Fort Worth arts in October 2026: what is worth a ticket, and what is free

The short answer: October 2026 in Fort Worth opens with Texas Ballet Theater's Casanova at Bass Performance Hall, October 2 to 4, and the Kimbell Art Museum's first ever photography exhibition, opening October 4. The biggest free event of the month is ArtsGoggle on Magnolia Avenue, Saturday, October 24, from noon to 10pm. The Amon Carter Museum of American Art is free every day it is open.

I danced with Texas Ballet Theater for fifteen years, so I pay attention to the arts calendar in this city. October is a full one, and it opens with a ballet I have already seen pieces of in the studio. Here is what is on, in date order, with the details you need to actually go. I flagged what is free, because a lot of it is.

Now playing: Casanova, Texas Ballet Theater

October 2 to 4 · Bass Performance Hall, 525 Commerce Street

• Friday, October 2 at 8pm
• Saturday, October 3 at 2pm and 8pm
• Sunday, October 4 at 2pm

Kenneth Tindall's Casanova is set in 18th-century Venice, with an original score by Kerry Muzzey and a scenario by Ian Kelly and Tindall, based on Kelly's biography of Casanova. It runs about two hours and five minutes with one 20-minute intermission.

I have seen parts of this one in a studio showing. The costumes are extravagant, and the choreography is brilliant, the kind that looks like nothing else on that stage and keeps your eye moving.

This was my company for fifteen years, so I will say the rest plainly: it is not a family show. Texas Ballet Theater marks it for mature audiences. Plan a night out, and save the kids for The Nutcracker, which starts in late November.

Celebración Sinfónica, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

Saturday, October 3 · Rose Marine Theater, Northside · Free

A free community concert of music by Latin American composers. Check fwsymphony.org for the start time.

Photography's First Century, Kimbell Art Museum

October 4, 2026 to January 17, 2027 · 3333 Camp Bowie Boulevard

This is the Kimbell's first ever exhibition of photography. It brings more than 170 photographs from the Bibliothèque nationale de France, covering the 1840s to the 1930s, including work by Gustave Le Gray, Nadar, Edgar Degas, Eugène Atget, Man Ray, Brassaï and André Kertész.

• Tickets: $16. Half price on Tuesdays from 10am to 5pm and Fridays from 5 to 8pm, at the box office only.
• Free for kids under 6.

Yekwon Sunwoo, Cliburn at the Kimbell

Thursday, October 8 at 7:30pm · Kimbell Art Museum, Renzo Piano Pavilion

The 2017 Cliburn gold medalist comes back for a solo recital. It runs without intermission, and the Cliburn asks that everyone attending be at least 8 years old. Tickets are through the Bass Hall box office, 817-212-4280.

The Classical Style, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

October 9 to 11 · Bass Performance Hall

Mozart's Symphony No. 35, the "Haffner," paired with Steven Stucky's The Classical Style: An Opera (of Sorts).

Mariachi Herencia de México: Día de Muertos

Tuesday, October 20 at 7:30pm · Bass Performance Hall

A Chicago based mariachi of 14 musicians between 18 and 32, presented by Performing Arts Fort Worth. Their 2022 album Herederos was nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Ranchero/Mariachi Album.

Eureka Day, Stage West

October 22 to November 8

The regional premiere of Jonathan Spector's comedy about a progressive elementary school whose board and parents cannot agree on what to do during an outbreak. The Broadway revival won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.

Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering

October 23 to 25 · Fort Worth Stockyards

Fort Worth's western arts weekend: cowboy music and poetry, a ranch rodeo (Friday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 1:30pm and the finals at 7:30pm), a Western Swing Festival Saturday at 9:30pm, and a chuck wagon cookoff on Sunday. Tickets are through the Cowtown Coliseum box office, 817-625-1025.

ArtsGoggle, Near Southside

Saturday, October 24, noon to 10pm · Magnolia Avenue from 8th Avenue to South Main Street · Free

More than 1,000 visual artists and 50 plus music performances across 21 blocks, with an estimated 80,000 people over the day. It is free and family friendly. The organizers suggest getting there by Trinity Metro, on foot, or by bike, including Trinity Metro Bikes.

If you only do one free thing this month, this is the one.

Batman (1989) in Concert, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

Saturday, October 24 · Will Rogers Auditorium

The full movie with the orchestra playing Danny Elfman's score live. The film is rated PG-13.

Jeanine De Bique in Concert, Fort Worth Opera

Thursday, October 29 at 7:30pm · Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU, 2900 W. Lowden Street

Soprano Jeanine De Bique, from Trinidad and Tobago, in an intimate recital with Belgian pianist Aaron Wajnberg. A good first opera night if a full production feels like a lot.

Beethoven's Pastoral, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

October 30 to November 1 · Bass Performance Hall

Missy Mazzoli's Orpheus Undone, Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 6, the "Pastoral."

The Modern reopens October 31

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth's galleries are closed from September 29 to October 30, with programs, films and performances still happening in the Grand Lobby. The galleries reopen October 31 with In the Making: Stories from the Collection, on view through August 15, 2027.

• Tickets: $16 general. Free on Fridays, half price on Sundays, and free for anyone under 18.

Free all month: the Amon Carter

3501 Camp Bowie Boulevard · Always free

• The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol, through January 3, 2027
• Here Lyeth: Grave Rubbings by Ann Parker and Avon Neal, through November 8
• Celia Álvarez Muñoz: El Límite, through October 18
• Georgia O'Keeffe and the Carter, on view through September 2027

What is free in Fort Worth's arts scene this October

• ArtsGoggle, Saturday, October 24
• Celebración Sinfónica, Saturday, October 3
• The Amon Carter, every day it is open
• The Modern, Fridays, once the galleries reopen October 31, and always free under 18
• Kids under 6 at the Kimbell's photography exhibition

Coming in November

• November 4: harpist Bridget Kibbey's Bach to Brazil, Cliburn Concerts, at Tannahill's Music Hall
• November 7: Lava Thomas: In Our Own Regard opens at the Amon Carter
• November 13 and 14: Fort Worth Opera's Scalia/Ginsburg at the Ridglea Theater
• Late November: The Nutcracker season starts for Texas Ballet Theater

If you work in the arts

A lot of the people on these stages are on season contracts, and a nine month contract against a twelve month lease makes the rent or buy question harder than it should be. I lived on that calendar for fifteen years. If it would help to run the numbers for your situation, send me a message, whenever it is useful.

Frequently asked questions

When is ArtsGoggle 2026?

Saturday, October 24, 2026, from noon to 10pm on Magnolia Avenue in Fort Worth's Near Southside. It is free.

When is Casanova at Bass Performance Hall?

Texas Ballet Theater performs Casanova at Bass Performance Hall October 2 to 4, 2026: Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm. It is recommended for mature audiences.

What exhibition opens at the Kimbell in October 2026?

Photography's First Century: Masterworks from the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Kimbell's first photography exhibition, runs October 4, 2026 to January 17, 2027.

Is the Amon Carter Museum free?

Yes. Admission to the Amon Carter Museum of American Art is free.

Is the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth open in October 2026?

Its galleries are closed September 29 to October 30, 2026, and reopen October 31. Grand Lobby programs continue during the closure.

Sources

• Casanova dates, runtime and advisory: Texas Ballet Theater · Bass Hall calendar
• Photography's First Century: Kimbell Art Museum · reduced admission
• Yekwon Sunwoo: The Cliburn
• Symphony concerts, Celebración Sinfónica and Batman in Concert: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
• Mariachi Herencia de México: CultureMap Fort Worth event listing · Bass Hall calendar
• Eureka Day: Stage West
• Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering 2026: redsteagallcowboygathering.com
• ArtsGoggle 2026: artsgoggle.org
• Jeanine De Bique and Scalia/Ginsburg: Fort Worth Opera
• The Modern hours, closure and admission: themodern.org
• Amon Carter exhibitions and admission: cartermuseum.org
• The Nutcracker dates: Texas Ballet Theater 2026/2027 season

Riley Moyano

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