The last two weekends of October in Anaheim Hills are full. There's a trunk-or-treat on a school turf field, a zoo full of animals digging into pumpkins, a train-side pumpkin patch in Irvine Regional Park, and store-to-store trick-or-treating at Anaheim Hills Festival. On those same Friday and Saturday nights, the Orange County Transportation Authority will close the 91 Freeway in both directions so crews can demolish the old Lakeview Avenue bridge.
The two schedules almost never collide. Nearly every Halloween event on the local calendar ends before OCTA's closure windows open. For most households, the demolition only affects the drive home late at night.
When the Freeway Actually Closes
OCTA's construction alert dated Oct. 9, 2026 says the Lakeview Avenue Bridge demolition "is anticipated to require nighttime full freeway closures for the two last weekends of October." Westbound closures start as early as 9 p.m. on Fridays and 11 p.m. on Saturdays. Eastbound closures start as early as 11 p.m. on all four nights. Every closure lifts by early morning, either 5 a.m. or 7 a.m.
The closures cover more than the main lanes. OCTA lists the westbound and eastbound 91 under the Lakeview bridge, Lakeview Avenue itself between the westbound and eastbound ramps, and the 91 Express Lanes in both directions from the 55 to the county line. If you use the Express Lanes to get home from Riverside County, the closure reaches that trip too.
OCTA notes that the work may be loud and that the schedule can change because of weather or unforeseen operational issues. For closure updates, the agency's alert says to text SR91PROJECT to 877-676-4182. For detour routes, use the live closure map on OCTA's construction page. Detour directions from earlier closures on this project aren't a reliable guide to these.
Two Weekends, Side by Side
Here is each weekend's Halloween schedule next to OCTA's closure windows.
| Night | Halloween events | 91 closure begins |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 23 | FPA Halloween Trunk-or-Treat, 5–8 p.m. | Westbound as early as 9 p.m., eastbound as early as 11 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | OC Zoo Halloween Zoo-Tacular, daytime; Pumpkin Patch, 8 a.m.–6 p.m. | Both directions as early as 11 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Canyon Hills Library Halloween craft, 3–4:30 p.m. | Westbound as early as 9 p.m., eastbound as early as 11 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Anaheim Hills Festival Boo-Nanza, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.; Pumpkin Patch, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. | Both directions as early as 11 p.m. |
The tightest night is Friday, Oct. 23. The FPA Halloween Trunk-or-Treat on the West Turf of Fairmont's Anaheim Hills campus runs from 5 to 8 p.m., with trick-or-treating from 5 to 7. Tickets are $5 for children 2 and older. Adults and children under 2 get in free. The organizer says location details are sent with tickets. The event ends an hour before the westbound 91 can close.
Halloween night has the most room. The westbound closure on Saturday, Oct. 31 begins as early as 11 p.m. and runs until 7 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, so trick-or-treating in the neighborhood happens hours before anything on the 91 shuts down.
The Daytime Calendar the Bridge Never Touches
Most of the season happens in daylight, which is why it doesn't run into the demolition schedule.
Anaheim Hills Festival Halloween Boo-Nanza is Saturday, Oct. 31, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. It's free, with trick-or-treating at the center's stores and restaurants, a DJ, face painting, balloon twisting and photo opportunities. The center's directory lists tenants including Target, Vons, CAVA, El Cholo, Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill, Mendocino Farms, Egg Tuck and Kimmie's Coffee Cup, so families can stay for lunch after the candy runs out.
Halloween Zoo-Tacular returns to the OC Zoo in Irvine Regional Park on Saturday, Oct. 24. According to OC Parks, guests can watch the animals with treat-filled pumpkins, and kids get a scavenger hunt, trick-or-treating and spooky crafts.
The Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch in the same park is open daily through Nov. 1. Weekday hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and weekend hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours are shorter at the end, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 31 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 1. Activity tickets are $8. Weekend reservations on select weekends run $16 to $22, and the park's vehicle fee is extra.
Canyon Hills Branch Library at 400 Scout Trail has something nearly every day of the week. Its October 2026 calendar includes:
- Glow-in-the-Dark Mini-Golf for all ages, Friday, Oct. 16, 4–5:30 p.m.
- Retro Games Day, drop-in for all ages, Monday, Oct. 19, 4–6 p.m.
- An American Red Cross blood drive, Wednesday, Oct. 21, noon–5 p.m.
- A gardening program on bulbs, with raffle prizes afterward, Friday, Oct. 23, 1–2 p.m.
- Canyon Halloween Crafts on Fridays, Oct. 23 and 30, 3–4:30 p.m. The first session makes a pumpkin craft, and the second makes a soot-sprite glitter jar.
- Read with the Dogs, Monday, Oct. 26, 3–4 p.m.
- Storytime with author Suzanne Lang, with a reading, book signing, treats and a spooky craft, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Down Santa Ana Canyon Road, the East Anaheim Community Center at 8201 E. Santa Ana Canyon Road has a Halloween Costume Lunch on its older-adult calendar for Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The One Event Already Off the Table
Santiago Oaks Regional Park's Boo at the Oaks on Saturday, Oct. 17 is the exception, and the bridge has nothing to do with it. OC Parks says registration is full and only registered guests can attend, with no walk-ups. As of an Oct. 11 alert, the park's trails were also closed because of wet, muddy conditions. Check the OC Parks alerts page before planning a hike there this week.
What the Demolition Is Building
The closures are one step in a longer project. OCTA says the Lakeview interchange work rebuilds the overcrossing with standard lanes, shoulders and sidewalks. It also realigns the westbound 91 on-ramp, adds a ramp from Lakeview straight to the 55, and separates westbound 91 traffic from southbound 55 traffic.
Crews have already moved traffic onto the new half of the Lakeview bridge and a new westbound 91 off-ramp, so the old half can come down. Pedestrian access on the bridge is closed for now. OCTA expects the east-side sidewalk to reopen as early as late October, while the west-side sidewalk stays closed. Daytime soundwall work is expected to finish in late 2026.
The bigger picture runs well past these two weekends. OCTA's schedule has Segment 1, the stretch from Lakeview to the 55, running from early 2025 to late 2027. Segment 2 runs from early 2027 to late 2030, and Segment 3 from early 2026 to mid-2029. The agency says that schedule is subject to change.
The Date No Calendar Has Yet
One Santa Ana Canyon Road date is still missing. Trader Joe's store 295 at 6336 E. Santa Ana Canyon Road, in the former Big Lots at Anaheim Hills Village, is still listed by the chain as "Coming Soon." The company's March 27, 2026 announcement lists the opening date as TBD. The OC Register reported in June that the chain rarely talks about expansion plans, so residents watch its website and the shuttered storefront for clues.
Pepz Pizza & Eatery at 6304 E. Santa Ana Canyon Road makes its dough and ingredients from scratch daily and offers halal chicken and pepperoni. It runs a Monday-through-Thursday happy hour and a Tuesday trivia night. It's open until 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 9:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. A few doors down at 6312, Kaffeine Alley serves phin-brewed Vietnamese-inspired coffee made with locally roasted organic beans, along with teas, lattes and specialty drinks made with house-made syrups, sandwiches and baked goods. It opens at 6:30 a.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. on weekends. A weeknight trivia game and an early-morning coffee are both well clear of OCTA's weekend-night closures.
If you'd like to know how projects like the SR-91 improvements might figure into your home's value, Tim Smith Real Estate Group can walk you through it with an Anaheim Hills-specific view. Request a Home Valuation to start.
