If you want a plan for a weeknight in Moraga between now and Thanksgiving, where do you look? The Town's next big gathering at Moraga Commons is the Holiday Tree Lighting on December 3 at 6 p.m. Until then, most of the dated public events fall on the Saint Mary's College campus. Over the next month the campus hosts a theater run, a dance concert, two free recitals, a visiting writer, a Día de los Muertos show and eight home basketball games.
That changes how the month works in practice. The parking is different, the prices are different, and on a few nights the campus has more than one event going at the same hour.
Thursday, October 29, Already Overlaps
On Thursday, October 29, the overlap starts right away.
At Moraga Library, 1500 St. Mary's Road, the Great Pumpkin Challenge runs from 4 to 5 p.m. The library's community Día de los Muertos ofrenda is also on display through November 7.
Later, the college's jazz program plays Jazz in the Pub at The 1928 Pub, starting at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. Across campus, the theater program is midway through The Moors, which runs October 28 through November 1 at LeFevre Theatre, with tickets from $10 to $20.
A few practical details apply to every campus arts event this fall. The listed prices don't include ticketing fees, and the college asks people to buy online, since the fees are the same online and in person. Guest parking costs 50 cents per hour. To pay, text "PAY" to 77447 and enter "SMC" as the lot.
Friday Night Splits Between the Hacienda and the Soda Center
Friday, October 30, is the Town's big evening of the season, and it is the last Town-run event on the calendar before December.
The Town of Moraga's (Not so) Creepy Commons runs from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at Hacienda de las Flores and the Casita, 2100 Donald Drive. It's free. The evening has a costume contest, pumpkin painting and trunk-or-treat, followed by Disney's Freaky Friday under the stars at 6:30 p.m. The listing suggests bringing blankets and lawn chairs for the movie. The Town's number for questions is 925-888-7050, and its Activity Guide is the listed source.
That same night on campus, the Baile Folklórico group holds its Día de los Muertos event at the Soda Center, with dinner at 5:30 p.m. and the show at 7 p.m. Show tickets are $10. Dinner prices had not been posted yet. The event is a fundraiser for the group, so it's one of the few campus arts nights where Saint Mary's students don't get in free.
If your Friday is all about the Hacienda, Saturday morning still has something low-key. Moraga Library's World Studio Craft Series holds a lantern-piercing workshop on October 31 from 10 to 11 a.m. Participants take home a Moroccan-inspired lantern.
November, Date by Date
After Halloween weekend, the calendar shifts almost entirely to campus. Here's how the month lays out, with the off-campus dates included so the gaps are easy to see.
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Nov 1 | Final day of The Moors | LeFevre Theatre | $10 to $20 |
| Mon, Nov 2 | Men's basketball home opener vs. Illinois State, 7 p.m. | University Credit Union Pavilion | Ticketed |
| Wed, Nov 4 | Men's basketball vs. North Dakota State, 7 p.m. | University Credit Union Pavilion | Ticketed |
| Sun, Nov 8 | Moraga Historical Society program with Grant Din, 1 to 3 p.m. | Casita, Hacienda de las Flores | Members free, guests $5 |
| Tue, Nov 10 | Women's basketball vs. Chico State, 6 p.m. | University Credit Union Pavilion | Ticketed |
| Thu to Sat, Nov 12 to 14 | Refracted Elements dance concert | LeFevre Theatre | $10 to $20 |
| Fri, Nov 13 | Music Works in Progress Recital #2, 1:30 p.m. | Chapel | Free |
| Fri, Nov 13 | Men's basketball vs. UIC, 7 p.m. | University Credit Union Pavilion | Ticketed |
| Mon, Nov 16 | Faculty recital, 7 p.m. | Chapel | Free |
| Mon, Nov 16 | Men's basketball vs. Portland State, 7 p.m. | University Credit Union Pavilion | Ticketed |
| Wed, Nov 18 | Visiting Writers Series with KB Brookins, 7:30 p.m. | LeFevre Theatre | Not listed |
| Fri, Nov 20 | Men's basketball vs. Saint Louis, 8 p.m. | University Credit Union Pavilion | Ticketed |
| Sun, Nov 22 | Men's basketball vs. Menlo College, 5 p.m. | University Credit Union Pavilion | Ticketed |
| Thu, Nov 26 | Moraga Turkey Trot, 5K at 8:05 a.m. | Moraga Country Club | $49.50 for the 5K |
| Sat, Nov 28 | Women's basketball vs. San José State, 4 p.m. | University Credit Union Pavilion | Ticketed |
Three dates stand out in the table: November 13, November 16 and the three nights of the dance concert.
The Nights When Campus Runs Double
On Friday, November 13, the Chapel recital ends in the afternoon, the men's game against UIC tips at 7 p.m., and Refracted Elements starts at 8 p.m. in LeFevre Theatre. That means a basketball crowd and a theater crowd arrive on campus within the same hour. The dance concert is choreographed by the college's senior dance students and also runs at 8 p.m. on November 12, with two Saturday shows on November 14 at 3 and 8 p.m. If you only care about the dance concert, Thursday night or the Saturday matinee avoids the game-night overlap.
Monday, November 16, has a similar clash. Pianist Lino Rivera and flutist Amy Likar give a free faculty recital in the Chapel at 7 p.m., the same time the Gaels host Portland State.
Parking is the reason those overlaps matter. On men's basketball nights, parking is $20 per car, cash only. You pay on campus starting two hours before tip-off, and day-of parking is subject to availability. Compare that with the 50 cents an hour the arts calendar lists for guest parking, or the $1 an hour, $5 maximum rate the athletics department lists for its other events. Before you go to a recital or a play, check whether a men's game is on that night. It can change what you pay to park and how close you get.
A few more game-night basics from the Gaels ticket policies:
- All tickets are digital.
- Children under 3 can enter without a ticket if they sit on an adult's lap. Children 3 and older need their own ticket.
- Accessible parking is limited and first-come, first-served.
Men's home opener, against Illinois State on November 2, is billed as Opening Night on the 2026-27 schedule. Women's games, on the women's schedule, land on a Tuesday evening and the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Both have earlier start times than most of the men's games.
The Daytime Version Costs Nothing
Not everything on campus happens at night. The Saint Mary's College Museum of Art is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it's closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Exhibitions and public programs are free.
Three exhibitions are up this fall:
- Malcolm Kenter: Synecdoche. Architectural paintings by the San Francisco artist, drawn from the worn markings and utilitarian details of the city's buildings. On view through December 13.
- Fix Your Face: Representations of the Female Gaze. A student-curated show of works by female photographers, painters and printmakers from the permanent collection. On view through June 21, 2027.
- Choreographies of Calamity: Art Hazelwood and the Media of War. A student-curated survey of the printmaker's work from the early 2000s to the present.
The timing to keep in mind is Thanksgiving week. The museum is closed that week, and the Kenter show closes for good on December 13. If the Kenter paintings are on your list, you can still go any Wednesday through Sunday in November before the holiday, or during the first two weeks of December.
The Off-Campus Dates Worth Holding
Three events off campus keep the Town's own spaces on the November calendar.
On Sunday, November 8, the Moraga Historical Society hosts Grant Din at the Casita at Hacienda de las Flores from 1 to 3 p.m., speaking about immigration history at Angel Island. According to the Lamorinda Weekly calendar, the program is free for members and $5 for guests, paid by cash or check. Seating is limited, children under 12 can't attend, and RSVPs are due by November 1.
The Moraga Farmers' Market runs every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Moraga Road and Moraga Way in Moraga Center. On November 8, you can go to the market in the morning and still make the Historical Society talk at 1 p.m.
On Thanksgiving morning, the Moraga Turkey Trot runs along the Moraga Country Club cart path at 1600 St Andrews Drive. The 5K starts at 8:05 a.m. and the 1.5-mile course at 8:15 a.m. Registration is $49.50 for the 5K and $39.50 for the shorter course. Kids ages 0 to 4 run free, and runners ages 65 to 99 get lower prices.
After that, the women's game against San José State on November 28 at 4 p.m. is the last home game of the month. The Town's calendar picks back up on December 3, when the Holiday Tree Lighting returns to Moraga Commons at 6 p.m.
Schedules and game times can change, so check the college, Town and library pages before you head out.
If you're thinking about what your own corner of Moraga is worth this season, Kailani Kimoto is happy to talk it through over coffee. Request Your Free Home Valuation, and we'll set a time that doesn't fall on a game night.
