October is about to become one of the busiest months of the year in Austin.

The weather is finally starting to cooperate, Austin City Limits is bringing enormous crowds into town, Formula 1 is right around the corner, and then Halloween takes over the final week of the month. For anyone looking for something to do, October is basically one long excuse to get out of the house.

But Halloween in Austin has changed.

It isn’t just about taking the kids trick-or-treating anymore.

Halloween has become a major part of Austin’s nightlife, restaurant and entertainment scene. Bars are creating elaborate decorations, DJs are planning costume parties, haunted attractions are getting bigger, restaurants are adding seasonal specials and people are already thinking about what they’re going to wear.

And based on what is happening around Austin in 2022, this year’s Halloween is shaping up to be less about one giant party and more about an entire month of spooky-season events.

One of the biggest trends to watch this year is the Halloween pop-up bar.

Austin’s bar scene has increasingly embraced themed experiences, and Halloween is the perfect excuse to take that idea even further. Instead of simply putting up a few fake cobwebs and calling it a Halloween party, bars are turning themselves into complete environments.

Expect themed cocktails.

Over-the-top decorations.

Costume contests.

DJs.

Special menus.

Photo opportunities.

And plenty of reasons to stay for another drink.

This is part of a larger trend in Austin nightlife where people aren’t just looking for somewhere to drink.

They’re looking for something to do.

A bar that gives customers an experience has an advantage over a bar that simply serves drinks.

And Halloween gives Austin bars an opportunity to completely transform themselves for a few weeks.

For people who want something genuinely scary, House of Torment remains one of the biggest Halloween attractions in the Austin area.

The haunted house is returning with multiple attractions and new themes, elaborate sets, monsters and special effects. In 2022, House of Torment is scheduled to run through November 5, giving people multiple weekends to get scared.

That extended schedule is important because Halloween in Austin is no longer limited to October 31.

People want to celebrate all month.

You can go to a haunted house on a Friday night.

Attend a costume party Saturday.

Visit a pumpkin patch Sunday.

Then do another Halloween event the following weekend.

The season has become an entire entertainment category.

Another major haunted attraction is Bat City Scaregrounds, which is bringing haunted houses, live music, performances and seasonal food to more than 15 acres just south of Austin in Buda. The attraction runs October 27–31.

The combination of horror and live entertainment is particularly representative of where Halloween events are going.

People don’t necessarily want to spend an hour walking through a haunted house and then go home.

They want the night to continue.

They want music.

Food.

Drinks.

Entertainment.

And somewhere to hang out afterward.

That’s why Halloween is becoming increasingly important to Austin’s bar and entertainment economy.

The same trend can be seen in the city’s music scene.

October is already one of the busiest music months because of Austin City Limits Music Festival, which returns to Zilker Park for two weekends.

ACL brings enormous crowds into Austin, and Halloween follows almost immediately afterward.

That creates an unusual situation for local bars and restaurants.

They get a huge influx of visitors for ACL.

Then they get another wave of people looking for Halloween entertainment.

For businesses, October is one of the months where it makes sense to go all out.

And Austin does.

One of the biggest Halloween trends among younger crowds in 2022 is likely to be the return of the big group costume.

After years of disrupted social events, people are ready to go out together again.

That means expect groups dressed around a common theme.

Television shows.

Movies.

Pop culture moments.

Sports teams.

Internet personalities.

And nostalgic costumes from the 1990s and early 2000s.

The nostalgic angle is especially strong.

For many Austin adults, Halloween in 2022 is an opportunity to dress up as something they grew up with.

That could mean a classic horror character, a childhood cartoon, a favorite movie or something associated with early-2000s pop culture.

The other major trend is going to be couples costumes.

Austin’s nightlife scene is filled with young couples and friend groups looking for costumes that can be recognized immediately in photographs.

That means recognizable characters and pop-culture references are likely to dominate.

And yes, there will be plenty of people who decide what they’re wearing the night before.

That’s part of Halloween.

Another trend that is becoming increasingly important is the pet costume.

Austin loves its dogs.

So naturally Austin loves dressing its dogs for Halloween.

Restaurants and patios are increasingly dog-friendly, and Halloween gives people an excuse to bring their pets along.

Expect plenty of dog costume contests, patio parties and photographs of dogs dressed as superheroes, pumpkins, dinosaurs and other characters.

For families, Halloween looks very different.

Austin has several events designed to give children a safer and more structured Halloween experience.

One of the most recognizable is Boo at the Zoo, which returns to the Austin Zoo on multiple October dates.

Children can dress in costume, ride the train, enjoy entertainment and experience the zoo after dark, including haunted-house attractions.

That makes it one of the city’s better options for families who want Halloween without taking young children into a crowded downtown bar district.

Another family-friendly option is the Austin Symphony Halloween Children’s Concert, scheduled for October 23.

The concert is designed for children ages 2–10 and encourages kids to come dressed in costume for a Halloween-themed afternoon of music.

That illustrates just how broad Halloween has become in Austin.

You can experience Halloween through music.

Food.

Bars.

Haunted houses.

Family events.

Movies.

Costume contests.

Or simply walking around neighborhoods looking at decorations.

And then there are the neighborhood Halloween parties.

Austin’s residential neighborhoods have developed their own Halloween traditions, with decorated houses, block parties and trick-or-treating events.

Some neighborhoods go extremely far with decorations.

Others keep it simple.

Either way, October is a good month to get outside and see what different parts of Austin are doing.

For adults, however, the biggest action is likely to be in the bars.

Sixth Street will obviously be busy, but it isn’t the only place to celebrate.

East Austin is expected to have a particularly strong Halloween nightlife scene.

Bars along East Sixth, East Seventh, Cesar Chavez and surrounding neighborhoods are close enough together to create a natural Halloween bar crawl.

The advantage is that you can move around instead of spending the entire night at one location.

That fits Austin’s nightlife culture.

Start with dinner.

Have a drink.

Go somewhere with music.

Check out another bar.

Find the Halloween party.

Then grab tacos.

That’s a very Austin Halloween.

And food is going to play a bigger role than many people realize.

Austin restaurants are increasingly using seasonal events as a way to attract customers, and Halloween provides an easy theme.

Expect fall cocktails.

Pumpkin desserts.

Seasonal beers.

Spooky brunches.

Halloween-themed dinners.

And restaurants turning their patios into Halloween destinations.

Austin’s breweries are also perfectly positioned for Halloween.

A brewery already has most of the ingredients needed for a good fall event.

Outdoor space.

Beer.

Food trucks.

Music.

And plenty of room for costumes.

Expect breweries to host costume contests, themed releases and Halloween parties throughout the month.

For people who don’t want the downtown bar scene, this may actually be one of the better options.

You can wear a costume without feeling ridiculous.

Bring friends.

Order a beer.

Eat from a food truck.

Listen to music.

And still be home before midnight.

October is also a strong month for horror movies and spooky entertainment.

Austin’s independent movie culture makes Halloween particularly interesting because theaters and film venues can screen classic horror films, cult movies and newer releases.

The city’s love of weird cinema fits perfectly with Halloween.

And that means Halloween doesn’t have to be a loud party.

It can be sitting in a dark theater watching a horror movie you’ve never seen.

Or watching a classic you’ve seen twenty times.

Another trend worth watching this year is the continued growth of immersive Halloween experiences.

Instead of simply watching something happen, people want to participate.

Walk through a haunted attraction.

Solve something.

Interact with actors.

Take photographs.

Dress up.

Move from room to room.

The experience becomes part entertainment and part social media content.

That’s particularly important in Austin because people love discovering experiences that look good in photographs.

A spectacular Halloween bar or haunted attraction can become a destination simply because people want to see it for themselves.

But underneath all of the new trends, Austin’s Halloween traditions remain.

Costumes.

Candy.

Haunted houses.

House parties.

Bar crawls.

Music.

And a lot of people trying to decide whether their costume is actually good enough.

The biggest difference in 2022 is that people are ready to go out again.

Halloween feels social again.

People are planning group costumes.

Friends are making reservations.

Bars are announcing parties.

And businesses are investing more heavily in decorations and entertainment.

That means Halloween weekend is likely to be extremely busy.

If you’re planning to go downtown, make a plan.

If you’re going to a popular haunted house, buy tickets early.

If you’re going to a restaurant, make a reservation.

If you’re planning to wear a complicated costume, don’t wait until October 30 to put it together.

And if you’re driving, have a plan for getting home.

The city is going to be crowded.

But that’s part of the fun.

October is one of the rare months when Austin can be simultaneously a music city, a sports city, a food city and a Halloween city.

ACL brings the music.

Formula 1 brings the racing crowds.

Football brings the Longhorn fans.

And Halloween brings everyone together for one giant excuse to dress up.

For Baller ATX readers, the best strategy this year is not to wait for October 31.

Start early.

Find a haunted house.

Check out a Halloween-themed bar.

Go to a brewery costume party.

Take the kids to Boo at the Zoo.

Find a neighborhood Halloween event.

See a horror movie.

Try a seasonal cocktail.

And then save Halloween weekend for the big party.

Because Austin Halloween is no longer just one night.

It is an entire month.

And in 2022, it looks like the city is ready to make it bigger, stranger and more entertaining than ever.