Weekend Picks: Halloween Edition

Warning: This Weekend Pick post is not the very best happening in our area but instead just a TON of FUN for everyone! Happy Halloween to all– be safe!! Don’t forget to set those clocks back for Daylight Savings too.

Kids Euro Festival begins this weekend and lasts through November 8. It’s like taking a trip to Europe – but you don’t need a passport! Kids Euro Festival is a two-week long festival of European arts and culture presenting more than 125 free activities to D.C. metro area children and their families. There are performances, concerts, workshops, movies, storytelling, and more… and it’s all brought to you by the 28 European Union Member States!

Friday-

10:30am- Rainbow Rock at Jammin Java
Get ready to rock the rainbow! The Rainbow Lady (Kate Moran), joined by some of her friends, Guitarmony Gus (Derek Evry) OR Prince Pop & Walk (Ryan Walker) to make up the rainbow band! These talented tunesters will entertain your little ones with a combination of classic and original children’s songs, from their CD “Meet the Rainbow,” that will keep you boppin in your socks until you just can’t rock anymore! Are you ready to rock the rainbow? Tickets are $5.

3:30pm-6:30pm- Trick-or-Treating at Mount Vernon
Join the costumed cast of interpreters for a special opportunity to trick-or-treat in the historic area. A special scavenger hunt is available for our more adventurous guests. All trick-or-treaters are invited to join in the children’s costume parade around the Mansion at 6 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for the best “George” and “Martha” costumes!  Participate in a Halloween craft activity in the greenhouse. Special trade demonstrations, like 18th-century wool carding, spinning and fish net making, will take place in the historic area. Listen to Halloween-themed stories in the straw bale amphitheater, enjoy colonial games and dancing demonstrations, and take a wagon ride. $10/adults and $5/child.

4:00pm-6:00pm- Spooktacular Trick or Treat along Connecticut Ave
Sponsored by the businesses along the Avenue. Kids can safely walk up the street “trick-or-treating” as the businesses are set-up outside. Starting at Livingston St and going up towards Chevy Chase Circle.

6:00pm-9:00pm- AuduBoo! at Woodend Nature Sanctuary
Join us for a family-friendly, nature-themed Halloween! Walk the woods at Woodend Nature Sanctuary and enjoy
animal encounters and treat stations along well-lit trails. Afterwards, come inside the historic mansion for refreshments
and visit craft & activity stations. Costumes not required, but encouraged!

7:00pm-9:00pm- Haunted Hangar at College Park Aviation Museum
Wear your costume and join in the Halloween fun at the annual Haunted Hangar event. Arts, crafts, hayrides, and spooky fun are waiting for kids and families. $5/per person.

Saturday-

9:30am & 11:00am- Sleepy Hollow at National Theatre
Join bumbling Ichabod Crane, beautiful Katrina Van Tassel and bullying Brom Bones as they bring to life this Washington Irving classic. Families will have an opportunity to join the actors on-stage for an impromptu Sleepy Hollow Choir practice. The most exciting part is the anticipated arrival of our (not-so-scary) Headless Horseman! Free tickets– seating is limited, and tickets will be distributed 30 minutes prior to the start time of the show on a first come, first served basis.

10:00am- John Henry at Avalon Theatre
Performing for his 11th amazing year, John Henry once again brings his playful musical style to the Avalon’s annual Halloween party. Children of all ages welcome!

10:00am- Rosedale Pumpkin Carving Party
Bring your blankets and pumpkins. Rosedale will provide all the child-safe carving tools, plastic gloves, and tons of designs to make your Halloween pumpkin super special!

10:00am-12:00pm- Trick or Treat at Tudor Place
Halloween is “spooktacular” at Tudor Place! Wear your costumes (optional), and wander the estate’s many meandering paths to find treats (not tricks!) in every corner of the enchanting North Garden. Paint pumpkins and enjoy other crafts, face painting, and active period games amid lovely autumn color. Register online ahead of time.

10:30am-11:15am- Saturday Song Circle at Imagination Stage
You and your child are invited to a fun, interactive musical experience! An Early Childhood Teaching Artist explores a popular children’s book with your family through song and musical instruments, and you will receive a list of all the songs to practice at home. Activities in Saturday Song Circle are best for 1-3 year-olds but 4-5 year-old siblings and friends are also welcome to join in the fun. Room on the Broom is the story this weekend. $8 per person.

11:00am- Family Block Party (formerly known as Baby Loves Disco)- Halloween Party! at Jammin Java
A family dance party (Halloween themed today!!) that brings parents and big persons (uncles, brothers, Godmothers, aunties and more!) with their children and little people in the community together. Brought to Jammin’ Java by Hex9 Productions (and the former host of the DMV’s Baby Loves Disco) the experience still includes DJ Louie Flaco spinning “real” music, dancers, lights, and a disco ball! We’re adding South Block with food offerings (coming this fall!). Enjoy balloons, play area, crafts, and other activities commonly included to enhance this celebration of movement, children and our village. Interact with the DJ and try the equipment! Take the dancing in your living room to our’s. Join us monthly at 11 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. (doors at 10:30) for a family dance party with your friends, neighbors and community. Recommended for ages newborn to 10 with accompanying adult. Tickets $12.

11:00am-6:00pm- Spy Fright at International Spy Museum
Go deep undercover this Halloween at the Spy Museum where spooks of every kind will be on the prowl. Spend the scariest night of the year at the place where disguises aren’t just for Halloween! Everyone is invited to arrive in disguise on October 31st between 11:00AM and 6:00PM in the Spy Museum Store. Acclaimed professional make-up and disguise artist, Roger Riggle, will be on hand to teach the tools-of-the-trade necessary to transform guests in preparation for a night of tricks and treats. Demonstrations are free-of-charge and include quick disguise applications meant to help guests create their own undercover masterpieces. This is a FREE EVENT! The Spy Store is chock full of fun and unusual Halloween Disguises including: moustaches, glasses, hats, tees & more!

11:00am-6:00pm- Trick or Treat with the Boo-tiques!
Start trick-or-treating early and stop by the dozens of shops of the Old Town Boutique District dishing out treats to goblins and ghouls of all ages!

12:00pm- Pumpkin Rock n Roll at Warner Circle Park
The park will be transformed into a full-blown Halloween extravaganza. Participate in a fun costume contest and parade, and enjoy family-friendly attractions including festival-style musical performances, food trucks, inflatable rides and slides and a rock wall. The main event is a derby race of Halloween pumpkins-turned-boxcars! Admission is free. Headfirst is teaming up with Jetties and GIGS Guitar Studio as sponsors.

1:00pm-4:00pm- Glen Echo Fall Frolic
Fall Frolic is the Glen Echo Park Partnership’s annual Halloween-themed family event. It’s open to the public, and visitors of all ages are invited to the Park to explore the arts through hands-on crafts, Halloween activities, trick-or-treating and visiting open studios. It’s a safe and fun Halloween event with something for everyone! For the kids, there will be pumpkin decorating and face painting ($1 fee for pumpkin; $1-$2 for face painting). All other craft activities and trick-or-treating are free! Adults will enjoy strolling through the Park’s open studios and galleries, including Glen Echo Pottery, the Art Glass Center, Photoworks, Yellow Barn Studio & Gallery, and more. The celebration will conclude at 3:30 with a costume parade through the park.

1:30pm-3:30pm- Halloween Workshop presented by The French Academy at The Baptist Church of Chevy Chase
They have prepared various activities for the children no matter their level: crafts, scary stories, creative acting… funny witches, nice monsters or other vampires are all welcome. Bring your costume too! $25.

3:00pm-5:00pm- Busy Bees Not So Spooky Halloween Party
Dress up in your awesome costume and join us at our Not So Spooky Halloween Party! Casa Rosada Gelato will be providing ice cream and each registered child will take home a treat bag. Two lucky winners will be taking home a Buzzy Pass. Pre-registration is required and cost is $15 per child.

Sunday-

10:00am-10:45am- Sunday Fun-Day at Imagination Stage
We invite you and your child to bring your favorite stories to life through dramatic play activities, movement, music, and visual art. Each session you leave with a completed craft, as well as a Parent Pack to extend the experience at home. These popular workshops are themed around beloved children’s books. Activities in Sunday Fun-Day are most appropriate to 3-5 year-olds but 1-2 year-old siblings and friends are also welcome! My Heart is Like a Zoo is the story this weekend. $8 per person.

10:15am- Tots & Tykes yoga class at Tranquil Space Studio
If you are looking for an opportunity to get one more use out of this year’s Halloween costume, please join us for the monthly Sunday morning class. The class involves movement, songs, and playful yoga poses designed to help little one(s) learn movement concepts and body awareness. No experience or mat is required, but costumes are welcome! Online registration is available here.

2:00pm- Playing by Air at Mclean Community Center
Playing By Air captivates audiences with a joyful fusion of music, juggling and circus (video) in which traditional theatricality meets absurd comedy. The award-winning performers of Playing By Air share their sense of playfulness and breathtaking feats in a production enjoyed equally by adults, families and children. Audiences are drawn into the performance with a contagious attitude of expressive play and creativity. Tickets are $20.