We had been to butterfly tents before, and this was no different. I was expecting more of a…read morefestival that revolved around butterflies and not just the tent. That said, it is still a decent event, I just would plan on being there for a hour or so, tops. As stated on the website, there is a 600 sq.ft. tent that houses all of the butterflies. We wanted to be there for the release at 5pm on the last day, Sunday. We got there with a few hours left and the staff was already starting to tear down the tent. They were friendly and assisted with providing the tool for you to get some of the butterflies to come your way. There were a handful of silent auction items as this is a fundraising event. The release itself was uneventful and informal. each person got to take a butterfly outside the tent and release it on their own. Parking is easy, but this is certainly not a "festival."

I've gone to TFW for a number of years and have made friends with people all over the country…read morebecause of it. To the point that the main reason I keep coming back is that it's become more a reunion of friends vs coming for autographs/shopping. Though of course they have amazing vendors every year that I tend to get gifts for friends and family's birthdays or way early Christmas shopping when there. A few tips for newer people coming, go ahead and spring for the weekend pass if you can. Friday is the best day for autographs. If there is a must get autograph, go get in those peoples lines first because some can take a long time. Saturday is usually the busiest day and Sunday usually the most chill. The snack bars and coffee shop are the most reasonable priced food options but I usually just bring my own water & have some of my own snacks in my bag ... then eat when I've left or on my way in as I live close enough to come & go. Bring cash, because most if not all of the guests that you would get autographs from only take cash. Vendors take card though so if your not big on getting autographs then cards can be used! Get the cash from your banks ATM before you arrive. That should be a habit of anyone going to a convention, don't depend on the ones there. ATM's on site have run out quickly in the past, like they have at other major conventions, and the company doesn't come out to refill it as quickly as could be needed. Then that way if there was an issue your bank is able to help you because it's your banks ATM malfunctioned vs a 3rd party ATM. (Which all the convention or hotel can do is give you the contact info for the ATM company because it's their machine that malfunction. Also Have fun, meet some of the fellow fans & people watch!

I am in my late 40s and have been a horror fan and somewhat connected to the industry for a long…read moretime. I have been going to horror conventions since the 90s. Fangoria Weekend of Horrors, Monsterpalooza,Midsummer. Etc. This year was my first time at Texas Frightmare. All in all it was a good time (except for day 2 but I'll go into that in a bit). I had purchased a 3 day pass with souvenir tshirt. Friday I got there really early, met up with my industry friend from Hollywood, got my wristband and killed some time until the event opened up. Throughout the 3 day event I managed to score a few autographs for both me and a friend of mine from SoCal that couldn't make it...as well as a bunch of blu rays, books and art. And I caught some really good panels and screenings as well as getting my picture taken with many people. The people that run the event are friendly and seem to know what they're doing. The vendors in the merch room are good. But there are a couple of big issues. One is the parking. On Friday I arrived shortly after 11 and managed to park in Terminal C which is the event. Saturday I arrived a bit late...around 12 noon and was detoured to terminal B and was told I had to take a shuttle to terminal C. The line for the small shuttle was massive and folks in the line had clocked it at being over an hour long. I decided to leave Sunday I got there much earlier and lucked out by snagging the last parking spot on the roof of terminal C. I felt bad for the row of cars behind me. The fix for this problem would be to move to a venue outside of DFW since parking lots are shared with airport traffic. You don't run into parking problems at other horror cons. Now I get why they have it there. Because it's convenient for out of towners. But Monsterpalooza is in Pasadena nowhere near an airport and yet still attracts people from all over the country and world. My next issue them mixing autograph booths with merch booths. It makes it hard to enjoy shopping at booths when you're bumping into people who are in a massive line waiting for signings so close to where merch is sold. Monsterpalooza has most autograph oops on the outside of the vendor room to leave room for the vendors. Also a bigger volume of vendors would be nice. I know many local horror shops that couldn't set up because there wasn't anything available. Monsterpalooza and Midsummer both have more vendors. Then my final critique is the screening room in the maverick hall. To put such a great documentary Beset by Demons in that room, on such a tiny screen with crappy sound was insulting. I have a bigger portable screen and higher quality projector I use in my backyard for my backyard parties. I felt bad for Mr. Henkel. But the crazier part is that I messaged Frightmare on FB offering constructive feedback and they flat out shot me down. In my industry I work closely with businesses to help them grow in a sustainable way and part of that is them being open to candid feedback from their customers and patrons. It took me by surprise they they would be against feedback. There is always going to be 'went wells' and 'better next times'. I remember giving Tony Timpone feedback on one of their last Fangoria Weekend of Horrors and he thanked me for it. We're still friends to this day because feedback is not out of meanness but out of wanting them to do better and better. I want Frightmare to continue to be successful. And if they listened to their patrons they would be.

A distant dream now, but that was the best contingent of all of the administration, vibrant and…read morepeaceful weekend that ended yesterday in historical Quakertown Park, close to the downtown Denton City Offices and Council Chambers and Courts. It's got to take supreme team work amongst the City Departments during this autumnal celebration of our musical performance environment in north Texas, where both of our great universities pitched in sending us some of the finest live performances, set up on seven different stages in different parts of the Civic Center Park. I was perhaps most impressed with the city's answer to clean up the party zones, which span the area of the grounds of the Emily Fowler Public Library to the walls that surround our iconic Public Swimming Pool, which has a beautiful connection between our individual swimming participants, who flock to the Bell Avenue, and Texas Woman's University-adjacent location. I am proud of my hometown and have generally been drawn into the hordes of people who come here from homes nearby and enjoy the atmosphere of Gemuetlichkeit (German for warmth of friendliness that comes from mutual community that accompanies the Oktoberfest season of harvest time. A mighty shout out to the fabulous Local Grammy Award winning nuclear polka group, Brave Combo, and specifically band leader and guitarist Carl Finch, who founded the band with North Texas State University Jazz Music legends, along with Bubba Hernandez and their trumpet player Danny. I am so blessed to have Denton, Texas as my hometown and this annual event is going to be continuing far, far into the future. A shout out to my companion for the closing act, the most excellent Little Jack Melody, who rocked the Festival Stage, next door to City Hall. Cheers, Mark C. Fearing, Ph.D. (ShredderV@aol.com).

If you don't know why people say Denton is different..... than you have not been here. Orrrrr you…read morejust don't see why it matters. Sometimes it is safe to not know anything about Denton, but if you are adventurous....... You need to go. Just go.

This is what local fests/fairs are all about. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Main Street Art…read moreFest action and Deep Ellum Art Fest shenanigans- but this is what I love. Locals peddling thier products they have spent hours crafting with love to others in the community. And the city was so supportive of the vendors- the city employees working the event were constantly making rounds insuring everything was going well and the visitors were having a good time. The Mayor even came around and was shaking everyone's hand and taking selfies with the booth vendors. I see you, Mr. Mayor Jim. They had a ton of food and local bands/ performers as well. My favorite was Poly Hwy- go check them out on FB. They were Polynesian and had a very island-y vibe. It was the perfect chill music to have playing while you stroll around. John Tipton was second- dude if you are reading this- that was the best cover of Bad Leroy Brown ever! And all of this was FREE! Silver Dollar Winery was serving up vino- although I wish they would have had the frozen peachy wine slushie- hint hint for next year guys ;). Crazy Cowboy was smoking up a storm and slinging brisket sandwiches and Rahr beer. La Rosita truck was also there in case you had a hankering for a taco. Bedford is a hidden gem guys, real talk. It was a beautiful day and a great spot for all this fun. Bookmark this and meet me there next year!

Quaint little art fest with friendly people and great lines of vendors and artist. It's not as…read morecrowded as the other arts fest I've been but I like it because the kids can enjoy themselves too without the parents/guardian worrying about them getting swept by a big crowd.

The best live music event in Denton, Texas is undoubtedly the best sampling of three day weekend…read moreevent in the Autumn month of October; the big event is the Sunday night finale of local Nuclear Polka band, Grammy Awards winners and home town heroes, Brave Combo; band leader Carl Finch and saxophonist Jeffrey Barnes, and their background vocals and instrumentals from University of North Texas will groove you to finality and peace. Cheers, Mark F.

Nice event, lots of different vendors, good food, and Great music. Seems to get bigger every year.read more

Went for my birthday! This was so much fun, busy but not insanely long so a good way to end the…read morenight. The actors were awesome, there were a lot of them in the parking lot, and the houses were pretty scary for 2 adults that aren't very jumpy. Relatively short wait, 3 haunted houses in 1 place. 2 are fused together and the other is standalone. Love the "lore" and stories that have been engineered for the haunts.

Pretty scary! Long wait though. My friends kept laughing at me getting scared but she wanted me to…read morego first

We saw the kids Bluey performance here. It was great. Good ambiance. There are parking garages…read morearound, most are pay to park. Fun time. Clean. Probably harder for tall people to sit for a while.

I visited the Bass Performance Hall in Ft. Worth recently to see a middle of the week, matinee…read moreperformance of Hamilton. It was amazing! Set design, costumes, choreography, singing, music, acting were all top notch. Some of the things you should know before you go. 1) Parking can be a challenge because they don't have their own garage. There are several garages nearby (about a block walking distance), but you will want to arrive really early to make sure you have time to find a space, make your way to the theater, and find your seat before the show starts. We were coming from Richardson, so we knew we would need over an hour to travel there, but because of the parking situation, we left even earlier at 11:30 am for a 1:30pm show time start. 2) The building is quite modern. They have several entrances, but you may be asked to wait on the street in the elements before they open the doors and start scanning tickets. Be prepared to stand in the elements. 3) The seats are quite narrow and the arm rest is shared with your seat mate. If you are an average sized American, you might find the average seats quite uncomfortable. The person next to me was blubbering through her seat into mine. She was also very enthusiastic tapping along with the beat. Both things were unpleasant for me. There are box seats that have independent chairs. If I return to this venue, I will pay for one of these to avoid feeling like a sardine. They have an amazing line up of shows. I wish they were closer because I would definitely be a season ticket holder so that I could enjoy every single one of their amazing shows.

An amazing experience for those who appreciate an unprecedented combination of adventure, mystery,…read moremodern art, and storytelling. Any age can enjoy it, as it includes everything from "touchables" for littles to elevators for the disabled.

I have been wanting to go to Meow Wolf for a while. We finally decided to check it out, and I am…read moreglad that we did. One of my sons loves art and couldn't wait to walk around this interactive museum. I thought I was bringing my boys to admire the art and to have a good time, but I too had a very enjoyable experience. We visited on a Thursday, a little after noon. It was not too busy at the time, so we were able to truly enjoy the experience without a crowd of people. When we first walked in, we were surprised to find an entire house behind the door. That was the first of the surprises Meow Wolf held. I will not spoil all of the surprises here, but I must say that we were pleasantly surprised as we went through the exhibit. I could tell a lot of work went into making the various rooms and art in the rooms, and I commend the artists' creativity and downright ingenuity. It is true that everything won't appeal to everyone, and I do not know anyone who likes all music that comes on the radio, all art in a museum, or all books that are in a bookstore. The things that we liked, we savored, and the things that we did not like (which wasn't much), were ignored. As I made my way through some of the exhibits, I felt like a child in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. The colors were so vivid, and the art in some areas just seemed to pop off the wall. My sons love having the ability to touch and interact with the art and not just look at it. Overall, we had a wonderful experience and are already planning our return.