The 'Halloween Capital Of North Texas' Is A Fast-Growing City With Festivals And Small-Town Vibes

Congrats, Celina: you're officially the fastest-growing city in the United States. Per the U.S. Census Bureau, the Texas city's population grew over 24% in 2025 and has almost tripled since 2020. It's a historic and sustained surge that has seen this town explode from 6,000 residents in 2010 to over 64,000 today — an absurd expansion that has utterly changed the way the old city looks, without changing how it feels.

Celina's growth is part of a wider trend. Four of the five cities with the biggest population growth last year were Dallas suburbs, and the town sits about 40 miles north of the Texas hub. There are a number of reasons for this shift, with some of the more prominent ones being economic, but there's something more going on with Celina (which, just to set the record straight, is pronounced "suh-LYE-nuh"). This isn't just another Texas suburb that benefits from the state's lower taxes and cheaper home prices. It's a thriving boomtown holding onto the small-town vibes that have defined it since its founding in the 1870s. And that charm is most visible downtown. 

Downtown Celina remains an active hub for shopping, dining, and especially socializing. The community keeps a packed social calendar, with year-round public events, most of them happening downtown. Of all those festivals, none might be bigger than Celina's annual Halloween celebration. It takes spooky season so seriously that a Collin County judge officially proclaimed Celina the "Halloween Capital of North Texas."

Every year downtown Celina gets a horrifying makeover as October 31 approaches. Beware! of the Square isn't your standard trunk-or-treat or small-town costume contest. This is a relatively new tradition — the first one was held in 2019, although it grew out of earlier Halloween parties held downtown. The event turns Celina into a veritable Halloweentown on the Saturday before the big day. 

Beware! of the Square has Halloween's greatest hits. You'll find a haunted house, classic trick-or-treating, and jack-o'-lanterns galore. Celina goes above and beyond. Expect dozens of vendors, live music, sideshow performers, a public movie screening, and special holiday photo opportunities. In the past, it has included a flash mob recreation of the "Thriller" dance, exciting carnival rides, and a blood drive, proving you can do good while also having fun (and staying on theme). And it's all free at Downtown Celina Square. While this destination is not quite a horrifying Halloween getaway, Celina's Beware! of the Square is a good balance between creepy and family-friendly. If you're looking for towns that were featured in iconic Halloween movies, you'll want to drive roughly 250 miles south to Bastrop, Texas, where the iconic 1974 "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" was filmed.

Beware! of the Square is just one of the dozens of festivals and events that keep the party going in Celina. A semi-regular Friday night market welcomes dozens of local vendors downtown, and in spring, Touch-A-Truck lets Celinans of all ages get up close and personal with fire engines, dump trucks, and other city vehicles. Old Celina Park hosts an outdoor movie night a few months a year, and the annual Splash & Blast Independence Day celebration in the summer. Outside of Halloween, though, Celina's biggest events either celebrate major holidays or showcase different aspects of Texas' distinctive culture.

Every December, Christmas on the Square turns the heart of downtown Celina into an outpost of the North Pole. This one-night event brings together live performances, holiday shopping, festive food, and decorations to really ring in the season. Guests can get their photo taken with Santa, live reindeer, and costumed characters, and the Christmas tree lighting puts the whole town into a jolly spirit. Christmas on the Square kicks off a whole month of holiday fun centered around downtown Celina.

Earlier in the year, Celina recognizes the significant contributions two cultures have made to the great state of Texas. In October, it celebrates Texas' historic ties to German culture with its own Oktoberfest, featuring German music, food, and, of course, beer. (And since you're still in the U.S., you won't have to worry too much about the Oktoberfest rules American tourists break when they're in Germany.) In early May, Celina hosts the Cajun Fest. Zydeco music fills the air, chefs fix up crawfish and gumbo, and guests learn about gators, snakes, and other swamp critters, all in honor of French settlers who arrived in Texas in 1770. No matter the month, Celina is always ready to party.