Halloween during an election year
Happy Halloweekend!
VOTE
Where: Voting Centers around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Free
If you haven’t yet voted, make it a priority to do so this weekend. This post from earlier in the week has info on where and how to vote before Election Day in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Plan to bring the kids along, so they can see democracy in action! Note: If you were planning to vote by mail, it’s now being recommend to drop it off at your local board of elections, a voting center, or a ballot drop box, so it is not received too late.
Ride On
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Free
Family bike rides are an excellent activity for right now. You can enjoy the fall weather and foliage while social distancing, and get some exercise, to boot. The DC area has plenty of good routes to ride, with something for every age and rider level. This post has a bunch of pedal-worthy recommendations, and this just posted ride is a perfect one for the whole crew.
Halloween in the Garden
Where: Annmarie Sculpture Garden | Lusby, MD
When: Through Sunday
Admission: $5 suggested donation
Annmarie is welcoming visitors all week for a self-guided experience. Wear your costume and stop by the front desk to say trick or treat — they’ll have treats for sure. You can also find fun photo opps throughout the park, complete a corn maze, make a bat fly, try the spider toss, make a scarecrow, and grab an ArtLAB to-go kit. And on your walk through the beautiful garden, enjoy the Ode to Autumn activities too.
The Witching Hour
Where: RFK Campus Lot 5 | Northeast DC
When: Friday, 7pm
Admission: $29-55/vehicle
Halloween SZN at Park Up DC includes The Witching Hour, a family-friendly cinematic experience full of tricks and treats for all! There will be dancers, aerialists, fire spinners, drag queens, and more on this one of a kind magical Halloween adventure. Note: There is also a Witching Hour After Dark event for adults on Saturday.
Hilloween
Where: Online
When: Through October 31
Admission: Free
Hilloween, Capitol Hill’s annual Halloween celebration is virtual in 2020 with an experience that will engage families and community members. Enjoy an online costume contest (winners announced at virtual Hilloween Experience), live pumpkin carving, interactive family games and fun prizes, and a spooky zumba dance party. The costume contest is live on their Facebook page — hashtag #Hilloween2020 or HilloweenDC on any of your Facebook posts wearing your costume to enter the contest. You can also enter by uploading your photo. Stay up to date on news, announcements, and events related to Hilloween here.
Halloween Szn at Park Up Drive-In
Where: RFK Parking Lot | Northeast DC
When: Friday & Saturday
Admission: $29-45/vehicle
There are several films in Park Up’s drive-in movie lineup this weekend, both family-friendly and for adults. Hocus Pocus, BeetleJuice, and I Know What You Did Last Summer are among the options. Visit the website for days and times.
Halloween Drive Up Movie Night
Where: Lerner Town Square | Tysons, VA
When: Friday, 8:30pm
Admission: $100 for remaining tix
Join this family-friendly, socially distanced Fall & Halloween evening for a night of great fun, all in support of an amazing cause: Helping the Greater DC/Virginia Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation work towards cures for the 3.1 Million Americans fighting IBD. The drive-up movie night will feature Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright & Beetlejuice. Car trick-or-treaing, a car costume contest, and an individual costume contest are part of the fun, too.
Glow in the Park
Where: Adventure Park at Sandy Spring | Sandy Spring, MD
When: Friday & Saturday
Admission: $56
Celebrate the holiday at the park’s spooky Halloween-themed Glow in the Park. Wear your costume for a chance to spin the prize wheel — you could win free tickets, a t-shirt, or something else special. Tickets are good for two hours of climbing & ziplining + 40 minutes for a safety briefing and getting geared up. Ages 5 & up welcome. Very few tickets are left, so reserve now. (Of course, you can opt to go another time if you can’t snag spots for this weekend.). Read more about the awesome Adventure Park in this KFDC post and this one — while they are from early experiences there, the adventure is still the same.
Día de Los Muertos Virtual Celebration
Where: Online
When: Friday, Saturday, & Sunday
Admission: Free
Join the National Museum of the American Indian for their annual Dia de Los Muertos Celebration — only this year it’s virtual. All weekend, celebrate the Day of the Dead from home with activities for families, beautiful art, and the rich culinary heritage of this tradition. The program will be streamed on the museum’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
Halloween at the Station
Where: The Station | Riverdale, MD
When: October 31, 1-4pm
Admission: Free
Spooky season has finally arrived and The Station, formerly Riverdale Park Station, is ready to celebrate with costumes, candy, contests and more! Visitors will be able to enjoy socially-distanced outdoor activities including mini golf, a self-guided photo scavenger hunt, a prize raffle, and more. The scavenger hunt is designed for the whole family to enjoy with four festive photo stops throughout the development, ending with a special treat delivered by a custom Halloween candy chute. Guests will also be able to purchase additional food items from The Station’s retailers including District Taco, Habit Burger Grill, Denizens, Jersey Mike’s, MOD Pizza, and Burtons as well as a food truck on-site. RSVP to let them know you’re going!
More Wicked Fun
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
It’s Halloweekend! While Halloween looks a lot different this year, there are still ways to celebrate that also allow for social distancing. In person events are listed above, but you can find some virtual trick and treats in this annual post.
In America, How Did this Happen
Where: RFK/DC Armory | Northeast DC
When: Through November 6
Admission: Free
On the expanse of grass in front of the DC Armory and RFK Stadium, a small white flags has been planted for every life lost to Covid-19 in the U.S. — over 227,000 and that number is growing daily. The art installation, “In America, How Did This Happen,” was created by Bethesda-based artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg, and it’s being updated with the help of visitors who volunteer. As I said when I first saw it and posted about it on IG last weekend, both the sight and number are staggering. It’s free and open to visit, or you can watch a live feed of the installation here. By now, you’ve likely had a conversation with the kids about the many deaths caused by Covid, but if not, be prepared to if you bring them. (PS: The playground at RFK Fields is very close, as is Kingman Island for other nearby activities.)
Fall Walks in the Woods
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by locale
Take in the brilliant color spectrum of autumn and get a little exercise to boot on a family hike. From right here in the city to country locales, you’ve got your pick of places where you can enjoy the fall foliage and some time outdoors. This post about good area hikes with kids started in the early KFDC days, and with many new recommendations added since, there are lots of great recommendations to make for happy trampers.
Victura Garten
Where: The REACH | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Admission: Free
On weekends, the grounds of The REACH, the Kennedy Center’s immersive extension, transform into Victura Park, an outdoor family-friendly pop-up wine garden & café. For October, however, they’ve partnered up with Solace Outpost for a Bavarian themed month at the Park. Enjoy craft beers and great foods as you hang out in the lovely outdoor area overlooking the Potomac River. Victura Park hours are Friday 3-10pm, Saturday 12-10pm, and Sunday 12-8pm (also, Thursday 3-10pm).
Fall for Seasonal Festivals
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by locale
Celebrate the season at a fall festival. From pumpkin patches and petting zoos to corn mazes and hayrides, many farms around the DMV (or just beyond) are still offering traditional activities to enjoy in safe ways. This post has details on where all the fall fun is happening.
Autumn Adventures Off the Farm
Where: Around the DMV
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
Farm festivals may be the go-to autumn outing, but there are lots of other fantastic ways to enjoy the season around the area. This KFDC post lists a bunch of great places for fall adventures.
Crystalline
Where: ARTECHOUSE | Southwest DC
When: Through January 3
Admission: $12-17/child, $19-24/adult
ARTECHOUSE, known for its visually stunning digital art, has transformed the gallery into a blue-hued haven intended to evoke calm and peace during a turbulent time. Like all of the exhibitions there, just about all of it is interactive, as the images change with viewers’ motions, encouraging play. Immersing into the depths of the color, even just for a little while, is a dazzling and delightful escape from the bizarre Covid world outside.
Fun at Fairfax Parks
Where: Parks around Fairfax County, VA
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
The Fairfax County Park Authority hosts all kinds of events on weekends for guests of all ages. Join an evening campfire at Lake Accotink Park or see a blacksmith demonstration at Colvin Run Mill. Details and registration for these and many more nature upcoming activities are available here.
The Inside Scoop
Where: Around the area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by activity
Not all outings have to be outside. Lots of indoor places have reopened with extra precautions to ensure safety during COVID. This post has details on where you can hang out inside, and this one has suggestions especially for little kids.
Entertainment, Euro Style
Where: Online
When: Through November 29
Admission: Free
International travel may not be possible right now, but you can still enjoy European adventures. The annual Kids Euro Festival has gone digital this year, offering families all over the world access to an extended virtual festival with a full 6 weeks of online programming — all of it free! Through November 29, tune in for performances, concerts, workshops, movies, storytelling, puppetry, dance, and more.
***MORE GOOD STUFF***
* Planet Word opened last week, and it just may be my new favorite museum in DC. Tickets currently are sold out, so follow them on social media to be notified of the next release. (PS: KFDC post about it coming soon!)
* Family Halloween movies
* Capitol Hill’s legendary trick or treating isn’t happening this year, but there are still some houses decked out in Halloween decor, and they are all noted on this Spooky Hill Halloween map.
* Arlington Memorial Bridge will be closed this weekend for repairs, something to be aware of if you’re driving into and out of the city from Virginia.
* Seriously, what are we gonna we talk about?
* Happy Halloween! 😂 😱
