Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so Durango's two big trick-or-treat events land on the same day at different times. The 20th Annual Three Springs Fall Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Three Springs Plaza. Downtown Children's Halloween runs from 4 to 6 p.m. on Main Avenue and East 2nd Avenue. The times don't overlap, and there's a two-hour gap between them.
The hours before that gap belong to the neighborhood. The festival's own listing calls it "a great first stop before heading downtown for Children's Halloween trick-or-treating in the afternoon." In Three Springs, that first stop is at the plaza, and lunch is on Mercado Street in the same neighborhood.
How Saturday Lines Up
Here's the whole Halloween week, from Thursday's bike parade through Saturday night.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Thu., Oct. 29, 4 to 6:30 p.m. | Durango Devo Halloween bike parade and party | Starts at the Durango Recreation Center and ends at the Powerhouse Science Center |
| Sat., Oct. 31, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | 20th Annual Three Springs Fall Festival | Three Springs Plaza, 151 Heritage Lane |
| Sat., Oct. 31, 2 to 4 p.m. | Open window | Mercado Street and Confluence Avenue for lunch |
| Sat., Oct. 31, 4 to 6 p.m. | Downtown Children's Halloween | Main Avenue and East 2nd Avenue |
| Fri. and Sat., Oct. 30 and 31, doors 7 p.m. | Maddy O'Neal's Witching Hour, 21+ | Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Drive |
| Through Sat., Oct. 31 | The Rocky Horror Show | Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. |
The two Saturday events run on different schedules and have different rules. The rest of this post follows the day in order.
Twenty Years In, the Plaza Owns the Morning
This is the festival's 20th year. Three Springs posted the 2026 listing on October 6, and it covers a lot for three hours: neighborhood trick-or-treating, live music, pumpkin decorating, a scavenger hunt and a coloring contest. Admission is free. Kids are encouraged to wear costumes, and the listing says the whole community is welcome.
The festival benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters of SW Colorado, which pairs local kids with adult mentors. So the free costume morning also supports a regional youth program.
Anyone who spent summer Tuesdays on the plaza knows it already works as an outdoor stage. The Durango Telegraph's August 6 to 12 calendar listed the band Yes, No, Maybe at Three Springs Plaza on Tuesday, August 11. A week later, musician Rob Webster played a free, all-ages Concerts in the Plaza show from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, August 18. On Halloween, the same space trades a summer weeknight crowd for a late-morning one in costume.
The festival listing gives the address as 151 Heritage Lane. The businesses around the plaza use Mercado Street addresses, and they're the next stop.
Lunch Is the Gap, and It's Already on Mercado Street
The festival ends at 2 p.m. and downtown trick-or-treating starts at 4. For a family planning to do both, that leaves two hours to fill, and part of it is lunch. In Three Springs, you can get lunch without moving the car.
According to the Three Springs business directory, updated August 10, 2026, these food and drink spots are near the plaza:
- Homeslice Pizza, 125 Mercado Street, Suite 105. The directory notes this is the pizzeria's third Durango location and offers dine-in and carryout.
- Taco Boy, 150 Confluence Ave. #101C.
- Bear's General Store, 65 Mercado Street, Suite 119, which sells beer, wine, spirits and everyday convenience items.
Halloween hours often change, and a festival crowd next door can make the lunch rush come early. Call ahead, or order carryout and eat while the kids finish their coloring contest entries.
Bear's General Store fits Saturday in a different way. The party isn't over at 6 p.m. for every household, and the store is right in Three Springs.
Downtown at Four, With Different Rules
At 4 p.m. the focus moves downtown, and the rules change. The Durango Business Improvement District posted the 2026 listing for Downtown Children's Halloween, and the event is supported by the City of Durango. According to the event page, about 75 to 100 businesses on Main Avenue and East 2nd Avenue hand out candy or non-candy items to children 10 and under in costume who are with an adult.
That age cutoff shapes the day. The Three Springs festival welcomes the whole community, while downtown is set up for younger kids. For a family with an 8-year-old and a 12-year-old, the plaza in the morning is the part both kids can fully join.
The downtown organizers publish a list of participating businesses before the event, and it marks which ones hand out non-candy items so parents of kids with food allergies can plan their route. Downtowndurango.org has a map of participating businesses.
Parking is easier than on a weekday. Here's what the Downtown Durango event page says:
- Because Halloween falls on a Saturday, all City of Durango parking lots and meters are free.
- The free lots include the Transit Center and the lots on East 2nd Avenue.
- There's no event parking at the TBK Bank lot.
- Organizers ask visitors not to park in other private lots, including the Post Office and Town Plaza lots.
"Children's Halloween lands on a Saturday this year. This means that there is free parking at all City of Durango parking lots and at every parking meter."
That quote, from the Downtown Durango Children's Halloween page, is the reason this year's schedule works. On a weekday, Halloween at 4 p.m. means leaving work early and paying for parking. This year it's the second half of an open Saturday that starts in Three Springs.
The Days on Either Side
The weekday events support the Saturday plan.
This post goes up Thursday, October 29, the same day as Durango Devo's free Halloween bike parade and party, which runs from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The parade leaves from the Durango Recreation Center and follows the Animas River Trail to the Powerhouse Science Center. Preschoolers and younger riders can join at Rotary Park. For families whose costumes are ready early, Thursday is a test run before Saturday.
Two shows cover the adult end of the weekend. The Rocky Horror Show plays at the Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave., through October 31. The arts center sits on the same avenue as Saturday's afternoon trick-or-treating. Maddy O'Neal's Witching Hour is at Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Drive, on October 30 and 31, with doors at 7 p.m. Both nights are 21 and over.
On Saturday that means the plaza from 11 to 2, lunch on Mercado Street, downtown from 4 to 6, and an evening show for adults with a sitter.
The Three Springs Fall Festival runs Saturday, October 31, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 151 Heritage Lane, and it's free.
From summer Tuesday concerts on the plaza to a festival in its 20th year, Three Springs keeps a full calendar. If you're comparing parts of Durango and want to know how each one spends its weekends, the Jamie Novak Group can walk you through it. Schedule your concierge consultation.
