Welcome even though it isn’t technically September 4th, 2026 I wanted to make sure we had followed through with our Interactive Halloween Gift Guide so this is a post for the 4th.
Buttercup, even though I like to celebrate one #Holiday at a time Halloween is coming, y’all! And while I know our Interactive Halloween Gift Guide is usually a place where we can have a little fun, earn points, and eventually work toward rewards, today’s guide is post to be a little different.
Today isn’t about earning tickets. Today is about finding ways to spend time with the people you love. Th️rough #Halloween events popping up around DFW giving us a opportunity to get outside for a bit.
On Wednesday David was actually going to take me to Denton, Texas to look for some Halloween fun this week, but when we started looking around, we realized that September 4th is still pretty early.
A lot of the Dallas-Fort Worth area hasn’t quite gotten into full Halloween mode yet. But that’s okay! Buttercup because that gives me time to research and find the things I want to visit.
Come and join my family as were counting down, and we’re going to keep adding to this guide as cities, zoos, attractions, neighborhoods, shopping centers, and other places announce their Halloween plans.
Some of these activities will be free, while others will cost money. Please check the official event information, dates, times, admission requirements, parking information, and age recommendations before making plans.
If you know of a event happening in or around DFW that we should add to the list please let me know what it is. Then I will research it and add it to this list so everything is in one spot.
What We’re Looking For
We’re going to be looking for Halloween fun all over the Dallas-Fort Worth area. That means we’re not limiting ourselves to Dallas and Fort Worth.
We’re watching places like:
- Dallas
- Fort Worth
- Arlington
- Grand Prairie
- North Richland Hills
- Hurst
- Keller
- Southlake
- Grapevine
- Denton
- Lewisville
- Burleson
- Joshua
- Cleburne
- Mansfield
- and all those smaller communities where somebody is planning something fun.
Sometimes the best Halloween memories aren’t at the biggest attraction. Sometimes they’re right down the road. We just may not know about them and that is going to be half the fun discovering hidden gems.
Boo at the Zoo — Fort Worth Zoo
One of the first events that belongs on our Halloween radar is:
- Boo at the Zoo at the Fort Worth Zoo. In 2026, Boo at the Zoo is scheduled for October 23, 24 and 25.
The daytime event includes treat stations, live entertainment, animal shows, and other family-friendly Halloween fun. The Fort Worth Zoo describes it as a not-too-frightening Halloween celebration for the whole family. Boo at the Zoo is included with Zoo admission or membership.
And here’s something parents will want to know: the Zoo says adults and children ages 13 and older need to keep their faces visible and identifiable for safety reasons. So yes, costumes are encouraged — but check those costume rules before you go!
2. Six Flags Over Texas — Tricks and Treats- If your family enjoys rides, costumes, candy, and Halloween activities, Six Flags Over Texas is another place we’re watching.
Their Tricks and Treats event is the daytime, family-friendly Halloween celebration. It runs on select days from September 12 through November 1.
The event includes:
- 🍬 A Trick-or-Treat Trail
- 🎃 Costume contests
- 🌽 A hay-bale maze
- 🎨 Pumpkin painting
- 💃 A family-friendly dance party
- 🎩 Magic
- 🎢 Family rides and attractions
Six Flags specifically describes Tricks and Treats as the all-fun, no-fear daytime Halloween experience. Now, parents, pay attention to the difference between Tricks and Treats and Fright Fest.
Fright Fest is the nighttime Halloween event, and Six Flags describes it separately from the family-friendly daytime celebration. This was a #teachingmoment for my family because I thought they only had #FeightFest
If you have a child who doesn’t enjoy being scared, don’t just see “Halloween at Six Flags” and assume every Halloween activity is the same. Check the event you’re actually attending.
3. Dallas Zoo — We’re Watching Of course, I had to put the Dallas Zoo on our list. At the moment, we’re watching the Dallas Zoo’s 2026 event calendar for Halloween-specific activities and announcements.
The Zoo’s current calendar has plenty of fall programming, but we don’t want to tell you something is happening until we’ve confirmed it. That’s part of what makes this guide different. We’re going to keep checking. When the Dallas Zoo announces its Halloween plans, we’ll add them here.
Denton: 31 Days of Halloween– David shared this event with me a last year because I hate being frightened but love #Halloween this allows me to do both. As soon as I heard they were bringing it back it caught my attention.
The fun part is Denton isn’t just doing one Halloween event. The City of Denton is promoting 31 Days of Denton Halloween, turning October into an entire month of Halloween-related activities.
The city is kicking things off October 1 with the Blocktober Party & Pumpkin Drop, including family fun and food trucks. Would anyone like to go with me? We can even have dinner here.
And the Denton Halloween calendar is much bigger than one event. Denton says families can find everything from family-friendly activities and outdoor movies to markets, crafts and other Halloween experiences.
Its official FAQ even allows visitors to filter events by Family Friendly and Free. That’s exactly the kind of place we’re looking for! Last year they even had #Ghostbuster here but I missed them. Did you go and did you see them?
4. HALLO-WING– Denton even has a Halloween event at the airport. This isn’t something I knew about but will be fun to take David to. I just don’t know if Charlie would go or not.
HALLO-WING is scheduled for October 17 and turns trick-or-treating into an aviation adventure, with kids going from aircraft to aircraft for treats. The event also includes games, a bounce house, food trucks, and an outdoor movie.
It’s free, although parking is limited and reservations are required. As of our current check, the 2026 event is at capacity, but Denton Airport says additional spots may become available closer to October. That is definitely going on our keep checking list!
5. Burleson Is Getting Ready, Too- If you’re south of Fort Worth, don’t overlook Burleson. The city’s 2026 calendar already has several fall and Halloween-related events on the books, including:
- 🐶 Dogs and Donuts: Halloween Edition — October 17
- 🍂 Fall Fest at the Farm — October 17
- 🎃 Boo Bash Festival — October 24
- 🎃 The Great Pumpkin Plunge — October 31
The Boo Bash Festival includes free trick-or-treating for children 12 and under, according to the city’s event calendar. And that Great Pumpkin Plunge sounds like one of those unusual family activities that could make a Halloween memory all by itself. But the dogs said to sign them up for Dogs and Donuts: Halloween edition.
What About Neighborhood Halloween?
This is another category we’re going to watch closely. There are neighborhoods around DFW that become destinations during Halloween because residents decorate, hand out candy, or create elaborate displays.
Diamond Loch in Fort Worth is one of the places we’ve heard about for Halloween trick-or-treating and decorations. But here’s the thing: Neighborhood Halloween plans can change from year to year.
So before you load everybody into the car, check for current information and make sure the neighborhood is actually welcoming visitors that year. We’re going to keep looking for other neighborhoods like this, too. Because sometimes you don’t need to buy a ticket. You just need to find a neighborhood full of Halloween spirit.
Don’t Forget the Malls
I’m also curious about what our DFW shopping centers will be doing this year. We’re watching places like:
- Galleria Dallas
- North East Mall
- Grand Prairie Premium Outlets
- Grapevine Mills
- The Parks Mall at Arlington
- and other shopping centers around the Metroplex
Some may have trick-or-treating. Some may have costume events. Some may decorate. Some may not do anything for Halloween at all. We’ll add information as official 2026 announcements become available. And if you’re already seeing Halloween decorations somewhere, let us know!
And then there are the places that are fun simply because it’s Halloween season. Spirit Halloween stores are beginning to appear around DFW, and walking into one can be an experience all by itself.
Some stores have animated displays and Halloween decorations that move, make noise, or interact with customers. Spirit has even announced a new 2026 animatronics collection designed to create immersive Halloween displays.
A quick note for parents- Before taking a young child into a Spirit Halloween store, you may want to check it out yourself first. What’s hilarious and fun for one child may be absolutely terrifying to another.
If your child is sensitive to loud noises, sudden movement, creepy characters, masks, monsters, or realistic-looking Halloween displays, take a peek before making it a family outing. You don’t have to avoid the fun. Just know your child.
What We’re Going to Keep Adding
This is not a finished list. That’s intentional. We’re starting this guide on September 4, and Halloween is still weeks away. As more information becomes available, we’ll be adding:
🎃 Family Halloween festivals
🍬 Trick-or-treating events
🏘️ Neighborhood Halloween fun
🦁 Zoo events
🎢 Theme park events
🛍️ Mall activities
🎨 Pumpkin activities
🎬 Halloween movies
📚 Halloween storytimes
🍂 Fall festivals
👻 Not-too-scary Halloween fun
🕷️ Spooky activities for older kids and adults
🆓 Free events
🚗 Places that might be worth the drive
As well as Haunted Houses you will never find me or Charlie in. And yes, we’ll be looking beyond Dallas and Fort Worth. Denton, Burleson, Keller, Southlake, Cleburne, Joshua and those smaller DFW communities are part of the fun, too.
The point of this post isn’t always the event which is what I really I want this year’s Halloween guide to be about. Because you don’t have to spend a fortune to make a memory.
Maybe you take the kids to a free community event. Maybe you go look at Halloween decorations. Maybe you walk through a Spirit Halloween store. Maybe you find a neighborhood where people go all out. Maybe you spend an afternoon at the zoo. Maybe you drive to Denton and see what they’ve done for 31 Days of Halloween.
Or maybe David and I finally find something fun to do this week and start our own Halloween countdown. The activity doesn’t have to be spectacular. Sometimes the gift is simply spending time together. And that’s what we’re looking for this Halloween season.
Don’t worry — the tickets are still coming! This is simply a different kind of day in our Interactive Halloween Gift Guide. Today we’re not earning tickets for an activity.
Instead, we’re giving you ideas for ways to spend time with your family and friends. As we add more activities and events to the guide, we’ll bring the interactive portions back in. For today, your assignment is easy:
Find one thing you’d enjoy doing together. It doesn’t have to cost money. It doesn’t have to be on Halloween. It doesn’t even have to be a big event. Just find one thing that makes you say: “That sounds like fun. Let’s do that together.” Because that’s a pretty good Halloween gift all by itself.
Before You Go
Event information changes.: Dates, times, prices, admission requirements, reservations, age recommendations, weather policies, parking and other details can change without notice.
Please check the official event website or organizer before making your plans. Some events listed here are free, while others require admission or advance registration.
We’ll keep updating this guide as more 2026 Halloween information becomes available. And if you know about a family-friendly DFW Halloween event we haven’t found yet, tell us about it! We’re counting down to Halloween together.
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.
GreatfulMoments.com
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
