From decorated neighborhoods to spooky tours, Plano has plenty going on to celebrate the Halloween season this October.

Plano is getting into the Halloween spirit this October with haunted houses, ghost tours, costumed dogs, creepy concerts and plenty of places to trick-or-treat.

Whether your ideal Halloween involves genuine scares or just an excuse to put your dog in a tiny costume, here are nine ways to celebrate spooky season around Plano.

1. See Downtown Plano dressed for Halloween

When: Oct. 1-31
Where: Downtown Plano

Downtown Plano is looking a little different this month. The Downtown Plano Public Improvement District has decked out businesses, street poles and McCall Plaza with Halloween displays inspired by The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, Alice in Wonderland, ghosts, spiders, swamps and more.

Displays can be found at Urban Crust, Bibliobar, Dirty Water Fly Co., Better Than Sex Dessert Restaurant and Willis Morrison State Farm, among other spots. Fillmore Pub and Vickery Park also go all-out inside their restaurants each year.

Consider it a scavenger hunt with cocktails and dinner along the way.

2. Test your bravery at Dark Hour

When: Through Nov. 13
Where: 701 Taylor Drive

Plano’s resident haunted house is back for another season of elaborate sets, monsters, animatronics and jump scares.

Dark Hour Haunted House‘s 2026 season adds Medusa’s Lair and the Strega Chamber, plus an expanding goblin horde in the labyrinth. Visitors can also stop by the North American Cryptid Museum while they’re there.

Not quite brave enough? Dark Hour’s “Chicken Nights” on Oct. 15 and Nov. 1 offer a less terrifying way to see the attraction.

3. Let comedians tell you Plano ghost stories

When: Oct. 2-22
Where: Mic Drop Comedy Plano

Ghost stories are considerably easier to handle when the person telling them is also trying to make you laugh.

The 75-minute Plano Ghost Walk pairs local lore with comedy as guides lead guests through stories involving haunted landmarks, poltergeists, phantom footsteps, weeping children and one allegedly restless graveyard.

4. Put your dog in a costume

When: Oct. 11, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: Downtown Plano Arts District

Barktoberfest answers the important question: What if a fall festival had significantly more dogs?

The Downtown Plano event includes local vendors and boutiques, pet-focused booths, seasonal treats, photo opportunities and, most importantly, a dog costume contest.

Spooky, silly and unnecessarily elaborate costumes are all welcome.

5. Go hunting for Downtown Plano’s ghosts

When: Oct. 15-16
Where: Downtown Plano Arts District

Apparition Expedition digs into the city’s paranormal past with guided walking tours through Downtown Plano.

Costumed “ghoulish guides” lead visitors into local homes and businesses while sharing true tales of Plano’s more macabre history. Two tours will be offered each night beginning at 6 p.m., with each lasting about 60 to 90 minutes.

6. Spend an unhallowed evening with the Plano Symphony

When: Oct. 17
Where: Plano

Spooky season gets the symphonic treatment with Plano Symphony Orchestra’s Unhallowed Eve.

Conducted by Mélisse Brunet, the Halloween-themed program includes the suite from The Nightmare Before Christmas — an appropriate soundtrack for the month when Plano apparently decides to become Halloween Town.

7. Rest in Plano

When: Oct. 24, 5-10 p.m.
Where: Downtown Plano Arts District and Haggard Park

R.I.P. Fest — that’s Rest in Plano — takes over Downtown Plano for a Halloween celebration designed to be spirited without being too scary.

Expect carnival rides, live performances, creepy characters roaming the streets and plenty of Halloween photo ops. Food and drinks will be available for purchase, including themed cocktails and mocktails from Fillmore Pub.

It’s a solid middle ground for families whose Halloween tolerance falls somewhere between “pumpkin patch” and “Dark Hour.”

8. Trick-or-treat around The Boardwalk

When: Oct. 31, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: The Boardwalk at Granite Park

For Halloween night itself, Boo on the Boardwalk turns The Boardwalk at Granite Park into a trick-or-treating route.

Families can make their way through the development’s seven restaurants while stopping for a live DJ, games, prizes, glitter tattoos, fall photo ops, balloon creations and other kids’ activities.

9. Take one last spooky stroll downtown

If you haven’t made it through Downtown Plano’s Halloween displays yet, Oct. 31 is your last chance before the district trades ghosts and cobwebs for its winter holiday makeover.

Make a night of it: wander through the decorated storefronts, grab dinner or drinks at one of the downtown restaurants and give spooky season a proper send-off.

Because by Nov. 1, the skeletons start making way for Santa.