Calling all little ghosts and ghouls!
Halloween is approaching. It’s time to show off your costumes and eat lots of sweets.
From train rides to costume parades to spooky parties, Halloween events in the DC area are perfect for families with young children (and maybe even a small dog!).
Halloween for kids in Maryland
Cabin John & Wheaton Halloween I Spy Train Ride
📅Saturdays and Sundays until 10/29
📍 Cabin John Regional Park and Wheaton Regional Park
💲 $6
🔗 Details
Let’s all ride the miniature train! Go through “Trainslyvania” on his one of Montgomery County’s mini-trains and see how many seasonal items you can get to mark your “Eye Spy” card.
Click here for Wheaton tickets and click here for Cabin John tickets. Please consider making your reservation early as many times are sold out. Montgomery Parks said some tickets can be purchased on-site, but ride times are not guaranteed.
Six Flags Kids BOO Fest
📅 Select a date by October 29th
📍 13710 Central Ave., Bowie/Mitchellville, MD
💲 $45
🔗 Details
A kid-friendly haunted house, special Halloween show, and trick-or-treat trail will delight little ones.
BOO Fest is included in regular admission. Don’t forget that the horror of the massive horror fest begins after sunset.
AVFD Station 7 Terror Trail
📅 Fridays and Saturdays until October 28th
📍 2380 Davidsonville Rd, Gambrills, MD
💲 $25 (Terror Trail) or $10 (Boo Loop Maze)
🔗 Details
Looking for a family-friendly place? Visit the Arundel Volunteer Fire Department and survive a horrifying terrorism trial for children ages 8 and up. If your kids don’t fancy a spooky adventure, why not get lost in the new Boo’s Loop Maze for $10? Intended for children under 8 years old.
Let your kids dress up in costume, solve the mysteries of Boo Loop, and search for hidden clues in a new treasure hunt. Tickets can be purchased at the fire station or online.
lil pumpkins festival
📅 Saturday, October 21st, noon to 4pm
📍 Black Rock Center for the Arts in Germantown
💲 Free
🔗 Details
Bouncy houses, trick-or-treating, pumpkin painting, costume parades, and spooky dance parties will entertain the kids, while adults can stop by the beer garden, artisan market, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s music box concert.
The day concludes with a free outdoor screening of “Winnie the Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie.”
harbor halloween
📅 October 22nd (Sunday) noon – 3pm
📍 National Harbor
💲 Free
🔗 Details
Trick-or-treat at participating stores from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., watch “Hocus Pocus” on the plaza from 1 p.m., and watch a pumpkin carving contest from 2:30 p.m.
Kids in costume can also ride the Capital Wheel for free with the purchase of adult admission.
Want to let your pet show off their costume? Pet Powered is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. and there will be prizes up for grabs.
frankenskate
📅 Saturday, October 28th, 10am to 1pm
📍 Ridge Road Recreation Park in Germantown
💲Free
🔗 Details
Spend an afternoon of spooky fun skating with a DJ, playing lawn games, and eating treats available from local food trucks.
“Rink users must bring their own skates; rentals are not available. Some seating will be provided, but we encourage you to bring your own lawn chairs and picnic blankets.” Montgomery Parks said.
Costumes are allowed, but please be careful not to cover your face or pose a tripping hazard.
Autumn fun
📅 Saturday, October 28th, 1:00pm to 4:00pm
📍 Glen Echo Park
💲Free
🔗 Details
Decorate your trick-or-treat bags, participate in a costume contest, and win candy from an artist’s studio during a day of artsy Halloween activities.
Parking is free. Alternatively, you can take Montgomery County Ride-On Bus #29 from the Friendship Heights and Bethesda subway stations along the Red Line.
Boo Bash at Westfield Wheaton Mall
📅 October 29th (Sunday) noon-3pm
📍 11160 Veirs Mill Rd, Wheaton, MD
💲Free
🔗 Details
Don your costume and go trick-or-treating at stores around the mall until 4 p.m., then stop by Macy’s Court downstairs for a boo bash. Activities for all ages will include cupcake decorating, pumpkin painting, dance parties, costume contests and more. Young children can also make cards and donate candy to children who cannot go trick-or-treating this year.
Other events in Maryland:
- Calabash Carnage: Pumpkin Carving Workshop: Saturday, October 21, 2-4 p.m., Brentwood Arts Exchange (3901 Rhode Island Ave, Brentwood, Maryland), free, but pumpkins may be purchased for $5 each. Possible
- Safe Harvest Festival: Saturday, Oct. 28, 1-6 p.m., City Hall (5508 Arapahoe Drive, Forest Heights, Maryland), free.
- Macaroni Kids Trick-or-Treat at Gaber Farm: Saturday, October 28, 10 a.m., Mount Airy, Maryland, admission included ($20.25)
- Halloween Storytelling Activities: Sunday, October 29th, 2:00pm to 4:00pm, Arts’tination (162 Waterfront Street Oxon Hill, MD), Free
- Le Fantome Pumpkin Painting and Brunch: Sunday, October 29, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., 4501 Woodberry St., Riverdale, MD, free admission.
- Mt. Rainier Halloween Parade + Trunk-or-Treat: On Tuesday, October 31st, from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM, the parade begins at Joe’s Movement Emporium (3309 Bunker Hill Road, Mt. Rainier, Maryland) and is free
Halloween for Kids in Virginia
LEGO® Discovery Center Brick or Treat: Monster Party
📅 From October 6th to October 31st
📍 Springfield Town Center
💲 $28.99+
🔗 Details
In a spooky twist, Lego is releasing its new movie The Great Monster Chase in 4D theaters. Dress up in costume, build pumpkins, and meet Lego mummies.
Autumn festival with maniac pumpkin carving
📅October 21st (Sat)
📍 Tysons Corner Center The Plaza
💲Free
🔗 Details
Watch manic pumpkin carvers transform gourds into something spectacular while enjoying live music, photo booths, face painting, crafts, and a fall market.
Dress your dog in his best Halloween costume: The pet costume contest starts at noon!
air & scare
📅 Saturday, October 28th, 10am to 3pm
📍 Chantilly’s Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center
💲 Free (parking fee is $15)
🔗 Details
While the outdoor portion of the event is sold out, people of all ages do not need a ticket to enjoy the Air & Scare activities indoors.
The parking lot may be crowded, so please use public transportation. Fairfax Connector bus #983 stops at the Silver Line’s Innovation Center Station and the Udvar-Hazy Center.
Mount Vernon trick-or-treating
📅 Saturday, October 28th, 2:00pm to 6:00pm
📍 Mount Vernon
💲 Non-members $25 (Adult)/$15 (Youth)
🔗 Details
Children can collect candy around the historic grounds, participate in a costume parade, and watch special presentations such as a Punch and Judy puppet show and a lesson on 18th-century magic.
27th Annual Del Rey Halloween Parade
📅10/29 Sunday, 2pm
📍 Del Rey, Alexandria
💲Free
🔗 Details
Come dressed up to the Del Rey Halloween Parade.
It will begin on Mount Vernon Avenue south of E. Bellefonte and work its way to the fields at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center.
There will definitely be a contest! Enter the Best Dressed Pet and Stroller Decoration Contest before the parade at the corner of Mount Vernon Avenue and His E. Howell Avenue.
Participation in the contest is free.Registration closes at 1:30 p.m.
After the parade, enjoy live music and an awards ceremony.
Other events in Virginia:
- Meadowlark Halloween Scavenger Hunt: Daily October 21-31, Meadowlark Children’s Garden (Wolf Trap, VA), $7 per person.
- Goblin Golf: October 21-22, Burke Lake Park (7315 Ox Rd, Fairfax Station, VA), $10.
- Children’s Science Center Family Costume Party: Saturday, October 21, 5-7 p.m., Children’s Science Center Lab, Fair Oaks Mall (Fairfax), $15 for visitors ages 2 and older.
- Halloween Costume Family Skate and Dance Night: Saturday, October 28th, 6-10pm, Franconia Rec Center location (6601 Telegraph Rd, Alexandria, VA), $10 (in advance)/$15 (at the door)
- Ghost Town: October 28-29, Burke Lake Park (7315 Ox Rd, Fairfax Station, VA), $15 (in advance)/$20 (at the door)
- Monster Mash 2023: Saturday, October 28th, 3-6pm, Village of Leesburg, Free.
- Nature Spooktacular: Sunday, October 29, Long Branch Nature Center (625 S Carlin Springs Rd, Arlington, VA), $7.
- Bat Festival: Sunday, October 29th, 3:00pm to 6:00pm, Wolf Trap National Performing Arts Park, Vienna, VA, Free
- Vienna Halloween Parade: Wednesday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m., Maple Avenue, free.
Halloween Events for Kids in Washington DC
Family Mystery Day at the Library of Congress
📅 Saturday, October 21st, 10am to 4pm
📍 Thomas Jefferson Building – Great Hall (10 1st Street SE, Washington, DC)
💲 Free but requires an admission pass
🔗 Details
Choose from two author events, test your skills on a treasure hunt, and check out the day’s activities on the mezzanine.
For children ages 6 to 12 and up, Worm from Jerry Spinelli’s novel Dead Wednesday and Milo from Ben Hutke’s graphic novel Things in the Basement meet and share stories with children.
For middle and high school readers, Kayvion Lewis, author of The Thief’s Gambit, and Delilah S. Dawson, author of Midnight at the Houdini, discuss writing high-stakes mysteries. I’ll tell you.
All authors will be signing books in the Great Hall after the program.
Although free, a timed admission pass is required to visit the Thomas Jefferson Building.
NSO Family Concert: Halloween Spooktacular
📅 Sunday, October 22nd, 2pm and 4pm
📍 Kennedy Center
💲 $18+
🔗 Details
Celebrate Halloween and the Holiday of the Dead with classic songs old and new. Come early for trick-or-treating and check out the special Haunted Hall Musical Playspace. Recommended for children ages 5 and up.
DPR Halloween
📅 October 26th-31st
📍 Various locations
💲Free
🔗 Details
The Washington, D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation is celebrating Halloween with special events including parties, candy, haunted houses and silent discos at community centers across the city.
hill o ween 2023
📅 Friday, October 27th, 5pm to 8pm
📍Eastern Market
💲Free
🔗 Details
“Capitol Hill’s Largest Halloween Festival” is back for a huge in-person celebration. Many details are still pending, but expect lots of costumes, pumpkins, and a little spooky fun for the whole family.
DC Witch Fest
📅 Saturday, October 28th, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
📍 Metro Bar (640 Rhode Island Ave. NE)
💲Free
🔗 Details
Kids and dogs can take part in costume contests, paint pumpkins together, and take part in mystical activities like tarot readings.
Other DC events:
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