When the winds change and you feel that first, slightly cooler breeze, we fall lovers breathe a sigh of relief and get excited about all that’s in store for the season. And many of the best family festivals in Dallas-Fort Worth you can rely on to come back year after year. Here’s our shortlist of what’s slated for the 2025 fall season and why these outings are worth adding to your list of family traditions: arts festivals, pumpkin patches with mazes, huge trick-or-treating parties and early Christmas exhibits to add to your Google calendar.
Get the details below to plan your fall, and for many more kid-friendly events and activities, search through our calendar to find what’s coming up near you.
Fall Festivals Around Dallas
State Fair of Texas
Where: Fair Park, Dallas
When: September 26–October 19, 2025
Why go? Howdy, readers. Don’t have a big budget? First, check out the fair’s plethora of discounts, and second, take advantage of all that comes with your general admission tickets: all the live music concerts, the petting zoo and rodeos, nightly fireworks and lighted parade. Plus, for the thrill-seekers in your family, get in line for the two new thrill rides, including the Thunderbird, the tallest portable swing tower in North America (must at least 48 inches tall).
Admission: General admission, depending on the day, starts at $14 for kids; under 3 free. But there are plenty of discount days too.
Learn more details here.
Aviation Discovery Fest
Where: Dallas Executive Airport
When: Friday–Saturday, October 3–4, 2025
Why go? During this weekend fest hosted by the Commemorative Air Force, you’ll have the opportunity to climb inside the cockpit of several vintage aircraft, hear living history reenactors recount war stories, and even hop in a half-track military vehicle for a spin around the tarmac. That and all the STEM activities inside the Aviation Discovery Zone will surely fill the day.
Admission: $20 for adults; free for kids on Friday.
Learn more details here.
Cottonwood Art Festival
Where: Cottonwood Park, Richardson
When: Saturday–Sunday, October 4–5, 2025
Why go? Lead your art-loving kids through the outdoor art galleries and make a bee line toward the ArtStop. At this children’s area, volunteers will lead your littles in different crafts, from painting and bead-stringing to clay throwing. Then take the walking path over the pond toward the Chalk the Walk area to see what young and local artists have dreamed up on the concrete. This festival comes around twice each year, so save the date for May 2–3, 2026.
Admission: Free admission
Learn more details here.
Plano International Festival
Where: Haggard Park, Plano
When: Saturday, October 18, 2025
Why go? Expand your kid’s world with a simple trip to the park. They’ll earn stamps in their festival passport by visiting the booths at this annual cultural party with food, live performances and kids activities.
Admission: Free admission
Learn more details here.
Halloween at the Heard
Where: Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, McKinney
When: Saturday, October 18, 2025
Why go? Don’t worry, this evening party is only slightly spooky—with trick-or-treating along the Dinosaurs Live! hiking trail and a screening of Monsters Inc. at the outdoor amphitheater.
Admission: $20 adults; $15 children; under 3 free. Tickets always sell out in advance, so don’t wait to book them.
Learn more details here.
Huffines Harvest Fest
Where: Huffines Park, Richardson
When: Saturday–Sunday, October 18–19, 2025
Why go? Here’s a fun fall activity you won’t find many other places: DIY scarecrows! Dress up the provided scarecrows with the costumes and pumpkin heads of your choice for a silly activity, plus enjoy costume contests and more kid-friendly fun like a petting zoo and face painting.
Admission: Free admission
Learn more details here.
Crown Hill’s Día de los Muertos Celebración
Where: Crown Hill Memorial Park and Mausoleum, Dallas
When: Sunday, November 2, 2025
Why go? For those around Dallas, how’d you like to party in a cemetery? The Hughes Family Tribute Center, located in the Bachman Lake area, hosts its 11th annual celebration at its historic, Art Deco-era mausoleum. Stay until the early evening for the Mayan dancing by Grupo Pakal, as well as folklórico dancing and mariachi music. And a special art installation: Alebrijes: Spirit Animals by artist Ricardo Alarcón, will be on view starting October 18.
Admission: Free admission
Learn more details here.
RELATED: Where to Celebrate Día de los Muertos in DFW
Tianyu Lights Festival
Where: Outside the Texas Trust CU Theatre, Grand Prairie
When: November 7, 2025–January 18, 2026
Why go? This isn’t your typically holiday lights show. Back in DFW for its second year, Tianyu showcases nearly 20 scenes all made from lanterns and live performances by acrobats. Plus, the kid-friendly activities made it all the more illuminating: a playground floor with square that light up as you step on them and, new this year, “Magic Rides” for kids, glowing mobile cars that kids can hop on until 9pm each night.
Admission: Tickets from $16. Additional fee for the Magic Rides.
Learn more details here.
Festival at the Switchyard
Where: Historic Downtown Carrollton
When: Saturday, November 8, 2025
Why go? This festival is so easy on your wallet because all the rides and games are free. No wristbands required. Bands will be playing all day, and getting closer to dark, the square will fill up with fans rocking out to big names like the Spin Doctors and Sixpence None the Richer and headliner Rick Springfield.
Admission: Free admission, concerts and children’s activities.
Learn more details here.
Grand Tree Lighting & Illumination Celebration
Where: Galleria Dallas
When: Starting Friday, November 28, 2025
Why go? The Galleria boasts the U.S.’s tallest indoor Christmas tree, all lit up and standing tall in the middle of the shopping center’s ice skating rink at Center Court. You’ll crane your neck looking up at it while skating with the kids or looking down from the upper levels. On opening weekend, to kick off the tree lighting, don’t miss the impressive ice-skating shows starring some impressive skaters: not only Olympic skaters but also an annual favorite named Missile Toes, an ice-skating Santa Claus who can backflip and shoots fireworks from his skates. See the performances at noon on Nov. 28 and 29, and the next Saturday, December 6.
Admission: Free admission
Learn more details here.
Find more fall festivals, Christmas events and more at dfwchild.com/calendar.
Fall Festivals Around Fort Worth
Pumpkin Nights
Where: Howell Farms, Arlington
When: September 18–October 31, 2025
Why go? After dark, this nature trail will be set aglow with more than 7,500 pumpkins—all set up in elaborate, themed vignettes like the Spider Alley or the Forbidden City, with an enormous 40-foot dragon at its centerpiece.
Admission: Tickets for this not-too-spooky walk through the woods starts at $16; under 4 free.
Learn more details here.
RELATED: The Best Pumpkin Patches Around North Texas
Hall’s Pumpkin Farm
Where: Hall’s Pumpkin Farm, Grapevine (close to Compass Church in Colleyville)
When: Open October 3, 2025, and typically through the first weekend of November
Why go? Its towering, 2-acre corn maze, play areas and plenty of pumpkins make this working farm, just west of DFW International Airport, a hotspot for fall fun. Hayrides take you out into the pastures to see the cows and the new resident donkeys, with more farm animals
Admission: Note that this farm is cash only, so be sure to stop by the ATM before your drive out here. Weekend admission is $15 for adults and teens; $10 for kids; under 4 free. For that you’ll get access to the corn maze and parking, but be sure to bring an extra $3 or $5 for the hayrides. Admission is cheaper on Wednesday and Thursday: only $5.
Learn more here.
Day Out with Thomas
Where: Grapevine Vintage Railroad
When: Friday–Sunday, October 10–12 and 17–19, 2025
Why go? Behind his smiling face, this life-size Thomas has got some major muscle. He’ll be pulling the railcars full of families/loyal fans for half-hour train rides.
Admission: Climb aboard for $26; free for lapsit kids under 1. Your ticket includes a full party of magic shows, puppet shows and a costumed Sir Topham Hatt.
Learn more details here.
ArtsGoggle
When: Saturday, October 11, 2025
Where: Near Southside neighborhood, Fort Worth
Why go? This massive, arts and music festival along Magnolia Avenue spans 21 city blocks, which means lots of room to roam with your little arts lovers. (A free trolley will run you to and fro the free parking lots too.) You’ll have all day to walk the one-mile stretch to see works by more than 1,000 arts, listen to live music and fill up on eats from food vendors, like the waffle pops from Mama Lama, topped with fruit.
Admission: Free admission
Learn more details here.
Fall Roundup
Where: Nash Farm, Grapevine
When: Saturday, October 11, 2025
Why go? Fall means harvest-time, which is an especially good time to visit Grapevine’s historic farmstead near downtown. Nash Farm’s Fall Round-Up is a 25th annual ag fest with plenty of opportunity for playtime with its farm animals and chuckwagon demos. Have some of your own handiworks that you’d like to show off? Bring your knitting or embroidery projects to compete in the Traditions in the Making exhibit.
Admission: Free admission
Learn more details here.
River Legacy Fall Festival
Where: River Legacy Nature Center, Arlington
When: Saturday, October 11, 2025
Why go? On this day, enjoying the “great outdoors” translates to hay rides, rock climbing, and taking your chances in the dunk tank—all that and more family fun activities planned for the annual fundraiser and outdoor festival.
Admission: $8; under 3 free. Or get the Family Fun Pack, which bundles four admission tickets and $20 in coupons for food and games.
Learn more details here.
Butterfly Flutterby
Where: Grapevine Botanical Gardens at Heritage Park
When: Saturday, October 18, 2025
Why go? Just when monarch butterflies famously begin their migration south, this 28th annual festival is a fun excuse for your kids witness butterfly releases and dress up in their butterfly costumes too. They’ll get to join a costume contest and enjoy all sorts of butterfly-focused science activities and crafts. And it’s all taking place in this garden with a 22-foot-tall butterfly sculpture at its center.
Admission: Free admission
Learn more details here.
Celebración de Día de los Muertos
Where: Fort Worth Botanic Garden
When: Sunday, October 26, 2025
Why go? That already gorgeous view of the Rose Garden staircase? It’ll be covered in a stunning blanket of 150,000 marigold blooms on this day featuring a ceremonial procession with live Catrinas and a community ofrenda altar that visitors are welcome to contribute to.
Admission: Half-price admission that day: $6 adults; $3 children; under 6 free.
Learn more here.
RELATED: Where to Celebrate Día de los Muertos in DFW
Japanese Fall Festival
Where: Fort Worth Botanic Garden
When: Saturday–Sunday, November 1–2, 2025
Why go? For the rest of us who can’t swing a family vacation to Tokyo, there’s the Fort Worth Japanese Garden. The prettiest times to visit—with its Japanese maple trees—and are each spring and fall, which is also when the garden hosts these Japanese fests. Expect a full schedule of performances and kids activities like origami—all inside the walls of this gorgeous landscape. No visit is complete without a walk over the moon bridge and feeding the koi fish. Can’t wait for more here? Save the date for Lightscape exhibit, returning November 22.
Admission: Tickets from $6; under 6 free.
Learn more details here.
ICE! Featuring Elf
Where: Gaylord Texan, Grapevine
When: November 14, 2025–January 4, 2026
Why go? Buddy the Elf is the star of this massive, frozen exhibit, featuring many of the most hilarious scenes from the Christmas comedy carved out of colorful ice blocks. It’s as cool as it is literally freezing—they’ll give you an extra parka to wear during your walk-through—and that’s just the start of the resort’s holiday fun. Stay the whole day for exploring the ice slides, snow tubing, and photos with Santa.
Admission: ICE! tickets from $34.32 for adults; from $24.32 for children; children under 4 free. Pricing varies for other activities.
Learn more details here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What should I bring to a fall festival with kids in DFW?
A: Most outdoor festivals allow wagons and strollers (the State Fair even rents them out for the day) and some venues have stricter bag policies too but make exceptions diaper bags and baby formula. Always double check the venue’s policy for more specifics.
Q: Which Dallas or Fort Worth fall festivals are best for photos with kids?
A: For cute photos with farm animals? Nash Farm’s Fall Round-Up. For the coolest scenery, the Gaylord’s ICE! exhibition is always a showstopper, showcasing a different theme and characters each year.
Q: When do fall festivals usually start in Dallas–Fort Worth?
A: Expect many of the pumpkin patches open in mid-September, October’s awesome for outdoor festivals, and many of the season-long Christmas exhibits open in mid-November.
Q: Which fall festivals in DFW are good for toddlers?
A: Day Out with Thomas is a must-go for every toddler in their choo choo-obsessed era.
Find more fall festivals, Christmas events and more at dfwchild.com/calendar.
