Celina's Downtown Square hosts two free festivals in October. Oktoberfest arrives Saturday, Oct. 3, and the Halloween-themed Beware! of the Square follows on Saturday, Oct. 24.

The city took over Oktoberfest in 2026 after the Celina Chamber of Commerce, which ran the event from 2018 through 2025, decided to stop hosting it. City Council moved the festival back to the Downtown Square at 142 N. Ohio St. after it had been relocated to the Entertainment District in 2025.

"If we're going to be known [for special events], then we should go all in," Mayor Ryan Tubbs said in January, when the council discussed assuming control of the event, as Community Impact reported.

City staff estimated a $269,550 budget for a full-scale Oktoberfest. The festival runs 3 to 7 p.m. and will feature live music, folk dancing, food vendors, local shopping, a dachshund dash, keg rolling and a brat-eating contest.

Admission is free.

Three weeks later, Beware! of the Square takes over the same block. The city's annual Halloween festival has earned multiple industry awards, including a gold from the Texas Festivals & Events Association (TFEA) in 2024 for best on-site decor.

The Oct. 24 event runs 4 to 9 p.m. and includes trick-or-treating, a haunted manor, cirque sideshows, a free Kid Zone, a pumpkin decorating contest and more than 60 market vendors, according to the city's event page. Free park-and-ride shuttles will run from Moore Middle School and Collin College from 4 to 10 p.m.

At the 2025 edition, attendees donated 42 pints of blood through the Battle of the Badges blood drive.

Residents who want to enter the pumpkin decorating contest can prep at two lead-up events: a free Pumpkin Painting Party at the Downtown Celina Pavilion, 141 N. Ohio St., on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 3 to 5 p.m., and a $5 Pumpkin Craft Night at the Ralph O'Dell Senior Center on Friday, Oct. 23, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Upcoming community events

  • Oct. 3: Celina Oktoberfest, 3-7 p.m., Downtown Square, 142 N. Ohio St. Free.
  • Oct. 22: Pumpkin Painting Party, 3-5 p.m., Downtown Celina Pavilion, 141 N. Ohio St. Free.
  • Oct. 23: Pumpkin Craft Night, 6-8 p.m., Ralph O'Dell Senior Center. $5.
  • Oct. 24: Beware! of the Square, 4-9 p.m., Downtown Square, 142 N. Ohio St. Free.