TUESDAY
27
OCTOBER
Family Halloween Events in Washington, DC
Halloween 2026 lands on a Saturday. Inside the District the one free pumpkin patch is NoMa's PumpkinPalooza, a block from the Red Line. The season itself is really three Fairfax County drives — Cox Farms, Frying Pan, Burke Lake — and the famous haunts are 12-and-up.
Season: Late Sept–Oct 31 · Updated October 21, 2026 · refreshed weekly
Free inside the District
PumpkinPalooza in NoMa is the one free, officially-listed pumpkin patch inside the District. The rest of DC's Halloween is library, recreation-center and museum programming, posted in early October.
PumpkinPalooza — NoMa, WashingtonVisit official site →
A free neighborhood festival with a pick-your-own patch, alpacas, a pet and people costume parade, firetrucks and an outdoor movie, about ten minutes from downtown.
Dates
- Wednesday, Oct 28, from 4pm
- Rain date Thursday, Oct 29, 4–8pm
Tickets
Free, and the pumpkins are free
Know before you go
- Metro: NoMa–Gallaudet U on the Red Line, one block away
- Pick-your-own opens at 4:15pm — one free pumpkin per person, while supplies last
Who it's for
Any age, and families without a car — it is the only in-District option
Skip if
You want a farm day out — this is a city park, not a working farm
The three Fairfax County events that carry the season
Three Fairfax County events carry the family season, and all three have 2026 dates and prices posted. Every one of them is a car trip out of the District.
Cox Farms Fall Festival — Centreville, VAVisit official site →
The anchor of the regional season: a daytime farm festival with a dedicated Kiddie Zone for the youngest visitors.
Dates
- Sept 19 – Nov 8, open Thursday to Monday, plus Tuesday, Nov 3
- 10am–6pm in September and October, last entry 5pm
Tickets
$15, $20, $25 or $30 per person depending on the date. Everyone two and older pays the same — no child or senior rate, under-24-months free — and a patch pumpkin is included.
Know before you go
- Tickets are online-only and date-specific; there is no box office
- Busy dates sell out, so buy ahead
- Parking is free
- Drive: about 30 miles out I-66, 45–60 minutes each way
Who it's for
Families who want a whole day out, toddlers included
Skip if
You are watching the budget — everyone over two pays full price, so a family of four adds up fast
Halloween on the Farm — Herndon, VAVisit official site →
A one-hour trick-or-treat slot on a working farm, with the animals and crafts.
Dates
- Friday, Oct 23, 5–8pm — one-hour slots at 5, 6 and 7
- Saturday, Oct 24, 4:30–7:30pm — slots at 4:30, 5:30 and 6:30
Tickets
$12 per person, ages two through adult, so the grown-ups need tickets too.
Know before you go
- Register online for a one-hour slot
- Children must be with a registered adult
Who it's for
Toddlers and early-elementary kids — one hour, early evening, low-key
Skip if
You want to arrive when you like — entry is a fixed one-hour slot
Ghost Town — Fairfax Station, VAVisit official site →
A daytime carnival in a county park, costumes encouraged.
Dates
- Oct 24 and 25, 11am–5pm
Tickets
$20 online until two days before; $25 on the day; under-twos free with a paying adult. One admission covers the themed activity areas, the train, the carousel, crafts and mini golf.
Know before you go
- Pick up passes at the ice cream parlor on the day
Who it's for
Toddlers and the easily spooked — it is explicitly not-spooky
Skip if
You want a full farm day — it is a park carnival, not a patch
Getting there
All three Fairfax events are car trips; none of them is reachable on transit. Go on a weekday if your schedule allows — I-66 in October is real.
- Kids ride free: up to two children age four and under with each fare-paying adult
- Rail is $2.25–$6.75 on weekdays until 9:30pm, $2.25–$2.50 after 9:30pm and all weekend; bus is a flat $2.25
- SmarTrip costs $2 new, or tap a contactless card or a phone straight at the faregate
- Strollers: open ones are welcome on Metrobus (brakes locked, priority seating area); on rail only folded strollers go on escalators
- Elevators: an occupied stroller means taking one — check WMATA's elevator and escalator status the morning you travel
Not for young kids
Three of the region's best-known haunts say themselves they are not for young children — under 12, or under 13 at Workhouse.
Fields of Fear — Centreville, VAVisit official site →
A separate night ticket, not an add-on to the daytime Fall Festival.
Dates
- Remaining nights: Fridays and Saturdays, Oct 23, 24, 30 and 31, and Nov 6 and 7
- 7:30–11pm, last entry 10pm
Tickets
$45 on Oct 23, 24, 30 and 31; $40 on Nov 6 and 7
Know before you go
- Entry slots are assigned on arrival in check-in order — arrive by 7pm or you may be sent in at 10:30 or 11:30pm
Skip if
Your child is under 12 — the farm's own line. Under 14 needs an adult chaperone
Markoff's Haunted Forest — Dickerson, MD
Know before you go
- Strobe lights
- Major startles
- Open fires
Skip if
Your child is under 12 — “we do not recommend anyone under the age of 12 to participate”
Haunt: Dark Encounters — Lorton, VA
An outdoor haunted trail through the woods of the former Occoquan Workhouse grounds.
Dates
- Remaining nights: Oct 23, 24, 25 and 30
Tickets
$35 a night, timed entry; the $10 Slasher Pass skips the line
Know before you go
- Box office closes 9:50pm; the trail closes 10:30pm
- Day-of tickets cost more than advance ones
Skip if
Your child is under 13 — the center's own line
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Upcoming Halloween events in Washington, DC
The next 9 of 91 upcoming Halloween events in Washington, DC and nearby, refreshed daily.
Storytelling Spooktacular at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library offers gentle spooky tales early, followed by spine‑tingling stories later, all ages.
Halloween edition of Family Storytime features read-aloud stories, songs, rhymes, fingerplays and flannel boards at Central Library’s Barbara M. Donnellan Auditorium, for all ages.
Spooky stories, songs, fingerplays and a brief craft happen at Bladensburg, with optional costumes encouraged, for ages 5 and under.
Stories, music, and movement for toddlers, with Halloween costumes welcome; registration required, limited space, for ages 18‑35 months with caregiver.
Costume-friendly Halloween songs, games, bounces and bubbles for little pumpkins at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library, with a photo op; for ages 0–23 months.
Spooky-season storytime with Halloween costumes and a haunted craft at Lamond‑Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Neighborhood Library, ages 5 and under.
Pajama Storytime at Glencarlyn Library features read‑aloud stories, songs, rhymes, fingerplays and flannel boards, encouraging participants to wear pajamas, for all ages.
Pumpkin Decorating Contest (Parklands‑Turner Neighborhood Library) — participants receive pumpkins to paint and craft into favorite book characters, displayed for community voting, ages 5+.
Ghost hunt through Hirshhorn galleries solving the mystery of footprints in Annette Lemieux’s 1988 Nomad, followed by read‑aloud, felt play and art project, for ages 6 and under.
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FAQ
Is there a pumpkin patch in Washington, DC?
One: PumpkinPalooza at Alethia Tanner Park in NoMa, run by the NoMa BID. Everything else is a drive — Fairfax and Loudoun counties, 25 to 35 miles out.
Can we get to Cox Farms on Metro?
No. None of the three Fairfax events has a transit option; all of them are drives from the District.
Which one would you pick for a three-year-old?
Ghost Town at Burke Lake Park. It is the one of the three built to be not-spooky, it runs in daylight, and the train and carousel come with the ticket.