How early can a Yakima holiday season begin? This year, on a Friday evening in late October, well ahead of the Saturday after Thanksgiving when Santa Trolley starts. Three venues that usually sit on separate parts of the calendar have scheduled into the same three days. A trolley museum, a gallery on Nob Hill Boulevard and the city's historic theater are all programming the same stretch of time.
Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31, and Día de los Muertos begins Sunday, November 1. So you get costumes, ofrendas and a Christmas musical in about 48 hours, often at the very same addresses. The trolley that runs Halloween rides on Saturday runs a Día de los Muertos ride on Sunday. The gallery opens its Day of the Dead installation on Halloween afternoon. The theater stages Elf on October 31 and then sends the audience out to trick-or-treat on Third Street.
This weekend works better when you plan it by venue than by holiday. Here is how it plays out.
Friday, October 30: three doors open early
Friday is the quiet night, and it's the one most likely to fall off a busy family's radar.
At Larson Gallery, 1606 W. Nob Hill Blvd., the Yakima-based Mezcla Collective previews La Plaza: a Community Celebration through Dia de los Muertos from 5 to 7 p.m. The Larson Gallery's exhibition page describes it as a new Day of the Dead installation in the gallery's original space. The official opening reception isn't until Saturday afternoon, so Friday is the chance to see the installation before the Halloween crowd arrives.
Downtown, Yakima Valley Trolleys runs Halloween Trolley Rides from 4 to 6 p.m. out of the depot at 306 W. Pine St. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for seniors and kids. The trolley event calendar recommends buying ahead and notes that "holiday weekends fill up fast." The calendar also lists Halloween rides on October 23 to 25, which makes Friday the 30th and Saturday the 31st the last two Halloween ride dates of the season.
On the west side, Catholic Charities holds its annual Resource Scare from 3 to 6 p.m. at 5301 W. Tieton Drive.
Saturday, October 31: where everything overlaps
Saturday is the most crowded day of the three, and the timing matters more than the list. Here is the day in order:
- 10 a.m. The Trick or Trade Halloween Card Show opens at Terrace Heights Grange, 3701 W. Birchfield Rd. Entry is free, it runs until 6 p.m., and the listing says vendors will hand out treats at their tables.
- 10 a.m. Halloween Trolley Rides start their last day, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 306 W. Pine St.
- 1 p.m. Valley Mall in Union Gap starts "Villains in the Valley" in Center Court at 2529 Main St. It runs until 3 p.m.
- 2 p.m. Elf The Musical goes on at the Capitol Theatre, 19 S. 3rd Street.
- 3 p.m. Larson Gallery holds a joint opening reception for both new exhibitions until 5 p.m.
- After the matinee The Capitol Theatre hosts a Trunk or Treat on Third Street in front of the building.
- 5 p.m. Trick-or-treating opens inside Valley Mall and runs until 8 p.m.
Two items on that list run into each other. The Larson reception starts an hour after the Elf curtain, which leaves a gap that's tight but workable for anyone willing to cross town in costume.
The Christmas show on Halloween
A Christmas musical on Halloween is part of why this weekend feels like the start of the holiday season. The Capitol Theatre's event page bills Elf as an all-new tour based on the 2024 Broadway production. The show follows Buddy, an orphan who ends up at the North Pole and later goes to New York City to find his birth father. It's part of the Capitol Best 2026-2027 series, and the theatre's page lists it for all ages.
| Seating tier | Price per ticket |
|---|---|
| Tier I | $100 |
| Tier II | $86 |
| Tier III | $70 |
| Tier IV | $34 |
Each price includes a $4 facility fee, and both performances use the same pricing. The box office number is 509-853-2787.
The theatre asks for family-friendly costumes and has a few rules for the October 31 show. Skip wings, tall hats or anything else that could block the view of the person behind you. Prop weapons aren't allowed inside, and staff may hold onto them until the show is over. If a costume is built around a big prop, plan to save that version for the Third Street Trunk or Treat outside.
The gallery that opens the next holiday
At the same hour, Larson Gallery opens two shows that point toward Sunday. The Mezcla Collective's La Plaza is in the original gallery. In the new gallery, From Mexico to Yakima: Contemporary Oaxacan Prints is curated by art historian Dr. Deborah Caplow. The show features contemporary prints by Oaxacan printmakers working in a range of printmaking processes.
The local tie is printmaker Christie Tirado, formerly of Yakima. The gallery says her work draws "a direct line of artistic practice between the Oaxacan and Yakima art communities." So the reception is Halloween on the calendar and Día de los Muertos in the room. The gallery pages don't list an admission price.
Sunday, November 1: the trolley turns to remembrance
On Sunday, the trolley depot at 306 W. Pine St. that ran Halloween rides the day before hosts a Día de los Muertos ride from noon to 4 p.m. Ticket prices stay the same, $8 for adults and $6 for seniors and kids.
The Día de los Muertos ticket page describes an ofrenda inside the Powerhouse museum and invites visitors to bring a photo of a loved one to add to it. That's the biggest shift of the weekend. On Saturday the same trolley carries kids in costume, and on Sunday it holds an altar built partly from photos that people in the community bring along.
If you're going, pick the photo before you leave the house. The trolley calendar lists Sunday's ride for noon to 4 p.m.
Across downtown, Elf plays its second and final Yakima performance at 2 p.m. at the Capitol Theatre, at the same prices as Saturday. The trolley ride and the musical overlap on Sunday afternoon, so a household with tickets to both should take an early trolley ride and then head to Third Street for the matinee.
What carries on after Sunday
The venues that stacked the weekend keep going into November, which makes the case that the holiday season has already started:
- Larson Gallery keeps La Plaza and From Mexico to Yakima up through December 4. Dr. Caplow gives a curator's talk on November 12 at 6 p.m.
- Sip and Stroll, the 10th annual 21+ craft-beverage walk downtown, is Saturday, November 7, from noon to 5 p.m. Check-in is at 14 S. 1st St. The Visit Yakima listing puts tickets at $25 with a commemorative glass and five tasting scrips, and extra scrips cost $3 each.
- Santa Trolley starts the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Rides run November 28 and 29, then the next three weekends in December, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Larson Gallery returns on December 12 with its third annual Kids React! all-kids art show. The second annual Jingle and Mingle Holiday Market with Yakima Valley Vintners runs alongside it, and Santa visits from 1 to 3 p.m.
If downtown evenings are already part of your month, our guide to the few blocks worth walking on a First Friday and our look at downtown's 2026 opening wave cover the restaurants close to the Capitol Theatre and the trolley depot.
If a weekend like this one has you thinking about which part of Yakima puts you closest to Third Street, Nob Hill Boulevard or the Pine Street depot, Jeremy Sinnes and Lindsay are glad to help. Schedule a Consultation, and we'll walk you through how life in different parts of Yakima lines up with the places you go most.
