Fall in South Sacramento brings a different kind of energy as we’re Growing Forward together in South Sacramento. 🍂
Mornings feel a little cooler. Weekends start filling with soccer games, trips to the park, Halloween plans, family photos and familiar traditions that signal another fall season is approaching.
After celebrating 70 years of Southgate Recreation & Park District, this fall is about what comes next. Our Growing Forward theme carries that story into a new season by continuing the traditions families know while creating more opportunities for neighbors to spend time together in the parks, pools and community spaces we share.
The 2026 Fall Events calendar is packed with family-friendly fall activities across the District. September starts with opportunities to capture memories at Pictures in the Park and bring your four-legged family members along for Pups in the Park at Don & Brenda Nottoli Community Park. Dogs can show off their personalities in competitions like Best Dressed, Best Trick and Fastest Dog while families explore local pet vendors and enjoy a morning at the park.
October brings some of the season’s biggest traditions. The Fall Community Yard Sale turns the Pat O’Brien Community Center parking lot into a morning of neighborhood bargain hunting. Then fall takes a dip in the pool for Splashing Pumpkins at Christine Thompson Aquatic Center, where kids can swim for a pumpkin before enjoying carnival games, a costume contest, trunk-or-treat, pumpkin decorating and more!
Halloween night belongs to the Halloween Carnival & Haunted House at Jose P. Rizal Community Center. It’s one of those Southgate traditions where costumes, candy, carnival games and a little Halloween mischief bring families together year after year. As November arrives, the Fall Vendor & Craft Fair and another round of Pictures in the Park give families a chance to shop local, prepare for the holidays and capture a few memories along the way. The season continues into December with Letters from Santa and Evening with Santa.
Growing Forward isn’t only about new projects or what changes from year to year. It’s also about carrying forward the gatherings that make a community feel like home. A dog show becomes a Saturday morning with neighbors. A pumpkin swim becomes a story kids remember. A family photo becomes something that stays on the wall for years.
For 70 years, those moments have helped shape Southgate. Now it’s time to make a few more.
Explore the 2026 Fall Events calendar and make plans to spend part of your fall with Southgate Recreation & Park District. 🐊
