October in DFW: Must-Attend Events for a Fun-Filled Fall

October in Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) is a vibrant time filled with exciting events that celebrate the fall season, arts, culture, and the outdoors. Whether you're looking for spooky Halloween fun, lively festivals, or a cozy weekend at a local pumpkin patch, the DFW area has something for everyone. From family-friendly activities to music and food festivals, there's no shortage of ways to enjoy the cooler weather and the festive atmosphere. In this blog, we'll explore some of the must-attend events happening in DFW this October, so you can plan the perfect autumn outing!

DALLAS MOON FESTIVAL
Join the Texas Women Society in celebrating the Moon Festival, aka the Mid-Autumn Festival,  an Asian harvest festival honoring the brightest full moon of the year. Grab a seat on the lawn to admire its beauty, indulge in Asian street food, listen to live music, and shop local vendors!
Date: September 7th from 4pm to 9pm
Location: Flag Pole Hill Park
Price: Free

GRAPEFEST 2024
Mark your calendars for the 38th Annual GrapeFest, happening in Grapevine’s charming downtown. Main Street will be closed down to celebrate all things wine! Enjoy wine tastings, grape stomps, carnival games, live music performances, classic fair eats, and a market with local vendors.
Date: September 12th through the 15th
Location: Historic Downtown Grapevine
Price: $10

CINDERELLA BY TEXAS BALLET THEATER
Choreographed by former Artistic Director Ben Stevenson O.B.E., Cinderella is a family-friendly performance that will delight all ages with a special children’s area with activities and photo opportunities before every matinee show.
Date: September 13th through the 15th and September 20th through the 22nd
Location: Winspear Opera House (Dallas) and Bass Performance Hall (Fort Worth)
Price: $25+

FRIGHT FEST
Six Flags Over Texas is bringing back its Halloween celebration of haunted houses, scare zones, and live entertainment. Families can enjoy kid-friendly Halloween activities by day, and spooky haunts by night, complete with creepy characters in costume!
Date: September 13th through November 3rd, weekends only, times vary
Location: Six Flags Over Texas
Price: Varies

17TH ANNUAL MID AUTUMN FESTIVAL
Celebrates the fullest moon of the year with mesmerizing light shows, moon-themed decor, and delicious street food from all the Asia Times Square vendors. Eating a mooncake is a must!
Date: September 13th through the 15th
Location: Asia Times Square
Price: Free

HISPANIC HERITAGE CELEBRATION
The Dallas Arboretum’s 7th Annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration will honor all things Hispanic culture, from food to music and more! Shop a massive market of local vendors, see live cooking demonstrations, dance to live music, indulge in local eats and enjoy a Quinceañera Fashion Show!
Date: September 14th and 15th from 9am to 4pm
Location: Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Price: Included with garden admission

TRUCKTOBERFEST
Truck Yard Trucktoberfest Oktoberfest
Prost to Truck Yard’s Trucktoberfest with German music, food, and drinks, along with a variety of activities like stein hoisting, wiener dog racing, and a pretzel-eating contest!
Date: September 14th from noon to midnight
Location: Truck Yard Dallas
Price: Free

YESTERLAND FALL FESTIVAL & SPOOKTACULAR NIGHTS
A two-in-one celebration: a Fall Festival during the day and Spooktacular Nights (beginning September 28th) when the sun goes down. Pick your own sunflowers, enjoy fall-themed treats, explore a pumpkin patch and corn maze, watch pig races, and more. At night, play spooky games like Zombie Paintball, wander through a haunted fun house, and watch fireworks!
Date: September 14th through November 3rd, weekends only, times vary
Location: Yesterland Farm
Price: $17.95+

ADDISON OKTOBERFEST
Grab your lederhosen and get ready for one of the best and largest Oktoberfest celebrations in the United States! Enjoy all the German activities like stein hoisting, dancing, dachshund races, and live music entertainment. Come hungry to indulge in German food galore like pretzels and brats, paired with beer of course!
Date: September 19th through the 22nd
Location: Addison Circle Park
Price: $5 to $15

PUMPKIN NIGHTS
Immerse yourself in fantastical lands, all built from 7,500 hand-carved real and synthetic pumpkins. This year you can expect a pumpkin tunnel, an enchanted forest, a haunted pirate ship, a Dia De Los Muertos display, fire shows, pumpkin eats and drinks, and more.
Date: September 19th through October 31st, daily
Location: Howell Family Farms
Price: Varies

PLANO BALLOON FESTIVAL
Enjoy watching 30 magnificent, colorful, hot air balloons fill the sky, live music all weekend long, a kid's fun zone with inflatable rides, obstacle courses, huge slides, and more! This awe-inspiring event is truly magical, complete with aerial performances and even skydivers. Weather permitting.
Date: September 19th through the 22nd, times vary
Location: Red Tail Pavilion at Oak Point Park
Price: $5-$10

AUTUMN AT THE ARBORETUM
A fall bucket list item for most Dallasites, the Dallas Arboretum hosts its annual pumpkin extravaganza with more than 100,000 creating a beautiful display! This year’s theme is “Texas Town”, designed to represent a journey through our state’s history. All the pumpkins, gourds, and squash used come from Floydada, Texas, aka the pumpkin capital of Texas!
Date: September 21st through November 3rd
Location: Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Price: Included with admission

FORT WORTH OKTOBERFEST
Polka ‘til you drop at Fort Worth’s Oktoberfest, featuring a stacked lineup of music, including the Happy Hour Oktoberfestband, hailing all the way from Bavaria! Plus, feast as the Germans do, run a 5K or hang out in the biergarten!
Date: September 26th to the 28th
Location: Trinity Park
Price: $10 to $20

THE STATE FAIR OF TEXAS
The longest-running fair in the nation, the State Fair of Texas is a 24-day extravaganza of fried food, rides, games, concerts, and of course, Big Tex. This year’s best fried foods have already been announced, so explore the 2024 must-eats and plan your culinary adventure!
Date: September 27th through October 20th
Location: Fair Park
Price: $15 to $25, children and seniors discounted

DALLASITES101 OKTOBERFEST
Come dressed in your lederhosen and join us for our annual Oktoberfest festival at The Village! Enjoy Stein-hoisting competitions and costume contests with prizes, German fare from pretzels to turkey legs, live music from a local band, plus lots of beer and themed drinks. This event is 21+.
Date: September 28th from 6pm to midnight
Location: Over Under at The Village
Price: $15 to $20

LEWISVILLE WESTERN DAYS
Lewisville Western Days takes place the last weekend September with live music on six stages, the Padrino Foods World Tamale Eating Championship, food trucks and Western-themed activities.
Date: September 28th and 29th
Location: Wayne Ferguson Plaza
Price: Free until 6pm, $15 after

OKTOBERFEST AT COMMUNITY
Community Beer Co. Taproom is hosting an Oktoberfest and launching their seasonal beer releases. Sample all the brews and grab a commemorative stein, snack on German-inspired food from the Community Kitchen, and visit with adoptable dogs!
Date: September 28th from 11am to 11pm
Location: Community Beer Co.
Price: $15

UPTOWN BLOCK PARTY
The 7th Annual Uptown Block Party featuring a free concert in the streets of Uptown, is back! This year, Le Freak – “The Greatest Disco Band in the World” will play your favorite tunes while you enjoy food, games, photo ops, a market, and more!
Date: September 28th from 5:30pm to 10pm
Location: CityPlace
Price: Free

HISPANIC HERITAGE FESTIVAL
Join MLK Center in their celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month to learn more about Hispanic and Latin American history and culture, explore local vendors, food and drinks, live entertainment, and activities for children.
Date: October 5th from 10am to 2pm
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center
Price: Free

OKTOBERFEST DALLAS
Oktoberfest Dallas will have endless entertainment like Cory Morrow and a Taylor Swift cover artist, keg tapping and stein holding contests, along with a market village, kids zone, and festival hall. There will be plenty of beer and German classics like pretzels and brats, too!
Date: October 5th from 10am to 10pm
Location: Flag Pole Hill Park
Price: $20+

FRISCO OKTOBERFEST
The Star is always a go-to for fall events, and their Oktoberfest will be full of action, German cuisine, and beers on tap! Watch or compete in six contests: keg rolling races, a dachshund dash, a costume contest, stein hosting, a brat-eating contest, and stein relay races.
Date: October 5th from 11am to 9pm
Location: The Star
Price: Free

FLIGHT OF THE MONARCH FESTIVAL
Witness the annual migration of monarch butterflies as they begin their annual journey south! EpicCentral is hosting an enchanting afternoon of butterfly releases, vibrant live music, diverse food options, engaging activities, and more.
Date: October 5th from noon to 6pm
Location: EpicCentral
Price: Free

MAIZE DAYS
Murphy Maize Days is a free day-long festival bringing you family, fun, and corn. The event features several attractions including live music and performances, a midway, a classic car show, farm games, agritourism attractions and so much more!
Date: October 5th from noon to 6pm
Location: Murphy Central Park
Price: Free

COTTONWOOD ART FESTIVAL
Cottonwood Art Festival is a juried semi-annual art show that features work from the nation’s top visual artist, and takes place on the first full weekend in May and October each year. Beyond over 200 artists, there's live music, a beer garden, food vendors, crafts and more!
Date: October 5th and 6th
Location: Cottonwood Park
Price: Free

SOUTHLAKE OKTOBERFEST
Get in the Oktoberfest spirit at Southlake’s 23rd annual Oktoberfest! Stroll through the bustling town square, full of photo ops, hundreds of shops and vendors, eats, beer tents, and more!
Date: October 11th through the 13th
Location: Southlake Town Square
Price: Free

TASTE OF THE TROLLEY 2024
The beloved M-Line Trolley's annual fundraising event is back for 2024! Head to the Fashion Industry Gallery Downtown for a lively and fabulous night, all benefitting the M-Line! Sample delicious food from Uptown and Downtown’s best restaurants, enjoy live music, and bid in the auction for a chance to win artwork, autographed memorabilia, or even all-inclusive getaways to fantastic destinations!
Date: October 17th from 6pm to 10pm
Location: The Fashion Industry Gallery (FIG)
Price: $125

HUFFHINES HARVEST FEST
Huffhines Harvest Fest featuring Pawtoberfest is a two-day arts and crafts festival with a marketplace, live music, family activities, pumpkin decorating, a corn maze, a scarecrow village, a petting zoo, and a Pawtoberfest!
Date: October 19th and 20th
Location: Huffines Park
Price: Free

ENNIS AUTUMN DAZE
Take a day trip just south of DFW for this charming tradition! The 22nd Annual Ennis Autumn Daze features live music, a hay maze, carnival rides, a pumpkin patch, a cornhole tournament, and more. One of the best parts is the dozens of fall-themed photo ops, from pumpkins to hay bales, so bring your camera and come ready to snap some family pics!
Date: October 25th through 27th
Location: Historic Downtown Ennis
Price: Free

DIAS DE LOS MUERTOS PARADE & FESTIVAL
The 5th Annual Dallas Dia de los Muertos Parade and Festival, takes place all day at City Hall Plaza, with a parade from 7pm to 8pm and an evening filled with live music, a beautiful parade, delicious concessions, fun arts and crafts, and more!
Date: October 26th from 2pm to 10pm
Location: Dallas City Hall Plaza
Price: Free

GREEK FOOD FESTIVAL OF DALLAS
This beloved annual event is back!  Enjoy delicious Greek cuisine and pastries, spirited live music and traditional dance, fun kids’ attractions, and a marketplace brimming with imports from Greece!
Date: November 1st through the 3rd
Location: The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Price: $10

CHEFS FOR FARMERS
Now in its 14th year, Chefs For Farmers returns to showcase the best of the best chefs, farmers, artisans and more. Enjoy farm visits and intimate dinners leading up to the Main Event where you can eat and drink your way through dozens of the best chefs and restaurants in town!
Date: November 1st through the 3rd
Location: Old City Park
Price: $145+

CULTURE IN THE CORE & LIGHT UP LOCKWOOD
The annual Culture in The CORE and Light Up Lockwood events will take place in a combined event this year! Culture in The CORE is a free, family-friendly event that brings together the city of Richardson for music, dance, food, and arts of different cultures. Stick around for Light Up Lockwood, a stunning water tower light show!
Date: November 2nd from 2:30pm to 9pm
Location: Main Street Plaza
Price: Free

DALLAS BREW FESTIVAL
Calling all beer drinkers and aficionados! This fan-fave annual event will feature over 60 breweries and 200 beers! Beyond the brews, enjoy eats from food trucks, jam to 80s and 90s cover bands, play lawn games, and more!
Date: November 9th from 1pm to 5pm
Location: Old City Park
Price: $50+