What’s On in Houston – October 2025

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Here’s a short piece on how to Play The Global Game
and another on registering for a Trail.

Houston in October is big and buzzy: festival weekends downtown, culture in the parks, city-defining concerts, and family nights from the Bayou to Ellington Field. Use this date-sorted hit-list to stitch together your month — from pumpkin patches and Greek dancing to symphony nights, air shows, tech expos and hands-on STEM.

Festivals & Citywide:
Concerts & Music:
Theatre / Performance / Dance:
Arts & Exhibitions:
Sport & Outdoors:
Food, Drink & Night Markets:
Workshops & Learning:
Conferences & Expos:
Pop Culture & Community:
Halloween:
Want more What’s On details?

Festivals & Citywide:

1. Original Greek Festival
   • Dates: Thu 2 – Sat 4 Oct
   • Where: Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral (Montrose)
   • Details: Iconic Houston festival with food, dance troupes, cathedral tours and the Agora market.
2. Festival Chicano (3 nights)
   • Dates: Fri 3 – Sun 5 Oct
   • Where: Miller Outdoor Theatre, Hermann Park
   • Details: Free Tejano & Conjunto showcase under the stars; reserve free covered seats or picnic on the hill.
3. Nigeria Cultural Parade & Festival
   • Date: Sat 4 Oct (10:00–16:00)
   • Where: Root Memorial Square / Downtown
   • Details: Parade near Toyota Center, then a day festival with performances, food and vendors.
4. Bayou City Art Festival
   • Dates: Fri 10 – Sun 12 Oct
   • Where: Memorial Park
   • Details: 300 artists across 19 categories, interactive zones and live art all weekend.
5. Korean Festival Houston
   • Dates: Sat 11 – Sun 12 Oct
   • Where: Discovery Green
   • Details: K-pop headliners, samulnori drumming, taekwondo demos and a deep street-food lineup.
6. Texas Renaissance Festival
   • Dates: Weekends Sat 11 Oct → Sun 30 Nov
   • Where: Todd Mission (near Houston)
   • Details: 21 stages, themed weekends, jousts, markets and mead — a Gulf Coast rite of fall.
7. KBR Kids Day
   • Date: Sun 19 Oct (11:00–15:00)
   • Where: Buffalo Bayou Park (The Water Works)
   • Details: Free community day with activity stations, performances and nature play celebrating the park’s 10-year milestone.

Concerts & Music:

1. Between the Buried and Me
   • Date: Thu 2 Oct
   • Where: Warehouse Live
   • Details: Progressive metal masters with a career-spanning set.
2. DACAMERA: “Other Worlds” Season Overture
   • Date: Fri 3 Oct (7:00pm)
   • Where: Wortham Center (Cullen Theater)
   • Details: All-star chamber program opening the season.
3. Cage the Elephant
   • Date: Mon 6 Oct
   • Where: 713 Music Hall
   • Details: Alt-rock juggernauts on tour.
4. Ice Cube
   • Date: Fri 17 Oct
   • Where: Toyota Center
   • Details: West-coast hip-hop icon, one night only.
5. Houston Symphony — Gershwin Night
   • Date: Sat 18 Oct (7:30pm)
   • Where: Jones Hall
   • Details: Gershwin program led by Christian Reif.
6. Herbie Hancock
   • Date: Sun 26 Oct
   • Where: Bayou Music Center
   • Details: Living jazz legend in concert.

Theatre / Performance / Dance:

1. Cirque du Soleil: OVO
   • Dates: Thu 2 – Sun 5 Oct
   • Where: Toyota Center
   • Details: Arena-scale acrobatics with live band and surreal staging.
2. Alley Theatre — October Repertory
   • Dates: Fri 3 – Sun 26 Oct
   • Where: Alley Theatre, Downtown
   • Details: The resident company’s October slate (check titles/dates and reserve early).
3. Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) — Fall Musical
   • Dates: Tue 21 Oct – Sun 2 Nov
   • Where: Hobby Center
   • Details: Broadway-caliber musical from the 2025/26 season lineup.
4. Houston Grand Opera — Fall Repertoire
   • Dates: Late Oct
   • Where: Wortham Center
   • Details: Major autumn productions; check performance nights and casting.

Arts & Exhibitions:

1. Meow Wolf Houston — “Radio Tave” (Immersive)
   • Dates: All October (ongoing)
   • Where: Fifth Ward
   • Details: A sprawling, narrative sci-art experience inside an interdimensional “broadcast.”
2. Museum District — Fall Exhibitions
   • Dates: All October
   • Where: MFAH, The Menil Collection, HCCC, HMNS
   • Details: Citywide highlights across contemporary art, craft and science; check each venue’s October calendar.

Sport & Outdoors:

1. Shipley Do-Nuts Dash (5K/10K + Kids Run)
   • Date: Sat 18 Oct
   • Where: Sam Houston Race Park
   • Details: Sugary fun-run energy with medals and post-race treats.
2. Greens Bayou Regatta
   • Date: Sat in Oct (TBA)
   • Where: Greens Bayou
   • Details: Community kayak/canoe race celebrating the new paddling trail — watch or paddle.

Food, Drink & Night Markets:

1. Saint Arnold Oktoberfest (final October weekend)
   • Dates: Through Sat 4 Oct
   • Where: Saint Arnold Brewing Co.
   • Details: Polka, stein-hoists, festbier and beer-hall fare.
2. GACC South — Houston Oktoberfest @ Saint Arnold
   • Date: Sun 26 Oct
   • Where: Saint Arnold Brewing Co.
   • Details: Networking + Bavarian classics at Texas’s oldest craft brewery.

Workshops & Learning:

1. Family STEM Pop-ups
   • Dates: Weekends in October
   • Where: Discovery Green, Children’s Museum Houston & partners
   • Details: Rotating skill stations and maker activations; check weekly schedules.
2. Energy Day — Hands-on Demos
   • Date: Sat 18 Oct (11:00–15:00)
   • Where: Sam Houston Park
   • Details: Robotics, energy tech and student showcases (pairs nicely with KBR Kids Day the next day).

Conferences & Expos:

1. International Quilt Market (Trade Only)
   • Dates: Sat 4 – Mon 6 Oct
   • Where: George R. Brown Convention Center
   • Details: Industry buyers, launches and education (not open to public).
2. International Quilt Festival (Public)
   • Dates: Thu 9 – Sun 12 Oct
   • Where: George R. Brown Convention Center
   • Details: Massive quilt galleries, workshops and hundreds of vendors.
3. InterGem: International Gem & Jewelry Show
   • Dates: Fri 17 – Sun 19 Oct
   • Where: NRG Center
   • Details: Open-to-public showcase of gems, beads and finished jewelry.
4. SPE ATCE — Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition
   • Dates: Mon 20 – Wed 22 Oct
   • Where: George R. Brown Convention Center
   • Details: Society of Petroleum Engineers flagship technical conference and expo.
5. Collect-A-Con Houston
   • Dates: Sat 25 – Sun 26 Oct
   • Where: George R. Brown Convention Center
   • Details: Pop-culture expo: trading cards, anime, comics, creators and cosplay.

Pop Culture & Community:

1. Houston Pumpkin Festival
   • Dates: Daily, Wed 1 – Fri 31 Oct
   • Where: Discovery Green
   • Details: A fall wonderland with giant bouncy pumpkin, pumpkin houses, sunflower walk and photo ops.
2. Zoo Boo (select late nights)
   • Dates: Fri 26 Sep – Thu 30 Oct
   • Where: Houston Zoo
   • Details: Costumes, pumpkin displays and evening hours on select dates (open nights to 9:30pm).
3. Wings Over Houston Airshow
   • Dates: Sun 26 – Mon 27 Oct
   • Where: Ellington Airport
   • Details: Warbirds, jet teams, aerobatics and static displays (plan for sun + traffic).

Halloween:

1. Galaxy Frights (Space Center Houston)
   • Dates: Sat–Sun 18–19 & 25–26 Oct
   • Where: Space Center Houston
   • Details: Space-themed Halloween with costumes, activations and late-day energy; included with admission.
2. Día de los Muertos (citywide)
   • Dates: Sat 25 Oct (Magnolia Park) & Sat 1 Nov (Downtown)
   • Where: Hidalgo Park & City Hall area
   • Details: Community altars, parades and late-night celebrations; check specific listings.

End summary: Fall in Houston is equal parts festival and after-dark glow — Greek dancing and K-pop in the park, symphony and jazz downtown, quilts to gems at the GRB, air-show thunder at Ellington and space-themed Halloween at Space Center. Book the big tickets early, bring a hat for sunny days, and save time for a night stroll along the bayou.

These listings are curated for October 2025. Always confirm times and ticketing with organisers as schedules can change.

Want more What’s On details?

1. • Discovery Green — Houston Pumpkin Festival
   • Miller Outdoor Theatre — Festival Chicano
   • Nigeria Cultural Parade — Official / Downtown Houston
   • Korean Festival Houston — Discovery Green / Official Site
   • Bayou City Art Festival — Visit Houston
   • Texas Renaissance Festival — Official
   • Buffalo Bayou Partnership — KBR Kids Day
   • DACAMERA — Season / Downtown Events
   • Houston Symphony — What’s On
   • Toyota Center — Cirque du Soleil: OVO
   • Alley Theatre — Performances / TUTS — Season
   • MFAH — Calendar / Menil — Events / HCCC — Events / HMNS — Events
   • Meow Wolf Houston — Radio Tave
   • Sam Houston Race Park — Events
   • Saint Arnold Brewing Co. — Events / GACC South — Events
   • Energy Day Festival — Official
   • International Quilt Market — Trade / International Quilt Festival — Public
   • InterGem — Houston (Oct 17–19)
   • SPE ATCE — Official
   • Collect-A-Con Houston — Calendar
   • Wings Over Houston Airshow — Official
   • Space Center Houston — Galaxy Frights
   • Houston Zoo — Zoo Boo