On Duke Ellington Bridge overlooking Rock Creek Park as the first tinges of autumn begin to show
Get some early use out of the Halloween costumes, enjoy a variety of live entertainment, celebrate the season, support local schools, pop in for a special museum program, and even more — all in the name of fun. And don’t forget to check the post full of outdoor recs to relish in the fall weather. Happy Weekend!
Kids Euro Festival
Where: Around the DC-Metro
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Free
Consider this your passport to three weeks of artistic adventures, as the Kids Euro Festival brings continental entertainment right to DC. This is the first weekend of the event that will present more than 100 FREE children’s performances all around the metro area. Musicians, storytellers, dancers, and puppeteers are just a few of the exciting acts that will perform at a variety of venues through November 9. See what’s on the schedule over the next few days.
Air and Scare
Where: Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air & Space Museum
When: Saturday, 2-7pm
Admission: Free, but parking is $15
Discover the spooky side of air and space at the Udvar-Hazy Center’s 10th Annual Air & Scare! Arrive in costume for safe indoor trick-or-treating. Participate in creepy crafts, spooky science experiments, and other Halloween-themed activities. Bring the tiniest visitors by the Tot Zone to play dress-up and hear a story. Be sure to pose for a photo with your favorite Star Wars and Ghostbuster characters!
Glen Echo Fall Frolic
Where: Glen Echo Park
When: Saturday, 1-4pm
Admission: Free, but small cost for some activities
It’s a safe and fun Halloween event with something for everyone. Explore the arts through hands-on crafts, Halloween activities, and performances at Glen Echo’s annual celebration. There will be pumpkin decorating and face painting ($1 fee for pumpkin; $1-2 for face painting) and other craft activities, including decorating trick-or-treat bags to use in the Park. And new this year are pumpkin-themed kiddie games with prizes. The Halloween celebration will conclude with a costume parade through the Park at 3:30pm.
Truck Touch
Where: Suburban Nursery School
When: Saturday, 10am – 2pm
Admission: $5 (under 2 are free)
It’s scary how much kids love big vehicles – and Halloween! Combine the two at Truck Touch, a chance to explore fire trucks, police cars, construction trucks, delivery trucks, emergency vehicles, and other things that go. Face painting, pumpkin decorating, bounce house, bake sale, and a toy raffle will also be part of the fun.
Fall Harvest Family Days
Where: Mount Vernon
When: Saturday & Sunday, 9am – 5pm
Admission: $18/adults, $8/ages 6-11, free for 5 and under
Mount Vernon welcomes the autumn season with Fall Harvest Family Days that include wagon rides, wheat treading in the 16-sided barn, 18th-century dancing demonstrations, a straw bale maze, apple-roasting, blacksmithing and corn husk doll demos, and early-American games and music. Guests can also get a view of the estate from the water – Potomac River sightseeing cruises are half-price during this weekend event. And on Saturday only from 3-5:30pm, authors Teena Ruark Borrows and Craig A. Koppie will be at The Shops for a reading and signing of their book, Inside a Bald Eagle’s Nest.
Harvest Festival
Where: National Geographic Museum
When: Saturday, 10am – 3pm
Admission: Free
Celebrate all things food at the Harvest Festival, DC’s official Food Day celebration and part of the National Geographic Museum’s FOOD: Our Global Kitchen exhibition. Watch demonstrations by local chefs for both kids and adults, ride a smoothie-bike, taste healthy and delicious treats, explore a mini-farmers market complete with a produce scavenger hunt, explore your inner artist with fruit and veggie watercolor painting, and more.
Show Time
Where: Local Theatres
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by venue
* This weekend is your last chance to see The Night Fairy at Imagination Stage
* Curtains are also closing on Stuart Little at Adventure Theatre
* Catch a show of The 3 Billy Goats Gruff at The Puppet Co.
* And The Halloween Show is the featured Tiny Tots at the Glen Echo puppet theater
* Driving Miss Daisy still in its three-month run at Ford’s Theatre
* Disney on Ice presents their version of Frozen at the Patriot Center
* Celebrate Halloween at the Kennedy Center with the NSO Family Concert: Halloween Whodunit
* Tom Dougherty: Classic Clowning is this week’s free Saturday Morning at the National performance
* Jammin’ Java presents a special Pueblo a Pueblo Benefit Concert w/ The Great Zucchini
Pumpkins in the Park
Where: Canal Park
When: Saturday, 11am – 1pm
Admission: Free
The Capitol Riverfront BID welcomes kids and kids-at-heart to celebrate the season with crafts, children’s activities, music, and more. The fun includes small pumpkins and decorating tools, face painting, and a performance by local music fave Mr. Skip at 12pm.
Trick or Treat with the Boo-tiques
Where: Old Town Boutique District in Alexandria
When: Saturday, 11am – 6pm
Admission: Free
Bring your ghosts and goblins for a day of trick or treat in the Old Town Boutique District. The OTBD’s annual Trick or Treat with the Boutiques event is a great way for families to enjoy a safe and fun Halloween day in Old Town Alexandria. All of the participating OTBD stores will offer treats, and some may also offer family-friendly tricks. Stop by Pink & Brown for its 5th Annual Costume Contest! Plus, Kids 10 & under eat free from the children’s menu with the purchase of one adult entree all day at Union Street Public House! Halloween costumes are encouraged.
Science + Art = Magic
Where: National Museum of Natural History
When: Saturday, 1pm
Admission: Free
Experience a fun and exciting show about the magic of the ocean with Jason Goldberg, a DC-area biologist and magician. Get a close-up view as he performs tricks with an environmental conservation message. His show will include magic that is very hands-on and interactive for kids and adults alike, objects from the Smithsonian’s collections that kids can touch and explore as well as a few other surprises!
Fall Fun on the Farm
Where: Around the area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by locale
Celebrate the season at one of many area festivals on the farm. From pumpkin patches and apple picking to corn mazes and hayrides to giant slides and jumping pillows, there are activities galore to help folks relish in the fun autumn brings. This post has details on many fall festivals happening around the region.
River Park Yard & Bake Sale
Where: Eastern Market
When: Saturday, 8am-1pm
Admission: Free
Head to the Rumsey Aquatic Center Plaza (635 North Carolina Ave SE) at Eastern Market to find great bargains, from baby gear to housewares and furniture, and yummy goodies at River Park Nursery School’s annual yard sale and bake sale. All proceeds support River Park, an independent non-profit with a 50-year tradition on Capitol Hill.
Murch HAS Fall Fair
Where: Murch Elementary School
When: Saturday, 12-4pm
Admission: $1 (activities are extra)
There’s something for everyone at the Murch HSA Fall Fair – exciting rides, great games, fantastic food, live music, and more – and all are welcome! This year’s highlights include a climbing wall, Rockland’s BBQ, face paint and body art, Armand’s Pizza, and toddler fun, too. Murch Elementary School is located at 4810 36th Street NW. Rain date: October 26, same time, same place.
Haunted Hangar
Where: College Park Aviation Museum
When: Saturday, 7-9pm
Admission: $4/adults, $3/seniors, $2/ages 2-18, free for under 2
Wear your costume and enjoy fun fall-themed activities. Explore the museum’s gallery and all of its hidden haunts. Arts, crafts, hayrides, and spooky fun are waiting for kids and families.
More Wicked Fun
Where: Around the area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
Special train and carousel rides, tricks and treats at the zoo, and more ways to celebrate the Halloween a little bit early are going on around the area this weekend. Find the huge list of ‘em here.
KID Museum Grand Opening
Where: Davis Library in Bethesda
When: Sunday, 10am – 5pm
Admission: Free
Get a grand introduction to KID Museum, a new interactive children’s museum opening in Bethesda. Take a first look look at the museum’s programs and activities aimed to spark the imagination of elementary and middle school-aged children by engaging them in playful, hands-on experiences that integrate art, science and technology with an exploration of world cultures and global citizenship. At the grand opening event, children and families will have the opportunity to play with motorized robots that draw, experiment with a wind table, create animations, learn about video game design, observe 3D printing, and more! KID Museum will also be exhibiting kites from around the world at its inaugural exhibit, Kites, Flying Machines and Life in the Air.
Friends Community School Fall Fair
Where: Sunday, 12-4pm
When: Friends Community School
Admission: Free
Friends Community School welcomes the public to enjoy a day of fun activities at their annual Fall Fair. The event will include student-run old-fashioned games, a moon bounce, a toy and book sale, entertainment, and plenty of good food prepared by local restaurants and school families. The fair will take place rain or shine. The school is located at 5901 Westchester Park Drive in College Park, MD.
