Bullock Museum to Host Free Spooktacular Celebration on October 24

OCTOBER 21, 2025 (AUSTIN, TX) — The Bullock Texas State History Museum, in partnership with Girlstart, will host its annual free Halloween celebration on Friday, October 24 from 5 to 8 p.m. Families are invited to put on their favorite T. rex-themed costumes for an evening of STEAM fun.

“If you're looking for some free Halloween family fun, come to the Bullock Museum's annual Spooktacular event!” said Kristin Johnson, Head of Public Programs at the Bullock Museum. “Kids of all ages will enjoy hair-raising, slimy, electrifying science experiments, look for skeletons in a spooky scavenger hunt, pick up some treats, and enjoy our new special exhibit, T. rex: The Ultimate Predator!”

The Austin nonprofit Girlstart will once again partner with the Bullock Museum for this year’s event to offer spooky activities that encourage exploration in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM). Activities include creating boo bubbles, spinning spiderweb plates, crafting LED wearables, engineering candy corn cannons, and creating eerie slime. 

Visitors will also participate in a Día de los Muertos activity with MathHappens and experience static electricity demonstrations with Central Texas Discover Engineering. Visitors will get some rockin’ goodie bags from Austin Gem and Mineral Society and explore the Museum’s three floors of galleries after hours with a spooky scavenger hunt with prizes provided by H-E-B.

The evening’s prehistoric theme is in honor of T. rex: The Ultimate Predator, a special exhibition from the American Museum of Natural History that is on view at the Bullock Museum through March 8, 2026. The exhibition reveals the amazing story of the most iconic dinosaur in the world through life-sized models, fossil casts, and engaging interactives. Visitors have the chance to see T. rex as a fluffy hatchling, a lean juvenile, and a powerful adult, then meet smaller and faster Tyrannosaur relatives that show how T. rex evolved.

For more information about the Bullock Museum or this year’s Spooktacular celebration, please visit TheStoryofTexas.com.

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Spooktacular is presented in partnership with Girlstart, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing girls' interest and engagement in science, technology, engineering, and math through innovative, nationally recognized informal STEM education programs.

In-kind support provided by H-E-B.

T. rex: The Ultimate Predator is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org).

The Bullock Museum, a division of the Texas State Preservation Board, is funded by Museum members, donors, and patrons, the Texas State History Museum Foundation, and the State of Texas.

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​​The Bullock Texas State History Museum, a division of the State Preservation Board and an accredited institution of the American Alliance of Museums, creates experiences that educate, engage, and encourage a deeper understanding of Texas. With dynamic, award-winning exhibitions that illuminate Texas history, people, and culture, educational programming for all ages, and an IMAX® theater with a screen the size of Texas, the Museum collaborates with more than 700 museums, libraries, archives, organizations, and individuals across the world to bring the Story of Texas to life. For more information, visit www.TheStoryofTexas.com