Simi Valley's 2026 Fall Calendar Refuses to Slow Dow
From a nine-day film festival to a 300-vendor street fair and California's largest one-day Oktoberfest, the city's next four months challenge its quiet reputation.
SIMI VALLEY NEWSFEATUREDSIMI VALLEY COMMUNITY CALANDER
Fall arrives in Simi Valley next month, and with it a calendar that runs nearly without a break until the end of the year.
Over the next four months, the city will host a nine-day film festival, a free Hispanic heritage celebration, a car show on the City Hall lawn, a Bavarian beer festival that organizers call the largest one-day Oktoberfest in California, a two-day steampunk revel at a 19th-century historical park, a street fair with more than 300 vendors, a Halloween carnival for children, a day of trucked-in snow and a month of holiday attractions.
The lineup is assembled almost entirely by volunteers — Rotary clubs, the historical society, the park district, the Cultural Arts Center and city departments — in a community that residents themselves often describe as a place where nothing happens.
September: Film, Culture and Cars
Splash: The Pool Party — Sunday, Sept. 6, 1 to 7 p.m., Grand Vista Hotel, 999 Enchanted Way. The Labor Day weekend event presented by Dan the Man and DJ Sweet P advertises guest DJs, live entertainment, VIP cabanas and drink specials, according to the event flyer. No admission price is listed; VIP reservations are handled by call or text at 805-217-8229.
SIMI Film Fest — Sept. 12–20 at Studio Movie Grill in Simi Valley Town Center, 1555 Simi Town Center Way. Nine days of films, music videos, youth filmmaking and industry events, including the SIMI Music Video Fest on Sept. 12 and 13, the SIMI Youth Film Fest on Sept. 13, and a live Film Music Concert with the Simi Valley Symphony Orchestra on Sept. 16. Organizers say the 2026 festival will screen 103 films and 69 music videos. Tickets are sold per screening rather than as a single published pass price. Official site: simiff.com. Tickets: SIMI Film Fest. Event listing: Visit Simi Valley.
Hispanic Heritage Festival — Saturday, Sept. 26, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, 3050 E. Los Angeles Ave. Entry is free. The Cultural Arts Center and its foundation present the annual celebration of Hispanic and Latino culture with music, dance, food, vendors and family activities. Official site: Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center.
Bingo Bonanza — Saturday, Sept. 26, doors at 10 a.m., games 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Simi Valley Senior Center, 3900 Avenida Simi. Admission is $40 and includes lunch, 20 games and eligibility for cash and door prizes. Presale tickets are available through Sept. 18 and sell out quickly. Ages 18 and older. Call 805-583-6363. Official site: City of Simi Valley.
Cops N' Cruisers Car Show — Sunday, Sept. 27, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Simi Valley City Hall and Library, 2929 Tapo Canyon Road. A family-friendly show with live entertainment, food trucks and a car collection. Vehicle registration is open; no spectator admission price is listed. Official site: copsncruisers.com.
October: Festivals For Every Taste
Simi Valley Oktoberfest — Saturday, Oct. 3, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Lemon Park, also known as Rancho Tapo Community Park, 3700 Avenida Simi. The Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise bills it as California's largest one-day Oktoberfest, with German and domestic beers, live music from Hammerstein Musik Bavaria, classic German food, games and costumes. General admission is $30, early-bird VIP is $150, VIP at the gate is $200, and a private stageside reserved table for 10 is $2,500. VIP includes free beer refills, early entry, a food voucher and snacks; general admission includes main beer-tent access with no extra charge for tables and seating. Ages 21 and older with valid ID, and the event runs rain or shine. All proceeds go to charity. Official site: Simi Valley Oktoberfest.
Steampunk at Strathearn — Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3 and 4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, Strathearn Historical Park & Museum, 137 Strathearn Place. Now a two-day festival with Victorian-inspired costumes, live entertainment, artisan vendors, themed presentations, interactive craft stations, model train rides and a kids' family fun factory, plus the new "Gears & Gizmos Makers Challenge," a timed team build using mystery parts with adult and youth divisions and daily 3 p.m. awards. Daytime admission pricing for 2026 has not been published yet. Official site: Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. Event listing: Visit Simi Valley.
Gilded Gears After Dark — Saturday, Oct. 3, gates at 5 p.m., event 5:30 to 10 p.m., Strathearn Historical Park & Museum. The Rotary Club of Simi Valley evening festival features live music, roaming characters, artisan vendors, a grand raffle and craft cocktails, with food, craft beer and local wine available for purchase. Presale admission is $25 and a 21-plus full-weekend pass is $50, both ending Sept. 18; admission at the gate is $35. Ages 21 and older with valid photo ID; no outside food or drink. Tickets: GildedGearsAfterDark.com. Event details: Rotary Club of Simi Valley.
Putts and Pints — Tuesday, Oct. 20 at Tierra Rejada Golf Club, $10, featuring a different brewery each month and a chance to win a new putter. Event listing: Visit Simi Valley.
Simi Valley Street Fair — Saturday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. along Simi Town Center Way. More than 300 crafters, artists, businesses and food vendors, plus live entertainment, a beer and wine garden, the City of Simi Valley EXPO and a free Kids' FunZone. No admission price is listed. Official site: simivalleystreetfair.com. Event listing: Visit Simi Valley.
Youth Halloween Carnival — Saturday, Oct. 31, 1 to 4 p.m., Rancho Santa Susana Community Center, 5005-C Los Angeles Ave. For children 12 and under, with balloon twisting, face painting, hay rides, inflatables, carnival games, guessing contests and festive photo ops. Ticket prices for 2026 have not been posted; in past years advance tickets have gone on sale online Oct. 1. Official site: Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. Event listing: Visit Simi Valley.
November: Snow in Simi and the holiday kickoff
SnowFest — Sunday, Nov. 1, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Rancho Madera Community Park, 556 Lake Park Drive. Sledding, snow play areas, kids' attractions, a vendor expo and food vendors. Wristbands are $20 per person and can be pre-ordered to skip the line. Official site: Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. Event listing: Visit Simi Valley.
Free Household Hazardous Waste Event — Saturday, Nov. 21, 8 a.m. to noon, hosted by the city. Free. Official site: City of Simi Valley.
Christmas on the Farm opens — Friday, Nov. 27 through Dec. 24 at Underwood Family Farms, 3370 Sunset Valley Road in neighboring Moorpark. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, closing at noon Dec. 24 and closed Dec. 25. Admission is $16 on weekends and Nov. 27 with online tickets, and $12 at the gate on weekdays beginning Nov. 30. Children under 2 and parking are free, and seniors 65 and older, military, veterans and emergency first responders get $2 off daily with valid ID. Official site: Underwood Family Farms.
December: Concerts, holidays and a night out
Christmas on the Farm (continues) — Dec. 1 through Dec. 24, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark. Weekend programming includes visits with Santa from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Dec. 20, animal shows at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., California "sleigh rides" with draft horses, a holiday train, gem mining, duck racing, Elf Training, holiday crafts and games. Live reindeer dates are still to be announced. Pricing as above. Official site: Underwood Family Farms.
The Long Run: Experience the Eagles — Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 9 and 10, 7:30 p.m., Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, 3050 E. Los Angeles Ave. Tickets are $48 for adults, $40 for seniors 60 and older and students, and $38 for children 12 and under, plus a $3 per-ticket processing fee whether purchased online or at the box office. Official site: Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center.
Putts and Pints — Tuesday, Dec. 15 at Tierra Rejada Golf Club, $10. Event listing: Visit Simi Valley.
Holiday traditions expected but not yet dated
Several of Simi Valley's biggest December traditions have not published 2026 dates. Residents should watch these official pages:
Town Center Tree Lighting Celebration and Holiday Experience, the annual light display and Center Court snow shows — Simi Valley Town Center
The Simi Community Christmas, a free three-day event with nativity displays, choir concerts and school dance performances — simicommunitychristmas.com
Holiday Open House at Strathearn Historical Park, a free tour of decorated historic homes with Santa — Simi Valley Historical Society
Winter Art Market, traditionally the first weekend in December — Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center
Metrolink Holiday Express, which has used Simi Valley as a host station — Metrolink
Circus Caballero, listed by the tourism bureau as a December annual event — Visit Simi Valley
Not So Quiet After All
What the calendar reveals is a city that keeps defining itself the same way: family first. Nearly every event on the fall schedule is built for a household to attend together — a carnival for children 12 and under, a snow day in a park where November afternoons often reach 70 degrees, a free kids' zone at the street fair, a heritage festival with folklorico dancers and food booths, a car show on the City Hall lawn where the price of admission is showing up.
The work behind it is just as local. A Rotary club raises money by pouring beer under a tent. A historical society opens its 19th-century houses to strangers in goggles and top hats. A senior center sells 20 games of bingo with lunch included, and sells out weeks early. Grandparents, teenagers and toddlers all have something on the calendar, often on the same Saturday.
The events cost little, and several cost nothing. They are staffed by neighbors. And they run nearly every weekend from Labor Day through the end of December — in a city its own residents have long dismissed as a place where nothing happens.
Two notes for planners: presale saves money on the Oct. 3 events, with both the Gilded Gears tickets and the Oktoberfest early-bird VIP cutting off Sept. 18, and those two are the season's 21-and-over exceptions, requiring valid photo ID.
Schedules, ticket prices, parking and weather plans can change. Confirm details with each organizer before going. Citywide listings are maintained at Visit Simi Valley and the City of Simi Valley.
The Simi Valley Ledger is an Official Publication of The Freedom Project © 2026
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