According to the good folks at National Day Calendar, Saturday is the official night for trick-or-treating, though most people I know are hardcore traditionalists who will dole out the candy on Tuesday as God intended. Plus, with all the parties on the town Saturday, no one will be home to answer the door. Here are 10 to check out around North Texas.
1.) From 10pm to 2am Fri-Sat, Ampersand Bar (3009 Bledsoe St, Fort Worth, @TheBaratAmpersand) hosts Halloween at Hogwarts. The West 7th-area bar will bring the magical world of Harry Potter to life with drink specials, themed decor, and music by DJ Catarino Oviedo-Lopez. There is no cover to this 21+ event.
2.) Lone Star Murder Mystery has a special dinner show every Saturday at Billy Bob’s Texas (2520 Rodeo Plz, Fort Worth, 817-624-7117), and this weekend, it’s Write Between the Eyes. Test your investigative skills and solve the mysterious murder of Horse Face Jack at this 90-minute comedy show set in 1880s Texas, a.k.a. the Wild West. Doors open at 6pm, dinner is at 7pm, and the show starts at 8pm. Tickets are $66 at BillyBobsTexas.com and include your meal (salad, dinner, dessert, and a soft drink) and the show. There will be a cash bar for booze.
3.) From 8:30pm to 12:30am, The Rockafellas will play your favorite party-rock hits from the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s, and aughts at Bronco’s Sports Bar & Grill (900 Airport Fwy, Ste 166, Hurst, 817-498-0600). There is no cover charge. Costumes are encouraged.
4.) With Día de los Muertos coming up, Sundance Square hosts Catrina Fest in Sundance Square Plaza (425 Houston St, Ste 250, Fort Worth, 817-222-111). Contestants will wear their best Day of the Dead dresses and make-up for the Catrina Contest. There will be food trucks, live music, and vendors. There is no cost to attend. For more on this event, see page 15.
5.) The theme for the annual Halloween party at Fat Daddy’s (781 W Debbie Ln, Mansfield, 817-453-0188) is Monster Bash. Basket Case (a tribute to Green Day) and Mondos Bizarros (a tribute to The Ramones) will perform starting at 8pm, and there will be food and drink specials and costume contests. Tickets are $20 at the door.
6.) Tickets to the Pixel Poltergeist 2 party at Free Play (1311 Lipscomb St, Fort Worth, 817-242-8487) will grant you access to a night full of spooky sights and sounds and complimentary glow-in-the-dark slap bracelets, among other things. Enjoy a blacklight arcade party in the main room, classic horror movies on the rooftop patio, and haunted cocktails at the rooftop tiki bar. For $20 tickets and more info about this 21+ event, visit TinyURL.com/FTWHalloween.
7.) Funky Town Swap presents Halloween Festival & Vendor Market with live music all day at Horus Hall (208 NW 24th St, Fort Worth, @HorusHallFW). Alkemyst headlines at 10:30pm, preceded by Uptown Revue (9:45pm), Freezesucka (8pm), Tom Zero (7pm), and Levi Ray and Sam Anderson from 2pm to 5pm. Along with festival games and prizes, enjoy Wheatley’s Wheels Rocked Out Cars, the Wagon Train Trunk-or-Treat, a costume contest, and more. This event is free and kid-friendly until 7pm, then adult entry is $10 thereafter. Costumes are encouraged but not required.
8.) Milo’s Upscale Dive Bar & Sports Lounge (501 E Division St, Ste A, Arlington, 817-275-4011) is no doubt home base for many an Arlingtonian, and the dive’s annual Halloween party Saturday will be a great time to check out this place if you haven’t already. There will be a costume contest, scary movies on the patio, spooky “boo-zy” cocktails, and a trick-or-treat wheel.
9.) Oak Street Draft House (308 E Oak St, Denton, 940-435-0404) is the starting point for one of the most entertaining-sounding events I’ve come across this season. Doors open at 10am, then at noon, it’s time for Day of the Dead Coffin Races! There will also be face painting, spooky mimosas, a fully loaded Bloody Mary bar, and breakfast shots with orange juice and bacon. There is no cost to attend. Just head out to Denton for a day of face planting, I mean, “painting.”
10.) All ages are welcome at the annual Halloween party at the Truck Yard (3101 Prairie Vista Dr, Fort Worth, 877-221-3936) from 11am to 11:30pm. Wear a costume and bring your dog for a chance to win a $250 Truck Yard gift card and bragging rights. There will be drink specials and candy for the younguns all day (the candy, that is). The family costume contest is at 4pm, followed by the dog costume contest at 6pm and adult human costumes at 9pm.
