Fairfax's Biggest Halloween Night Happens on Two Streets, and the Neighbors Buy the Candy

"A single household can hand out thousands of pieces of candy in just a few hours." That line comes from the 2026 Dominga Halloween Candy Drive, which Minna Kim and Lindsey Huebner organize for the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce and the residents of Dominga Avenue. In one sentence, it explains how Halloween in Fairfax actually works. The parade and costume contest belong to the whole town. The longest and busiest part of the night happens on two residential streets, and the households there have paid for most of it.

That cost has been shared out slowly over several years. On October 31, the Town, the Chamber and the families who live on Dominga and Napa will each carry part of it again.

Five Hundred at the Parade, Thousands on Two Streets

The official part of Saturday is easy to measure. For last year's parade, the Town of Fairfax reported "over 500 costumed kids and adults" marching through downtown, and it sent families on to trick-or-treat on Napa and Dominga afterward.

What comes after the parade is bigger. The Fairfax Chamber of Commerce says thousands of trick-or-treaters arrive on Dominga Avenue every Halloween, "and the families who live there provide the candy." According to the organizers' fundraising page, Dominga has become a Halloween destination for families from across the area.

By the organizers' own count, then, the parade crowd is a fraction of the crowd that ends up on Dominga. The parade has a sponsor, and the candy on the street comes from the people who live there.

What a Night on Dominga Costs One House

The Chamber says some Dominga households spend hundreds of dollars of their own money on Halloween candy. The fundraiser's price list shows how fast that adds up:

• $25 buys about 250 pieces
• $50 buys about 500 pieces
• $100 buys about 1,000 pieces

At that rate, a house that gives out "thousands of pieces" in one evening is spending several hundred dollars on a single night. That matches the Chamber's figure, and it's the reason the drive exists.

From a Box at Town Hall to a Town-Wide Fund

Splitting the cost isn't a new idea. It has just changed hands a few times.

Before COVID, the Town collected donated candy and a volunteer delivered the bags to houses on the street, according to a 2023 item in Marin Local News. That fall the Town asked people to drop wrapped candy at Town Hall, 142 Bolinas Road, and went looking for a volunteer, ideally someone on Dominga or Napa, to carry it back to the neighbors.

Last year the Chamber turned the idea into a cash drive. That first drive raised $1,200 and delivered about 300 pounds of candy to Dominga households. For 2026 the stated goal is $2,500, about double, and all of it goes to candy for the households taking part. The fundraiser opened on September 19. As of October 18 the page showed $2,450 from 56 donations. The Chamber's listing runs the drive until noon on Tuesday, October 27, so there are still a few days to give if you live in Fairfax and would like to chip in.

The organizers sum up the goal as keeping Dominga full of candy "without asking the neighbors to foot the whole bill."

What the Town Puts In

The Town's share has been smaller and more procedural. A staff report prepared for the October 18, 2023 Town Council meeting says that "for several years" the Town had sponsored a temporary closure of Dominga and Napa Avenues after the Chamber's parade, so families had a safe place to gather. The neighborhood had asked for the closure again. Sponsorship let staff waive the permit fees, and residents could borrow Town A-frame barriers and signs. The report listed the fiscal impact as a "minimal loss of permit fees" plus staff time. The Council took up the same sponsorship for October 31, 2024, again for safety and traffic control.

In past years, then, the Town's part has been waived fees and borrowed barriers, while the Chamber's fundraiser now covers some of the candy that households on Dominga and Napa still hand out themselves. For this year's street arrangements, the Town of Fairfax website is the place to check before Saturday.

Saturday, in the Order It Happens

The Chamber's Halloween Parade and Haunted Grove listing lays out the evening as a route, and it ends on Dominga:

1. 5 p.m., the parade. Gather in costume at the Fairfax Movie Theater and march through downtown. The theater is the Fairfax Theatre at 9 Broadway, run by Cinema West.
2. Costume contest at the Haunted Grove. After the parade, Bolinas Park hosts the contest and Halloween activities. Prizes go out in four categories.
   • Tinies, ages 0–4
   • Kids, ages 5–10
   • Tweens and Teens, ages 11–17
   • Family or Group, all ages
3. Downtown trick-or-treating. The Chamber has invited downtown businesses to decorate their storefronts and hand out treats starting at 5 p.m. Watch for the ones taking part.
4. Dominga Avenue. The Chamber's listing sends families there "after the downtown festivities."

The listing also suggests coming early for dinner and a look around the shops. Both of the town's bars have their own Halloween night. Mac's at 19 Broadway is hosting a Masquerade Halloween Costume Party on October 31, a night after its pre-Halloween party with live music on Friday. Peri's Tavern has Halloween Night Fest III on Saturday starting at 7 p.m.

Friday and Sunday Run on Contributions, Too

The other big gathering this weekend works the same way. The Chamber's Día de los Muertos community celebration is free, and it depends on what people bring. On Friday, October 30, from 4 to 7 p.m., neighbors can help build and decorate a community ofrenda and add a photo, flowers or a small memento for someone they remember. Building continues Sunday, November 1, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. From 3 to 6 p.m. there's a community celebration and potluck with kids' crafts, music and food for sale.

The Chamber is asking for flowers, decorations, dishes for the potluck, and volunteers to build the ofrenda, help with crafts, paint faces, set up and clean up. Donations through its Zeffy page pay for supplies. Musicians who want to play can email [email protected]. The Chamber's page lists the Fairfax Pavilion at 4 School Street as the venue. The Keep Fairfax Funky calendar lists Bolinas Park, so check the Chamber page on the day.

The Week at a Glance

The farmers market's last Wednesday of the season falls three days before Halloween. It runs 4 to 8 p.m. at Bolinas Park, the same park that becomes the Haunted Grove that Saturday.

At Halloween, the part of Fairfax that fills up is a pair of residential streets, Dominga and Napa, and the Candy Drive for Dominga lets the rest of the town share the cost through Tuesday at noon.

Whether you'll be passing out candy on Saturday or just walking the parade route, Deborah Cole is always glad to talk about the traditions that shape life in Fairfax. Let's Connect.