On Halloween, Fair Oaks Mall is offering a treat for families: a grand opening celebration for its brand-new play space for young children, followed by the shopping center’s annual “Mall-O-Ween” festivities.
The grand opening celebration, which will include a costume contest, prizes, and a DJ playing family-friendly tunes, will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 31) at the nature-themed play space, near JCPenney. Shortly after the celebration, “Mall-O-Ween” will kick off, bringing a full evening of trick-or-treating from 5 to 8 p.m. at participating stores.
Both events are free and open to the public.
The new play space, which opened earlier this month, evokes the outdoors, with a seating area for adults, “acorns” for tots to climb or crawl through, a small brown slide that evokes a tree, a balance beam that looks like a log resting on tree stumps, and carpets with large leaf designs.
According to Olshan Properties, the mall’s owner, the new space is part of the mall’s ongoing efforts to provide inviting amenities for families.
“Fair Oaks Mall has always been a place where our community comes together, and we are excited to introduce another space for families to connect and create lasting memories,” Christie Morgan, Fair Oaks Mall’s general manager, said in a press release. “Our new nature-themed play area is more than just an exciting addition to the mall. It’s an investment in creating meaningful experiences for the families and children who are such an important part of our community.”
The play space is one of several recent additions to Fair Oaks Mall that may appeal to families. As part of a nationwide expansion, Toys R Us has added a store at the mall, replacing Go! Toys and Games, and Slime Co, a build-your-own slime bar, opened this fall next to the relatively new Urban Planet, a clothing retailer associated with Charlotte Russe.
Looking ahead, Cirque Italia’s “Water Circus Atlantis,” which visited the mall this summer, will return to Fair Oaks on Friday, Nov. 6, with performances running through the weekend.
