Henderson's Halloween Has a 4 O'Clock Handoff This Year

At 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, the St. Matthew's Pumpkin Patch on College Avenue reaches the end of its posted Saturday hours for the last time this season. That same minute, Downtown Henderson Trick-or-Treat begins on streets closed to cars, with merchants handing out candy. This year Halloween falls on a Saturday, and Henderson's two best-known Halloween traditions meet at a single point on the clock.

For families in Shawnee Village and across town, that changes how the day works. The patch opens in the morning, so it belongs in the morning or early afternoon. Downtown starts and ends on a fixed schedule, and organizers expect it to be busier than usual. The rest of the day can be planned around those two facts.

The Clock on Saturday, Oct. 31

The Henderson News reported on Sept. 30 that the Downtown Henderson Trick-or-Treat runs Saturday, Oct. 31, from 4 to 6 p.m., with participating merchants handing out candy across the downtown area. The KLTV East Texas Weekend pumpkin patch roundup, published Oct. 14, lists St. Matthew's Saturday hours as 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and its Sunday hours as 2 to 5 p.m.

The church's own event calendar marks Oct. 31 as the last day to visit the patch and lists it as "All day." The two listings don't match exactly. Even so, "all day" on a patch run by volunteers is no reason to show up at 3:45 and hope.

Laid end to end, the Saturday looks like this:

1. 10 a.m. St. Matthew's Pumpkin Patch opens at 214 College Ave. for its final day of 2026.
2. Late morning to early afternoon. Costume photos at the patch, while the light and the parking are easier.
3. 4 p.m. The patch's posted Saturday hours end and downtown trick-or-treating begins, with streets in the event area closed to vehicles.
4. 6 p.m. Downtown trick-or-treat wraps up.

On a weekday Halloween, the patch would be a quick after-school stop and downtown would be an evening rush. A Saturday spreads everything across the whole day, so the order you do things in matters more than it usually does.

Morning Belongs to the Hill on College Avenue

On its Pumpkin Patch page, St. Matthew's Episcopal Church describes its patch as an annual October event with community-wide events, pumpkin sales and "a wonderful array of pumpkins to welcome Fall." According to the church, the whole thing started in 2004 with a question raised in a Bible study: "Why can't we have a Pumpkin Patch like other towns?" The church writes that it has since turned "a barren hill into a Pumpkin Patch" and calls itself "the little church on the hill."

That hill is why the patch works best in the morning on Halloween. The church says it sets up props and photo spots each fall for family pictures. Its Oct. 31 listing comes with a direct reminder: "Make sure to take your Halloween photos, as this will be the last day to visit The Patch." If the kids are already in costume, a morning stop gets you the photos before the face paint smears, and you're done well before 4 p.m. when downtown starts.

The 2026 season opened Oct. 3 with the patch's opening at 10 a.m. and a Blessing of the Animals from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., a come-and-go event honoring St. Francis of Assisi where pets had to be leashed or contained. The church also says it partners each year with Rusk County Pets Alive to raise awareness of local humane needs. If you bought a pumpkin there earlier this month for the porch, the final Saturday is your chance to go back for photos before the hill is cleared for the year.

Why This Year's Downtown Crowd Could Run Bigger

The same Henderson News report says that with Halloween on a Saturday, organizers are "anticipating an especially large turnout and potentially more trick-or-treaters than the downtown event has welcomed in previous years." A weekday Halloween limits the crowd to families who can get there after work and school. On a Saturday, almost everyone can come at 4 p.m. sharp.

The candy side of the event has room to grow too. Businesses don't need a downtown storefront to take part. Any local business owner can set up along the downtown sidewalks, represent their business and hand out candy. Organizers are asking participants to "bring plenty of candy." So families can expect a longer row of tables on the sidewalks, with names they know from around town and not only the shops on the square.

With the streets closed to vehicles, families can walk downtown from business to business. The September notice doesn't say which streets close or where to park. With a crowd that could break records, the easy plan is to park a few blocks out and walk in, and to agree with older kids on a meeting spot before you split up.

Families who leave College Avenue at 4 p.m. will hit the downtown crowd right as it's peaking, carrying pumpkins and tired toddlers. Finishing the patch by early afternoon leaves time for a snack and a costume fix at home, and you can still be downtown when the first candy goes out.

Kilgore Runs a Second Option on Two Clocks

Some families look to Kilgore for a second round or a less crowded alternative. Kilgore has the longer tradition: the City of Kilgore calendar lists its Historic Downtown Kilgore Trick-Or-Treat as running since 1986. The 2026 times are less settled. The City of Kilgore calendar lists Oct. 31, 2026, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Historic Downtown Kilgore, but the description under that same listing says trick-or-treating "will continue until 4 p.m. or until the candy runs out." One of those has to be wrong, and the difference decides whether Kilgore can come after Henderson's 6 p.m. finish or has to come before it.

The Kilgore Main Street page still shows the 2023 edition, a Tuesday event with candy handed out by community organizations and downtown merchants along E Main St and Rusk St. That page sends people to the Kilgore Main Street Facebook page for current details. The calendar listing names a city contact at [email protected] for anyone handing out candy or donating, which is also the most direct place to ask about the 2026 end time.

Two more Kilgore stops fall on the same Saturday:

• St. Luke's Pumpkin Patch sits at the corner of Knowles and North streets, across from City Park. It's open Oct. 1 through 31, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6:30 p.m. On Halloween that means it stays open two and a half hours after St. Matthew's posted Saturday close, which helps anyone who can't fit a morning patch visit in.
• Kilgore Cruise Night, hosted by the Lone Star Lug Nuts Car Club of East Texas, meets the last Saturday of each month in Historic Downtown Kilgore. Visit Kilgore's events calendar lists it for Oct. 31 from 3 to 6 p.m. The same listing gives a later 5 to 8 p.m. summer window tied to Daylight Saving Time, so check the club's hours before planning around a cruise-in on Halloween.

The Pieces Still Being Set

One more Henderson event is on the calendar without a date. The Henderson High School Ag/FFA calendar for 2026–27 lists an "HHS Trunk or Treat" at 6 p.m. at Lions Stadium, with the date marked "TBD." If it lands on Oct. 31, its 6 p.m. start would line up with the end of downtown trick-or-treat, which would turn the Saturday into a three-stop evening. Until a date is posted, treat it as a maybe.

The September notice didn't list the closed streets, parking or a weather plan. Business owners thinking about a sidewalk table still have time to sign on before the 31st, and the Henderson News report spells out what organizers are asking for.

If you're putting together a list of Halloween routes and fall traditions for neighbors or for family visiting town, Jennifer Ellis is glad to share what she knows about Henderson's calendar. Let's Connect.