
The series opened October 1 with Jurassic Park and October 2 with Practical Magic. The remaining eight screenings are:
- Thursday, Oct 8: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
- Friday, Oct 9: So I Married an Axe Murderer
- Thursday, Oct 15: Hocus Pocus
- Friday, Oct 16: Hocus Pocus (repeat)
- Thursday, Oct 22: Halloweentown
- Friday, Oct 23: Knives Out
- Thursday, Oct 29: The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Friday, Oct 30: A Quiet Place
The back half of the schedule leans further into the season: Hocus Pocus plays both nights of the same week, Halloweentown leads into Knives Out, and the finale weekend closes with The Nightmare Before Christmas on Oct 29 and A Quiet Place on Oct 30.
More Than Just the Movie
Old Sacramento has added enough around the edges to make the full evening worth planning.
Frights and Flights: Participating bars throughout Old Sacramento are running Halloween-themed drink specials all month — billed as a natural pairing with the outdoor screenings. Guests can make an evening of it by starting at one of the waterfront spots before settling in for the film.
Top Hand Ranch Hayrides also run alongside the screenings, adding a classic seasonal element to the night.
October 16 — Costume Swap & Photoshoot: Glow Studios sets up on the 16th for a costume swap and photoshoot session. For anyone who hasn’t locked down their Halloween look, it’s a genuinely useful event to have on the calendar.
October 29 & 30 — Costume Contest: The final two screenings double as costume contest nights, turning the last weekend into a proper finale event. If a crowd in Halloween costumes watching A Quiet Place outdoors sounds like your kind of thing, this is the night to plan around.
The Details
- Remaining dates: Oct 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30
- Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM each night
- Location: Old Sacramento Waterfront
- Getting there: SACRT light rail stops at the Old Sacramento/Riverfront station on the Gold Line. By car, the J Street waterfront lot and the Capitol Mall Garage are the closest options.
- Entry: The event is held in Old Sacramento’s open waterfront area. Visit oldsacramento.com for any entry or ticket details.
- What to bring: A blanket or a low-backed chair. Sacramento evenings in October drop into the low-to-mid 50s after dark, so a light jacket is not overkill.
Bottom Line
This is one of the better-curated October traditions in Sacramento — a real film lineup, a proper waterfront setting, and enough ancillary events to justify more than one visit. The Oct 15-16 Hocus Pocus double-feature and the Oct 29-30 Costume Contest finale stand out as the peak dates. If the group can only make one night, Knives Out on October 23 is the most rewatchable film in the lineup for a crowd that isn’t exclusively in it for the horror.
For more on what’s happening around Sacramento this fall, see Old Sacramento Halloween 2026: River Cruises, Sips & Spooky Nights on the Water, Best Haunted Houses Near Sacramento 2026, and The Best Guide to Halloween in Sacramento 2026.
