A Halloween Afternoon Along the Shoreline
By late afternoon on October 24, the parking area off Sparks Road will already be filling up. Families with kids in costume will stream toward the lawn at Stewart Creek Park, the kind of autumn Saturday that makes the walk from the car feel like the start of something. The lake will be sitting right there in the background, doing what it does.
The City of The Colony hosts Family Fright Fest every fall, and the 2026 edition runs from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Stewart Creek Park, 3700 Sparks Road. The event is free for park pass holders and $15 per vehicle for everyone else.
What to Expect Inside the Gates
The lineup covers most of what you would want from a proper community Halloween event. There is a hay ride, a haunted trail, a costume contest, rides and games, and trick-or-treating. Food trucks and local business vendors round out the grounds, so parents can grab something to eat while the kids make their rounds.
The costume contest is the kind of thing that draws a crowd on its own. Whether the category is scariest, most creative, or funniest, the competition tends to be earnest, and the entries from the youngest attendees usually steal the show.
The Setting Does a Lot of the Work
Stewart Creek Park sits along Lake Lewisville on the western edge of The Colony, and the Shoreline Trail runs through it. By the time the event gets going at 3:00 p.m., the light will already be dropping toward the lake, which gives the whole afternoon a natural atmosphere that no amount of orange and black bunting could manufacture on its own. The haunted trail, threaded through the park’s tree cover, works considerably better here than it would in a parking lot.
The park has become a reliable anchor for the city’s outdoor programming. Earlier in October, Campfire and S’mores Night will have already used the same grounds on October 16, and the Shoreline 5K and 8 Miler start from the same address at 7:30 a.m. on the same morning as Family Fright Fest. Runners finishing their race will pass families just arriving for the afternoon festivities — not a bad way to spend a Saturday.
Planning the Visit
Gates open at 3:00 p.m. and the event runs through 7:00 p.m., which means there is enough time to work through the full grounds without feeling rushed. Costume wearers — adults included — will find no shortage of company. The food trucks take care of dinner, and the vendor market gives families something to browse between activities.
For the hay ride and haunted trail, lines tend to build as the afternoon wears on, so arriving closer to opening time is worth considering if those are the priority. The trick-or-treating stations are typically spread across the event footprint, which keeps foot traffic moving.
Park passes are available through the city, and the $15 per vehicle walk-up rate covers everyone in the car. The city’s parks and recreation office can confirm current pass availability and any day-of details at the official city site.
Part of a Longer October in The Colony
Family Fright Fest lands in the middle of a packed calendar. The weekend before, Barktoberfest takes over The Shacks at Austin Ranch on October 17, offering dog owners their own fall festival with vendors and a costume contest of the canine variety. For families who want something after dark, the Haunted Shadows Lake Trail runs every weekend in October near the TOCA Soccer Center on Main Street, with more than a mile of wooded trail along Lewisville Lake open as late as 11:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Family Fright Fest occupies its own lane among these — it is the city’s flagship Halloween event, the one aimed squarely at families with younger children who want the full Halloween experience without driving anywhere. Everything is in one park, within walking distance of everything else.
Stewart Creek Park is at 3700 Sparks Road. Doors open at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 24. Bring a costume.
