Douglas County Fall Festivals & Halloween 2026

The confirmed 2026 fall festival lineup includes Castle Rock Artfest at Festival Park (Sep 12–13), the HRCA Fall Craft Fair in Highlands Ranch (Sep 12), the free Fall Fest at Mission Hills Castle Rock (Sep 13), Oktoberfest in downtown Castle Rock (Sep 19), Parker Fall Fest at O'Brien Park, Oktoberfest Highlands Ranch and the free Douglas County Fall Festival at Sandstone Ranch in Larkspur (all Sep 26), the Colorado Highland Games at the Denver Polo Club in Sedalia (Sep 26–27), the Castle Rock Trail Festival at Miller Park and HRCA's Fall Family Fun Day (both Oct 3), the Sterling Ranch Fall Festival at Prospect Park and the City of Lone Tree Fall Festival at Schweiger Ranch (Oct 3 and Oct 4), the Glow Dance Party and PumpkinFest at The Grange (both Oct 10), the Happy Dog Ranch Fall Festival in Sedalia (Oct 11), the Fall Festival featuring Creepy Crawlies Around the Rock at Festival Park (Oct 18), Castle Pines' back-to-back Bonfire, BBQ, and Brews (Oct 23) and Fall Fest (Oct 24), the free Westridge Community Fall Festival in the Highlands Ranch Stake Center lot (Oct 24, 5:30–8 p.m.), and the free Fall Festival at Abundant Life Parker (Oct 25).

The two family tentpoles were Spooktacular at Miller Park (Sat Oct 17) and the Fangtastic Festival at Festival Park in downtown Castle Rock (Fri Oct 30). Parker stacked Saturday Oct 24: Trunk or Treat on Mainstreet behind Parker Station (sensory hour 1–2 p.m., general 2–5 p.m., free with timed-entry kids' tickets), The Great Pumpkin: A Storybook Holiday at the Douglas County Libraries (6–9 p.m.), and The Rocky Horror Picture Show with a live shadow cast at the PACE Center (8 p.m., $32). HRCA ran three Haunted Forest events in the Backcountry Wilderness Area — the full Haunted Forest on Oct 23 (6:30–9:30 p.m.) and Oct 24 (7–10 p.m.), the daytime Fall Fest on Oct 24 (1–4 p.m.), and Fright Lite on Oct 24 (5–7 p.m.) with no scare actors — all parking at Rocky Heights Middle School in Lone Tree, plus Haunted Hayrides at Stockton's Plum Creek Stables in Roxborough (Oct 23–24, $16). Cherokee Ranch & Castle hosted the Midnight at the Masquerade murder-mystery dinner (Oct 17, $84.95), and the Highlands Ranch Mansion closed the month with the free Last Stop — Halloween Night at the Mansion (Sat Oct 31, 6:30–9 p.m.).

Two easy options: Lone Creek Farms in Franktown runs a Fall Festival and Pumpkin Patch from late September through early November (Sep 25 – Nov 1 in 2026, $23.95–$27.95, kids 3 and under free) — a ticketed agritainment farm with a corn maze, hayrides, and pumpkins — and Gilly's Pumpkin Patch in Castle Rock opens Fridays and Saturdays for four weekends (Sep 25 – Oct 17, 9 a.m. to dark, $5 per person / $20 per family) on an original 1889 homestead. Castle Rock also gets the free PumpkinFest at The Grange on Oct 10, and Big Jack — Colorado's largest pumpkin — parks at the Outlets at Castle Rock from Sep 26.

Eight across five communities: Lone Tree Brewing's Parker (Sep 5) and Lone Tree (Sep 12) taproom fests, Living The Dream in Highlands Ranch and downtown Castle Rock's Oktoberfest at Wilcox Square (both Sep 19), HRCA's Oktoberfest at Highlands Ranch Town Center, Sterling Ranch's at Providence Park and 105 West Brewing's all-day taproom fest in Castle Rock (all Sep 26 — 105 West runs 11 a.m.–10 p.m., free, with stein hoisting at 3 and the Mike Maurer Band at 6:30), and the City of Lone Tree's Oktoberfest at Schweiger Ranch (Oct 3, 2:30–6:30 p.m., free to attend with a separate beer-tasting package). Every date, organizer-verified, is on our Oktoberfest in Douglas County guide.

Several local shops, not just the chains. Oo•de•Lally Coffee on Crystal Valley Parkway runs pumpkin across its whole fall menu and cans a Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee to go. LaLa's Coffee & Boba downtown has a Spiced Pumpkin Latte. Griddled at the Outlets has both a Pumpkin Patch Latte and a straight Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Plenty, and not just in Castle Rock. In Castle Rock: Apres Coffee on Perry Street (PRESEASON, their pumpkin spice latte, and TIMBERLINE with maple, pecan and cinnamon), Oo•de•Lally, LaLa's Coffee & Boba, and COFF33 downtown, which announced a new fall menu on Sept. 14. In Highlands Ranch, Nixon's Coffee House posted a September lineup with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, a Lemonade Matcha and a Hazelnutty Mocha. In Parker, Marvin's Place added a seasonal caramel latte. In Lone Tree, Peaky Peak brought back its pumpkin spice, coconut pandan, pistachio and banana cold foams, and The Groove at Lyric put a fall margarita on its weekly specials.

Early August, well before the weather turns. In 2026 Oo•de•Lally dropped its fall menu Friday, Aug. 7, and LaLa's followed on Monday, Aug. 24 — both during a heat wave, which the shops themselves joked about.