Halloween Week in Katy: 7 Days, 7 Ways to Do the First Saturday Halloween Since 2020

It’s here. Halloween week. The inflatables are up, the candy aisle at H-E-B looks like a crime scene, and somewhere in Cinco Ranch a dad is on his third trip to Spirit Halloween because the fog machine “needs a backup fog machine.”

Two weeks ago I gave you the big Halloween in Katy roundup, ranked by Scare-o-Meter. Some of those events already came and went. Halloween is now six days out, so here’s the week-of version: seven days, Monday through the Sunday after, with what’s still happening, what’s new, and the one thing everybody forgets about the morning after Halloween. Seven days, seven ways. You know I can’t help myself.

1. Monday through Wednesday: the prep window

Still need a pumpkin? The Katy First Pumpkin Patch at 5601 5th Street runs through October 31, and the First Christian Church Katy patch at 22101 Morton Ranch Road goes through November 7. Free to browse, pumpkins for purchase.

Here’s my Katy pro tip: buy it Monday, carve it Thursday. A carved pumpkin in our humidity has the shelf life of a gallon of milk in a hot car. Carve too early and by Saturday your jack-o-lantern looks like it’s been through a divorce. (Trust me, I write about those. I know the look.) And while you’re out, buy the candy now. Full-size bars. Don’t embarrass yourself on the first Saturday Halloween since 2020.

2. Thursday, October 29: Halloween Town at Constellation Field

Head down to Sugar Land, where the Space Cowboys turn their ballpark into Halloween Town from 5 to 9 PM. Inflatables, games, apple bobbing, pumpkin decorating, a balloon artist, candy for every kid, and a costume contest at 6 PM for kids and adults. At 7 PM, they play a Halloween movie on the big center field screen. General admission is $7, kids 3 and under are free, and parking is free. There’s even a pet costume contest, so the dog doesn’t have to sit this one out.

3. Friday, October 30: pick your trunk

Friday is trunk-or-treat night all over town. Choose your adventure:

• Día de los Muertos at Central Green, 5 to 7 PM. Free, in LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch, with the Viva la Vida celebration, marigolds, candles, music, and a lovely way to honor the people we miss. Still my favorite night of the season.
• Brookshire Police Department Trunk or Treat, 6 to 7:30 PM. At 5100 Highway 90. Officers handing out candy instead of tickets. Decorate your own car and join in.
• Goldfish Swim School Trunk-or-Treat, 6:30 PM. 26440 FM 1093 in Richmond. Free, with a spooky house, games, and a best-decorated trunk contest.

Ambitious families can catch the start of Día de los Muertos at 5 and still roll into a trunk-or-treat before the candy runs out.

4. Saturday morning: dogs first, then the littles

Halloween morning starts at the Katy Dog Park at 5414 Franz Road for the City of Katy’s Howl-O-Ween, 9 to 11 AM. Costume contests, raffle prizes, vendors, and dog-friendly treats. The best part: your costume contest entry is a donation of pet food, supplies, or cash for local animal shelters. A hot dog costume that feeds shelter pups? That’s a win.

Then swap the leash for a stroller and head to Tent and Treat at Central Green Park in LaCenterra, 11 AM to 1 PM. Daytime trick-or-treating at tents instead of front doors, free parking in the LaCenterra garages, and everyone’s home in time for nap. Trust me, you want that nap. It’s going to be a long night.

5. Saturday afternoon: the free festival in Old Katy

New to the list since my last post: a free Halloween Trick-or-Treating Festival and Vendor Market at The Dryer, 5345 E 3rd Street in Old Katy, from 4 to 8 PM. Admission and parking are free. Trick-or-treating at vendor booths, face painting, live music, a slime station, a photo booth, and a costume contest where the winners take home Houston Zoo tickets. There’s also a bake-off where you sample local bakers’ treats and vote for your favorite. Calories at a bake-off don’t count. That’s science.

6. Saturday night: the main event

The first Saturday Halloween since 2020. Nobody has school in the morning. Katy is going to be out there. A few rules of the road:

• Porch light on means open for business. Light off means closed. That’s the law of the land.
• Glow sticks on every kid. Tiny ninjas are adorable and almost impossible to see.
• Drive like a turtle through every neighborhood. Then drive slower.
• Grown-ups, pull up the lawn chairs, fill the cooler, and turn the driveway into the party. Some of the best friendships in this town started at the end of a driveway on Halloween night.

Older kids and brave adults: Dewberry Farm’s BOOriffic Nights in Brookshire is still running this season, with glowing jack-o-lanterns, the Haunted Barn, and the Trail of Terror. Check their calendar for the nights and tickets before you go. And if you want the fancy version, the Houston Symphony plays The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert at Jones Hall on Halloween night, costumes encouraged.

7. Sunday, November 1: fall back (and sleep it off)

Here’s the one everybody forgets. Daylight saving time ends at 2 AM on Sunday, November 1, the morning after Halloween. Clocks fall back an hour, which means the universe is officially handing you an extra hour of sleep right after the biggest sugar night of the year. Whoever planned that deserves a full-size Snickers.

It also gets dark earlier starting Sunday evening, so swap the porch light bulbs while you’re still on the ladder taking down the cobwebs. November 1 and 2 are also Día de los Muertos, so if Friday’s celebration at Central Green moved you, it’s a beautiful weekend to set out a photo, a candle, and a marigold for someone you love.

Before you head out

Event details can change, so double-check times with each host before you load up the car. And if trick-or-treating has you eyeing that house on the corner, the one with the yard the whole street lines up for, I know a gal. My team and I guide folks through buying, selling, and leasing in Katy and the surrounding Houston areas all year long. Text or call 281-717-4412. You will be “tickled pink” with our real estate services.

Related Reading: Boo, Y’all: 7 Ways to Do Halloween in Katy, Ranked by How Loud You’ll Scream and Fall, Y’all: 7 Katy Area Fall Events Worth Sweating For