Dallas after the fair
Dallas After the State Fair
Pumpkins, block parties and a Saturday Halloween, with dates, sources and a post idea your clients can shoot on a phone.
Big Tex signs off today. The State Fair of Texas closes Sunday, Oct. 18, and Dallas doesn't skip a beat. The pumpkins stay out, the block parties roll in, and Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, so the calendar runs full tilt straight into November.
Each pick below has its date and its source, plus a post idea your team can shoot on a phone.
Big Tex takes a bow
Post by Mon., Oct. 19
The fair ran at Fair Park from Sept. 25 through Oct. 18, and today is the last day, open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Come Monday, the neighborhood gets its parking spots, its quiet streets and its regulars back.
Post idea. A thank-you to the crowd. Restaurants and bars near Fair Park can tell the folks who came out that the plates, the patio and the easy parking are all still here. A food truck that worked the fair can share its favorite snapshot from the line.
Your clientA restaurant near Fair Park
Big Tex has packed up, but we're not going anywhere. Come by this week for a patio seat, a full plate and a parking spot that doesn't cost you a prayer.
Pumpkins by the hundred thousand
Post by Mon., Oct. 19
The Dallas Arboretum runs Autumn at the Arboretum from Sept. 19 through Nov. 1, with more than 100,000 pumpkins, gourds and squash. This year's Pumpkin Village borrows its look from artists like Basquiat, Rothko and Mondrian.
A couple of evenings stand out. Pumpkins After Hours is a sensory-friendly night on Tuesday, Oct. 20, from half past five to 8 p.m., built for kids who do better with smaller crowds. Pumpkins and Pints follows on Friday, Oct. 23, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Post idea. Family-facing clients near White Rock Lake can pass along the sensory-friendly night on Monday. A kids' gym or a toy shop looks like a good neighbor when it shares something useful, with no pitch attached. Cafes and bars nearby can point the Friday crowd to a place for a drink before or after.
Your clientA kids' gym near White Rock Lake
Heads up, parents. The Dallas Arboretum has a sensory-friendly night in Pumpkin Village this Tuesday, Oct. 20, from half past five to 8 p.m. Smaller crowds, less noise, same pumpkins.
A family weekend before Halloween
Post by Fri., Oct. 23
Saturday, Oct. 24, belongs to the kids. At 11 a.m., the Dallas Children's Opera performs The Bremen Town Musicians at the NorthPark Pumpkin Patch, which is free and open through Nov. 1. The patch also runs Fridays in the Patch, with live music from 6 p.m. and a movie under the lights at half past seven. Hocus Pocus plays Oct. 23 and Hocus Pocus 2 plays Oct. 30.
The same day, the Latino Cultural Center holds its Día de los Muertos festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Sunday, Oct. 25, Family Day at the Meadows Museum runs from 2 to 4 p.m. at SMU. It's free, and the museum's page has a link to reserve a spot.
Post idea. Kids' shops and family restaurants around NorthPark take the morning with a "see you at the patch" post. A family business near SMU can share the Meadows link midweek and save a few parents the scramble.
Your clientA kids' shop near NorthPark
See you at the patch. The Dallas Children's Opera plays The Bremen Town Musicians at the NorthPark Pumpkin Patch this Saturday at 11. Come say hi after the show.
Block party season
Post by Fri., Oct. 23
Saturday night, Oct. 24, is Oak Lawn's turn. The Dallas Halloween Block Party takes over the 3900 block of Cedar Springs Road. Entry is free, it's 18 and up, and cocktails are 21 and up.
More are on the way. Bishop Arts hosts a Día de los Muertos block party on Sunday, Nov. 1, with food vendors, local artisans and live music all day. Then the Deep Ellum Block Party returns on Nov. 21 for its third year, free again, with Dorrough and Friends, Angel White and Oso Oso headlining.
Post idea. Bars and salons in Oak Lawn take the night with costume-ready posts that point folks to the block. Deep Ellum shops and venues can start a countdown the day after Halloween, since a free party draws a crowd that has to eat first.
Your clientA bar in Oak Lawn
Costumes welcome all Saturday night. We're a short walk from the Dallas Halloween Block Party on Cedar Springs, so start here and stroll over.
Halloween lands on a Saturday
Post by Sat., Oct. 24
Saturday, Oct. 31, packs the day from breakfast to bedtime. Stage Fright opens Sammons Park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a petting zoo, creatures from the Dallas Zoo and a costume contest, free for families. The Dallas Farmers Market runs a seed scavenger hunt from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Día de los Muertos performances that weekend too.
From 4 to 7 p.m., Trick or Treat on Downtown Streets fills Main Street Garden, free and pet-friendly. And the Dallas Día de los Muertos Parade and Festival takes over City Hall Plaza from 4 to 10 p.m. At half past seven, the Dallas Symphony plays a Día de los Muertos concert at the Meyerson, with a community ofrenda.
Watch-out. Give Día de los Muertos its own post, made with care, and keep the costume jokes on the Halloween side. A business can honor the day by pointing people to the parade or the ofrenda.
Watch-out. Give Día de los Muertos its own post, made with care, and keep the costume jokes on the Halloween side. A business can honor the day by pointing people to the parade or the ofrenda.Then the clocks fall back an hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, which hands gyms and coffee shops an easy joke about the extra hour.
Your clientA gym
The clocks fall back tonight, so Sunday comes with a free hour. You know where to spend it.
Team up with the business next door
Post by Fri., Oct. 23
A joint post puts your client in front of a neighbor's followers, and the neighbor gets the same deal. On Instagram, a Collab post shows up on both profiles, so one shoot does double duty.
Say your client is a salon on Cedar Springs. It pairs with a bar a few doors down for the block party. The salon shows off Saturday afternoon slots for costume hair and glitter. The bar shows the drink it's pouring before the party. Both go out as one Collab post with a shared caption, something like "Get ready with us, toast with them, then hit the block." Each business answers its own comments, and both get the reach.
Your client and the bar next doorA salon and a bar on Cedar Springs
Get ready with us, toast with them, then hit the block. Costume hair and glitter at the salon all Saturday afternoon, then a drink a few doors down before the block party.
New permits are a good place to find a partner. State permit records show Cosmic Cafe on Oak Lawn Avenue picked up a mixed beverage permit on Sept. 29. A neighbor with fresh news has a reason to say yes.
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This post covers the whole city. A Shout Report brief does the same work for one client and their part of town, every Monday, with the local trends, post ideas and watch-outs that fit that business. To see one for a client on your roster, grab a free sample brief at shoutreport.com.