This Coastal California Town Is One of the Best Halloween Destinations for Its ‘Witches Paddle’

Something wicked this way comes … on water?! Since 2013, the coastal California city of Morro Bay has been the site of witch sightings around Halloween time, as hundreds of people dressed in their finest sorcerer’s outfits hop onto stand-up paddle boards for the Witches and Warlocks Paddle.

The site of nearly 300 wizarding wannabes has become a tradition as the group floats en masse from Coleman Park’s beach down the Embarcadero. Casual in nature, anyone can dress the part and shed their muggle identities to join in for a couple of hours to show off their most spellbinding cackles along the Pacific Ocean coastline.

Organizer Annette “Nettie” Ausseresses told community newspaper Estero Bay News in 2021 that it all began as a celebration between three friends who had birthdays around Halloween. They started with about 30 people, and three years ago, they counted nearly 300. 

Witches and warlocks of all ages started to show up as word spread by mouth over the years. This year, the 12th edition of the event is scheduled for Oct. 26 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. 

What makes the floating figures so special is that they’re among the area’s natural sealife — with humpback whales, blue whales, sea otters, and sea lions — bringing a dose of human magic to the already naturally enchanting setting. 

“It is really neat to see a bunch of people in costume paddling on the bay,” Ausseresses told the publication. “It is fun for the participants and fun for the onlookers, and everyone wants to be part of something unique and fun.”

These days, the mystical event also benefits the Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County. 

While the Morro Bay contingency is believed to be among the originals, witch paddles have grown as a Halloweentime tradition over recent years. Another major coven has congregated at Colorado’s Chatfield Reservoir, outside of Denver in Littleton, since 2021 for the Witches Paddle, already held this year on Oct. 12, drawing nearly 350 wizarding figures.

Other gatherings have taken place across the U.S., including in Spring Lake, New Jersey; Sleepy Hollow, New York; Boyds, Maryland; Mystic, Connecticut; Bend, Oregon; North Kingston, Rhode Island, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

“It’s amazing when you do something for fun and it spreads,” Ausseresses told The New York Times.