October is the busiest month of the year for family events around here. The farms are open daily, the Halloween events start on October 16 with Boo at the Zoo, and the long weekend of October 10 to 12 stacks up free festivals in DC, Maryland and Virginia. For the week-by-week version with times and parent tips, see our weekly guide and the this weekend page. Comparing farms? The pumpkin patch guide puts six of them side by side, and the Halloween guide has every trick-or-treat event we've found.
This Long Weekend: October 10-12
Capitol Hill PorchFest
FREEThe first PorchFest on the Hill: 157 bands playing on 51 front porches across Capitol Hill, Hill East, Lincoln Park and Barracks Row. You can walk the whole route in about half an hour.
💡 Parent tip: Bring chairs and snacks. Coolers and kids are welcome, and Eastern Market Metro puts you right in the middle.
Full event details →
Fairfax City Fall Festival
FREE ENTRYThe 50th year: more than 400 vendors, entertainment stages and kids' activities, rain or shine. Rides cost extra.
💡 Parent tip: Use the free shuttles from GMU and Fairfax High School, and leave the stroller at the free valet on North Street.
Full event details →
Falls Church Farm Day
FREE ENTRYPony rides, a petting farm, apple fishing and pumpkin painting, plus blacksmith and beekeeping demos.
💡 Parent tip: Activities run on $2 tickets sold at the booth, so bring small bills.
Full event details →
Family Day at the House of Sweden
FREEA puppet show at 11 and 1, crafts, story time and Swedish fika at the Embassy of Sweden's House of Sweden.
💡 Parent tip: It's free, but reserve a spot on Eventbrite first.
Full event details →
Clifton Day
FREEA tiny historic town, a free KidsFest with T-ball, face painting, a circus stunt show and a Rocknoceros set, and a special VRE train that stops right in Clifton.
💡 Parent tip: Take the train. The ride in is free and the return is $7, with kids 2 and under free.
Full event details →
Georgetown Canal Day
FREEMeet the canal mules, catch a puppet show at 11 and a kids' dance party at 12:30, decorate a pumpkin and grab free treats.
💡 Parent tip: RSVP on Eventbrite, and hold little hands near the canal edge.
Full event details →
Gaithersburg Oktoberfest
FREEFree admission and parking, kids' crafts, bubbles and inflatables, plus a quiet sensory room inside Kentlands Mansion for kids who need a break.
💡 Parent tip: Skip the parking hunt and use the free shuttle from 101 Orchard Ridge Drive.
Full event details →
Touch a Truck in McLean
FREEBig trucks to see and touch on the school holiday, with a quiet hour from 9 to 10 for kids who don't like loud horns.
💡 Parent tip: Go during the quiet hour if your kid is sensitive to noise.
Full event details →Halloween Season
Boo at the Zoo
$35The zoo stays open after dark three nights in a row: treat stations along the route, a pumpkin patch, a dance party and three animal houses open late.
💡 Parent tip: Timed tickets and parking both sell out, so buy them early. Enter at Cleveland Park so the walk is downhill.
Full event details →
Air & Scare at the Udvar-Hazy Center
FREETrick-or-treating among the planes, creepy crafts, spooky science and Star Wars characters. Entry is free and parking is $15.
💡 Parent tip: Reserve the free timed ticket for the outdoor part, and remember masks stay outside the hangars.
Full event details →Flights & Frights
$5Trick-or-treating through the gallery and spooky games at a small aviation museum. A gentler evening than the big Halloween events.
💡 Parent tip: Register by October 17. Adults pay the $5 too.
Full event details →
Mount Scary in Mount Airy
FREEA week of small-town Halloween: a family movie night, a spooky trail with a costume contest and a Haunted CaBOOse, and pumpkin coloring.
💡 Parent tip: The 24th is the big night. Bring a flashlight for the trail.
Full event details →Del Ray Halloween Parade
FREEKids, pets and decorated strollers march down Mount Vernon Avenue, with a stroller and wagon contest.
💡 Parent tip: Contest check-in is 1 to 1:30pm at Mount Vernon and Howell Avenues.
Full event details →
Sensory-Friendly Halloween at Planet Word
REGISTERA calm Halloween morning with adapted lighting and sound, and a social narrative sent before your visit so kids know what to expect.
💡 Parent tip: Register first. The pre-visit materials only go to registered guests.
Full event details →
Hill-O-Ween at Eastern Market
FREECapitol Hill's Halloween party: a moon bounce park, face painters and photo booths, best for kids under 10.
💡 Parent tip: Get there close to 4. It's a two-hour window and the moon bounce line keeps growing.
Full event details →
Brick-or-Treat at LEGO Discovery Center
From $24.99The LEGO Discovery Center's Halloween takeover, with build challenges and a glow-in-the-dark brick zone, included with admission.
💡 Parent tip: Last entry is 3:30pm, and online tickets are $3 cheaper than the door.
Full event details →
Goblin Golf at Burke Lake Park
$12Halloween mini golf with treats included. Sessions start on the hour and last 50 minutes.
💡 Parent tip: Book a session online before you drive out. Under 2 is free.
Full event details →
Halloween Eye Spy Trains
$6-$9Miniature train rides with an Eye Spy card of spooky things to find along the track. Wheaton's ticket adds a carousel ride.
💡 Parent tip: The trains don't run in the rain, so check the sky before you go.
Full event details →More Festivals Later in October
DC Turkish Festival
FREE ENTRYTurkish food, live music and folk dancing on Pennsylvania Avenue.
💡 Parent tip: Take Metro. The street closure makes driving in a hassle.
Full event details →
Maryland Renaissance Festival
WAITLISTJousting, stage shows and a whole wooded village. Every remaining date showed waitlist only when we checked on October 6.
💡 Parent tip: Extra tickets go to the waitlist on Mondays and Fridays. Pack boots, the grounds have been muddy.
Full event details →Pumpkin Patches and Farms, All Month
Cox Farms Fall Festival
$15-$30The classic Northern Virginia fall festival: hillside slides, hayrides, goats and free cider, with prices that change by date.
💡 Parent tip: Tickets are sold online only, and the farm is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Full event details →
Butler's Orchard Pumpkin Festival
From $12Pumpkin picking, hayrides and play areas. Weekday tickets start at $12; weekends are peak pricing and usually sell out.
💡 Parent tip: Buy weekend tickets ahead. Last entry is 4:30pm.
Full event details →
Great Country Farms Pumpkin Harvest
Kids from $12Wagon rides out to a real pumpkin patch in western Loudoun, plus pig races on weekends.
💡 Parent tip: The last wagon to the patch leaves at 4pm, so aim to arrive by 3:30.
Full event details →
Gaver Farm Fall Fun Fest
$14.50-$24More than 65 attractions on one ticket, from a corn maze to slides built into the hillside.
💡 Parent tip: Weekdays cost almost $10 less per person than October weekends.
Full event details →
Summers Farm Fall Festival
$19.95 onlinePick-your-own pumpkins, a corn maze, giant slides and campfires you can reserve.
💡 Parent tip: Hours change by day, so check the farm calendar before you drive.
Full event details →
Burke Nursery Pumpkin Patch
FREE ENTRYA free-to-walk-in pumpkin patch close to the Beltway, with apple cider donuts made on site.
💡 Parent tip: Pony rides are weekends only. Weekday mornings are the quiet time.
Full event details →Apple Picking Near DC
PAY BY THE BAGPick-your-own apples near DC. The April freeze cut crops this year, so what's ripe changes week to week.
💡 Parent tip: Call the farm the night before you go.
Full event details →Indoors and Rainy Days
Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice
$18.95Climbable dinosaurs and prehistoric habitats in the visiting exhibit hall, included with museum admission. Best for ages 3 to 10.
💡 Parent tip: Federal Triangle Metro drops you right at the door.
Full event details →Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: The Musical
From $16The alphabet book as a one-hour musical with puppets and dancing, for ages 3 to 9.
💡 Parent tip: Lap passes for kids under 3 are sold at the box office only.
Full event details →Bluey's House at CAMP Tysons
From $42A life-sized walk through Bluey's house with games, dancing and a Bluey and Bingo meet-up, for ages 2 to 10.
💡 Parent tip: Book ahead, especially for weekends.
Full event details →Get October's best events in your inbox
Every week, the best DMV family events for the days ahead. Free, no spam.
Free forever · No spam · Unsubscribe anytime