Last year, Día de los Muertos on Main Street ran on a Saturday afternoon, from noon to 4 p.m. This year it runs on a Friday night, 6 to 9 p.m. on November 6, the same evening and the same hours as First Fridays. Two weeks after that, Pink Friday fills the same blocks from 5 to 9 p.m. It's also the first event where Downtown Martinez & Co. lists the "Entertainment Zone" the City Council approved in August.
Halloween is still a Saturday-morning event, and the Santa Beer Crawl is still a Saturday afternoon. In between, though, the gatherings that draw the most people downtown now happen on Friday evenings. Here is the full run, starting Thursday, October 22.
Date | Event | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
Thu, Oct 22 | Community Picnic | 6–7:30 p.m. | Plaza Ignacio Park |
Sat, Oct 24 | Trick or Treat Spooktacular | 11 a.m.–2 p.m. | Downtown Main Street |
Fri, Nov 6 | Día de los Muertos and First Fridays | 6–9 p.m. | Downtown Main Street |
Wed, Nov 11 | Veterans Day ceremonies | 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. | Alhambra Pioneer Cemetery, then Plaza Ignacio Park |
Fri, Nov 20 | Pink Friday and Holiday Tree Lighting | 5–9 p.m. | 649 Main St. |
Sat, Nov 21 | Harvest Craft Fair | 9 a.m.–3 p.m. | Martinez Senior Center, 818 Green St. |
Sat, Nov 28 | Small Business Saturday; Santa House opens | All day | Downtown Main Street |
Sat, Dec 12 | Santa Beer Crawl | 1–4 p.m. | 649 Main St. |
Thursday and Saturday: the season opens at both ends of the day
The first event is a weeknight one. The City's Diversity and Cultural Commission is hosting a Community Picnic at Plaza Ignacio Park on Thursday, October 22, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. It's part of United Against Hate Week, with games, food trucks and free ice cream.
Two days later, the Trick or Treat Spooktacular takes over Main Street on Saturday, October 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It's free. Local businesses hand out treats store to store, decorated car trunks line the street, and there are crafts and games inside shops, along Main Street and at Main Street Plaza. The City's calendar listing gives the same hours. Because it ends at 2 p.m., the whole thing is over well before Halloween itself the following Saturday, so families can do both.
The Sunday Downtown Farmers' Market keeps its regular 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. hours through November.
November 6: Día de los Muertos moves to a Friday night
This is the biggest schedule change of the season. The Martinez Arts Association's 2025 Día de los Muertos was held on Saturday, November 1, from noon to 4 p.m. Community members set up ofrendas for loved ones, the Main Street Arts Gallery paid tribute to two artists it had lost, and the association ran a skull-making activity and a raffle to fund arts education. A free nicho workshop the week before gave people a chance to build a small altar ahead of time.
The 2026 listing on the City calendar moves the event to Friday, November 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Main Street. The Martinez Arts Association and Downtown Martinez & Co. are co-hosting. The City's description:
"Join the Martinez Arts Association (MAA) and Downtown Martinez & Co. in celebrating the Day of the Dead in a joyous and meaningful gathering to honor and remember those who have passed. This event will include music, dancing and altars."
Those are the same hours the City calendar gives for First Fridays that night. So instead of altars in daylight followed by a separate evening downtown, both happen on the same blocks at the same time. Music and dancing share Main Street with the monthly Friday-night crowd. The altars will be seen after dark this year. Last year's afternoon slot didn't allow that.
To set up an altar, the City listing says to contact the Martinez Arts Association at [email protected]. Last year's skull-making table, raffle and nicho workshop were features of the 2025 event. This year's program hasn't been posted, so the arts association is the place to ask about them.
November 11: a weekday morning in two places
Veterans Day falls on a Wednesday this year. The City and its Veterans Commission have scheduled two ceremonies back to back. The first runs from 10 to 11 a.m. at Alhambra Pioneer Cemetery, 3 Carquinez Scenic Drive. The second runs from 11 a.m. to noon at Plaza Ignacio Park, at Alhambra Avenue and Henrietta Street. With the second starting right as the first ends, attending both means leaving the cemetery promptly and heading downtown.
November 20: Pink Friday and the Entertainment Zone
Pink Friday is the second Friday night of the season. It's also where August's policy change first shows up on an event schedule.
The City's August 20 announcement explained that the new Downtown Entertainment Zone lets participating alcohol-licensed businesses serve customers 21 and over in designated outdoor areas during approved events. Boundaries, participating businesses and first activations would be announced later. In that same release, Mayor Brianne Zorn said, "This is about creating more reasons for people to come downtown, stay a little longer, and enjoy everything Martinez has to offer." Three days later, the local blog Downtown Martinez Live noted that the announcement didn't say whether zone events would involve Main Street closures or live entertainment.
The organizer's Pink Friday page now lists "Entertainment Zone" among the evening's activities. The page doesn't name participating businesses or map the zone. For background on how the zone works and who can switch it on, see our earlier post on Martinez's Downtown Entertainment Zone.
The rest of the evening is confirmed on Downtown Martinez & Co.'s 2026 Eventeny listing. The event runs Friday, November 20, from 5 to 9 p.m., based at 649 Main St. Activities include:
- An outdoor evening holiday market, which the organizer's page describes as free, with 40-plus vendors
- Candy Cane Lane on Main Street
- Live entertainment
- Toys for Tots; the organizer's page puts drop-off at Nuvision Credit Union, 634 Ferry St.
- The Christmas tree lighting at Main Street Plaza, presented by Martinez Refining Company; the organizer's page lists 7:30 p.m. and a surprise visit from Santa
Wine tastings have been part of past Pink Fridays, but the 2026 Eventeny listing doesn't include a Sip N Shop tasting in its activities. Check the organizer's page closer to the date before planning around one.
The Saturdays that bracket it
The daytime events fill in around those two Fridays.
The morning after Pink Friday, the Harvest Craft Fair runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 21, at the Martinez Senior Center, 818 Green Street. Local craft vendors will be there, and hot chocolate is free.
A week later, on Saturday, November 28, Small Business Saturday lands on the organizer's calendar. Santa House visits start the same day on Downtown Main Street, with photos with Santa. Downtown Martinez & Co. lists Santa House as running through November and December. It notes that most of its family events are free but that Santa House may come with its own details or fees, and 2026 hours haven't been posted yet.
Then comes the adults' Saturday. The Santa Beer Crawl runs Saturday, December 12, from 1 to 4 p.m., based at 649 Main St. Check-in opens at noon, tickets must be redeemed by 3 p.m., and pours stop at 4. General admission is $45 through December 11 and $50 on the day if tickets remain. Designated drivers get in free. The organizer says beer selections and pour locations will be posted closer to the date.
A Friday-night town, at least through November
Line the dates up and the evening events cluster on November 6 and November 20, both Fridays, both on the same few blocks of Main Street. The daytime events, from the Spooktacular to the craft fair to the beer crawl, fall on Saturdays. If you only make it downtown twice before Thanksgiving, those two Friday nights are when the most is happening at once.
If walking Main Street on a Friday night has you thinking about how close to downtown you'd like to live next, or whether your own place near these blocks would be worth more to a buyer, the team at Robert Lilley has followed Martinez through many holiday seasons, and we're happy to talk it through. Schedule a Consultation or browse our Martinez neighborhood page first.
