Freaky Fun

Procrastinator's Guide to Halloween: H-Town's sexiest, most devilish parties and spookiest shindigs

No matter the age, nothing says "Halloween" like a phenomenal costume party. From sexy masked soirees and exclusive parties at luxurious hotels to trendy bar crawls and Halloween-themed music festivals, we've got you covered with the best of this year's spookiest shindigs on Friday and Saturday nights.

Dirty Dirty Dirty 2 Trick or Treat

Details: If you're looking for the right party to show off your goods with other sexy partygoers, Dirty Dirty Dirty 2 is the event for you. The celebration marks the 10th anniversary of the eponymous event, hosted by Marcus Sloan and Shannon Hall then and now, with Staci Henderson and Anika Jackson. For the event, multimedia venue LIFEhtx will be transformed into a European club with stunning dancers and waiters to help the fashionable crowd party the night away to the sounds of DJ Bizonee from 104.1 KRBE. And Astros fans can watch the game on a 14-foot-by-24-foot megascreen. VIP tickets are also available for private seating, "sexy wait staff" and valet service.
Hours: Friday, 9 pm to 2 am
Entry: Tickets start at $100

Hotel ZaZa Halloween Party

Details: The always-luxurious Hotel ZaZa brings the fun with their annual Halloween party, featuring live DJ sets, light bites and drink specials. Not only does the evening promise to get you dancing with fellow partygoers, but the hotel also offers a package that includes overnight accommodations, two tickets to the scary soiree, complimentary valet and special turndown service. Tickets to the party must be purchased in person at the front desk.
Hours: Friday, 10 pm to 2 am
Entry: Tickets start at $75

Fanatical Change Carnival Freak Show

Details: Taking place at the BBVA Compass Stadium, the Fanatical Change Carnival Freak Show is Houston's largest Halloween party. The massive event boasts live music, numerous DJs, tasty cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and photo booths, as well as an auction featuring an array of unique items. Not only can you party like a rock star, but proceeds from the event directly benefit the Fanatical Change Foundation, a nonprofit organization that gives every dollar donated to a family dealing with tragedy.
Hours: Friday, 7 pm to 2 am
Entry: Tickets start at $40

Leather & Laces Presents: Vampires & Vixens Ball

Details: Famous for producing some of the hottest Super Bowl parties, Leather & Laces is bringing the Halloween heat with the Houston Vampires and Vixens Ball. Hosted by sultry model Charlotte McKinney at Silver Street Studios, the space will be transformed into an award-winning Haunted House, complete with specialty performers, creepy clowns and spooky decor throughout. The luxurious event features an open bar, DJ sets, and a $5,000 costume contest, as well as VIP and table service options, so put on your sexiest costume for this world-class party.
Hours: Saturday, 9 pm to 2 am
Entry: Tickets start at $135

Brasserie 19 Sixth Annual Halloween Costume Party

Details: Head to River Oaks hotspot Brasserie 19 to celebrate in style at their sixth annual Halloween costume party. With a "Disco Exorcist" theme, dress up in your '70s best — whether that means a brown three-piece suit, an orange jumpsuit or whatever you might have hiding in your closet — to party with the fashionable crowd at one of the city's best restaurants. Guests will need to call ahead to reserve a table (713-524-1919).
Hours: Saturday, 9:30 pm to midnight
Entry: Free

Heights Fright Night

Details: For a night full of the hippest bars and eateries the Heights has to offer, be sure to check out Heights Fright Night. With a roster that includes Big Star Bar, D&T Drive Inn, Eight Row Flint, Johnny’s Gold Brick, Lei Low Bar, Presidio, Rehab on the Bayou and Southern Goods, the evening promises to draw quite the costumed crowd to the area's best haunts. The event features complimentary shuttles running continuously between the bars, as well as special drink deals and events along the way, and make sure you hit all eight stops for a special prize.
Hours: Saturday, 7 pm to 1 am
Entry: Free

Yelloween by Veuve Cliquot

Details: Join buzzy River Oaks champagne bar and bistro A'Bouzy for Yelloween, a black-and-yellow-themed party hosted by Veuve Cliquot. Replete with DJ sets, photo booth, a costume contest, a haunted house furnished by ScreamWorld, and $49 bottles of Veuve Cliquot Yellow Lable Brut, this party promises to be a scary good time. Be sure to call ahead to reserve a table for you and your ghoulish guests.
Hours: Saturday, 9:30 pm to 1:45 am
Entry: Free

Montrose Crawl

Details: With stops at some of the best bars and restaurants in the area, the Montrose Crawl is the perfect way to celebrate Halloween with some tasty elixirs, whether you choose to creep along with the costumed crowd or post up somewhere along the way. The crawl features 12 stops, including Pistolero's, Stone's Throw, El Real Tex-Mex, Brasil, Poison Girl, Etro and Boondocks, meaning you can find everything you might want as you check out each establishment, from craft cocktails to Mexican fare, and always event draws a lively Halloween crowd.
Hours: Saturday, 6 pm to 2 am
Entry: Free

Haunted Hotel Derek Houston Halloween

Details: Hotel Derek will set the scary scene for their upscale Haunted Hotel party, featuring luxurious setups outside and by the pool and hot sets from three of the city's best DJs, including DJ Ebonix from 93.7 The Beat. The luxe Uptown hotel also offers VIP tickets and bottle service packages, as well as special room deals if you feel like keeping the party going all night long.
Hours: Saturday, 9 pm to 2 am
Entry: Tickets start at $43

Something Wicked: The Asylum 2017

Details: If you're in the mood to celebrate all weekend long, don't miss Something Wicked: The Asylum 2017, Houston's only Halloween-themed music festival. Featuring a lineup of more than 21 artists and performances by EDM legends such as Tiësto, Marshmallo, Above & Beyond, Zeds Dead and RL Grime, the event is guaranteed to get you dancing and vibing with some of the city's hottest music fans. Hosted at Sam Houston Race Park, you're sure to find yourself letting loose in a world of spooky ghouls and sexy sprites.
Hours: Saturday, 3 pm to midnight; Sunday, 3 pm to 10 pm
Entry: Tickets start at $165

Leather & Laces, known for some of the hottest Super Bowl parties, brings the Vampires & Vixens Ball to Silver Street Studios.

holidays nightlife drinks

Unhappy holidays

Porch pirates swipe nearly $2B in packages from Texas homes this year

Porch Pirate Person in Glasses Steals Packages

Getty Images

The Grinch isn't the only one stealing Christmas these days.

’Tis the season for porch pirates. If past trends are an indicator, the Grinch will swipe close to $2 billion worth of packages delivered to Texas households this year, with many of those thefts happening ahead of the holiday season.

An analysis of FBI and survey data by ecommerce marketing company Omnisend shows porch pirates stole more than $1.8 billion worth of packages from Texans’ porches last year. Porch pirates hit nearly one-third of the state’s households in 2024, according to the analysis.

Omnisend’s analysis reveals these statistics about porch piracy in Texas:

30.1 million residential package thefts in 2024.
An average household loss of $169 per year.
An annual average of 2.9 package thefts per household.

“Most stolen items are cheap on their own, but add them up, and retailers and consumers are facing an enormous bill,” says Omnisend.

Another data analysis, this one from The Action Network sports betting platform, unwraps different figures regarding porch piracy in Texas.

The platform’s 2025 Porch Pirate Index ranks Texas as the state with the highest volume of residential thefts, based on 2023-24 FBI data.

Researchers at The Action Network uncovered 26,293 reports of personal property thefts at Texas residences during that period. The network’s survey data indicates 5 percent of Texas residents had a package stolen in the three months before the pre-holiday survey.

The Porch Pirate Index calculates a 25.8 percent risk of a Texas household being victimized by porch pirates, putting it in the No. 5 spot among states with the highest risk of porch piracy.

The Action Network included online-search volume for terms like “package stolen” and “porch pirates.” Sustained spikes in these searches suggest that “people are actively looking for guidance after something has happened. Search trends serve as an early warning system, revealing emerging-risk areas well before annual crime statistics are released,” the network says.

Tips to avoid being a victim
So, how do you prevent porch pirates from snatching packages that end up on your porch? Omnisend, The Action Network and Amazon offer these eight tips:

Closely monitor deliveries and quickly retrieve packages.
Schedule deliveries for times when you’ll be home.
Use delivery lockers or in-store pickup when possible.
Ask delivery services to hide packages in out-of-sight spots outside your home.
Install a visible doorbell camera or security camera.
Coordinate deliveries with neighbors or building managers if you’ll be away from your home when packages are supposed to arrive.
Request that delivery services hold your packages if you can’t be home when they’re scheduled to come.
Illuminate the path to your doorstep and keep porch lights on.

holidays porch pirates crime