Denton, The Halloween Capital of Texas, Designs Halloween Takeover
By Stephen Sherwood, Staff Writer.
The Halloween Capital of Texas,the city of Denton, hosts a month-long celebration of all things spooky.
Denton Halloween was born during the planning for the city’s Christmas festivities in 2024. The town decided that Christmas was something that was generally dominated by the Town of Grapevine, the Christmas Capital of Texas. As a result Denton determined that Halloween would be a more advantageous holiday to pursue.
The decor of the town takes a spooky turn for all thirty-one days. The street signs are swapped with themed alternatives, sculptures made by commissioned artists and decorations are displayed across the town. Allison Wing, the Parks and Recreation’s Administration Manager for the City of Denton said, “2024 was the first year that we did Denton Halloween. After the first year we went to the state legislature and got The Halloween Capital of Texas designation.”
The state of Texas Government Code Section 391.003, Place Designations outlines the rules. These designations are a one-of-a-kind title that towns and cities are granted by the state to honor an event or location. The designations themselves expire on the 10th anniversary, but can be renewed by the state.
“One of our most popular attractions is the Denton Scary Chairy Orchard,” Wing said. The courtyard of City Hall is filled with spookily decorated chairs, all of which are created by the residents of Denton, local businesses and artists. “It is an homage to a local attraction in Denton.” Years past there were two neighbors, and Denton residents, Anne Pearson and Judy Smith who had accumulated an “orchard of cast-off chairs” as described on the Denton Halloween website. The two were approached by the city and asked if they could use their tradition as one of the events for Denton Halloween to which they agreed. “It is a community art project, anybody can make a chair and come sit at city hall courtyard.’’ Wing said.
The Halloween spirit starts earlier in the year with The Denton Water Works Park hosts a SummerWeen event that takes place in the beginning of September. “The park will be decorated with Halloween decor, have spooky sales and offer specialty concessions as we wind down Summer and splash into Halloween.”
To learn more about Denton Halloween visit www.dentonhalloween.com for the full catalog of events and the history behind them.
