"South Santa Fe has incredible small businesses, families and a strong cultural identity, but it doesn't always receive the same attention as other areas of the city."
Adrian Mandujano said that to The North County Chronicle this week. He is producing Muertos on Santa Fe, Vista's first Día de Muertos street festival. It takes place this Sunday, Oct. 11, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. along South Santa Fe Avenue. The festival is listed first on this year's Haunted Vista calendar, Downtown Vista's lineup of fall events. That calendar tells you something about how the city's October has spread out. Three of its seven listings are on South Santa Fe, at The Commons and along the avenue around it. The biggest closing event is still Fright Night on Main Street, and its haunted house sits inside a city-owned theater whose future the City Council is still weighing.
A festival built to bring people down the avenue
Muertos on Santa Fe started with a business owner. "This really started with a shared vision between Erin Harper of Ascend Coffee Roasters and myself," Mandujano told the Chronicle. "Erin wanted to see South Santa Fe Avenue transformed and activated in a way that would bring people to this side of Vista, and I saw an opportunity to build a cultural event around that vision." Mandujano founded The Movement Brand, a clothing and design label that uses art to promote cultural awareness and tradition. The brand is the organizer listed on the festival's Eventbrite page.
The festival centers on remembrance. Community altars and displays give people a place to honor loved ones, and the program highlights Mexican culture and Indigenous traditions. The North County Daily Star lists the performers:
- Vista High School Ballet Folklórico
- Ballet Folklórico Tlaneci
- Grupo Alegre
- Nightshade Navarro
- Los Salvajes
- DJs Moniloca and A-Boogie
The day also includes a lowrider show, a sugar-skull activity, food trucks, artisan vendors and a Catrina contest. Admission is free, and the organizers made that choice on purpose. "Many street festivals and cultural events have become increasingly expensive for families once you factor in admission and entertainment," Mandujano said. The organizers are asking people to RSVP so they can plan and send event updates. Eventbrite lists free parking. None of the sources say which lots or which stretch of the avenue will close, so check the event page before you head over.
The Downtown Vista seasonal page lists Oct. 11 as a Saturday. Oct. 11, 2026 is a Sunday, which is the day the Chronicle and Eventbrite give.
The former Walgreens at the center of it
The festival centers on 802 S. Santa Fe Ave. That building is The Commons, a former Walgreens that has been converted into a space for weddings, private events and community use. It has about 10,000 square feet indoors plus a back patio. The Coast News reports that New Community Church owns the property and holds Sunday services there. Common Sense Events manages the larger bookings, including weddings and retreats.
Harper's Ascend Coffee Roasters opened inside The Commons in April 2025. It serves coffee, tea, breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday. The building also hosts the monthly indoor Vista Makers Market, where independent makers and small food and beverage producers sell their goods. Between the church, the coffee bar and the market, The Commons already drew people for several reasons before October. The festival is the first attempt to spread that traffic onto the avenue outside.
The Commons is on the calendar again two weeks later. Coffee, Cops, Cars & Costumes runs there on Saturday, Oct. 24, from noon to 3 p.m. The free afternoon includes coffee, cars, candy, a costume contest and a chance to meet local law enforcement. So Cal News Outlet presents it. Mandujano says the festival is meant to be more than one day. "We're creating an opportunity to bring lasting attention to South Santa Fe Avenue while establishing a cultural tradition that we hope Vista can call its own for years to come."
Main Street's big night sits inside a theater the city is still deciding about
Fright Night takes over Main Street on Friday, Oct. 30, from 5 to 9 p.m. The Downtown Vista page calls it the city's largest trunk-or-treat event and lists a haunted house, costume contests, spooky tractor rides and free trick-or-treating. The Discover Vista event page gives the details. Trick-or-treat booths line Main Street. Costume contests for young children, for older children and families, and for pets take place in the Color Story Florals parking lot. Discover Vista runs the haunted house inside the Avo Theater in partnership with the city. Admission is $5 for children 10 and under and $8 for everyone else, paid at the Avo ticket box on the night. Discover Vista calls this the fifth annual Fright Night, and Downtown Vista calls it the fourth. South Santa Fe is part of that night too. The Haunted Vista page lists Ghost Horses on S. Santa Fe Avenue during Fright Night, where Mari Fortuna, the newest ghost horse in the Wild Hunters Vista family, will roam through the crowds.
The theater has a harder year behind it than the event poster suggests. The Avo opened in 1948 and is owned by the city. In September, The Coast News reported that city staff had raised the estimate for deferred maintenance and upgrades:
| What staff reported | Figure |
|---|---|
| Estimated deferred maintenance and upgrades, last year | About $1.3 million |
| Updated estimate, September 2026 | $1.8 million |
| Reason for the increase | Higher construction and material costs |
| Bids received after the city's November request for an outside operator | None |
Staff named safety as a main concern and said ceiling tiles have fallen during events. Council members suggested reissuing the request for proposals without the repair costs. That would test whether an operator might step in if the city paid for the improvements itself. Councilmember Contreras asked staff to look into grants that could cover the work. At the same meeting, the council unanimously approved the 2026–28 Vista Economic Development Strategy, which emphasizes economic growth and tourism.
The Avo is also on the calendar five days before Fright Night. On Sunday, Oct. 25, from noon to 4 p.m., Good Neighbor Thrift runs a free Halloween costume shop there. You can donate a gently used costume, which earns you a raffle ticket, or pick one up for free.
The nights in between
Two more events fill the weeks between Muertos on Santa Fe and Fright Night, and each comes from a different local group.
Elevated760 presents the free Chicana Art Festival on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 1 to 6 p.m. near the Downtown Gazebo. It honors Chicana, Latina and Indigenous women with murals, artists and vendors, live music, lowriders, cultural exhibits and family activities. The ticketing page lists Vista Art Foundation Inc. as host. Donations support artists, youth art opportunities and the foundation's programs. Downtown Vista lists the location as the Vista Gazebo Parking Lot at 102 S. Indiana St.
For adults, the Haunted Tiki Speakeasy at Belching Beaver Tavern & Grill, 302 E. Broadway, opens tonight. It runs Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 11 p.m. on Oct. 9–10, 16–17, 23–24 and 30–31. The bar serves tiki and Halloween cocktails, and the password changes each night. You get it by sending the bar a direct message. On Oct. 30, you can walk a couple of blocks from Fright Night to the speakeasy.
The full Haunted Vista calendar, in order
- Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 9–31, 5–11 p.m. Haunted Tiki Speakeasy, Belching Beaver Tavern & Grill, 302 E. Broadway.
- Sunday, Oct. 11, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Muertos on Santa Fe, South Santa Fe Avenue near 802 S. Santa Fe Ave. Free.
- Saturday, Oct. 17, 1–6 p.m. Chicana Art Festival, near the Downtown Gazebo. Free.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, noon–3 p.m. Coffee, Cops, Cars & Costumes, The Commons. Free.
- Sunday, Oct. 25, noon–4 p.m. Free Halloween Costume Shop, AVO Playhouse.
- Friday, Oct. 30, 5–9 p.m. Vista Fright Night, Main Street. Haunted house $5 for children 10 and under, $8 for everyone else.
- Friday, Oct. 30, during Fright Night. Ghost Horses, S. Santa Fe Avenue.
The speakeasy's last night is Saturday, Oct. 31, the day after Fright Night.
The event listings don't include street closures or parking maps for the two large street events. The Downtown Vista Haunted Vista page and Discover Vista are the places to check before you go.
When you want to talk about the parts of Vista that are changing, from the shops on South Santa Fe to the theater on Main Street, Ella and Lisa at Nova Luxe Real Estate are happy to share what they're seeing around town. Let's Connect.
