The last Live on the Lawn of the season is this Friday, Oct. 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Central Plaza Lawn at Hill Country Galleria, with Mark Chandler closing the posted lineup. After that, Bee Cave's fall calendar runs mostly on Saturdays and Sundays in daylight. By mid-November it shifts again, from the plaza to the city's ice rink behind City Hall.
The more useful detail is who is behind the October events. The Galleria provides the plaza and the streets. Several of the biggest days on the calendar are run by someone else, including the Bee Cave Public Library's car show fundraiser, an arts collective's sixth annual festival, a charity fun run and the City of Bee Cave's own Trunk or Treat. Knowing who runs each event helps you plan, because it explains the hours, the costs and why one Sunday in late October will be much busier than the others.
What replaces Friday nights
Through the warm months, Fridays were the regular evening slot at Central Plaza. Live on the Lawn is a free series, and once it ends there is no Friday evening event on the Galleria's posted October calendar.
Two weekly items stay. The Bee Cave Farmers Market is listed every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Central Plaza, and the listing gives no end date for the season. On weekdays, the Bee Cave Arts Foundation's after-school art classes meet Wednesdays from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The six-week series that started Sept. 2 ends Oct. 7.
Everything else in October is a one-day event, and from Oct. 10 on, every Saturday has one.
October at Central Plaza, weekend by weekend
| Date | Event | Hours | Organizer or beneficiary | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun., every week | Bee Cave Farmers Market | 10 a.m.–2 p.m. | Farmers market at Central Plaza | Not listed |
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Tutus and Ties Fun Run | See AIM listing | AIM, presented by SouthStar Bank | See AIM listing |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Oktoberfest | 3–7 p.m. | Hill Country Galleria, food by The League Kitchen + Tavern | Not listed |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Common Ground Arts Festival | 11 a.m.–5 p.m. | Contracommon | Free |
| Sun., Oct. 25 | Rolling Sculpture Car Show | 10 a.m.–3 p.m. | Proceeds to Bee Cave Public Library | Free for spectators |
| Sun., Oct. 25 | Trunk or Treat | 10 a.m.–1 p.m. | City of Bee Cave, sponsored by Target | Not listed |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Halloween Trick or Treat | 11 a.m.–2 p.m. | Hill Country Galleria | Not listed |
AIM's 2026 Tutus and Ties Fun Run starts the run of Saturdays on Oct. 10. Check-in and the start are both at Central Plaza, and the event address is 12712 Hill Country Blvd. If you plan to be in the plaza that morning for something else, expect runners to be using it first.
Oktoberfest on Oct. 17 is the Galleria's own event and the only October event that runs into the evening, from 3 to 7 p.m. The listing asks guests to bring blankets and lawn chairs. It promises live music, Oktoberfest-inspired bites from The League Kitchen + Tavern, imported and local beers, face painting, balloon art and yard games. There is a stein-holding contest and a dirndl-and-lederhosen costume contest with a YETI cooler as the prize. The winner is announced at 5:30 p.m.
The next Saturday belongs to Contracommon. The Common Ground Arts Festival on Oct. 24 is the group's sixth annual festival. It runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Central Plaza with more than 30 creative vendors, four live music acts and free hands-on activities for all ages. Admission is free. Contracommon describes the festival as a way to connect emerging Central Texas artists and makers with buyers from west Austin and the Hill Country. If you buy holiday gifts from local makers, this is the Galleria's biggest single day for it on the posted fall calendar.
Oct. 25 is the busiest day of the season
Two events overlap on the same Sunday morning, and they draw different crowds to the same street.
The Rolling Sculpture Car Show runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Galleria streets. The listing names collector cars, sports cars and exotics, modern classics and hot rods, along with live music. Show car parking opens at 10 a.m. Spectators get in free, all proceeds go to the Bee Cave Public Library, and the show goes on rain or shine.
At the same time, the City of Bee Cave holds its Trunk or Treat from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 12700 Hill Country Blvd. Target sponsors it. The city's page invites families to come in costume, walk down Hill Country Blvd. for candy and look at the classic cars along the way. The farmers market is also scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day.
That means three events share one four-hour window. A few practical points:
- Arrive before 10 a.m. if you want to see the cars as they park. Show car parking opens at 10, and Trunk or Treat starts at the same time.
- Plan on 1 p.m. as the end for families with kids. Trunk or Treat ends then, while the car show runs until 3.
- Rain doesn't cancel the car show. The listing says it happens rain or shine. The city's Trunk or Treat page gives no rain plan.
- Walk the full length of Hill Country Blvd. The city publishes a route map for the combined event on its Trunk or Treat page, so you can check it before you park.
Along the route you'll pass storefronts that changed this year. Eddie Bauer closed in January 2026. Sicara Shop + Design Studio opened in early May at 12820 Hill Country Blvd., Ste. E-120, selling home décor and custom furniture and offering design services. A Charles Schwab branch opened at the Galleria on July 12. JETSET Pilates is planned for Ste. G-100 at 12800 Hill Country Blvd. Community Impact reported in September that the studio is coming this winter, with construction expected to finish in November, so no exact opening date has been set.
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year
Oct. 31 is a Saturday in 2026, and the Galleria's Halloween Trick or Treat runs in daylight, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Families pick up a pumpkin bag at Central Plaza and then walk Hill Country Boulevard. Since it ends by early afternoon, it doesn't compete with evening plans closer to home.
One thing to check before you bring small children to any of these days. Every Hill Country Galleria page currently shows a banner saying the splash pad is temporarily closed, with no reason or reopening date given. With cooler weather, many families may not miss it. Just don't plan an outing around it until the banner comes down.
November moves to City Hall
After Halloween, the posted Galleria calendar has nothing more until the holidays, and the next big event is run by the city. Bee Cave on Ice opens Nov. 13, 2026, and runs through Jan. 18, 2027. The rink sits behind City Hall at 4000 Galleria Parkway. It is a separate city venue, not a rink on Central Plaza.
The posted schedule:
| Day | Hours | Last session |
|---|---|---|
| Monday–Thursday | 3–9 p.m. | 8 p.m. |
| Friday | Noon–10 p.m. | 9 p.m. |
| Saturday and LTISD holidays | 10 a.m.–10 p.m. | 9 p.m. |
| Sunday | 10 a.m.–7 p.m. | 6 p.m. |
The city lists LTISD school holidays as Nov. 23–27 and Dec. 18 through Jan. 5. On those days the rink runs Saturday hours, so weekday afternoons during those weeks have much more skating time than a typical school day. The page also lists shorter hours on specific holidays. Check those dates with the city closer to Thanksgiving before you plan around them.
Pricing is $16 plus tax for 50 minutes of skating, skate rental included, Wednesday through Monday. Discount Tuesdays, which the city calls Community Nights, cost $11 plus tax. That saves $5 a skater per session, but only on five specific dates: Nov. 17, Dec. 1, Dec. 8, Dec. 15 and Jan. 12. For a family of four, those dates save $20 per session before tax, so they are worth putting on the calendar now.
As of Oct. 1, the Galleria has not posted a 2026 date for its Light Up the Plaza holiday tree lighting. Last year it was held on Nov. 28, 2025. Until a new date is announced, the rink opening on Nov. 13 is the first confirmed winter event in Bee Cave.
If you followed our summer weekend guide for Bee Cave, this is the second half of the same calendar. More about the community is on our Bee Cave neighborhood page.
At Austin Lakeside Properties, we follow Bee Cave's calendar the same way we follow its streets, one weekend at a time. If you'd like to talk about how life around Hill Country Galleria fits what you're planning for your next home, Let's Connect.
