6 Family-Friendly Halloween Events in the DC Area

Costume contests, crafts, candy and more

Halloween is all about spooks and scares, but these not-so-scary events are perfect for little ones.

(Looking for more grownup-oriented fun? Check out our guide to 24 Halloween bar crawls, ghost tours, haunted houses and more.)

Air and Scare
Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center 
1430 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, Virginia
Oct. 22, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Kids can get a jumpstart on their trick-or-treating at the Udvar-Hazy Center's Air and Scare event Saturday, Oct. 22. This annual event at the Air and Space Museum's spectacular Chantilly location includes creepy crafts, spooky science experiments and other activities.

Boo at the Zoo
Smithsonian's National Zoo
3001 Connecticut Ave. NW
Oct. 21-23, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Ghosts and ghouls of all ages can enjoy live entertainment, animal demonstrations and more than 40 treat stations at the National Zoo's Boo at the Zoo weekend. From Friday, Oct. 21 to Sunday, Oct. 23, the whole family can dance to music from a Halloween DJ, explore a hay maze, and watch magicians, jugglers and other performers on the zoo's main stage. Craft beer and food tastings will also be available for the grownups. Visitors will have after-hours access to animal houses and exhibits, but the Giant Panda Habitat will be closed, so you'll have to make a separate trip if you want to see Bao Bao and Bei Bei.

Falloween at Market Commons
Market Commons Clarendon, Arlington
Oct. 22, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

You can bring your kids -- and your dogs -- to Market Commons Clarendon to celebrate the Halloween season on Saturday, Oct. 22. The Howl-o-ween Pet Parade begins at 10 a.m. and wraps up with a costume contest. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Commons will hold its annual Falloween festival, with live entertainment for kids, face painting, a trick-or-treat session and more.

Harbor Halloween
National Harbor, Maryland
Oct. 23, noon-4 p.m.

National Harbor's annual Halloween party offers a variety of kid-friendly activities, including trick-or-treating, a pumpkin-carving contest, and a screening of the Halloween classic "Hocus Pocus." You can even bring your four-legged family members for the Black Dog's Howl-oween Party and Paw-rade. Deck your dog out in a costume and every pet can get a treat.

Hilloween
Eastern Market
7th St. SE between Pennsylvania & North Carolina avenues SE
Oct. 28, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Families can enjoy kid-friendly fun at Hilloween in Eastern Market. This event features food from local restaurants, a costume parade, hayrides, a moon bounce and more. Those with spookier tastes can also try their hands at a Ouija board or visit the haunted house.

Trick or Treating at Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, Virginia
Oct. 29 & Oct. 31, 3:30-6:30 p.m.

Families can celebrate Halloween with wagon rides, a scavenger hunt and other fall fun at George Washington's colonial estate. The event will also feature a kids' costume parade, Halloween crafts, and of course, candy.

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