Free Things to Do in Dallas-Fort Worth This Weekend (Halloween Weekend, Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2026)

Updated Oct. 26, 2026 by Spread the Word. Times are Central.

Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so the whole weekend of Friday, Oct. 30, through Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, is packed with free costume parties, trick-or-treats and Día de los Muertos celebrations around Dallas-Fort Worth. Below are the free ones we confirmed on the organizer's or official page on Oct. 26, plus free places that are open just about any weekend. Plans change, so tap through before you head out.

For more church and city trunk-or-treats, see fall festivals and trunk-or-treats around DFW. For garage, yard and estate sales, see this weekend's DFW sales or open the free sales and events map, tick the stops you want and get directions in one tap.

Friday, Oct. 30

Día de los Muertos Happy Hour at the Kimbell – 5-7 p.m., Kimbell Art Museum, Piano Pavilion lobby, 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth. The Kimbell and Fort Worth Sister Cities International celebrate Día de los Muertos with face painting, an art-making activity and an Ancient American art scavenger hunt. Free, no registration needed; drinks and snacks are for sale. Details
October Movie Nights: It (2017) – 7-9 p.m., Main Street Garden, 1902 Main St., Dallas. The last night of Downtown Dallas, Inc.'s free outdoor Halloween movie series. It (2017) is rated R, so this one is for grown-ups and older teens. Free; bring a blanket or a low chair. Details
Shakespeare LIVE! presents Macbeth – 7 p.m., Levitt Pavilion, 100 W. Abram St., Arlington. A free outdoor Macbeth for Halloween weekend, on the Levitt lawn Thursday through Saturday (Oct. 29-31) at 7 p.m. Bring blankets, chairs and a picnic, or buy from the food trucks. Parking is free. Details

The Kimbell happy hour wraps up at 7 p.m. If you're heading to the movie in downtown Dallas after, allow time for the drive.

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Saturday, Oct. 31 (Halloween)

Stage Fright: A Halloween Family Festival – 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Sammons Park, AT&T Performing Arts Center, 2403 Flora St., Dallas. The Arts District's free fifth annual Halloween festival with the Dallas Police Department: a "stick-r-treat" trail of police units, creepy creatures from the Dallas Zoo, a petting zoo, a zombie dance lesson, a DJ dance party and a costume contest. No outside food or drinks except water; parking is paid. Details
Día de los Muertos en Fort Worth – 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Marine Park, 303 NW 20th St., Fort Worth. Artes de la Rosa's Day of the Dead celebration in the Historic North Side, with the City of Fort Worth and partners. The day starts with a morning program at 10 a.m. and the festival at Marine Park runs 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Free to attend; bring lawn chairs. Details
Tricks & Treats at Arlington Highlands – 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Arlington Highlands, 4000 Arlington Highlands Blvd., Arlington. Free trick-or-treating at participating stores (while supplies last), a DJ and Halloween photo ops on The Lawn. Bring a candy bag. Details
Shakespeare LIVE! RenFest – 12-6 p.m., Levitt Pavilion, 100 W. Abram St., Arlington. Downtown Arlington's first RenFest mixes a Renaissance faire with Halloween and Día de los Muertos: about 55 booths, strolling musicians, sword-fight demos, a kids' sword class and Día de los Muertos face painting. Free admission and costumes encouraged. Stay for the free Macbeth at 7 p.m. Details
Trick or Treat on Downtown Streets – 4-7 p.m., Main Street Garden Park, 1920 Main St., Dallas. Downtown Dallas, Inc.'s eighth annual Halloween-night trick-or-treat, followed by a Día de los Muertos parade on Commerce Street. Free; come in costume. Details
Halloween Boo Barn Bash at The Boardwalk – 5:30-8:30 p.m., The Boardwalk at Granite Park, Plano. A Wild West Halloween night with a DJ, a barn photo op with a 6-foot skeleton horse, a free leather-branding keychain station, a kids' hat bar, a free-prize claw machine and candy around The Boardwalk. All free. Details

Saturday morning is also the biggest time for garage and estate sales. Hit the weekend sales early, then Stage Fright or the RenFest, and save downtown Dallas, Arlington Highlands or The Boardwalk for the kids' trick-or-treating. Our Arlington guide has more in Arlington.

Sunday, Nov. 1 (Día de los Muertos)

Día de los Muertos at Artisan Circle – 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Artisan Circle, 2933 Crockett St., Fort Worth. Crockett Street closes for a free, all-ages Day of the Dead festival in the Cultural District: a local makers' market, live mariachi (12:30-1:30 p.m.), a roaming Catrina, DJ and street tacos and elote for sale. Free parking in the Artisan Circle garages. Details

Clocks go back an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, when daylight saving time ends. Estate sales that run Friday to Sunday often cut prices on the last day, so check the map for sales still open Sunday.

Free in Dallas-Fort Worth any weekend

When the calendar is thin, these cost nothing to get in (parking, food and gift shops aside):

Dallas Museum of Art – Wed.-Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m., 1717 N. Harwood St., Dallas. General admission is free (special exhibitions are ticketed). Everyone, any age, needs a free general admission ticket, which you can reserve online or get at the Guest Services desk. Details
Klyde Warren Park – Daily, 6 a.m.-11 p.m., 2012 Woodall Rodgers Fwy., Dallas. The deck park over Woodall Rodgers is free with free daily activities, food trucks, a gated children's park and an off-leash dog park. About half a mile around. Details
Fort Worth Herd cattle drive in the Stockyards – Daily, 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., 131 E. Exchange Ave., Fort Worth. Longhorns walk down Exchange Avenue twice a day, weather permitting. Watch from the sidewalk in front of the Livestock Exchange Building. Free and open to the public. Details
Kimbell Art Museum collection – Tue.-Thu. and Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Fri. noon-8 p.m., Sun. noon-5 p.m., 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth. Admission to the Kimbell's own collection is always free (special exhibitions are ticketed). Parking is free in the underground garage and the Kimbell East lot. Details
Amon Carter Museum of American Art – Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (Thu. to 8 p.m.), Sun. noon-5 p.m., 3501 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth. Admission is free, and so is parking in the museum's lot on Camp Bowie. It's a short walk from the Kimbell, so you can do both in one afternoon. Details

Tips for a free weekend in Dallas-Fort Worth

Check the rating. Friday's downtown movie, It, is rated R. Everything else on this page is family-friendly.
Get your free tickets. The Dallas Museum of Art is free but needs a general admission ticket for every visitor, kids included.
Plan parking. Parking near Sammons Park is paid, while the Levitt Pavilion, Artisan Circle garages, the Kimbell and the Amon Carter have free parking.
Bring a little cash or a card. Admission is free, but food, drinks and market finds usually aren't.

Hosting a free event or sale?

Spread the Word writes your listing and posts it to free local sale-finder sites, calendars and community pages that fit your sale or event, then emails you a proof sheet with every live link. Flat prices, all site fees included: garage or yard sale $3, estate sale $8, church, HOA or community event $12, business event $18. We can't promise turnout, but more people will know about it. List your sale or event.

Get next weekend's free list by email. The free Weekend Roundup lands every Friday morning with the best sales and free events across Dallas-Fort Worth, mapped. First name and email only.

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Free things to do in Dallas-Fort Worth: FAQ

What free things are there to do in Dallas this weekend?

For Halloween weekend, Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2026: the free outdoor screening of It (rated R) at Main Street Garden on Friday at 7 p.m.; Stage Fright: A Halloween Family Festival at Sammons Park on Saturday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; and Trick or Treat on Downtown Streets at Main Street Garden Park on Saturday, 4-7 p.m., followed by a Día de los Muertos parade on Commerce Street. The Dallas Museum of Art and Klyde Warren Park are free any weekend. Check with the organizer before you go.

What free things are there to do in Fort Worth this weekend?

The Kimbell's free Día de los Muertos Happy Hour (Fri., 5-7 p.m.), Día de los Muertos en Fort Worth at Marine Park (Sat., festival 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.) and Artisan Circle's Día de los Muertos street festival on Crockett Street (Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.). The Stockyards cattle drive (11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily), the Kimbell collection and the Amon Carter Museum are free any weekend.

What free Halloween events are in Arlington and Plano?

In Arlington on Saturday, Oct. 31: Tricks & Treats at Arlington Highlands (11 a.m.-2 p.m.), the Shakespeare LIVE! RenFest at Levitt Pavilion (noon-6 p.m.) and a free Macbeth at 7 p.m. (also Thu. and Fri.). In Plano, the Boo Barn Bash at The Boardwalk at Granite Park runs 5:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday.

What is free to do in Dallas-Fort Worth any weekend?

The Dallas Museum of Art (free general admission, Wed.-Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.), Klyde Warren Park (6 a.m.-11 p.m. daily), the Fort Worth Herd cattle drive in the Stockyards (11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily), the Kimbell Art Museum's collection and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.

Does the time change this weekend?

Yes. Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, so clocks go back an hour. Sunday times on this page are in standard time.

Where can I find garage sales in Dallas-Fort Worth this weekend?

Spread the Word maps garage, yard, estate and church sales across Dallas-Fort Worth every week on a free map at https://dfw.spreadtheword.si/dfw/events-map.html, and lists the weekend's confirmed sales at https://dfw.spreadtheword.si/dfw/weekend-sales.html. Most weekend sales post Wednesday through Friday.

How do I get free DFW events sent to me?

Sign up for the free Weekend Roundup. It lands every Friday morning with the weekend's best sales and free events across Dallas-Fort Worth, mapped. First name and email only.

Event and venue details come from organizers' and official public pages as of Oct. 26, 2026. Spread the Word is not affiliated with these hosts. Questions or corrections: admin@spreadtheword.si.