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Halloween Weekend Things to Do in DC with Kids: Trick-or-Treat, Air & Scare, and More Fun Events

Air & Scare is back at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center! Photo courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum
Air & Scare is back at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center! Photo courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum
10/26/22 - By Jennifer Swope

Looking for the best things to do in DC this Halloween weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this weekend.

Halloween is finally here! It's time to put those masks and costumes to good use at some kid-friendly Halloween events and activities in and around DC. Our events calendar is packed with the best places for princesses, monsters, and superheroes to show off their outfits all weekend long.

Start the weekend with a family-friendly friendly festival like Hilloween at Eastern Market or PumpkinPalooza at Alethia Tanner Park. Continue the Halloween fun at Ghost Town at Burke Lake Park, Air & Scare at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, or Harbor Halloween at National Harbor. And on Halloween itself, enjoy the Great Falls Halloween Spooktacular, go trunk-or-treating in Indian Head, or head to one of the best neighborhoods to trick-or-treat near DC.

Don’t miss our lists of the top Halloween events in DC for kids and families, the best pumpkin patches near DC, and the best things to do in Washington, DC in October with kids.

Halloween activities and events in the DC area tend to sell out, so be sure to call ahead or check websites before heading out.

More Things To Do in Washington, DC this Week with Kids:

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You never know who you'll see at the Del Ray Halloween Parade. Photo courtesy of Visit Del Ray
You never know who you'll see at the Del Ray Halloween Parade. Photo courtesy of Visit Del Ray

Things to Do With Kids this Halloween Weekend in DC

Halloween Night Hunt with Sweets

Washington, DC - Thursday-Monday, Oct. 27-31
Celebrate Halloween on a zany treasure hunt. Come in costume and have a spooktacular time exploring the 100-room Mansion on O, decorated especially for Halloween. READ MORE

Hilloween 2022

Washington, DC - Friday, Oct. 28
Free
This family Halloween festival at Eastern Market is is an opportunity to gather as a community and make festive memories with friends and neighbors. There will be trick-or-treating, face painting, games, pumpkin decorating, a photo booth, refreshments, and more. Costumes are encouraged. READ MORE

PumpkinPalooza at Alethia Tanner Park

Washington, DC - Friday, Oct. 28
Free
Come out for live entertainment, food, music, a seasonal scavenger hunt, and a “pick-your-own” pumpkin patch. This year’s event includes a special performance by children’s entertainer The Great Zucchini, as well as a kids' costume contest.  READ MORE

Horror on Capitol Hill

Washington, DC - Friday & Saturday, Oct. 28 & 29
Take a ghost tour and meander past the Supreme Court and Library of Congress and get a great view of the Capitol at night. The spooky tour includes eerie tales with a smattering of history thrown in. Costumes are encouraged (for those inclined). READ MORE

Boo at the Zoo

Washington, DC - Friday-Sunday, Oct. 28-30
Boo at the Zoo returns this year! Kids will delight in dressing up and trick-or-treating at Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, while viewing animals at the Elephant Community Center, Small Mammal House, Reptile Discovery Center, Great Ape House, and Think Tank.  READ MORE

Dinos Alive: Immersive Experience

Washington, DC - Friday, Oct. 28 - Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023
Dinos Alive is an immersive exhibition featuring over 80 life-sized animated dinosaurs. The experience offers a peek at the world as it was millions of years ago. Guests explore the dense jungles of the Jurassic era and see the dinos in their natural habitat with the help of the latest VR technology and a fully decorated venue. READ MORE

ZooBOOO!

Baltimore, MD - Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 29 & 30
The Maryland Zoo will have lots of trick-or-treat stations throughout at its 39th annual ZooBOOO! Kids can wear costumes, collect candy, and visit the animals. There will also be games, prizes, contests, and live entertainment. READ MORE

Haunted Lab

Fairfax, VA - Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 29 & 30
The Children's Science Center is transforming into a Haunted Lab for Halloween. In addition to not-so-spooky decorations, families can create ooey-gooey Frankenslime, go on a scavenger hunt to find spooky animals native to North America, learn about creepy-crawly bugs in the Bio Zone, and more. READ MORE

Air & Scare

Chantilly, VA - Saturday, Oct. 29
Free
See the spooky side of air and space at the Air & Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. At this popular event, kids can enjoy trick-or-treating, creepy crafts, spooky science experiments, and other Halloween-themed activities. READ MORE

Día de los Muertos Family Day

Washington, DC - Saturday, Oct. 29
Free
Celebrate Día de los Muertos at the Smithsonian American Art Museum with performances by Ballet Folklorico Mi Herencia Mexicana, Mariachi Aguila DC, and Sol y Rumba. Children will enjoy face painting and Día de los Muertos–themed crafts. READ MORE

Halloween Carnival

Falls Church, VA - Saturday, Oct. 29
The annual family-friendly Halloween Carnival in Falls Church will have fun activities for kids ages 2-11, including games, inflatables, live music, and snacks. READ MORE

Trick-or-Treating at Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon, VA - Saturday, Oct. 29
Put on your costume and head to Mount Vernon to enjoy trick-or-treating, 18th-century musical entertainment and activities, and to-go craft bags. READ MORE

Trick-or-Treat at Tudor Place

Washington, DC - Saturday, Oct. 29
Wear a Halloween costume and search for treats (not tricks) in every corner of Tudor Place's North Garden. Enjoy crafts, activities, and period games. READ MORE

Fall Frolic

Glen Echo, MD - Saturday, Oct. 29
Free
Come out to Glen Echo Park for this free family event. Assemble a Halloween-themed craft activity in the Bumper Car Pavilion (one bag per child in attendance, while supplies last), trick-or-treat around the park, take a fall-themed family photo, participate in the costume contest at 3:15pm, or join the costume parade at 3:30pm. READ MORE

Lil' Pumpkins Fest

Germantown, MD - Saturday, Oct. 29
Free
BlackRock Center for the Arts' Lil' Pumpkins Fest includes trick-or-treating, a photo booth, lil' pumpkin painting, free pumpkins for kids under 11, a beer garden, and a costume parade. READ MORE

House of Reptiles and Night Ride

Chantilly, VA - Saturday, Oct. 29
Visitors will play games, test their courage with a touch table, and see reptiles up close. End the evening roasting s'mores at a campfire while listening to stories and then take a wagon ride through the autumn woods. READ MORE

OFC's Festival of Frights and Trunk-or-Treat

McLean, VA - Saturday Oct. 29
Free
Put on your Halloween costumes and visit the Old Firehouse in McLean for a night of live music, games, food, contests, and a trunk-or-treat. READ MORE

Trunk-or-Treat at Manassas Park Community Center

Manassas, VA - Saturday, Oct. 29
Free
Decorated vehicles will line up in the parking lot of the Manassas Park Community Center as families stop at each one to receive a Halloween treat (or trick)! READ MORE

Fear-less Fest

Annandale, VA - Saturday, Oct. 29
Greet costumed characters—including a black widow spider, a raccoon, a deer, and an owl—along a woodland trail as each explain why they have undeserved scary reputations. Guests are encouraged to come in costume. READ MORE

Ghost Town at Burke Lake Park

Fairfax Station, VA - Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 29 & 30
Burke Lake Park transforms into Ghost Town for the weekend, with activities including Goblin Golf, pumpkin painting, a bounce house, a trick-or-treat house, and more. Visitors can also ride the spooky carousel and the Frogwarts Express train. READ MORE

Silver Spring Holiday Crafts & Treats Fair

Silver Spring, MD - Sunday, Oct. 30
Free
In addition to a variety of sweets and desserts, this festival includes pumpkin decorating, storytelling, a kids' costume parade, and other fun activities. READ MORE

Del Ray Halloween Parade

Alexandria, VA - Sunday, Oct. 30
Free
Del Ray’s annual Halloween Parade starts at Mount Vernon Avenue, south of E. Bellefonte, and continues down to the Mount Vernon Recreation Center play fields. Costumed kids, pets, and strollers can march in the parade. Awards will be given for Best Pet Costume, Best Decorated Business, Best Decorated Home, and Best Decorated Stroller. READ MORE

Mosaic Halloween Spooktacular

Fairfax, VA - Sunday, Oct. 30
Free
From store open to store close, stop by Mosaic District shops for trick-or-treating. Shop at the Farmers Market from 9am-2pm, and get your face painted by the Vienna Singing Princesses from 2-7pm in Strawberry Park. At 6pm, enjoy the 2019 animated version of The Addams Family on the big screen in Strawberry Park. READ MORE

Harbor Halloween

National Harbor, MD - Sunday, Oct. 30
Free
Enjoy an afternoon of spooktacular fun for the whole family, including trick-or-treating at select stores and restaurants, kids' activities, a Halloween movie, a pet pawrade, and a chef pumpkin-carving contest. READ MORE

Indian Head's Annual Trunk-or-Treat

Indian Head MD - Monday, Oct. 31
Free
Bring costumed kids to Village Green Park on Halloween evening for Indian Head's annual trunk-or-treat, hosted by Bridge Church. READ MORE

Great Falls Halloween Spooktacular

Great Falls, VA - Monday, Oct. 31
Free
The annual Great Falls Halloween Spooktacular on the Great Falls Village Centre Green features a pet parade and costume contest, a ghostly haunted house, live music, and more. Kids are encouraged to wear costumes and trick-or-treat with local merchants . READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Falls Church Community Center
Tudor Place Historic House & Garden
Manassas Park Community Center
Silver Spring Veterans Plaza
Village Green Park
Great Falls Village Centre