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Friday, October 30, 2026
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Things to Do in Lubbock This Weekend: Oct. 30–Nov. 1

Downtown Lubbock skyline with tall office towers rising above tree-lined neighborhoods under a clear blue sky
Photo: Quintin Soloviev / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Hub City weekend guide
Costumes, kickoff and a Sunday drive. Here’s your Lubbock weekend.
📅 Fri, Oct. 30 to Sun, Nov. 1🔗 Every pick links to its source
🔖 Bookmark this page for your weekend plans.

This weekend in Lubbock brings a Halloween parade, a Texas Tech home game, Día de los Muertos celebrations, a reptile expo and a comic con, plus plenty of free and kid-friendly picks from Friday, Oct. 30, through Sunday, Nov. 1.

Looking for things to do in Lubbock this weekend? You picked a good one. Halloween lands on Saturday, the Red Raiders are home, and Sunday is a gentle day for art, music and a pretty drive up to Abernathy. We read every organizer’s page before we listed it, and each card below links to where we found it. Plans can change, so give the link a quick tap before you head out.

Updated Friday, Oct. 30, 2026

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☔ Weather check: A Flood Watch was in effect for Lubbock through 8 p.m. Friday. Outdoor Friday events may move or cancel, so check with hosts. Read our weather update.

Friday, Oct. 30

Kick off the weekend, rain or not
Friday is mostly an indoor night, which is handy in this weather. Families can head to the Science Spectrum for its not-too-scary carnival. Grown-ups can pick a tribute concert at Buddy Holly Hall, local horror films at the Cactus, a masquerade downtown or a basement ghost tour at the library. Looking for Friday trunk-or-treats? There are a lot of them, and our trunk-or-treat list by date has them all.

Fright Light II laser show

Check before you go
  • When: Friday and Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (49 minutes)
  • Where: Planetarium at the Museum of Texas Tech University, 3301 4th St.
  • Cost: Not listed
  • Good to know: Halloween songs like “Thriller” and “Monster Mash” set to lasers. Recommended for ages 10 and up.

Spooky Science Carnival

  • When: Friday, Oct. 30, 5 to 9 p.m. Costume contests at 7 p.m.
  • Where: Science Spectrum & OMNI Theater, 2579 S. Loop 289, Suite 250
  • Cost: Included with museum admission: $10 adults, $8 kids and seniors, free for 2 and under
  • Good to know: “Spooky, not scary” fun for kids up to 12: carnival games, live critters, science shows, bounce houses and free lobby trick-or-treating. No scary costumes.

Hub City Horror Film Fest

  • When: Friday, Oct. 30, 7:20 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m.
  • Where: Cactus Theater, 1812 Buddy Holly Ave.
  • Cost: $7 in advance, $10 day of show
  • Good to know: Five horror shorts by local filmmakers, then a screening of the 1968 classic “Night of the Living Dead.”

The Michael Jackson HIStory Show

  • When: Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m. Doors at 6:30 p.m.
  • Where: The Buddy Holly Hall, Helen DeVitt Jones Theater, 1300 Mac Davis Lane
  • Cost: Ticketed
  • Good to know: A tribute concert presented by Cactus Theater. Buy tickets ahead through the venue.

Día de los Muertos Masquerade Ball

  • When: Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. to midnight
  • Where: Historic Baker Building, 1211 13th St.
  • Cost: From $45 general admission; premium and VIP tickets cost more
  • Good to know: A dressed-up grown-up night with Day of the Dead attire and masks.

Saturday, Oct. 31 (Halloween)

Our top Halloween picks, plus a big game
Halloween gets the busiest day of the Lubbock events this weekend, so here are just our top picks. For every haunted house, festival and trunk-or-treat, see our Halloween week guide and our full trunk-or-treat list. The masquerade ball and Nightmare on 19th Street (above) run Saturday too.

Texas Tech football vs. Arizona

  • When: Saturday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m. CT
  • Where: Galaxy Stadium, Texas Tech campus
  • Cost: Tickets listed from $63
  • Good to know: Parade at 10 and kickoff at 11 means heavy traffic downtown and around campus all morning.

Resthaven’s Día de Muertos

Check before you go
  • When: Saturday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Where: Resthaven Funeral Home & Memorial Park, 5740 W. 19th St.
  • Cost: Not listed
  • Good to know: A family-friendly celebration of life with folkloric dance, mariachi music and a community ofrenda.

Mo’s Monster Mash

Free
  • When: Saturday, Oct. 31, 5 to 10 p.m. Free trunk-or-treat 5 to 7 p.m.
  • Where: Depot District, 1712 Buddy Holly Ave.
  • Cost: Trunk-or-treat is free
  • Good to know: After the candy, it turns into a Halloween night market and dance party with vendors, live music and costume contests.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

  • When: Saturday, Oct. 31, 7 and 10:30 p.m.
  • Where: The Buddy Holly Hall, Crickets Theater, 1300 Mac Davis Lane
  • Cost: Ticketed
  • Good to know: The Lubbock Shadow Cast Players act out the movie live in front of the screen. Best for adults.
🏆 Costume contests this weekend
The last three are bar nights for grown-ups. Kids’ contests are on the cards above.

Sunday, Nov. 1

Art, music and a small-town drive
Sunday slows down in the nicest way. Wondering what’s going on in Lubbock this weekend after the candy is gone? See Día de los Muertos art at the Buddy Holly Center, visit the community ofrenda at Mahon Library, hear a free All Saints concert downtown, or drive up I-27 for a cozy Christmas open house on Abernathy’s Main Street. The reptile expo and the comic con both wrap up Sunday, too.

Community Ofrenda at Mahon Library

Check before you go
  • When: On display Sunday, Nov. 1, and Monday, Nov. 2
  • Where: Mahon Library, 1306 9th St.
  • Cost: Not listed
  • Good to know: A shared Día de los Muertos altar with photos of neighbors’ loved ones. Check library hours before you go.

Show Me Reptile Show & Pet Expo

  • When: Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. VIP entry at 9 a.m. Saturday.
  • Where: Panhandle South Plains Fairgrounds, 105 E. Broadway
  • Cost: $15 at the door ($20 VIP). Kids 7 to 12 are $5 with a paid adult; 6 and under free.
  • Good to know: Please leave your own pets at home.

South Plains Collectors Con

  • When: Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday noon to 6 p.m.
  • Where: Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, 1501 Mac Davis Lane
  • Cost: Ticketed. Select-a-Seat box office, 806-770-2000, or online through AXS
  • Good to know: A comics and collectibles convention at the Civic Center. See the city page for guests and the schedule.

Free this weekend

Free things to do in Lubbock this weekend
Good times don’t have to cost a thing. These free picks are all confirmed by their hosts or organizers. Tap any one to jump to the details.
Need more? Dozens of neighborhood trunk-or-treats are free, too. Find them in our trunk-or-treat list.

With kids

Family activities in Lubbock this weekend
Bringing the little ones? These activities in Lubbock this weekend are built with families in mind.
Tip: pack a flashlight or glow stick for evening events, and bring a few safe treats if your child has food allergies.

Coming up next weekend (Nov. 6–8)

Start planning now
Next weekend brings the monthly art trail downtown and another home game. See our first week of November guide for more, and start dreaming about lights and parades with our Lubbock holiday events guide.

First Friday Art Trail

Free
  • When: Friday, Nov. 6, 6 to 9 p.m., rain or shine
  • Where: Hub at LHUCA, 511 Ave. K, plus galleries across downtown
  • Cost: Free, with free trolleys along the route

Songs of Yesteryear at Silent Wings

  • When: Saturday, Nov. 7, 2 p.m.
  • Where: Silent Wings Museum Hangar Gallery, 6202 I-27
  • Cost: Included with museum admission
  • Good to know: Texas Tech music students sing 1940s Great American Songbook favorites.
Send this to your weekend crew
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📬 Know of one we missed? Email info@hubcitydigitalco.com with the event name, host, date, time, address and a link, and we’ll add it once we can confirm it.

Featured photo: Lubbock, Texas skyline by Quintin Soloviev via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).

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