Texas's Top 11 Best Fall Festivals to Attend This Year

Texas is a massive state. It’s the largest state, after Alaska with a surface area of 268,597 square miles. With how big it is, you can imagine the number of fall festivals and events you can visit, no matter what part you live in! It’s hard to narrow down the best, but here we have Texas’s top 11 best fall festivals to attend this year. Maybe one of these listings will inspire you.

Do Leaves Change Color in Texas?

Although most people don’t automatically think of visiting Texas during fall, this state sees some of the most beautiful color-changing leaves in the country. Generally, the leaves in Texas start changing color in mid to late October. The vibrant colors remain until mid-November, and by December most of the leaves have fallen, leaving bare trees. Some of the best places to enjoy fall foliage in Texas are the Daingerfield State Park, Lost Maples State Natural Area, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and Garner State Park.

Texas’s Top 11 Best Fall Festivals

You don’t have to head to a state park to enjoy the fantastic fall weather in Texas. If you want to enjoy the season before it ends, you can attend one of the hundreds of fall festivals and events in the state. With so many though, it’s hard to choose the few that are the best. Listed below though, we have Texas’s top 11 best fall festivals, in no particular order!

1. Autumn at the Arboretum

Starting our list of Texas’s top 11 best fall festivals to attend is Autumn at the Arboretum, a very popular event at the Dallas Arboretum. This lovely event runs from September 16 to November 5, 2023. This year’s theme is colorful and fun, ‘It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown’. Guests can enjoy the 100,000 pumpkins, gourds, and squash decorating themed houses and buildings. The gardens are open from 9 am to 5 pm. You can also check out the rest of the botanical garden, admiring over 150,000 fall-blooming flowers.

If you miss this wonderful event, you can always visit the garden during November and December for the Holiday at the Arboretum. Here you can walk through the Christmas Village and learn more about winter plants.

2. Oktoberfest Food Festival At Six Flags Over Texas

Not all fall festivals have something to do with pumpkins, hay rides, or corn mazes. A popular fall festival in Texas is the Oktoberfest Food Festival At Six Flags Over Texas. You can enjoy this festival on select days from September 2 to October 31. Not only can you enjoy delicious foods and seasonal brews, but also enjoy your day at a thrilling theme park! If you’re not sure what to try, you can purchase the Taste of Oktoberfest Sampler, filled with German-inspired dishes.

3. Mesquite’s PumpkinFest

Third on our list is Mesquite’s PumpkinFest. This family-friendly festival is on Saturday, October 21st from 12 to 5 pm at Paschall Park. While here, guests can listen to live performances of local talent, participate in contests, and eat scrumptious food. Although the event is free, some activities require an entrance fee or a wristband, available for $10. For free though, visitors can collect candy and treats from vendors, enter the competitions, complete arts and crafts, and take photos at the selfie station. For a fee, visitors can ride the hayride, enter the hay maze, and have fun on carnival rides. So, what contests are available? If you’re brave enough, you can try to win the Children’s Costume Contest, Pumpkin Pie Eating Contest, and Dog Costume Contest.

4. Fall Festival at Dewberry Farm

If you want to attend a more traditional fall festival on a farm, the Fall Festival at Dewberry Farm is a great choice. The Fall Festival at Dewberry Farm is at Brookshire and is known for its exciting seasonal events. Guests can visit the festival from September 16 to November 12. There is something to do for everyone in the family, regardless of age. One day might not be enough time to thoroughly experience everything on the farm. For an admission fee, festival-goers can participate in over 40 rides and attractions, pick and paint pumpkins, and take exciting photos. Some of the attractions you can find at this fall event are the Black Hole, Blaster Cannons, Slide Mountain, Corn Pit, Corn Maze, rubber duck races, and many barnyard animals. Visitors love seeing the barnyard animals, including sheep, rabbits, goats, geese, chickens, and donkeys.

For thrill seekers, the farm also features BOOriffic nights for no extra cost. The scary BOOriffic nights are only available on select days from Friday through Sunday. Before attending, it’s important to note that the event, aside from the box office, is cashless.

5. Pumpkin Patch Festival

Another great fall festival in Texas is the Team Family Farms’ Pumpkin Patch Festival. The festival is open from the last Saturday of September to the first Sunday in November. You can visit the farm from 10 am to 7 pm. Unlike other events on this list, the Team Family Farms’ Pumpkin Patch Festival prefers cash. You can purchase tickets for admission in person. Weekdays are the least busy of the days. Since it’s a working farm, no pets are allowed in the event. However, you can meet some of the farm animals including Texas longhorns. It’s a great spot to take pictures, pick pumpkins, and participate in fun activities like giant human hamster wheels, barrel train rides, a hay maze, and slides and swings.

6. Texas Renaissance Festival

Another fall-favorite festival in Texas is the Texas Renaissance Festival. This year is the 49th Annual Texas Renaissance Festival. It runs for nearly two months, from October 7 to November 26, 2023. Each weekend has a different theme. For example, the first weekend’s theme was the Queen’s Birthday Celebration. For those of us who love heroes and villains, that’s the theme of the fifth Weekend (November 4 and 5). This exciting festival features a lot of different entertainment and talent. Dress up and get into the spirit of the festival while watching knights jousting, jugglers entertaining, and incredible magic shows. You can also host events at the festival, like enchanting fairytale weddings. Another favorite for many is to immerse yourself in the 2-hour King’s Feast. You’ll see an entertaining show, while also indulging in a six-course meal.

7. Blueberry Ridge Farm Pumpkin Patch

Another incredible and unforgettable fall festival is the Blueberry Ridge Farm Pumpkin Patch in Mineola, Texas. Technically, this lovely event isn’t a full-on festival, but a festive pumpkin patch with fun fall activities. It might as well be an honorary festival! This great local favorite runs as a pumpkin patch from October 1 to November 5. During the week, schools are encouraged to visit the Blueberry Ridge Farm Pumpkin Patch with field trip reservations. The pumpkin patch is open to the public on weekends. On Saturday, you can visit this hidden gem from 9 am to 6 pm, and on Sundays from 2 pm to 6 pm. Visitors can also participate in hayrides, scavenger hunts, pumpkin picking/painting, and rodeo games.

8. Fall Festival at P-6 Farms

If you want really cute photos and a lot of excellent memories, you might want to take the trip to the Fall Festival at P-6 Farms in Montgomery. To enter this very popular fall festival, it’s best to purchase tickets online as they sell out fast. So, what is there to do at the Fall Festival at P-6 Farms? This lovely picturesque festival runs from September 30 to November 5 2023. Visitors can test their luck at the large and impressive corn maze. There are also well over 20 attractions and activities available for all ages. For example, you can take pictures at the nicely decorated pumpkin house, pick pumpkins or sunflowers, and participate in the many rides. Guests can also meet the barn animals and eat delicious festival foods.

9. Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival

You can’t have a fall pumpkin festival without pumpkins, which there are many at the Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival. The Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival is at a 5-acre shady venue and runs from September 23 to October 29, 2023. You can find this lovely festival at the Dr. Pound Historical Farmstead, a Texas State Historical Landmark. This farmstead is also on the National Register of Historic Places with a history dating back to about 1854. Not only can you enjoy the festival, but also do so while surrounded by beauty and rich history.

Each weekend has a unique theme. While here, guests can participate in over 50 fall-inspired games, activities, and attractions. Live music is also available throughout the day. Although some of the activities are free, a few require a fee like barrel rides, pumpkin painting, and spin art. While event parking is free, ridesharing is encouraged as parking can be limited.

10. Rockin K Farms Fall Festival

Another great event on our list of Texas’s top 11 best fall festivals to attend this year is the Rockin K Farms Fall Festival in Robstown. This excellent fall festival offers great photo moments and a lifetime of memories. The event runs on weekends through November 5th, so you have plenty of time in 2023 to visit. This annual fall festival is an exciting way to welcome fall into the year and enjoy time outside before the winter season blows in! Guests can enjoy over 20 attractions and activities, along with delicious food. On Saturdays, you can spend time from 11 am to 9 pm at the festival. Sunday hours are shorter starting at 11 am and ending at 5 pm. Kids will have fun with all of the activities at the festival like ping pong, corn hole, the tube slide, cow train, and rope spider web.

11. Pumpkin Nights

Last but not least is more of an event than a festival, the highly sought-after Pumpkin Nights. Pumpkin Nights is open in both the Austin and Dallas area. This unique event offers weekday and weekend admission. Weekdays are less crowded. Pumpkin Nights is a picturesque and immersive way to get into the fall/Halloween spirit. You can take pictures at the many lit-up displays of pumpkins, houses, and more. The intricately designed structures are made out of hand-carved real and synthetic pumpkins. Not only can you admire the hand-carved pumpkin sculptures, but also taste delicious food from local vendors and participate in henna tattoos. The Dallas location also has live fire dancers, psychic readings, and live pumpkin artists.

You can enjoy this event from September 21 to October 30, 2023 starting at 6:00 pm and ending at 11:00 pm. Although this location is in Texas, Pumpkin Nights is fairly recent, only first opening in 2016 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.