Who Is Actually Running Leo J. Ryan Park This October? The Answer Changes the Rules

When thousands of lanterns were headed for the lagoon, the City of Foster City posted one sentence to settle who was in charge: "Please be advised that this is not a City event."

According to Hoodline's report, the post also asked drivers to use caution around pedestrians near the park at 650 Shell Blvd. The Water Lantern Festival takes over Leo J. Ryan Park on Oct. 3 and 4. Three weekends later, on Saturday, Oct. 24, the park hosts the city's own Halloween Festival. The lawn, the lagoon and the pressure on Shell Blvd are the same for both. The organizers hold different rulebooks, and which one applies decides how you get in, where you park and who answers your questions.

A Touring Production With a Ticket Page

The Water Lantern Festival is a traveling production. Hoodline reports it has set up in more than 175 cities and launched over 2 million lanterns since it began more than eight years ago. The company's own FAQ describes it as a for-profit event that donates to charities and nonprofits at each stop. Hoodline reports the festival drawing 2,000 or more people, an outlet estimate with no official count behind it.

The city's online calendar carries the festival too. Its entry for the second day describes an evening along the lagoon with food trucks, live music, activities and the lantern launch. The calendar listing and the city's "not a City event" post can both be true. The city hosts the information and the promoter holds the keys.

The promoter's ticket page for Sunday, Oct. 4 lays out the evening:

• Gates open at 5 PM
• Food trucks and music run from 5 to 9 PM
• Lantern design begins at 7:30 PM
• The lantern launch runs from 8 to 9 PM
• The event ends at 9 PM

General admission was listed at $30.99 for early bird pricing and $34.99 at the regular price, and prices on ticketing pages tend to move. The page also says demand is high and the event is expected to sell out. The city and Hoodline both put the festival on Saturday and Sunday. The ticket page lists the Sunday schedule, so anyone heading out Saturday should confirm that day's times there.

What Comes With a Promoter's Rulebook

A privately run festival carries its own terms, and the promoter publishes them:

• Children under 8 get in free without a ticket, and children 8 and older need one.
• The festival runs rain or shine, though lightning or high winds can delay or reschedule it.
• Tickets are non-refundable but transferable.
• The event is alcohol-free.
• Outside lanterns are not allowed, because only the promoter's patented floating design is permitted. Outside food and drink are welcome.
• Lanterns are lit with LED candles, so there are no open flames.

Refund and weather questions go through the promoter's ticketing channels, since the promoter wrote these terms.

Parking Is Where the Two Events Split Apart

The promoter's ticket page mentions ample parking, and its FAQ says parking varies by location and points attendees to an event guide for the nearby lots. It also encourages rideshare and carpooling. One attendee's October 2025 review on Yelp described parking near the park as difficult. That reviewer ended up in the Foster City Public Library and Community Center lot around the corner, and reported long lines at most food trucks about an hour into the evening.

Nothing published so far confirms which lots the festival will use this year, so the promoter's event guide is the document to check. The city's post also flags a surge in foot traffic around the park.

The Halloween Festival Runs on the City's Clipboard

The Halloween Festival is a city event with a city page, and the page's requirements are specific. It runs Saturday, Oct. 24, from 11 AM to 2 PM, with games, entertainment and trick-or-treating for kids ages 2 to 12.

Pre-registration is required for all participants. Each child walks the trick-or-treat trail once. A child under 10 holding a trick-or-treat ticket must be accompanied by an adult who has a valid entrance ticket, so an adult needs their own ticket to go along. Businesses and organizations can apply through the city to host a booth on the Trick-or-Treat Trail, and the city page lists [email protected] for questions.

Last year's numbers give a sense of scale. According to the Almanac's Halloween guide, the 2025 festival was held in the Leo J. Ryan Park meadow. Entrance only was $5 for residents and $7 for nonresidents, and entrance with trick-or-treating was $10 for residents and $12 for nonresidents. Those are 2025 prices. The 2026 figures are on the city's Halloween Festival page. The 2026 page names the amphitheater for the costume contest and the magic show, so it is the place to check for this year's trail location.

The city's sponsorship page lists the Halloween Festival among the programs of the Foster City Youth and Teen Foundation. The foundation was established in 2009 to help fund a new teen center in Foster City. For parking, the city page names two lots. Attendees may park at The Vibe Teen Center lots at 670 Shell Blvd or at the Century Plaza lot at 1065 E Hillsdale Blvd.

Side by Side

The Small Print for the 24th

The costume contest has its own sign-up, separate from festival registration. Anyone attending can enter by registering on site by 12:45 PM at no extra fee. The contest opens at 1:00 PM in the amphitheater with a short fashion show so the judges can see every costume, and winners are announced shortly afterward. Participants must be present in the amphitheater to win. Winners are featured on Foster City Recreation's social media pages, and a magic show follows at 1:30 PM.

Pre-registration is required for the festival, so the city's page is the place to check before the 24th.

If a question about Leo J. Ryan Park this month is still open, Julie Flouty is happy to compare notes. Let's Connect.