Haunting Good Time

Procrastinator's Guide to Halloween Parties: 10 hot Houston happenings

From a tequila dinner to a burlesque show, here are 10 hot happenings to hit up this Halloween weekend.

FRIDAY

Tequila dinner and costume contest at Pico's

Details: Inject your Friday evening with authentic Mexican fare, tequila spirit and Dia de los Muertos fun at Arnaldo Richards’ Upper Kirby restaurant. Enjoy a four-course dinner (pre-dinner cocktails at 6:30; seated dinner at 7:30 pm) featuring achiote spiced shrimp tamale, chicken and cactus pad spiced with guajillo peppers and more, paired with Milagro Tequila cocktails. Dress casual chic — or don your best Day of the Dead inspired getup for a costume contest (9 pm).
Entry: Tickets are $99 per person.

SATURDAY

Halloween Fright Night

Details: On Saturday, drink your way through The Heights at neighborhood joints: D&T Drive Inn, Johnny's Gold Brick, Big Star Bar, Lei Low, Southern Goods and Town in City Brewing Company. Each place will feature a special cocktail or beer. Hit up all six spots and score a free commemorative pint glass. What's more, a shuttle will bus you between locales.
Shuttles: Party-goers can catch a free ride, from 7 pm until 1 am, at any location with shuttles running every 30 minutes.
Entry: Free.

Costume contest at Baker Street Pub & Grill

Details: Break out your Party City pants and head to any of the six Houston-area locales of casual pub for an All Hallows’ Eve blowout (9 pm) featuring live music — and a cash contest for best costume.
Entry: Free.

Animal House at Local Pour - River Oaks

Details: Get your togas ready and kick it Animal House style with an '80s twist at the River Oaks outpost of the popular bar (9 pm). Dance the night away to '80’s hits by the 5-piece band, The New Waves.
Entry: Free.

Shipwrecked at Julep

Details: The Washington Ave. bar celebrates the ghosts of Southern port cities, from pirates to Civil War-era apparitions, with a selection of sparkling wine, a themed cocktail menu, spins from DJ Willie Whop, door prizes (6 pm - midnight) and a costume competition for $1,000 (10 pm - midnight).
Entry: A suggested donation of $5 at the door will benefit the Arthritis Foundation.

Mr. Peeples

Details: The Halloween party at Mr. Peeples has quickly become a Midtown tradition. Now in its third year, the event will boast more than 20 DJs spread throughout the four-story 40,000 square-foot space, dropping a beat from 8 pm until 2 am. Go big with your Halloween garb: A $10,000 cash prize is on the line for best costume.
Entry: Tickets start at $35 per person.

La Griglia Halloween

Details: Mingle with see-and-be-seen stylish ghouls and goblins at this ritzy River Oaks bash that has become a Houston Halloween tradition. The restaurant turns nightclub-like for the evening (7 pm - close) with a DJ, plus extra bars set up throughout the venue for your drinking pleasure.
Entry: Free.

Lady Bunny at Hotel ZaZa

Details: The Museum District hotel presents a can’t-miss bash (10 pm) hosted by larger-than-life drag queen, Lady Bunny spinning her favorite tunes. You can also expect drink specials and late-night passed bites.
Entry: $75 per person.

Vampire bash at Tarakaan

Details: The fundamentals of a standout All Saints' Eve party (10 pm - 2 am) are all here thanks to drink specials (think: $60 bottles of Moet and $9 bloody berry martinis), music by DJ James Reed, a costume contest and a next-day hangover brunch (Sunday; noon - 3 pm) complete with your choice of bottomless mimosas or Bloody Mary’s.
Entry: Entry to the party on Saturday night is free. Brunch on Sunday is $30 per person.

Prohibition Supperclub & Bar

Details: The swank downtown venue, which houses a restaurant and bar up front and a theater in back is spicing up Halloween with a burlesque show by the Moonlight Dolls (from 7 - 8:30 pm; and again from 9:30 - 11 pm) and a three-course dinner. Tasty highlights include lentil Soup (with beluga lentils, thyme roasted sweet potato, avocado, radish and lime) and braised short rib (with blood beets, purple potatoes, charred onions and mushrooms). Make sure to dress up: Costumes are required.
Entry: Tickets for the show start at $10 per person and dinner is an additional $45 per person.

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Did we miss your favorite Halloween party spot? If so, let us know in the comments section below.

Get your togas ready and kick it Animal House style at Local Pour - River Oaks.

nightlife

festive cities

Houston dazzles among top 10 most festive cities in America for 2025

River Oaks Christmas Lights in Houston TX/Facebook

The River Oaks Christmas Lights are a fun place to take families.

Houston has once again landed a coveted spot on Thumbtack's annual ranking of the most festive American cities in 2025.

Home services platform Thumbtack analyzed holiday light installation requests from customers from October 2024 to 2025 to determine the most festive U.S. cities. Rankings were based on the "relative frequency" of requests after being adjusted for the population of each state and metro area.

Houston ranked as the 6th most festive U.S. city this year, dropping two spots from its former No. 4 rank in 2024.

Locals searching for inspiration for their homes can find it at the many twinkly displays illuminating Houston for the holidays, from the iconic City Lights to the rustic Dewberry Farm light show. And the holiday season is beginning earlier with every passing year, according to Thumbtack.

"Homeowners are layering their look from October through December, swapping out pumpkins for pine boughs and adding sparkle as the season unfolds," the report said.

Other festive holiday events happening around Houston include cheery pop-up bars, holiday markets, and much more. CultureMap readers can also keep up with all of Houston's holiday happenings in our special editorial series.

Other big Texas cities like Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio also all landed top-10 spots in the report, proving the Lone Star State is much more festive than the rest of the country.

"From Texas to Florida, the South is setting the standard for holiday spirit, and in true Texas fashion, bigger is definitely brighter," the report said. "Mild winters and a strong sense of community keep the Lone Star State shining at the top."

Thumbtack's top 10 most festive U.S. cities in 2024 are:

No. 1 – Austin, Texas
No. 2 – Dallas, Texas
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 5 – Sacramento, California
No. 6 – Houston, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Charlotte, North Carolina
No. 9 – San Antonio, Texas
No. 10 – Atlanta, Georgia

festive cities holidays christmas rankings houston