Austin Star
Austin metro weekend paper
Family picks for Halloween weekend and through Nov. 8, from the Kids section of the Monday Austin Star paper. Updated Mon Oct 26, 2026.
Austin Star is the Austin metro weekend paper: Austin-area events, checked against official venue and city sources.
Austin with kids this weekend (Oct. 30–Nov. 1): Friday, Round Rock’s free Hometown Halloween (3–7 p.m.) brings trick-or-treating, a kiddie train and face painting, and Cedar Park’s Friday Night Flix shows Hotel Transylvania at sundown. Halloween Saturday opens with Flutter Through the Forest at Zilker Botanical Garden (9 a.m.–2 p.m.; monarch releases at 11:30 and 1:30) and ends with Howl-O-Scream at Turner-Roberts (5:30–7:30 p.m.). Sunday, families make sugar skulls at the MACC’s Día de los Muertos (1–6 p.m.) and the Bullock’s exhibitions are free (10 a.m.–5 p.m.). Before and after: Fall Fun Festival for toddlers Wed., Oct. 28; Georgetown’s Trick or Treat Trail and Cedar Park Spooktacular Thu., Oct. 29; free Moonlight Nature Night Sat., Nov. 7; free UMLAUF Family Day Sun., Nov. 8.
Planning Austin with kids on Halloween weekend? Family picks from the Monday Austin Star paper, with free plans marked free only where the official page says so.
Round Rock trick-or-treats with local businesses on East Main and Prete Plaza, with a kiddie train, face painting, balloon twisting, and music and trivia from Raphina Austin. Admission is free to this fun and family friendly event. Outdoor.
Hometown HalloweenHotel Transylvania at sundown, then The Quiet Place, at Elizabeth Milburn Park, 1901 Sun Chase Blvd.
Friday Night FlixCedar Park calendarThe park is open again Halloween weekend: Friday, Oct. 30, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 31, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 1, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Tickets and details on the park’s hours page.
COTALAND hoursZACH Theatre’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe runs through Feb. 14, 2027 at the Whisenhunt.
ZACH showsA Roots & Wings Festival day that opens with a 9 a.m. bird walk with Travis Audubon and a 10 a.m. pollinator walk. Kids’ tree climbs run 10 a.m.–12:45 p.m., monarch butterfly releases are at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and the Singing Zoologist plays the Oak Grove Stage at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Guided nature walks run on the hour, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Food vendors. Outdoor.
Roots & Wings at ZilkerA Halloween-night carnival at the East Austin rec center, Turner-Roberts Recreation Center, 7201 Colony Loop Dr.
Howl-O-Scream
The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center calls it “our biggest event of the year.” Families make sugar skulls, add to a community altar, and come dressed as Catrinas and Calaveras.
ESB-MACC
Exhibition admission is free on the first Sunday of every month for H-E-B Free First Sunday at the Bullock Texas State History Museum, 1800 N. Congress Ave.; films stay ticketed. Indoor.
Plan your visitCalendarFree morning for toddlers and preschoolers at Old Settlers Park.
Fall Fun FestivalThe city’s free Trick or Treat Trail on the San Gabriel Park Event Lawn. Outdoor.
Georgetown newsCandy, food and Halloween fun at Lakeline Park, 1510 Alexis Dr. Outdoor.
Cedar Park calendarFree trunk-or-treat and a costume contest for ages 0–12 at 7:30; the haunted house and games are cash tickets.
Metz Fright Night
Live nocturnal animals and guided night hikes at the Austin Nature & Science Center, 2389 Stratford Dr., with Capital Area Master Naturalists, Austin Bat Refuge and the American Chemical Society. Free outdoor fun and education for all ages. Outdoor.
Moonlight Nature Night
Cedar Park’s country afternoon at Lakeline Park: Bumper Country Music 12–1, The Western Express Band 1–4, and armadillo racing from 12:30 every 45 minutes. All activities are free. Overflow parking at Reed Elementary, 1515 Little Elm Trail. Outdoor.
Fall RoundupFAQ
Sculpture searches and performances in the garden at UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum, 605 Azie Morton Rd. Free and open to all. Outdoor.
UMLAUFUMLAUF programsMore guides: This weekend · Free things · With kids · North metro · Indoor · Full paper