The Haunt, a Halloween Hangout Crafted by Artists, Returns to YBCA for a Second Year

Bay Area artists bring a distinctly San Francisco flavor to Halloween tradition

Bat Witch Ghost presents The Haunt at YBCA, 2025. Photo by John Henry.

Tuesday September 29, 2026 (San Francisco) – Returning for a second year, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) and Bat Witch Ghost present The Haunt, a DIY Halloween hangout and immersive art experience. Bay Area artists team up to build a spooky labyrinth surrounded by a bar, maker stations, and a dance floor—culminating in a creative, crafty, and uniquely San Francisco take on the holiday. 

This year, inspired by the theme of Techno-Fantasy, artists will handcraft an experience of warped reality: imagining futuristic worlds using discarded electronics, salvaged materials, and forgotten B-movies. Visitors are invited to wander corridors and artistic installations, sit for tarot readings, and dance, drink, and mingle to the soundtrack of underground radio in a hazy, laser-lit 6,000 sq ft performance space. 

“Last year, visitors loved The Haunt’s refreshing approach to the contemporary haunted house,” says Mari Robles, CEO of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. “The festivities are less about gore and nightmares, and instead about a spirit of inventiveness and creative possibility. We can’t wait for you to see what we conjure up this year.” 

Additional activations this year will include tarot readers and psychics, a DIY costume enhancement station staffed by YBCA teaching assistants, and local DJs curated by Lower Grand Radio each evening. On Friday October 30, beloved creative reuse center SCRAP will host a free Halloween headwear workshop during a family-friendly early show. 

“Bat Witch Ghost is a grassroots arts organism that provides paid opportunities for working artists,” Aaron Wojack, artist and creator of Bat Witch Ghost. “This year we are adventuring into the future with our Techno-Fantasy build, a whole new world since last year’s Forest of the Eye.”

Also on Saturday October 31, as part of a weekly film series, YBCA will screen the iconic 1948 Technicolor fever-dream The Red Shoes at 2pm. Both movie-goers and ticket purchasers for The Haunt can show their ticket at neighborhood restaurant The Grove (690 Mission St) to access food and drink happy hour specials all day. 

Visit YBCA.org/TheHaunt for full schedule and times.

Event details

Where: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission Street, San Francisco

When: October 29–31, 2026

• Thursday 10/29
  • 7pm, opening night 
• Friday 10/30
  • 5pm, family-friendly early show
  • 8pm
• Saturday 10/31
  • 8pm

Tickets are $25, with discounts for YBCA members and for youth. All tickets include gallery admission. 

Kids 12 and under are encouraged to attend a family-friendly early show on Friday Oct 30th at 5pm, where they can try out (and add to) their trick-or-treating costumes. 

The Haunt is supported in part by the Zellerbach Family Foundation and The Svane Family Foundation.

About Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is San Francisco’s home for bold, daring, and breathtaking art. Across contemporary art, performance, dance, film, and public programs, we present essential artistic voices from across the world, while celebrating the vibrancy of Bay Area culture. Embodying the independent and unconventional spirit of our city, YBCA has been the creative heartbeat of San Francisco for more than thirty years. For more information, visit ybca.org.

About Bat Witch Ghost

Bat Witch Ghost is an arts organization building on the foundation of the American haunted house. We unite artists, neighbors, and local businesses in collaborative creation, artistic stimulation, and neighborhood connection. Our mission is to foster the studio arts by inviting the public to experience art in a new way and to provide paid opportunities for artists and craftspeople.  We use recycled and discarded materials whenever possible and exemplify a DIY approach to creativity and expression. Through a sustainable revenue model, we aim to become a lasting San Francisco tradition that celebrates the city’s creative spirit and love of costumed performance. Bat Witch Ghost demonstrates how community-driven art can be both financially viable and socially transformative, designing gathering spaces where creativity and community intersect.

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For media inquiries:

Abby Margulies | (614) 827-5810 | [email protected]