It’s October, which means it’s time again to join in on Denton, TX’s Thirty One Days of Denton Halloween and Day of the Dead Festival! Since Little Guys Movers was founded in Denton over 30 years ago, we’ve found ways to stay involved with the community, and the Day of the Dead Festival is one of our favorites!
Day of the Dead Festival
This year will be Denton’s 15th Day of the Dead Festival, though it could be argued it initially started 17 years ago in 2009, with David J. Anzaldúa Pierce’s Halloween musical Cirque du Horror at Dan’s Silverleaf. The performers and artists involved in David’s Cirque grew in 2011, welcoming vendor booths, a festival stage, and more. The Festival only grew from there to what it is today, sponsored by the city and still run by the locals.
Little Guys Movers has been a part of Day of the Dead fest since the beginning, initially helping David pitch the idea to local businesses, then taking on leadership roles. This year, our very own Eric Eisenmann is taking on the role of Site Operations, and Marcus Watson has been moved up to Chairman of the Board. We also, as we are known to do, help with a lot of moving! We transport everything from Day of the Dead’s two large storage units to the event, as well as provide onsite storage with one of our trucks.
David’s Cirque du Horror musical is still playing annually, but now is performed in a big top circus tent to give it the full space it deserves. At the city’s request this year, the tent will be up for most of the Thirty One Days of Denton Halloween, so programming will be available from October 10th to the 31st. Additionally, Day of the Dead Festival has now decided to purchase the tent, so it will be available to rent for other events through the year.
The Day of the Dead Festival is family-focused, inclusive, and free to the public with activities like Coffin Racing, costume contests, the Twilight Lantern Parade, and a pumpkin patch.
Thirty One Days of Denton Halloween
For the second year, the city will be supporting Thirty One Days of Denton Halloween, but this time we have a little more oomph. After last year’s Denton Halloween brought 660,000 people in to experience all the ghosty goodness, the Texas House committee for Culture, Recreation and Tourism named Denton the Halloween Capital of Texas.
To uphold our spooky new reputation, Denton is pulling out all the stops with hundreds of Halloween events throughout the city over the month of October. With such a wide variety of activities, you’re sure to find something to your taste. Local restaurants and bars are offering unique tastings. Craft with clay, thread, enamel, or even thrifted craft supplies. View horror movies, plays, readings, or ghost tours from family friendly to too scary. There will be markets, festivals, music shows, tabletop role-playing game nights, bar crawls, sober strolls, and tattoo pop-ups — and oh, so much more. There’s plenty to do, and every event supports our Denton community.
Supporting Denton
The best part of our Day of the Dead Festival and the Thirty One Days of Denton Halloween is how much these events spread community support and interaction. Denton is a city that champions our local, small businesses, and these events showcase that effort. More than that, Day of the Dead Festival is a celebration of, yes, Halloween, fall, and the harvest time — but above all that, it celebrates Día de los Muertos, a time of coming together and remembrance. Little Guys Movers is so proud to be a part of the Denton community!