Must-attend unique fall events in and around DFW
Check on 8 amazing upcoming festivals to put on your calendar
Fall season – aka as the best season to be outdoors in Dallas – is just around the corner. And it brings to Dallas an amazing festival season!
Discover the 8 top events you must attend this fall and don’t miss out on the superb things happening around.
From yearly festivals to once in a lifetime experiences, here I share with you my personal bucket list for the upcoming months.
For other ideas on things to do in Dallas, check out these top 15 attractions in DFW. And if you need a break from the city, visit our trips from Dallas page.
1. GrapeFest - A Texas Wine Experience
September 12 - 15, 2019
@ Grapevine, TX
Sip some wine and champagne at GrapeFest, the largest wine festival in southwest USA. It’s a popular and lively annual event, that’s been going on for 33 years in Grapevine, a short drive away from Downtown Dallas.
Sample wines from Texas, Michigan and Italy while listening to live music. Enjoy traditional and gourmet food and check on local artisans.
Become a judge at the “People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic”, the largest wine competition in the U.S, featuring 160 Texas varietals from 44 Texas wineries. Smash 18 pounds of grape at the “GrapeStomp competition”!
GrapeFest is a family friendly festival. It also features a kids zone – which includes the SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium Touch Tank and LEGOLAND® Discovery Center this year – and rides to keep the little ones entertained.
Admission is free on Thursday all day and on Friday until 5pm. For other days and times, purchase your tickets here.
2. 40th Plano Balloon Festival
September 20 - 22, 2019
@ Oak Point Park - Plano, TX
Watch air balloons coloring the sky at the 40th Plano Balloon Festival, a popular annual event in Plano, Texas.
This edition features 40 air balloons, including some with special shapes. Make sure to attend the festival on Friday or Saturday night, to see them beautifully glowing.
The balloons are the highlight of the event but there is much more to it!
Stick around to see parachute teams performing every afternoon at 5:30 pm. Enjoy local bands every night. Have fun with the little ones at the Kids Fun Zone. Be wowed by fireworks.
The Plano Balloon festival also features a half-marathon, 10K, 5K and 1K races.
Check the complete Plano Balloon Festival schedule here and plan your visit.
3. Red Bull® Soap Box Race 2019
September 28, 2019 - 10 am to 4 pm
@ Austin Ranch, The Colony - Dallas, TX
Held yearly since 2000 in multiple countries around the world, this year’s Red Bull® Soap Box Race will be in Dallas! It’s the second time Dallas hosts the event, which is returning to the city after 7 years.
So, seize the moment and attend this fun and unique event!
Watch amateurs competing in a downhill race with obstacles on homemade soapbox cars, human powered – no engines or pedals allowed. A total of 50 teams participate and will be judged by speed, creativity and showmanship.
Come and see the amazing crafts, talk to the competitors and cheer for your favorite ones. Watch inevitable and funny failures – sorry – and human creativity at its best.
The event is free and opened to the public. There will be food vendors on site. Bring water, a small umbrella to protect from the sun and enjoy!
4. Texas State Fair
September 27 through October 20, 2019
@ Fair Park - Dallas, TX
Texas State Fair is Dallas most traditional and beloved festival. It has been going on for over a century, celebrating all things Texan. It’s an event as big as Texas that attracts yearly over 3 million people.
This year’s theme is “Celebrating Texas Creativity”. Expect tons of entertainment options, crowds and fun.
Greet the Big Texan, world’s tallest cowboy – a Kerens native and former world’s largest Santa Claus in the 50’s just out of curiosity (some Texan culture, folks!). Enjoy over 70 rides, free daily live music, exhibitions, competitions, shows, local and gourmet food and fireworks every night, just to name a few things you can experience there.
Use the Texas State Fair schedule tool to plan your visit and make the most of it. The quantity of daily events can be overwhelming, so you are better off knowing what you want to do and see before getting there.
You can also combine your visit to the Texas State Fair with a football game at the historic Cotton Ball Stadium, nestled in the fair grounds. There are three College Football Games happening during the Texas State Fair, including the traditional Red River Showdown. Learn more and get your tickets here.
5. 14th Autumn at the Arboretum
September 21 through October 31, 2019
@ Dallas, TX
Enjoy the cherished American pumpkin patch tradition at the Dallas Arboretum.
Featuring over 90.000 pumpkins in one acre, Arboretum’s Pumpkin Village is one of the largest pumpkin patches around Dallas and considered one of the 15 best pumpkin patches in the nation by Travel Chanel. It’s framed by 150,000 autumn flowers, creating a breathtaking fall setting.
This year festival’s theme is “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”. So, expect to spot Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy, Woodstock and other characters around.
Take amazing pics, get into the autumn vibe and then take a pumpkin home to be carved for Halloween! – pumpkins can be purchased at the Tom Thumb Pumpkin Patch inside.
6. Bonnie and Clyde Day
October 12, 2019
@ Pilot Point, TX
In its 10th edition, the annual Bonnie & Clyde Day is a curious event to say the least. It takes place in historic Pilot Point, a small town one hour away from downtown Dallas.
Pilot Point was part of Bone and Clyde’s trajectory, both in the real life and movie.
The town and surroundings were once Bonnie and Clyde hidey-hole – as well as a place were other famous outlaws used to hang out. Pilot Point streets were also the filming location of the robbery scene from the Bonnie and Clyde movie. A popular movie from the 60’s, starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty.
Every year the streets are taken by actors and production staff to reenact the scene. The event also includes a car show, local vendors and family fun.
If you’re into history or a movie buff, the Bonnie and Clyde Day event will fit you like a glove!
7. Nights Light - Sky Lantern Festival
October 12, 2019
@ Texas Motorplex - Ennis, TX
Watching thousands of glowing lanterns going up the sky with messages of love is something quite special I can’t wait to repeat! It’s an uplifting and unforgettable bucket list style experience.
Inspired by the traditional event in Thailand, the Nights Light – Sky Lantern Festival happens only in a few places in the US and we are lucky enough to have one right in our backyard, a short drive away from Dallas.
Come and join thousands of people. Bring your chairs and blankets. Sip some wine, cook s’mores at the firepit. Then as night unveils, write your best wishes in your lantern and prepare for the amazing moment when all the lit lanterns are released at once.
The result is breathless, peaceful and joyful. Buy your tickets here to the upcoming Sky Lantern Festival in Dallas and see it for yourself!
8. Dia de los Muertos Parade
October 26, 2019
@ Downtown Dallas
This year Dallas is scheduled to host what intends to be the biggest Dia de los Muertos Parade in Texas, if not in the country. 30.000 people are expected to attend the event
The Dallas Dia de los Muertos will take place in Downtown Dallas. The event will run from 4 – 7 pm. The colorful parade is scheduled to start at 5:00 pm at the Dallas City Hall and will be followed by a party with Mexican food, live music and fireworks.
Summing Up
Mark your calendars!
The next two months will be filled with amazing outdoor events in and around Dallas that you simply can’t miss out.
Enjoy wine and have tons of fun at the GrapeFest. Get wowed by air balloons at the Plano Balloon Festival. Experience the free and worldwide renowned Red Bull® Soap Box Race.
Celebrate Texan culture at Texas State Fair. Visit one of the 15 best pumpkin patches in the whole country at the Autumn at the Arboretum. Step back in time at the Bonnie and Clyde Day.
Light up the season with Days and Nights Light – Sky Lantern Festival. Write your wishes on your lantern, lit it up and release into the skies being thankful for the amazing season and inhaling good vibes for the next one!
Dallas will also host this fall the first edition of what intends to be the largest Dia de los Muertos Parade in the country.
