Halloween Events in Houston: Your 2026 Guide

Houston doesn’t do Halloween in one neighborhood. The big haunted houses are spread across the metro, with Channelview to the east, Rosharon to the south, Richmond to the west and Old Town Spring to the north, and the zoo, the Kemah Boardwalk and Discovery Green each run their own October programs. So the first question is less what to do than where you’re starting from, and how many people you’re bringing.

Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, and most of the paid attractions run for weeks around it, so a weeknight, a weekend or Halloween itself all work. What follows is the whole season in one place: a quick-reference table first, then the detail by type of night.

Best Things to Do at Halloween in Houston

This table groups the main kinds of Halloween outing in Houston for 2026, with a few of our picks from each. Ages are the organizers’ own guidance where they give one, and the sections below link to each official page, so check there before you buy.

Activity	Our Picks	Family-Friendly?
Haunted Houses	13th Floor Houston, Phobia Haunted Houses, Creepy Hollow, Houston Scream Fest	Mostly no. Most are for teens (12+), and 13th Floor may be too intense for 12 and under
Escape Rooms	Zombie Bunker at Exit Lab Houston, Chainsaw Massacre at PanIQ, Screams from Below at Escape it Houston	Older kids and teens. Zombie Bunker is ages 12 and up
Pumpkin Patches & Fall Fests	Dewberry Farm, Blessington Farms, Oil Ranch, Houston Pumpkin Festival	Yes
Trick-or-Treat Events	Community Trunk or Treat at Houston Botanic Garden, CityCentre Trick-or-Treat, Halloween Village at Traders Village	Yes, they are built for kids
Dates	Houston Hollow Heart Hauntings Ghost Tour, 13th Floor Houston, a private escape room	Mostly an adult night out, though the ghost tour is listed as all ages
Team Outings	Creepy Hollow and Haunted Trails group rates, Exit Lab team building packages	No, these suit colleagues rather than kids

Haunted Houses in Houston

Houston’s haunts are big productions, usually with several attractions on one ticket. The useful way to sort them is by what else they give you besides the scare, because that’s what decides which one fits your group.

13th Floor Houston: the all-in-one

13th Floor Houston is the haunt built for a full evening. Its 2026 lineup is Jason Universe: Survive the Night, a licensed Jason Voorhees walkthrough, plus Containment Sector 9 (an alien experiment gone wrong under a barn) and Cannibals Crossing. Around the houses it has a 21+ bar called The Hideout, two five-minute mini escape games, a live Zombie Apocalypse game with GellyBall shooting, and axe throwing. Tickets are online only, and it warns the experience may be too intense for children 12 and under.

Phobia: the biggest by count

Phobia is the volume option, with 8 haunts on Beltway 8 (5250 S. Sam Houston Pkwy E.) and 2 at the Kemah Boardwalk. Prices in the Haunted Attraction Network’s guide are $40 for three houses and up to $50 for five on Beltway 8, and $30 for both Kemah houses. Phobia says to allow about 15 minutes per attraction and that there are no refunds, so choose the night you can actually make.

Creepy Hollow: full contact

Creepy Hollow in Rosharon is a drive south of the city and sells itself on physical scares. The $40 ticket covers three attractions (Dark Woods, Pitch Black and Scare Factory), and the grounds also have stage shows and a lounge. The actors will touch you unless you pay $10 for the No Touch Pass, there’s a $20 VIP Speed Pass at the box office, and the booth takes cash only.

Houston Scream Fest: the one you can half-join

At 1500 Elton St., Houston Scream Fest is set up so that not everyone has to go in. Park entry is free and includes live music, free drinks and a midway, and the haunted house is a separate $40 per person. That makes it the easiest haunt for a mixed group where only some people want to be scared. It opens at 8pm.

Haunted Trails: the outdoor one

The Haunted Trails & Hayride in Old Town Spring (26302 Preston Ave.) starts with a hay wagon ride to the edge of the woods, then a walk down a trail past live actors and sets. General admission is $35 plus tax, with a Fast Pass for $10 more. It’s outdoors, so it closes in extreme weather.

Houston Terror Dome and Redrum Fear Park

Houston Terror Dome in Channelview (16030 East Freeway) lists general admission at $29.99 to $34.99. Redrum Fear Park in Richmond has a new 2026 attraction called Live Industries. Mommy Poppins rates Redrum 13 and up and the other haunts here 12 and up.

If you’re torn between them, the practical difference is distance. Phobia and 13th Floor are in Houston proper, Creepy Hollow is south, Redrum is west and Terror Dome is east. Pick the one closest to where your group starts, since the drive between them can eat an evening.

Scary and Halloween Escape Rooms in Houston

A haunted house is something that happens to you. An escape room is something you do, which makes it a better scare for a small group that wants to think as well as jump. Horror rooms are rarer than adventure and mystery ones, so these are the ones that lean dark.

Zombie Bunker at Exit Lab Houston

We run Zombie Bunker at 6400 Southwest Fwy. Your group is inside an abandoned military bunker searching for a cure to a zombie virus, with 60 minutes on the clock. It’s rated hard, it’s for ages 12 and up, and it takes 2 to 10 players at $33 each.

The tension comes from dark corridors and tricky puzzles, not gore. Every booking is private, so it’s only the people you came with. We’re open daily except Tuesdays, until 10 or 11pm, and weekends fill up fast. Our guide to Houston’s horror escape rooms compares the other options in more detail.

Chainsaw Massacre at PanIQ

PanIQ Escape Room Houston, at 1017 Eagle St., has a room called Chainsaw Massacre. The premise is a car breaking down and leaving you locked in an abandoned shed. It’s a 60-minute game for 2 to 7 players. PanIQ sets age rules by room, so check them when you book if kids are coming.

Screams from Below at Escape it Houston

Escape it Houston’s East location in Humble has a horror room called Screams from Below, which Mommy Poppins lists as 18 and up only. It’s the pick for an adults-only night.

The Man From Beyond at Strange Bird Immersive

Strange Bird Immersive’s The Man From Beyond is a Houdini séance escape room, which Strange Bird says has been ranked #1 in the United States by the Top Escape Rooms Project for six years running. It’s the one to look at if you want a story-driven séance rather than a monster chase.

If someone in your group hates being scared

Not every escape room is a horror room. Exit Lab’s The Nice List is a non-scary holiday adventure for ages 8 and up that you can play year-round, and Hotel Secrets leans toward mystery rather than fright, so a mixed group can still do an escape room together.

Halloween Events for Kids and Families in Houston

Houston’s family Halloween is daytime and early evening, built around trick-or-treating and costumes rather than scares. The big ones run for weeks, so pick a weekend rather than a date.

Family Halloween in Houston is mostly pumpkins, costumes and trick-or-treating. Illustration.

Zoo Boo at the Houston Zoo

Zoo Boo is included with general admission and free for members. By day there’s a pumpkin lantern tunnel, hidden pumpkins to spot, and a new Tangled Web Trail and Great Pumpkin Portrait photo spot, with regular hours of 9am to 5pm. On select nights, including October 16 to 18 and 23 to 30, the zoo stays open until 9pm with a Spooky Forest, a Ghost Town at the Children’s Zoo, glowing pumpkins and s’mores by the fire. The late nights are the better pick for kids who can stay up.

Houston Pumpkin Festival at Discovery Green

The Houston Pumpkin Festival runs into November, longer than most. Boats and rides are included in the ticket, food is extra, and children 3 and under are free. Weekday tickets are cheaper at $18 than Friday to Sunday at $28, and the festival recommends buying online in advance because walk-up entry depends on capacity.

Galaxy Frights at Space Center Houston

Galaxy Frights, on October 24, 25 and 31, is included with general admission. It has trick-or-treating at candy stations, photo ops with a living astronaut statue, a pop-up science lab and a screening of the film Facing Fears. It suits kids who like space more than ghosts.

Halloween at the BOO!seum, Children’s Museum Houston

The Children’s Museum turns October into a trick-or-treat month for all ages. It runs October 1 to 31 and is closed Mondays, with candy stations on October 22 and 29 (4 to 8pm), October 24 and 25 (9am to 5pm) and Halloween day (9am to 8pm), and last entry at 7:45pm on October 31. The Halloween Happy House party on Thursday, October 29, from 5 to 8pm is free, with DJs from Radio ONE and costumed characters.

Boo on the Boardwalk in Kemah

Boo on the Boardwalk is in its 25th year. Retail stores hand out trick-or-treat candy (Fridays 5 to 8pm, Saturdays 2 to 8pm, Sundays 1 to 8pm), kids’ costume contests are on October 10, 17, 24 and 31, and a family-sized haunted fun house called Little Boo is $6 per person. The waterfront setting is the draw if you’d rather have an afternoon out than a scheduled event.

ArBOOretum at the Houston Arboretum

ArBOOretum is a one-day event on Saturday, October 17, from 10am to 4pm. It has a Trick-or-Treat Nature Trail, a birds of prey program, pumpkin decorating, face painting, carnival games and train rides. Registration is required, tickets are $25 through October 16 and $30 on the day, and children under 3 are free. No pets.

Haunted Halloween with the Houston Symphony

On Saturday, October 31, the Houston Symphony plays Haunted Halloween at Jones Hall at 10am and 11:30am. Costumes are encouraged, kids can trick-or-treat inside the hall with their jack-o’-lanterns, and there are sensory-inclusive features, including quiet spaces and noise-reducing headphones. Tickets start at $42.

Halloween Spook-tacular at Houston Premium Outlets

On Friday, October 30, from 4 to 6pm, Houston Premium Outlets hosts a costume contest and face painting outside the Food Court.

Pumpkin Patches and Fall Festivals Near Houston

Houston’s pumpkin patches sit on the edges of the metro, and most of them are farms with a lot more than pumpkins. Check each farm’s ticket page for current hours and pricing before you drive out.

• Dewberry Farm, Brookshire. The Fall Festival runs September 12 to November 8, Friday to Sunday, with free parking, over 40 rides and attractions (including an 8-acre corn maze and a life-sized pumpkin house), and pumpkins from $2.99 to $9.99. Its BOOriffic Nights, September 26 to November 1, add glowing jack-o’-lanterns and three haunts to the fall festival ticket.
• Blessington Farms, Simonton. Fall fun runs September 19 to November 22, with a pumpkin patch, a Farm Funland of 20+ activities, camel feeding at $3 a feeding, a new pumpkin painting zone, and pumpkins from $2.50 to $12.99.
• Oil Ranch, Hockley. The fall season runs October 3 to November 21, with Friday hours of 10am to 2pm, Saturdays 10am to 5pm, and Sundays noon to 5pm in October only. It has a pumpkin patch, hay rides and 20+ attractions.

If you’d rather stay in town, the Houston Pumpkin Festival at Discovery Green, covered in the family section above, is the closest alternative.

Trunk-or-Treats and Trick-or-Treat Events in Houston

Trunk-or-treats cluster on the weekend of October 24 and on the last Friday of the month, and most are free. The dates below come from Mommy Poppins’ guide, updated October 12.
There are two to know before the big weekend. On Sunday, October 18, from 3 to 7pm, Houston Botanic Garden hosts a Community Trunk or Treat with about 40 organizations and food vendors, free or $5 garden admission with a costume. On Thursday, October 22, from 5 to 9pm, Boos & Brews takes over 19th Street in the Heights, free, with costume contests for kids, adults and pets.
Saturday, October 24, is the busiest day. The M-K-T Hike, Bike & Fright Fest in the Heights runs 2 to 5pm and is free. Halloween in the Hangar at the Lone Star Flight Museum runs 10am to 1pm, free for kids 10 and under in costume. Rice Village Trick-or-Treat is 4 to 7pm and free, a Trunk or Treat in Sugar Land runs 6 to 8pm and is free, and Trick-or-Treating in the Multiverse at Meow Wolf Houston runs 12 to 8pm, included with admission.
The events after that spread out. On Sunday, October 25, from 1 to 5pm, the Trick or Treat Trail with Monster Mash at Rob Fleming Recreation Center in The Woodlands is free. On Friday, October 30, from 5 to 8pm, CityCentre holds its 15th annual Halloween Trick-or-Treat, free, with music and a performance in The Plaza. Halloween Village at Traders Village runs Saturday and Sunday, October 31 and November 1, with free admission, $6 parking and a Haunted Swamp.
Candy can run out before the end, so arrive early and bring your own bucket.

Non-Ticketed Halloween Events in Houston

A few Halloween events cost nothing to get into, though food, parking and add-ons are extra.

• Boo on the Boardwalk, Kemah. Kids’ crafts and the costume contests are free, while the Little Boo fun house costs $6 per person.
• Houston Scream Fest park entry. You can walk into the park without a haunted house ticket and get the live music, the midway and the free drinks. The haunted house itself is $40.
• Halloween Happy House, Children’s Museum Houston. Thursday, October 29, 5 to 8pm, with free admission, DJs and costumed characters.
• Howl-O-Ween Dog Parade and Costume Contest. At Levy Park on Sunday, October 25, from 2pm, and the costume contest is free. If you have a dog, it’s the obvious outing.

Our guide to free adventures in Houston covers no-cost ideas for the rest of the year.

Halloween Nights Out and Date Ideas in Houston

The adult side of Halloween in Houston is mostly haunts with a bar attached, plus a few evening events that suit couples.

For a date, 13th Floor Houston is the easiest all-in-one: walk through the houses, then have a drink at The Hideout or try the two mini escape games. The Houston Pumpkin Festival stays open until 11pm on weeknights and weekends, with boats and rides in the ticket, which suits a calmer evening. If you’d like a scare without a crowd, a private escape room is quieter than any haunt, and our escape room date night post covers what works for two.

A ghost tour is the other easy evening out. The Houston Hollow Heart Hauntings Ghost Tour meets at Market Square Park, runs about an hour and a mile, costs $26 and is listed as an all-ages tour. It starts at 7, 8 and 9pm and runs daily, rain or shine.

Houston also has Halloween bar crawls in Midtown and the Heights, listed for October 24, 30 and 31. They’re sold through several ticket platforms, and the listings disagree on start venues and times, so buy from the organizer’s own page and confirm the starting bar before you go.

Halloween Team Outings and Group Activities in Houston

Halloween is an easy excuse for a team outing, and most of the haunts give groups a break. Creepy Hollow takes $5 off for groups of 15 or more with a reservation, though not on the last two weekends of October. Haunted Trails does the same for groups of 15 or more booking online, the Houston Symphony gives groups of 10 or more 10% off, and Phobia offers group pricing by email.

A haunted house is a loud, short thing to do with colleagues, and not everyone on a team wants to be chased. If you want something the whole group can take part in, an escape room works better, and every booking at Exit Lab is private. Our team building packages include a two-hour Sprint Session at $810 for up to 9 people or $910 for up to 18, and a four-hour Full Experience at $1,400 for up to 9 or $1,575 for up to 18. The Escape Only option is 75 minutes for teams of 4 to 32, and a Total Takeover of the facility is available for teams of 30 or more.

Halloween Weekend in Houston: October 30 and 31

With Halloween on a Saturday, the weekend has a clear shape. On Friday, October 30, Houston Premium Outlets runs its costume contest from 4 to 6pm, CityCentre’s trick-or-treat runs from 5 to 8pm, and Creepy Hollow, Scream Fest and Haunted Trails all open on Fridays. On Saturday, October 31, the Houston Symphony plays at Jones Hall in the morning, Galaxy Frights is on at Space Center Houston, and Boo on the Boardwalk has its last kids’ costume contest in Kemah. Zoo Boo ends its season that day, and Creepy Hollow, Scream Fest and Haunted Trails are all open on Saturday evening.

The weekend before, October 24 and 25, is the better pick for families who’d rather skip the crowds. Galaxy Frights runs both days, Howl-O-Ween is on the 25th, and Creepy Hollow adds a Sunday night.

How to Plan Your Halloween Night in Houston

A few practical points save a night:

• Buy for the night you can make. 13th Floor sells tickets online only, ArBOOretum needs registration, and Phobia has no refunds.
• Check ages before you go. Most haunts guide 12 and up, Redrum is 13 and up, and 13th Floor warns it may be too intense for children 12 and under.
• Bring cash for Creepy Hollow. The booth is cash only.
• Dress for the weather at outdoor events. Haunted Trails closes in extreme weather.
• Choose by location. The haunts are spread across the metro, so book the one nearest where you’re starting.

Book a Scary Night at Exit Lab Houston

If you’d rather solve your way out of a bunker than run through one, you can book Zombie Bunker or any of our other private rooms at Exit Lab Houston.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best Halloween events in Houston?

For scares, Phobia, 13th Floor Houston and Creepy Hollow are the three big haunted attractions. For families, Zoo Boo, the Houston Pumpkin Festival and Boo on the Boardwalk are the biggest and run for weeks. Which is best depends on whether you want to be frightened or just out in costume.

Which Houston haunted houses are the scariest?

Mommy Poppins gives five skeletons to Phobia’s Beltway 8 park, Creepy Hollow, Redrum Fear Park and Houston Terror Dome. Creepy Hollow is full contact unless you buy the No Touch Pass.

Are there free Halloween events in Houston?

Yes. Houston Scream Fest has free park entry, the Howl-O-Ween dog parade at Levy Park has a free costume contest, and Kemah’s Boo on the Boardwalk has free kids’ crafts and costume contests.

Are there scary escape rooms in Houston?

Yes, a handful. Exit Lab Houston has Zombie Bunker, a hard 60-minute room with no gore for ages 12 and up. PanIQ has Chainsaw Massacre, and Escape it Houston lists Screams from Below as 18 and up.

Where can I find pumpkin patches near Houston?

Dewberry Farm in Brookshire, Blessington Farms in Simonton and Oil Ranch in Hockley all run fall seasons into November, and the Houston Pumpkin Festival at Discovery Green is the in-town option.

Where can kids trick-or-treat in Houston?

Trunk-or-treats are mostly on the weekend of October 24 and on Friday, October 30 at CityCentre, and Boo on the Boardwalk in Kemah and the BOO!seum at Children’s Museum Houston have candy stations through October.

Do I need to book Halloween events in advance?

For most of the paid ones, yes. 13th Floor Houston sells tickets online only, ArBOOretum requires registration, and the Houston Pumpkin Festival recommends buying online in advance because walk-up entry depends on capacity. Creepy Hollow is the exception, since you pay cash at the booth.