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Fall Festivals

Best time of the year

Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld
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Full Moon Festival

CELEBRATING FALL West U Parks and Recreation will host its Full Moon Festival at Colonial Park Oct. 18, with pumpkin decorating, face painting and costume contests.

Cooler fall temperatures means we can comfortably venture outdoors these days. Here are some ideas for how to spend your fall weekends.

Original Greek Festival

Oct. 3-6; hours vary 

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 3511 Yoakum Blvd.

Opa! The 53rd Houston Greek Festival includes live music, dance, authentic cuisine and imported gifts and jewelry.

Admission: $5; free 12 and younger

Trill Comedy Festival 

Oct. 3-6; hours vary 

Station Theater, 1230 Houston Ave.

Ten shows over four days, with more than 120 comedians performing. Headliners: Vanessa Gonzalez and White Women. 

Houston Margarita Festival

Oct 5; noon-10 p.m.

Water Works Park at Buffalo Bayou, 105 Sabine

Cheers to the fall season with a limbo contest, salsa contest and bands. Ages 21 and up.  

Admission: starting at $8

11th Annual Korean Festival

Oct. 5; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. 

Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney St.

Get a taste of Korean culture with food, traditional and modern performances, crafts and games.  

Admission: Free

Houston Italian Festival 

Oct. 10-13; hours vary 

University of St. Thomas, 3800 Montrose Blvd. 

The Italian Cultural and Community Center presents the 41st Houston Italian Festival. Bingo, wine, music, pasta-eating contest. 

Admission: $6; free on Thursday and on Friday until 4 p.m.

Diwali Bazaar

Oct. 12; 6-10 p.m. 

Bellaire-Zindler Park, 7008 5th St., Bellaire

Celebrate Diwali – the annual festival of lights and the new year celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists – with Indian food, classical and Bollywood dance performances and vendor booths.

Admission: $40; children $20. Price includes dinner, entertainment and henna. 

Bayou City Art Festival

Oct. 12-13; 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Downtown Houston, 901 Bagby St.

Art, music, food and a Children’s Creative Zone at this festival benefitting local nonprofits. 

Admission: $10-16; $5 for children 6-12

Full Moon Festival at Colonial Park

Oct. 18, 5:30-7 p.m.

Colonial Park, 4130 Byron St.

Get in the fall spirit with West U Parks and Recreation’s annual Full Moon Festival. Pumpkin decorating, face painting and costume contests. 

Admission: Free

ZiegenBock Music Festival

Oct. 18, 6 p.m.; Oct. 19, 4 p.m. 

Sam Houston Race Park, 7575 North Sam Houston Pkwy W.

The ZiegenBock Music Festival returns to Sam Houston Race Park for the 17th year. Headliners: Aaron Watson and Josh Abbott Band.

Admission: $20  

Nature Discovery Center’s Pumpkin Patch Festival 

Oct. 19-20; 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Nature Discovery Center, 7112 Newcastle St., Bellaire

Pumpkins, games, horse-drawn wagons, food trucks, bounce house, obstacle course and more at this family-friendly festival. 

Admission: Free

9th Annual Houston Halloween Festival 

Oct. 19; 5-10 p.m.

200-300 blocks of 19th St. 

Celebrate Halloween with entertainment, food trucks, art vendors, a “blood splatter zone,” a kids’ costume contest and more. Proceeds go to Too Ghoul for School Education fund. 

Admission: $10; children 11 and under free with ticketed adult

ArBOOretum

FALL FUN The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center hosts its ArBOOretum festival Oct. 19, with pony rides, pumpkin decorating, a Trick-or-Treat Nature Trail and more. (Photo: Ethelyn Kuldell)

ArBOOretum

Oct. 19; 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, 4501 Woodway Dr. 

Wear your costumes and enjoy pumpkin decorating, a trick-or-treat nature trail, train rides, a petting zoo, pony rides, face painting, food trucks, Halloween market and spooky science show. 

Admission: Free for members; nonmembers $15-20; kids under 3 free

Water Lantern Festival Houston 

Oct. 19; 4-10 p.m. 

Magnolia Garden Houston, 12044 Beach St.

Design your own lantern and launch it to float on the water. This family-friendly festival includes food trucks and music. 

Admission: $40, or $30 in advance

Wings Over Houston Airshow

Oct. 19-20; 8 a.m.-4:15 p.m. (last entry at 3 p.m.)

Ellington Airport/Lone Star Flight Museum, 11551 Aerospace Ave.

Take in the sights and sounds of military aircraft. Headliner performers are the U.S.A.F. Thunderbirds and Royal Canadian Air Force. Displays of modern aircraft. Meet aviation and military legends and heroes. 

Admission: $30 

Bellaire Great Lawn

PUMPKIN SEASON Kids are invited to wear Halloween costumes and hunt for toys and candy at the Bellaire Great Lawn Oct. 24. (Photo: Dee Zunker Photography)

The Great Pumpkin Hunt

Oct. 24, 4-5:30 p.m.

Bellaire Great Lawn, 7008 S. Rice Ave., Bellaire

Kids ages 10 and under are invited to dress in Halloween costumes and hunt for toys and candy. Grand prize for each age group (0-4 and 5-10). The hunt begins at 4:30 p.m.

Admission: Free

Houston ScreamFest

Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays in October, plus Oct. 29-31; hours vary

1500 Elton St.

Haunted house and festival, with zombie paintball, live concerts and carnival games.

Admission: $40

Art @ Discovery Green

Oct. 26-27, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Discovery Green, downtown, 1500 McKinney St.

Featuring 75 U.S. artists. Shop for paintings, sculpture, photography and jewelry at this fine art and contemporary art market. Crafts and activities.

Admission: Free 

Scream on the Green

Oct. 25, 6-10 p.m.

Discovery Green, downtown, 1500 McKinney St.

Wear your Halloween costume and head to Discovery Green for a costume contest and celebration with games, a movie, living statues, fortune tellers, a sing-along, music and more. 

Admission: Free 

Houston Grilled Cheese Festival

Nov. 9, 12:30-7:30 p.m. 

Midtown Park, 2811 Travis St.  

If grilled cheese is your favorite food, you will enjoy this event. Samplings of grilled cheese and an open bar. Ages 21 and up. 

Admission: $49-85

Worth the drive

Texas Renaissance Festival

Oct. 5-Dec. 1 on Saturdays, Sundays and Thanksgiving Friday; 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

21778 FM 1774, Todd Mission

Travel back in time with performances, shopping and feasting. Themed weekends include Oktoberfest (Oct. 5-6), 1001 Dreams (fairies and fanciful creatures, Oct. 12-13), Pirate Adventure (Oct. 19-20), All Hallow’s Eve (Oct 26-27), Return to the Renaissance (Nov. 2-3), Heroes and Villains (Nov. 9-10), Barbarian Invasion (Nov. 16-17), Highland Fling (Nov. 23-24) and Celtic Christmas (Nov. 29-Dec. 1).

Admission: $23.95; $11.95 kids 5-11

Austin City Limits Music Festival

HEADING TO ACL The Austin City Limits Music Festival takes over Austin the first two weekends in October; headliners this year include Guns N’ Roses, The Cure, Billie Eilish and Cardi B. (Photo: Sara Marjorie Strick)

Austin City Limits Music Festival

Oct. 4-6 and Oct. 11-13  

Zilker Park, 2100 Barton Springs Road, Austin

A two-weekend music festival. Headliners include Guns N’ Roses, Mumford & Sons, Childish Gambino, The Cure, Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Tame Impala, Robyn and Megan Thee Stallion. See complete lineup online.

Admission: $105 and up 

Dewberry Farm Fall Festival

Through Nov. 10, Saturdays and Sundays; hours vary 

Dewberry Farm, FM 362 & Morrison Road, Brookshire 

Corn maze, pumpkins to pick, live entertainment, fireworks show, biergarten and more. 

Admission: $31.82 

Boo on the Boardwalk

Weekends in October; hours vary

Kemah Boardwalk, 215 Kipp Ave., Kemah

Get in the Halloween spirit on Freaky Fridays, Spooky Saturdays and Scary Sundays on Kemah Boardwalk. Haunted house, fun house, Witches Night Out, costume contest.

Admission: Fees for rides and food.

The Great Harvest Festival

Oct 12, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Bicentennial Park, 1001 Market St., Baytown

Celebrate fall with carnival rides, games, a petting zoo and more.

Admission: Free

38th Annual Island Oktoberfest 

Oct. 25-26; hours vary 

First Lutheran Church, 2415 Winnie St., Galveston

Live entertainment in the Oktoberfest spirit, with folk dancing, German food and libations, arts and crafts, children’s activities and more.

Admission: Free  

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