Pumpkins Galore

Pumpkin Nights brings new family-friendly Halloween fun to Dallas-Fort Worth

Pumpkin Nights will be at Howell Farms in Arlington October 10 through November 3.

Photo courtesy of Pumpkin Nights

Pumpkin Nights, an interactive Halloween experience and festival that's new to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, will open to the public on Thursday, October 10 at Howell Farms in Arlington.

The event, which will be open nightly from 5:30-10:30 pm through November 3, will feature multi-sensory Halloween displays and seven Pumpkin Lands created with more than 3,000 artistically hand-carved real and synthetic pumpkins, the organizers say.

Unlike haunted houses around the area, there will be nothing scary about Pumpkin Nights. Each Pumpkin Land has a festive spirit and a land guardian that will guide “Heroes” (aka guests) through a magical quest as they discover and preserve the spirit of Halloween. The journey starts at the Pumpkin Passage, a pumpkin tunnel with 600 hand-carved jack-o-lanterns before moving on to a quest to discover seven immersive Pumpkin Lands.

The seven Pumpkin Lands include Forbidden Pumpkin City, featuring a 40-foot Dragon made of pumpkins; Maravilla Lane, a land representing Día de los Muertos; Pumpkin Pirate Cove, where Heroes dig for treasure in the shadows of pumpkin palm trees; Pumpkin Reef, a UV black light underwater pumpkin wonderland filled with bubbles, sea creatures, coral, and jellyfish; and more.

The journey ends at Pumpkin Central, a festival featuring live pumpkin artists, food vendors, a live fire show, movie screenings, a bounce house, and more.

“We’re excited to launch our enchanted Pumpkin Lands in Dallas/Fort Worth this year," says Marielle Croudo, designer of Pumpkin Nights, in a release. "Guests discover the story of the lands through the quest, then can stay for a fire show, outdoor movie, food and drinks, and much more, making Pumpkin Nights the ideal family or date night.”

Anyone wanting to attend must purchase their tickets in advance at www.PumpkinNights.com; no tickets will be sold at the gate. Also, in an apparent nod to the tradition of trick-or-treating, the event is closed on Halloween night. Ticket prices are $20 for anyone 13 and over, $18 for seniors 60 and over, $16 for kids 4-12, and free for anyone 3 and under. You can save a little with the Family Pack, which gets two adults and two kids in for $65. There is also a weekday Night Owl Special, Monday through Thursday from 8-10:30 pm, that gives a $2-$3 discount per ticket level.

Pumpkin Nights also has iterations in Los Angeles and Santa Rosa, California; Salt Lake City; and Denver.

families holidays festivals kids

Party Is Over

Party City chain to close all stores including 9 in Fort Worth

Party City

A chain of stores where the party is always going on is closing down: Party City will close all of its stores and has initiated layoffs, effective immediately. According to CNN, CEO Barry Litwin told corporate employees that Party City has to “commence a winddown process immediately,” and that Friday would be their last day of work for the company.

However, the actual store locations, including those around North Texas, will be open until February 28.

Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, Party City is largest party goods retailer in the U.S. — the go-to destination for every type of celebration, with more than 700 company-owned and franchise store locations across North America selling home decor, candles, balloons, wrapping paper, tableware, bulk candy, baking supplies, and more.

A typical Party City store ranges in size from 10,000 to 12,000 square feet and carries approximately 30,000 items. Halloween accounts for as much as one-quarter of yearly sales, but they celebrate all seasonal holidays, from New Year's Eve to the Fourth of July to Father's Day to Super Bowl Sunday, and offer a wide array of merchandise for birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, wedding and bridal showers, and baby showers.

Party and costume merchandise has become more competitive in recent years, with companies like the budget-focused Spirit Halloween expanding beyond its Halloween pop-ups into “Spirit Christmas” stores, as well as competition from Amazon and other online retailers.

In 2023, the chain filed for bankruptcy, then emerged with a plan that included transitioning into a privately held company and canceling nearly $1 billion in debt. At that time, there were approximately 800 U.S. stores.

There are 64 stores in Texas, with 9 in the Fort Worth area, as follows:

Arlington
Burleson
Denton
Euless
Fort Worth
Hurst
Lake Worth
Mansfield
Watauga

Dallas-Fort Worth stores have already started sales between 5 and 50 percent off.

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