Fall arrives Monday and with it, here comes spooky season.
Kicking things off this year is the Bizarre Bazaar from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Khiva Shrine, 305 SE Fifth Ave. Organizer Melissa Zool tells me the bazaar is “Amarillo’s original spooky market,” offering more than 50 local artists and artisans, a food-truck court and, perhaps most appropriately, a Coffee Memorial Blood Drive. The event raises funds for the annual Goth Prom; the 2026 edition, conveniently scheduled for Feb. 14, is themed “My Bloody Valentine.” Attendees are encouraged to wear costumes, with a kids’ costume contest and one for adults. (No clown costumes, please.) Admission is free. For information, follow Goth Prom on Instagram: @gothpromamarillo.
Before summer is over, though, enjoy one final weekend at the beach with Shark Beach’s first Sandcastle Days. En route to their annual competition at Virginia Beach & South Padre Island Sandcastle Days, world-renowned sand artists will craft immense works on Shark Beach’s sandy expanses. The party runs Thursday through Sunday, with sculpting lessons, plenty of food, tons of games and live music from the likes of Andy Chase, Tennessee Tuckness, The Stray Sons, Cameron James Smith, The Solano Project and Touching Voodoo. It all goes down at the restaurant, 1505 E. FM 1151. Admission is free. Call 806-335-5644 or visit sharkbeachamarillo.com/
The Amarillo Tri-State Fair and Rodeo wraps up its annual return Saturday at the historic fairgrounds, 3301 SE 10th Ave., with three nights of rodeo action. That’s not all: Enjoy live music on the 1923 Stage from rockers Goodbye Hollywood on Wednesday, Jadon Rogers on Thursday, Matthew Palmer & The Mammoth Cult on Friday and Ryan Hunter on Saturday. And tonight, it’s the karaoke competition finals. Fair hours are 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily Sept. 12 to 20, with the carnival open until midnight. Ticket prices vary, but admission is free until 3 p.m. weekdays. For information, call 806-376-7767.
The Amarillo Symphony officially opens its season with a virtual trip across the pond to celebrate the music and culture of Scotland. In its “Highland Fling!” concerts—set for 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St.—audience members can expect Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto featuring soloist Martin James Bartlett, and Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony featuring bagpiper Adam Wilcox. Tickets are $30 to $80. Call 806-376-8782.
Other events of note:
Frozen: Performances of the beloved Disney musical conclude. Take the kids: They’ll love it. (7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; continues through Sept. 21; ALT Allen Shankles Mainstage, 2019 Civic Circle; ticket prices vary; 806-355-9991)
Amarillo Sod Poodles: The Soddies kick off a playoff run by taking on the Midland RockHounds. (6:35 p.m. Tuesday; Hodgetown, 715 S. Buchanan St.; ticket prices vary; 806-803-9547)
The Lowdown Drifters: The Fort Worth band, which bills itself as “a rock band with a fiddle problem,” rides into town for a show at The Western Horseman. (10 p.m. Friday; 2501 E. I-40; cover; 806-379-6555, Ext. 2999)
Him: Nothing’s more terrifying to me than football, so this Jordan Peele-produced gridiron horror flick has certainly caught my eye. Also opening this weekend: fantastical romance A Big, Bold Beautiful Journey and inspirational biopic The Senior. Plus, don’t miss special 60th-anniversary screenings of The Sound of Music on Tuesday and Wednesday at Cinemark Hollywood 16. (Opens Thursday; Cinemark Hollywood 16, 9100 Canyon Drive; and Cinergy, 9201 Cinergy Square)
