Plant lovers will find workshops, vendor booths and more at PlantCon Dallas, which runs Oct. 24-25 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.
Sheldon Botler
Main Street Fest will bring carnival rides, live music and more to Grand Prairie on Oct. 23-25.
City of Grand Prairie
Oktoberfest Dallas will bring German cuisine, beer, games and more to Flag Pole Hill Park in Dallas on Oct. 24.
Veronica Bradley
Rapper Soulja Boy is scheduled to appear at Collect-A-Con, which comes to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas on Oct. 24-25.
Colin Hubbard/Getty Images
FREE Grand Prairie’s annual fall festival returns for three days of carnival rides, food, shopping and more. More than 15 musical performances are planned throughout the weekend, with a major headliner each night: the Commodores on Oct. 23 at 10 p.m., Sammy Kershaw on Oct. 24 at 10 p.m. and Keith Nieto on Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. Those shows will be on the brand-new Main Stage in front of City Hall. In addition, festivalgoers can enjoy two Ferris wheels, more than 75 arts and crafts vendors, a children’s zone, BMX shows, a beer garden, more than two dozen food trucks, and a food court at City Hall Plaza.
Oct. 23 from 5 p.m. to midnight, Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to midnight and Oct. 25 from noon to 8 p.m. in downtown Grand Prairie. Free admission and parking. mainstreetfest.com.
Article continues below this ad
RED STEAGALL COWBOY GATHERING
FREE The Fort Worth Stockyards’ annual gathering will celebrate the men and women who feed and clothe the country through their work on ranches across America. Highlights include a chuck wagon cook-off, live western swing music, cowboy poetry, fiddle contests and more. Top ranches will compete at the Ranch Rodeo, at Cowtown Coliseum on Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 24 at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. And a Cowboy Church service, with singing, will take place Oct. 25 at 10 a.m.
Oct. 23 from noon to 9:30 p.m., Oct. 24 from 8 a.m. to midnight and Oct. 25 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Fort Worth Stockyards in Fort Worth. Admission to the festival grounds is free, but some events, including the rodeos, require tickets. fortworthstockyards.org/events/red-steagall-cowboy-gathering-4.
FREE Get your fine-arts fix at this juried exhibition in Fort Worth, with artists descending upon Cowtown from across Texas and the United States. Attendees will find demonstrations of glassblowing, sculpting, metalsmithing, pottery, woodturning and more. In addition, the event will feature classical music performances by area ensembles, ranging from elementary and high schools to universities such as TCU, UNT and UT-Arlington and even professionals from the Fort Worth Opera. The event is at The Shops at Clearfork, which has many options for eating, drinking and shopping.
Article continues below this ad
Oct. 23 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Oct. 25 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the front lawn of The Shops at Clearfork in Fort Worth. Free admission and parking. artworthfest.org.
Back for its 15th year, this celebration of German culture will feature authentic cuisine, live music, games and more. Organizers say that rising costs and dwindling attendance, in part because of the summer heat stretching into autumn, had led them to consider whether to continue the festival. But the Exchange Club of Lake Highlands has committed to keeping the festival going, pushing the event back a month to try to avoid the heat and investing in more entertainment, including musical headliner Pat Green. He’ll take the stage at 8:30 p.m., following a 6:30 performance by George Dunham and the Bird Dogs. Other Bavarian-style fun includes keg-tapping and stein-holding contests and performances by local high school cheer squads. A Kid Zone with an obstacle course, bounce houses, slides, face painting and other activities will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Flag Pole Hill Park, near White Rock Lake in Dallas. Adult admission is $30 before 6 p.m. and $35 after 6 p.m. Children ages 4-17 get in for $15 all day, and it’s free for younger kids. oktoberfestdallas.com.
Article continues below this ad
Whether you’re a collector or a wheeler-dealer, you’ll probably find something that piques your interest at Collect-A-Con, which bills itself as the nation’s largest convention for trading cards, anime and pop culture. More than 900 vendor tables will offer comic books, video games, Funko Pop merchandise, vintage toys, Pokémon and more. Attendees are welcome to bring their own collectibles to sell and trade with vendors, and cosplay is allowed, as long as it’s appropriate for all ages. Celebrity guests scheduled to attend include musician and potential 2028 presidential candidate (seriously) Soulja Boy, influencer Timothy Flick, and voice actor and screenwriter Sean Schemmel. Autographs and photos may cost extra.
Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Oct. 25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. Admission for ages 8 and up is $46.70 on Oct. 24 and $41.13 on Oct. 25. A two-day pass is $63.43, and a VIP fast pass is $130.33. Entry is free for children 7 and under. collectaconusa.com/dallas.
FREE Head out to this Halloween-themed event for a spirited (but not too spooky) evening complete with carnival rides, live performances, Instagram-ready photo ops and more. Characters in creepy costumes will roam the streets of downtown Plano, and food and drinks will be available for purchase. The Fillmore Pub will serve up themed cocktails and mocktails. Costumes are encouraged, and kids should bring a bag or bucket for trick-or-treating.
Oct. 24 from 5 to 10 p.m. in downtown Plano. Free. events.visitplano.com/event/rest-in-plano-rip-2026.
Article continues below this ad
Plant lovers will have plenty of reasons to put down roots at PlantCon Dallas, a gathering celebrating all things green. The event features a 200-booth plant market with sellers from around the world, plus presentations, workshops and displays from leading brands in the plant world. Attendees can pick up tips from plant experts, discover new additions for their gardens and connect with fellow enthusiasts. Hands-on activities include creating kokedama moss-ball displays, painting pots and learning the art of bonsai.
Oct. 24-25 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. A two-day pass is $49 in advance ($55 the weekend of the event), and a Sunday pass is $39 in advance ($45 the weekend of the event). Children get in for $5 with an adult. A VIP pass is $249. Some workshops cost extra. plantcon.org/dallas.
This fall fantasy festival returns for its second season with more live entertainment, artisan shopping, seasonal food and drink offerings, and interactive experiences. Held at the same location as Waxahachie’s popular Scarborough Renaissance Festival, Scarborough’s Hollow was recognized by voters as the Favorite Faery/Fantasy Festival at the 21st annual Renaissance Festival Awards. Throughout the village, guests can shop for handcrafted goods; relax in lively pubs; experience live music, comedy and stage performances; and encounter whimsical creatures and colorful characters. Visitors are encouraged to wear family-friendly autumn, fantasy, Renaissance or period-inspired attire. Optional attractions add to the fun, including the spooky Blackthorn Haunted Castle, the whimsical Trickster’s 3D Fun House and the interactive scavenger hunt of the Secrets of Rottingwood Cemetery.
Article continues below this ad
Oct. 24, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 (for a special Día de los Muertos celebration) from 1 to 9 p.m. at the Scarborough Renaissance Festival grounds in Waxahachie. Tickets start at $29.70 for ages 13 and up and $16.50 for children ages 5 to 12. Free for younger kids. Season passes, bundled ticket packages and premium add-ons are also available. srfestival.com/hollow.
NorthPark Center is celebrating autumn’s return with its third annual Pumpkin Patch, featuring plantings, sculptural pumpkin creations, a gnome village, a maze and a wishing well. New additions for 2026 include giant toadstools, a witch’s hat and a pop-up restaurant featuring Italian dishes, desserts, drinks and seasonal favorites from Eataly Dallas. Family photo sessions are available for $20 if booked in advance or $25 for walk-ups on Saturdays and Sundays. The Pumpkin Patch hosts live music performances, children’s story times, movie showings and other events; check the mall’s website for a full schedule. All change collected at the wishing well will benefit the nonprofit Community Partners of Dallas.
Through Nov. 1 at NorthPark Center in Dallas. Free. northparkcenter.com.
Article continues below this ad
This family-friendly outdoor festival transforms Howell Family Farms in Arlington into an illuminated pumpkin and fall-art experience, with themed trails, art installations, mazes, and thousands of carved and lit pumpkins offering Instagram-ready photo ops. Visitors will follow a half-mile path through nine immersive pumpkin lands, including the fiery Forbidden City and the underwater world of Neon Reef. Seasonal food and drinks, games, vendors and fire-twirling shows add to the fun. Organizers say the walk typically takes about an hour.
Through Oct. 31 from 6 to 9 p.m. weekdays and 6 to 9:30 p.m. weekends at Howell Family Farms in Arlington. $26-$38 for ages 13 and up, $18-$28 for ages 4-12 and free for younger kids. VIP tickets are also available. Parking is $10 per car. pumpkinnights.com/dallas.
Celebrate the arrival of fall with more than 100,000 pumpkins, gourds and squash at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden’s popular annual festival. In addition to 66 acres of fall plantings, the event features six pumpkin houses inspired by the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Mark Rothko, Louise Bourgeois, Piet Mondrian, M.C. Escher and Jackson Pollock. Special events throughout the season include “Pumpkins and Pints,” where visitors can enjoy after-hours craft beer, wine and food trucks on Oct. 23 and 30.
Through Nov. 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden in Dallas. $21.95-$25.95 for ages 13 and up, $17.95-$21.95 for ages 3-12 and free for younger kids. Parking is $15 (free for members). dallasarboretum.org.
Just in time for the Halloween season, the BooMont Hotel is back at Galleria Dallas. Billed as a spooky but not scary attraction, the BooMont has been upgraded with two brand-new rooms, more square footage and bigger thrills. New attractions include a ghost pool, a haunted mirror maze and a master key scavenger hunt with 13 stops. The lore behind the BooMont says that it reopened last year after being shut down for a century following a mysterious lightning storm in 1925 that led to the disappearance of several guests, including proprietor Rupert B. BooMont. The hotel is filled with mysterious rooms, interactive spaces and photo ops — along with RFID technology that can send photos straight to guests’ smartphones. There are no jump scares, blood or gore at this attraction — just a spooky good time.
Through Nov. 1 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays, with some extended hours the week of Halloween, on Level 3 of Galleria Dallas in Dallas. Tickets are $21.18-$47.65. theboomont.com.