Halloween in Austin, Texas is one of the most popular nights of the year for revelers in the downtown area, especially 6th Street. Every year, throngs of people, old and young alike, dress up in their scariest, wackiest, or most unusual costumes, some home-made, some from expensive costume shops, and parade down 6th Street, enjoying the party atmosphere.



6th Street promises a wild night for those who attend, and there is usually a great deal of consumption of alcoholic beverages and subsequent inebriation. Most people claim to have a great time, even though there are the usual numerous arrests of those intoxicated or rowdy, but there are also more sedate, sober activities around town, many of which are family oriented.

This year promises to be no different from years past on Halloween in Austin, and some of the activities offered by the City of Austin sound almost as much fun as 6th Street, or possibly more fun. Halloween falls on a Friday this year, but many of the city-sponsored events take place a few days prior to the actual date of Halloween, which is the 31st of October.

For example, there is the annual Halloween Trick or Treat Trail under the moonlight tower in Zilker Park on the 26th of October from 2:00pm until 5:00pm, and this events offers a variety of activities, including carnival booths, entertainment, and concessions. Admission is free but participants are encouraged to bring two items of non-perishable food for the food bank to help feed the needy in and around Austin. A live music sing along is on tap as well as the annual Halloween costume contest, and this event promises to be both fun and safe.

Another city sponsored event the same day is the Spooky Science Extravaganza at the Mexican American Cultural Center, and this event involves examination of many Halloween "mysteries" and explaining them in scientific ways. The event's hours are also 2:00pm to 5:00pm and the event offers an educational experience for children that's also fun.

Another educational event is being held Tuesday through Sunday, October 21st through November 2nd at the Beverly Sheffield Education Center in Zilker Park, and the event is called the "Haunted Cave". The hours of this event are 10:00am to 5:00pm, except Sunday, when the event's hours are 12:00pm to 5:00pm, and this event offers interactive games, a movie about the Edwards Aquifer, and a recreated cave for children to walk through and observe the salamanders in their natural habitat.

On October 30th, a Halloween Carnival is being held from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Pan Am Recreation Center, and this carnival also includes a costume contest for the kids and games with prizes. This event will offer a safe place for the kids to wear their costumes and have fun while their parents relax and let the kids spend very little money for a safe night out. All game booths are .25 cents at the event, and food and drinks are .75 cents, and the carnival includes a Halloween Dance so parents can have some fun too. The Halloween Carnival promises fun for the whole family.

Two options for adults or families who don't choose to hit 6th Street include the Austin Ghost Tour, which is a guided tour of downtown Austin with stops at all of the scariest haunted places in the downtown area. Another possibility is the Mansion of Terror, which is a pitch black labyrinth behind the Walgreens on I.H. 35 at the intersection with 281, and the labyrinth will be full of scary spooks, but since the proceeds go to charity, the event offers a way to help the community while having a good time.

Halloween in Austin will surely be as exciting this year as it has been in years past, and as long as revelers remember to remain sober and observe the laws, everyone should have a great time, so make a plan now, get a costume, and start looking forward to one of Austin's most celebrated yearly events!