Weekend Picks in and around Washington, DC

The weather has cooled and it’s the perfect time to pick that pumpkin or grab those last few apples from the trees.

Plan ahead for your tricks and treats this Halloween as many festivals and celebrations take place on weekends!  

Have you entered to win tickets to see Story Pirates in November? It’s not too late!

Saturday

9:30am-11:30am: Open House at The Children’s House of Washington (CHOW)
Read more about the Montessori school here. 

10:00am-12:00pm: Michael’s BOO-tiful Crafts
They craft, you shop! Kids 3 and up can enjoy a quick project. Sign up in store or online, or just drop in. $2 per project, ages 3+, supplies included. Parent or guardian must remain on premises during the event.

10:00am-4:00pm: The Big Build at The National Building Museum
Join us for a day filled with hands-on family fun. Discover what it’s like to be a builder and meet plumbers, ironworkers, landscape architects, woodworkers, and experts in many other fields. A special feature this year is author Joshua David Stein who will lead stroy time with activities around his new book Brick: Who Found Herself in Architecture. Participate in over 30 activities including: Cement mixing, Virtual reality, augmented reality, and other technologies, Decorative arts for the home, Woodworking, Truck petting zoo, Storm water management, Spackling and Much more! All Museum exhibitions are open and free to the public during the Big Build.

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. Featured Story: Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site

12:00pm-4:00pm: Murch Elementary Fall Fair
Games and Prizes, The Famous Used Book Sale, Balloon Artist, Design-your-own Keychain, Ice Cream, Popcorn and Chips, Potomac Pizza, Hot dogs, Hair Coloring and Body Art, College Hunks Dunk Tank and More!

12:00pm-4:00pm: Art Safari at Torpedo Factory
An Alexandria tradition for more than two decades, Art Safari returns for a day of hands-on activities for kids and families. Dozens of artists lead budding arts enthusiasts in hands-on projects throughout the building. Children should wear clothing that can get a little dirty. Most activities are appropriate for ages 5 – 11. Some parental participation may be required. This year, scientists affiliated with the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) will work alongside artists to help participants understand and appreciate the interplay of art and Earth-system science. Art Safari takes place on the eve of AGI’s Earth Science Week, which runs October 14–20. This year’s theme is “Earth as Inspiration.” Earth Science Week reaches more than 50 million people worldwide, offering free education resources, information, and activities on earth science and art.

12:00pm-7:00pm: H Street Festival 
H Street Festival is one of the most anticipated and highly attended single day festivals in Washington D.C.  The festival is 11 blocks long and has 14 staging areas that are diversely themed and programmed to target the different segments of audiences.  The staging areas feature music of different genres, dance, youth based performances, interactive children’s program, fashion, heritage arts, poetry and many more.

3:00pm-5:00pm: Jazz & Lily Pads Concert at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
You are invited to our final Jazz & Lily Pads concert of the season where we can celebrate YOU, our visitors, generous supporters, volunteers, and partners for all that you do to support Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens! There is live music, a photo exhibition featuring winners and honorable mentions from our 2018 annual photo contest, and a special evening park tour at 4pm. There will also be free hot dogs and apple cider, as well as a variety of activity stations (facepainting, pumpkin painting, live birds of prey and more)!Please bring a chair, blanket, picnic, and all your family and friends. This event is FREE and open to the public.

4:30pm-11:00pm:OPUS Merriweather
A multi-sensory art and music festival taking place in Columbia, Maryland. Imagine what it would be like to stand inside a 75-foot laser cathedral, to jam to DJs on a grass lawn, to experience a 16-foot tall animated owl communicating in film quotes, and to let loose during a meditative dance party. This is OPUS: the boundary-breaking festival that invites families to explore and indulge in discovery. For one night only, OPUS will bring together 25 groundbreaking artists and musicians from all over the world, merging art, music and technology for an enchanting evening in the forest. In addition, OPUS will feature a culinary village with some of the DMV’s best food trucks + restaurants featuring glow in the dark cotton candy by Fluffness and gelato from Dolci Gelati. Best part? OPUS Merriweather is FREE!

Sunday
See all of the fun Halloween events happening

10:00am-3:00pm: 11th Annual Harbor Harvest Children’s Festival
The annual Harbor Harvest Children’s Festival brings the country to Baltimore City. This event features an urban pumpkin patch, a petting zoo, a hay maze, face painting, pumpkin decorating, pony rides, live music, food trucks, stilt walkers, and other fall festivities without having to leave the Waterfront. The festival is free to attend but pony rides, the trackless train, and Kid’s Pass including pumpkin patch, are additional fees.