Terrifying Halloween Events in Texas

Texas is undoubtedly one of the best places to celebrate Halloween, thanks to its rich haunted history and the incredible number of spooky  Halloween Texas events that take place every year.

The month of October comes with intensive preparation for this famous celebration, and everybody rushes to prepare the scariest decor and the ugliest cakes.

This article will tell you everything you need to know about how to celebrate a memorable Halloween in Texas and will tell you exactly where you can buy the best costumes and where to go for a memorable celebration.

Some of the following links are affiliate links. When you buy something using the retail links in our article, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost for you. You can read our full disclosure disclaimer and privacy policy.

Best outfits for Halloween in Texas this year

You can choose a DIY costume that takes a lot of time and effort, or you can simply buy the trendiest costume from a designated store.

Your primary source of inspiration should be the movies and the TV shows, and here you should include popular movies from Netflix like Bridgerton, Stranger Things and Euphoria, the red carpet outfits, and even the internet’s best memes.

I drop below a list of the most popular costumes for this year’s celebration so you can shock your neighbors and impress your friends.

1. The outfits were worn by the characters from “House of the Dragon”

2. Velma

You are always in trend with Velma’s outfit from the Scooby Doo movie, a simple outfit consisting in a pair of striking specs and an orange sweater.

3. Kate Sharma in ‘Bridgerton’

4. Wednesday Addams

5. Elvis

Best store from Texas for Halloween

Finding the best outfit for this year’s celebration might require a lot of time and effort, especially if you don’t know where to find the best stores in town.

Each town, no matter how small it is have plenty of stores with a dedicated area for this celebration.

But if you want to have all your eyes on you, then you must go to the best stores to buy your outfit.

Here is a list of the best stores in Texas

Texas Halloween stores in Dallas Texas

• Norcostco Texas Costume
• Catalina 5G Halloween Costume Shop
• Dallas Costume shop

Halloween stores in Austin Texas

• Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds
• Coco Coquette
• Spirit Halloween stores 

Halloween stores in Tyles Texas

• Spirit Halloween Tyler Texas

Halloween Stores in San Antonio

• Hocus Pocus Halloween Costume Shop
• Cherry’s Costumes Galore
• Gibson Costume Shop

Halloween events in Texas and the best cities to go

San Antonio: The Haunted River

Right on the San Antonio River Walk at the Arneson Theater, there is a party for adults with live music, adult costume contest, a river parade, dance, and trick or treat for a fun and exciting night.

There is no entrance fee for the event or the contest, and there are plenty of trucks with food and beverage in the area.

As for younger people, there is also a Haunted River Jr, with live music, costume contests, and all kind of fun activities that take place late in the afternoon.

Corpus Christi: Day of the Dead Celebration

 This celebration has Mexican roots, as in Mexico, people celebrate the Day of the Dead at the end of October.

Over the years, some of the elements characteristic to this celebration had been taken over by the Texan people, and today, some of the towns from Texas celebrate their own Day of the Dead.

A place that keeps many of this celebration’s original elements takes part every year in Corpus Christi, so head directly to this magnificent town to celebrate Halloween uniquely.

Halloween events at Zoo or Boo at the Zoo

Nothing is more interesting for your kids than visiting a zoo and celebrating Halloween simultaneously.

For this reason, almost every zoo in Texas has special programs during this celebration, with activities that include carnival games, haunted houses, candies, hayrides, face painting, and interacting with animals.

Each zoo across the state tries to attract visitors with different programs and promises a lot of fun and exciting moments for the entire family.

During this Halloweekend, you can have fun in the bounce house, spider-themed hay maze, or the opportunity to hit the pumpkin patch.

Each Zoo across Texas has the freedom to decide over their program and the celebration date.

Most of the events take place in the afternoon, during a whole week, like Houston ZOO between October 2 and November 1 or Fort Worth, where the activities last from October 22 to 25.

Smithville: Scream Hollow Wicked Park

Looking for a spooky adventure for your next Texas Halloween?

Head to Smithville, to the forest near Bastrop, where you can find one of the scariest themed parks in Texas.

The park comes alive starting in mid-September, and usually, it stays open until the end of the first week of November.

Spread over the 20-acre forest, you will find more than 20 buildings, including haunted houses like the Slaughterhouse, Wicked Darkness, Mansion of Terror, and Lost Pines Asylum.

Each of the 20 houses will provide you with more than 15 minutes of terror, so come prepared for a hard-core experience.

You will be introduced to each of these houses, and in about 15 minutes, you will have to find your way out, confronting all these spooky obstacles.

Children under 12 years are not allowed in the park, and young people between 12 to 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult.

Arlington: Fright Fest

A popular event for the whole family is Fright Fest at Six Flags Over Texas, which takes place every weekend from the end of September to the 1st of November.

There are plenty of attractions in the area suitable for kids and adults, and the interesting part is that something new is added to the celebration every year.

Try a full adrenaline park ride, or venture into a haunted house to avoid the ghouls and zombies that roam freely inside the park.

There are many live performances and shows during the celebration and if you are looking for an extra shot of fright, come back after dark when more ghouls and zombies are being released in the park and are waiting for you in each dark corner.

Waxahachie: Screams Halloween Theme Park

This seasonal theme park is located on the Scarborough Faire Site right outside of Dallas and features 5 haunted houses, a food court, a tavern, singing contests, zombie walk alleys and live entertainment.

There are a wide variety of games of skill and a place where you can have your fortune read.

People under 16 are not allowed inside the park, and no costumes are permitted at the event.

Houston: Halloween Festival

The Houston Halloween Festival is one of the many festivals across the United States that raise money for charity.

The festival is open to the public of all ages, and there is a 10 USD fee, a donation collected from every participant.

You will find here live music, food and beverages, crafts and arts vendors, kids’ costume contest, a fright zone, and many other activities that will keep you busy and entertained the whole day.

And the Halloween weekend can not pass without a pub crawl in Houston, home to amazing bars and pubs that offers unique and interesting decors and events for Halloween fest.

Sealy: Boo Bash

How about spending a quality evening with your family and celebrating Halloween together with your kids in a magnificent place?

The Boo Bash in Sealy is a family festival with quality music, face painting, contests, food and drink, balloons and a lot of interesting games suitable for everybody.

Let your kids go on a train ride and meet goblins and mellow ghosts along their ride.

New Braunfels: Día de Los Muertos

As I told you earlier, Dia de Los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead, is a Latin celebration inspired by Mexican culture.

If Corpus Christi is too far from you, consider visiting New Braunfels for a different way to celebrate Halloween Texas.

This family festival took place right outside of San Antonio, and it is the best destination for a family celebration.

Plenty of kids’ activities, food trucks, face painters, shopping specials, games, and contests guarantee you a lot of good time.

Here you will find people dressed in costumes worn by the Mexican people at the Day of the Dead and even mariachis singing at every corner.

Denton: Halloween Fest

Another suitable festival for the entire family that takes place at the North Texas Fairgrounds is the Halloween Fest from Denton.

The festival is organized by the Denton Pride Foundation, one of the biggest LGBTQ and holiday events in Texas state.

You will find a lot of games suitable for the entire family, food, beverages, a Halloween Drag Show, costume contests, live entertainment and plenty of Halloween activities.

Best movies for the best Halloween Texas

1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

If you did not manage to buy a Texas chainsaw massacre Halloween decoration, then at least you can see the famous movie which inspired all these costumes.

After almost half a century of hiding, Leatherface returns to terrorize a group of young buddies who disrupt his shielded world in the secluded town of Texas.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is definitely a movie you don’t have to miss if you are looking for quality terror scenes.

2. No One Gets Out Alive

The movie describes the story of an immigrant searching for the American dream that finds himself in a nightmare after accepting to take a room in a boardinghouse.

3. Incantation

This 2022 Taiwanese movie was inspired by a real incident that took place in the Gushan District.

A family claimed that they were possessed by all kinds of evil entities from Chinese mythology.

The oldest daughter died, and the rest of the family was arrested by local authorities.

Don’t miss Incantation, a SF horror movie that will make you dream of unreal characters this night.

Conclusion

Texas is the right place to go if you are looking for a frightful but also fun way to celebrate Halloween.

There are plenty of haunted houses, spooky parties, and themed parks so that you and your family will have a lot of fun.

Start your preparations immediately, after the fall festival to have your outfit ready on time and get ready for ghost tours and zombie meetings that take place all across the state.