Get ready for not-so-scary Halloween-themed fun for kids of all ages! Listed below, you’ll find celebrations across the DMV + themed activities like arts & crafts and free movie screenings. Don’t forget to bookmark this list & share it with friend.
Notes: All listings link (blue text) to the event homepage. Please be sure to check the link for the most up-to-date information prior to heading out.
This listing contains no affiliate links. Bookmark it & visit frequently for updates through Halloween, which is Friday, October 31st.
Upcoming Events
October 15 - October 24
Week of October 19
- Thursdays in October at 11:00 am | Story Time: Space Spinners at National Air and Space Museum
- Friday (10/15) at 7:30 pm | Halloween Movie Series featuring Halloweentown at The Yards Park in SE ♣
- Friday (10/16) at 10:30 am | Family Movie Double Feature: Celebrate Halloween at Chevy Chase Neighborhood Library ♣
- Featuring Wallace & Gromit Curse of the Were-Rabbit & Hocus Pocus
- Friday (10/16) – Sunday (10/18) at 6:00 pm | Boo at the Zoo at Smithsonian’s National Zoo ($)
- Stop at treat stations across the park and fill your free souvenir goodie bag with sweets, snacks and other fun surprises. Along the way, skeleton scenes and festive displays set the stage for an unforgettable adventure that’s more treats than tricks.
- Monday (10/19) at 3:30 pm | Spooktacular Crafts at Chevy Chase Neighborhood Library
- Tuesday (10/20) at 4:00 pm | Toddler Craft at Georgetown Neighborhood Library (Best for ages 2-5)
- Create a paper monster!
- Thursday (10/22) at 3:30 pm | Palisades Pumpkin Festival: The Pumpkin Lab at Palisades Neighborhood Library in NW
- Explore STEM activities, maker challenges, and crafts in this joyful, all‑ages celebration where imagination leads the way. This year features a special performance by Mad Science!
- Thursday (10/22) at 4:00 pm | Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble at Benning Neighborhood Library in NE
- Celebrate spooky season by bubble painting to create your own pretend potion.
- Thursday (10/22) at 4:00 pm | Halloween Party at MLK Memorial Library
- Children will listen to delightfully spooky stories, create festive Halloween-themed crafts, and pick out their very own pumpkin to bring home and decorate. Costumes are welcome!
- Thursday (10/22) at 7:30 pm | Halloween Movie Series featuring Halloweentown II at The Yards Park in SE ♣
- Friday (10/23) at 5:00 pm | Halloween Spooktacular at National Children’s Museum ($) ♥
- Includes shadow stories, pumpkin catapults, creepy crawly investigations & noise parade!
- Friday (10/23) at 6:00 pm | Trick or Fruit at US Botanic Garden
- Hear stories about what makes each plant interesting, learn about the environments they grow in, and experience the fruits with all of your senses – including taste. Costumes highly encouraged!
- Saturday (10/24) at 10:00 am | Fall Festival at MLK Memorial Library ♥
- Includes a pumpkin patch, fall festival train, story time, DJ, seasonal treats & more!
- Saturday (10/24) at 10:00 am | Mask Making at Tenley-Friendship Neighborhood Library in NW
- Color an animal mask.
- Sunday (10/25) at 8:30 am | Sensory-Friendly Morning: Halloween Edition at Planet Word (Best for ages 10 & under)
- All guests are invited to participate in our Halloween theme with optional, not-scary costumes and trick-or-treating around the galleries for fun fidgets, bookmarks, and mini-books.
- Sunday (10/25) at 2:00 pm | Craftopia: Monster Madness at Tenley-Friendship Neighborhood Library in NW
- Create a paper roll monster.
- Sunday (10/25) at 2:30 pm | Fall Fun Day! at Mitchell Park in NW
- There is something for everyone: crafts, face painting, a balloon artist, fire truck crafts, local food vendors, and more.
- Tuesday (10/27) at 10:00 am | Estudio de Cuentos: ¡Feliz Halloween! at Hirshhorn Museum
- There’s also an 11:00 am session!
- Tuesday (10/27) at 10:00 am | Play Date at NMNH: Bats! at National Museum of Natural History
- Families can celebrate Bat Week by making observations of different bat species for our specimen collection, explore different elements of play related to bats, and learn why almost all bat species hang upside down!
- Tuesday (10/27) at 10:30 am | A Not So Spooky Storytime at Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library in NE
- Wear your Halloween costume, and enjoy a haunted craft!
- Tuesday (10/27) at 6:00 pm | Pumpkin Painting and Decorating at Chevy Chase Neighborhood Library in NW
- Paint and decorate a pumpkin anyway you choose! Pumpkins will be available while supplies last!
- Wednesday (10/28) at 10:00 am | Storytime Studio: Happy Halloween! at Hirshhorn Museum (Best for ages 6 & under)
- Come to Storytime dressed in your best Halloween costume and go on a ghost hunt in the galleries with the National Museum of Natural History where you’ll investigate who—or what—made the mysterious footprints on Annette Lemieux’s painting Nomad (1988). Also, an 11:00 am session!
- Wednesday (10/28) at 4:00 pm | PumpkinPalooza at Alethia Tanner Park in NE ♥
- Includes delicious food, FREE PUMPKINS from our “pick-your-own” pumpkin patch, live Minion & Gru costumed characters, and selfies with alpacas!
- Wednesday (10/28) at 5:30 pm | A Not So Spooky Storytime at Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library in NE
- Wear your Halloween costume, and enjoy a haunted craft!
- Wednesday (10/28) at 5:30 pm | Halloween Game Night at Columbia Heights Community Center in NW
- Thursday (10/29) at 3:30 pm | Halloween Pumpkin Craft! at Southwest Neighborhood Library (Best for ages 6-12)
- Thursday (10/29) at 3:30 pm | Trunk-or-Treat at Benning Neighborhood Library in NE
- Enjoy trick-or-treating, pumpkin painting, a costume contest with prizes, and a Halloween movie. Wear your best costume!
- Thursday (10/29) at 4:00 pm | Annual Children’s Harvest Festival at Bellevue Neighborhood Library in SW
- Enjoy music, a movie, crafts, a photobooth, and snacks while supplies last.
- Thursday (10/29) at 4:00 pm | Monster Mash Party at Parklands-Turner Neighborhood Library in SE
- Thursday (10/29) at 4:00 pm | Outdoor Halloween Party at Georgetown Neighborhood Library
- Thursday (10/29) at 5:00 pm | Halloween Haunted House at Hearst Recreation Center in NW
- Thursday (10/29) at 6:30 pm | Spooky Scary Trick-or-Treat Event at Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens
- A festive Trick‑or‑Treat event where families can enjoy Halloween treats, fun arts and crafts, and a spooky good time together.
- Thursday (10/29) at 6:30 pm | Halloween Trunk or Treat at Ridge Road Community Center in SE
- Enjoy Halloween goodies, creative trunks, and family fun for all ages.
- Friday (10/30) at 11:00 am | Happy Halloween at Hardy Recreation Center in NW (Best for ages 5 & under)
- Friday (10/30) at 1:30 pm | Spooky Story Time with Deanwood Neighborhood Library at Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens
- Friday (10/30) at 4:00 pm | Roving Leaders Halloween Costume Skate Party at Kennedy Recreation Center in NW
- Grab your costumes and hit the rink for a night filled with thrilling music, creepy costumes, adn roller skating fun!
- Friday (10/30) at 5:00 pm | Benning Stoddert Halloween Costume Show Off and Spook Trail at Benning Stoddert Community Center in SE
- Friday (10/30) at 5:00 pm | Riggs Halloween Bash 2026 at Riggs LaSalle Recreation Center in NE
- Friday (10/30) at 5:00 pm | Scream Fest at Harry Thomas Recreation Center in NE
- All ages but 8 & under must be accompanied by a parent! Includes a pitch-black walk-through, costume contest, games, costume contest & more!
- Friday (10/30) at 5:00 pm | Ketcham Glow and Ghouls Bash at Ketcham Recreation Center in SE
- A glow party for two different age groups (11-under & 12-15 years) + costume & dance contest, and candy bag & food giveaway.
- Friday (10/30) at 6:30 pm | Halloween Community Party at Woody Ward Community Center in SE (Best for ages 6-12)
- Halloween Community Night with popcorn, treats, a movie, and festive fun.
- Friday (10/30) at 6:30 pm | Halloween Trunk or Treat at Rosedale Recreation Center in NE
- A safe, community-focused Fall Festival where youth can collect candy and hands-on art activities!
- Friday (10/30) at 6:30 pm | Lafayette’s Halloween Special at Lafayette-Pointer Park and Recreation Center in NW (Best for ages 5 & under)
- Friday (10/30) at 7:00 pm | Roving Leaders’ Drive-in Movie: Beetle Juice at Langdon Park Field & Parking Lot in NE ♣
Halloween Day Celebrations in DC
- Saturday (10/31) at
- Saturday (10/31) at 8:30 am | FONA’s Fall 5K & Festivities at National Arboretum in NE
- This run or walk will take you past garden collections brightly colored with fall foliage, over tree-lined rolling hills, and along streams winding their way to the Anacostia River. Compete in a Halloween costume contest and enjoy other seasonal activities like trick-or-treating, a “Thriller” dance party, and more, offered by DC Squared. Festivities start at 10:00 am.
- Saturday (10/31) at 10:00 am | The World & Me: Bat Week Extravaganza with special guests… Arachnids! at National Museum of Natural History
- See bat and spider specimens up close, make art celebrating bats and spiders, and learn other ways you can support bats and spiders all year long! Feel free to wear your favorite bat or spider attire.
- Saturday (10/31) at 10:30 am | Story Time for the Spectrum at Chevy Chase Neighborhood Library in NW
- This sensory-friendly story time is designed to be enjoyed by kids of all abilities, especially kids on the autism spectrum! Families are encouraged to come in costume.
- Saturday (10/31) at 10:30 am | Halloween Crafts and Festivities for All Ages at DAR Museum
- Make your own spooky luminary or try your hand at printmaking, creating one-of-a-kind Halloween keepsakes to take home. Then explore the period rooms for a Halloween scavenger hunt, where “ghostly” dolls and costume displays lurk among the collection, plus plenty of treats along the way.
- Saturday (10/31) at 11:00 am | Stamp and Scream at National Postal Museum ♥
- Families can explore hands‑on artmaking, join a museum‑wide costume parade, and discover seasonal stories and activities around every corner…. Costumes encouraged!
- Saturday (10/31) at 11:00 am | Halloween Story Time at Francis A. Gregory Neighborhood Library in SE
- Stories with an autumn, Halloween or celebratory theme.
- Saturday (10/31) at 12:00 pm | Roving Leaders Wheels Up, Hay Down at Reservoir Park (McMillan) Community Center and Park in NW ♥
- Enjoy seasonal treats, games, and activities for all ages!
- Saturday (10/31) at 12:00 pm | Pumpkin Painting: Creative Minds at Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum
- Saturday (10/31) at 1:00 pm | Pumpkin Painting at Shepherd Park Neighborhood Library in NW
- Saturday (10/31) at
- Saturday (10/31) at 3:00 pm | Trick-or-Treat at the Library! at Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library in NE
- Saturday (10/31) at
- Saturday (10/31) at
Halloween Night Celebrations in DC
- Saturday (10/31) at
- Saturday (10/31) at 5:00 pm | Halloween 2026 at Sycamore and Oak in SE
- Includes a haunted house, live beats, prize dance contests, face caricatures, pumpkin painting, candy giveaways, and a costume contest with prizes.
- Saturday (10/31) at
- Saturday (10/31) at
- Saturday (10/31) at
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Maryland Halloween Celebrations
Prince George’s County
Montgomery County
More Maryland Events
- Friday (10/23) at 6:30 pm | Spooktacular at Robert J. DiPietro Community Center in Laurel
- Enter the decked-out Halloween Hall and take treats to go!
Northern Virginia Halloween Celebrations
Arlington County
City of Alexandria
More Virginia Events
- Tuesdays & Thursdays in October at 11:00 am | Story Time: Space Spinners at Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly ($15 for parking)
- Saturday (10/24) at 10:00 am | Air & Scare 2026 at Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly ($15 for parking)
- Tickets are not required for the indoor portion of this event! Includes Air & Scare Runway costume fashion show, trick or treat stations, storytime, photo ops & more!
Screams For Tweens & Teens
Washington, DC
- Wednesday (10/21) at 5:15 pm | Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV Marathon at Georgetown Neighborhood Library in NW (Best for middle & high school students) ♣
- Rated TV-14
- Thursday (10/22) at 5:30 pm | Tenley Movie Night featuring Ghostbusters (1984) at Tenley-Friendship Neighborhood Library in NW (Best for teens & adults) ♣
- Friday (10/23) at 3:30 pm | Zombie Runway at Parklands-Turner Neighborhood Library in SE
- Create your own undead, zombie‑themed Barbie for the Zombie Runway!
- Wednesday (10/28) at 4:00 pm | Skeleton Sam Scavenger Hunt at Parklands-Turner Neighborhood Library in SE
- Wednesday (10/28) at 6:00 pm | Horror Movie Trivia at Northeast Neighborhood Library (Best for teens & adults)
- Wednesday (10/28) at 6:00 pm | Barry Farm Haunted House at Barry Farm Recreation Center in SE
- A scary haunted place with people dressed as frightening characters, creating a chilling experience for visitors.
- Friday (10/30) at 5:00 pm | Ketcham Glow and Ghouls Bash at Ketcham Recreation Center in SE
- A glow party for two different age groups (11-under & 12-15 years) + costume & dance contest, and candy bag & food giveaway.
- Saturday (10/31) at 1:00 pm | All About Bats in the District at MLK Memorial Library (Best for teens & adults)
- Learn about the science of bats in DC with local expert Dr. Kelly Russo-Petrick, Ph.D.
Maryland
Northern Virginia
Not So Scary Resources
- Spooky Season at the DC Public Library
- Includes book lists & other free resources
- Spooky, Jokey, Witchy READS via R.E.A.D. Booknook
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