Nightfall at Filoli: A Bay Area Halloween Meetup

Students standing in front of the main entrance of the house

On the night of October 23, OHSers met  at Filoli Gardens and Estate where they experienced the magic of Halloween.

The estate, although usually abloom with fresh flowers, running fountains and gorgeous scenery, had turned dark and mysterious for the spooky holiday. The gardens at the back of the house had been meticulously decorated with symbols of Halloween like huge carved pumpkins, scarecrows, and floating lanterns. Mathias Gomez, a student who assisted in planning the event, says that “[the decorators] thought it was creepy to have random doors around. I don’t understand it, but they had them.”

Decorations inside the house

The atmosphere outside was not scary, but definitely spooky. However, the spooky atmosphere increased upon entering the interior of the house. The house was filled with door handles knocking and creepy baby dolls making sounds. There was also an additional section with psychic readings, which some students decided to try.

“Some of my friends did it for some reason. I don’t know why,” Mathias recounts, questioning some of his fellow OHSer’s actions. 

The showstopper had to be a piano in the very last room that played music by itself. Some decided to be rambunctious, trying to play the piano and messing around with it, which earned a few questioning looks from a staff member dressed in a ghostly bride costume nearby.

Self-playing piano

The turnout was great, there were seven students who attended the event and some parents came along as well. 

OHSers warming up their hands at a fire

Mathias said that planning the event was rewarding and relatively easy, helped by his mother who is the regional OHS meetup coordinator for the Bay Area. He said that he has “been doing Friday Field Trips since he was three,” and wanted to bring these experiences to the OHS community. He continues to plan Friday Field Trips and Sunday Strolls for OHSers in the Bay Area to meet and connect. Mathias believes that it is integral to have meetups like these ones and to “introduce people to new subjects and new facts that I don't think I would have otherwise learned.”

Carved pumpkin in the gardens

He is also planning to have more meetups at museums, hiking places, and more. To find events like these in the Bay Area, make sure to keep an eye out for future events on Gateway and the bulletin or contact Mathias on pronto or at magomez@ohs.stanford.edu!