This year, the Texarkana community is coming together in a big way. Two fall festivals are being held in the historic downtown district on Halloween day, and that means twice the activities, twice the food options, and twice the memories made—which we think is twice as nice.
Here is everything that’s going on this Halloween and how to make a weekend out of it.
Two Fall Festivals on Halloween
Ark-La-Tex Haunt n’ Harvest Fest
Saturday, October 31, 2026
11AM – 7PM
E Broad Street, Texarkana, AR
A free, family-friendly Halloween event in historic downtown. Walk a map of activity zones built by local nonprofits and businesses — a haunted house, pop-up skating, bounce houses, live art, a dog costume contest, and even a wrestling ring — with an After Hours Spirit Walk for adults once the sun goes down. It sits right next to the Downtown Fall Festival, so plan to hit both in one night. Visit the festival’s Facebook event for details.
Downtown Texarkana Fall Festival
Saturday, October 31, 2026
11AM – 7PM
Front Street Plaza, Texarkana, AR
Join the Downtown Fall Festival on Saturday, October 31st from 11 AM to 7 PM at Front Street Plaza, right next door to Haunt N’ Harvest. Walk Front Street for food trucks, vendors, live music, trunk or treat, face painting, and activities for the whole family—a full day of fall fun in historic downtown Texarkana.
Texarkana Stateline Halloween Costume Photo Contest
Where to Stay
You’ve got your pick of brand names, and they’re all within a few blocks of each other. Holiday Inn Texarkana Arkansas Convention Center, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Texarkana East, and Hampton Inn Texarkana Arkansas all sit right off I-30 at Exit 1, next to the Arkansas Convention Center and Holiday Springs Waterpark. Baymont by Wyndham is just up North State Line Avenue. Whichever one you book, you’re about ten minutes from downtown and the festivals.
Your Texarkana Halloween Weekend Itinerary
Friday Night: Check In and Chase a Cryptid
If you’re driving in from Shreveport, DFW, Tyler, Little Rock, or anywhere in between, make the Arkansas side your base for the weekend. Hotels are just a few minutes away from downtown Texarkana, and staying over means you’re not racing home after a long Halloween night. Drive in Friday, check into your hotel, and head downtown for dinner at Zapata’s on Walnut Street. It’s been a Texarkana favorite for Mexican food for decades, and it puts you within walking distance of where Saturday’s festivals will be. After dinner, don’t head back to the hotel just yet. Fouke, Arkansas is about twenty minutes south of downtown, and it’s home to one of the South’s most enduring legends: the Fouke Monster, made famous by the 1972 docudrama The Legend of Boggy Creek. Swing by the Monster Mart for souvenirs and local lore, and check out the Jonesville Bridge, one of the spots tied to the original sightings. It’s a fitting way to kick off a weekend that’s about more than just one day downtown.
Saturday: Halloween and Festival Day
This is the day the whole weekend is built around. Both Ark-La-Tex Haunt n’ Harvest Fest and the Downtown Texarkana Fall Festival run 11 AM to 7 PM, side by side in historic downtown. Walk both and snap a pic for the costume photo contest at the State Line.
After the festivals, check out Texarkana’s night life—downtown you’ll find favorites like the 1923 Banana Club (a basement speakeasy!), Hopkins Icehouse, The Eagle Bourbon & Wine Lounge, The Hideout, The Wild Hare, and more.
But don’t limit your Texarkana experience to downtown. It’s a short drive to locally owned (and iconic) favorites like Fat Jacks, Pop’s Place, and Whiskey River Country for drinks, dancing, and live music.
Sunday: Breakfast and Scenery
Before you leave town, grab a hearty Southern breakfast at Johnny B’s downtown. Open from 6am – 3pm, Johnny B’s is a local favorite with plenty of small-town charm. Whether you’re craving a hearty breakfast, a juicy burger, or some classic fried chicken—Johnny B’s has something for the whole family.
TIP: If you want to satiate a sweet tooth, we recommend the Turtle Waffles. Yum!
If you’ve got an hour to spare before the drive home, walk it off on Nix Creek Trail. It’s 4.4 paved miles starting at the Gateway Farmer’s Market, an easy, quiet way to close out the weekend before you get back on the road.
Stay and Explore All Weekend
That’s a Halloween weekend, not a Halloween afternoon. Two festivals downtown, a monster hunt in Fouke, drinks and dancing after dark, breakfast and a trail walk before you go. Book a room, pick your first stop, and give yourself the whole two days.
P.S. Did You Know About the Phantom Killer?
One of Texarkana’s most enduring and haunting mysteries is that of the Phantom Killer.
In the spring of 1946, Texarkana became the backdrop for one of the most chilling unsolved mysteries in American history: the case of the so-called Phantom Killer. Over a ten-week span, an unidentified assailant attacked eight people—five of whom were killed—in a series of brutal nighttime assaults called the Texarkana Moonlight Murders. Despite a massive manhunt and decades of speculation, the killer was never caught.
Today, more than 80 years later, this unsolved case has remained in the zeitgeist of the locals as an infamous true crime horror. Read more.
