TUESDAY
27
OCTOBER
Family Halloween Events in Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia is where the Washington region does Halloween, and the best of it is run by county parks: gentle, ticketed, capped events at $12 to $20 a head. Fairfax County has posted 2026 dates for Frying Pan, Burke Lake and Clemyjontri. Cox Farms sells two very different tickets — read which one before you buy.
Season: Oct 3–Oct 31 · Updated October 21, 2026 · refreshed weekly
Fairfax County parks run the best of it
Three Fairfax County Park Authority events carry the family season, all with 2026 dates and prices posted. They are gentle, ticketed and capped: $12 to $20 a head, designed for children rather than tolerant of them.
Halloween on the Farm — Herndon, VAVisit official site →
Trick-or-treating on a working farm, with the animals, crafts, games and a tour of the decorated farmhouse.
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: themed activity areas, the miniature train, the carousel, crafts and mini golf, costumes encouraged.
Dates
- Oct 24 and 25, 11am–5pm
Tickets
$20 online until two days before; $25 on the day. Under-twos are free but must be with a paying adult, and the one admission covers everything.
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
Goblin Golf — Fairfax Station, VAVisit official site →
The park's mini-golf course done up for Halloween, with costumed characters along the holes and treats included.
Dates
- Oct 10, 11, 17 and 18
- 11am–5pm
Tickets
$12 per person, registered online
Who it's for
Kids who can hold a putter — short, bounded and low-commitment
Clemyjontri's sensory-friendly trick-or-treat
Clemyjontri Park in McLean runs a Sensory-Friendly Trick-or-Treat on Sunday, Oct 18. The park it happens in is the region's default for mixed-ability groups on any other autumn weekend too.
Sensory-Friendly Trick-or-Treat — McLean, VAVisit official site →
A trick-or-treat at a fully accessible “boundless” playground — ramps up to the elevated play components, rubber safety surfacing instead of mulch, lowered monkey bars and four color-themed play areas.
Dates
- Sunday, Oct 18, 11am–5pm
Tickets
$20 per trick-or-treater
Know before you go
- Park entry and parking are free year-round, 7am to dusk — an 81-space lot with overflow at Langley Forks Park across the street
- The Liberty Swing is Virginia's first wheelchair-accessible swing, and not every chair fits
- Accessible restrooms with baby changing tables at the picnic pavilion
- Carousel rides are $4 per person on weekdays and $5 at weekends and on holidays
- The carousel runs weekends only through Oct 25, 9:30am–3:30pm
Who it's for
Mixed-ability groups, wheelchair users, and children who need a quieter Halloween
Skip if
It sells out or the date doesn't suit — the playground itself is free any other day
Parades and trick-or-treat trails
Three free street events round out the season: Vienna's parade, Reston Town Center's retailer trail and Del Ray's Sunday parade.
Vienna Halloween Parade — Vienna, VAVisit official site →
Floats and entertainment down Maple Avenue, from Branch Road to Center Street, run by the Town of Vienna since 1946, rain or shine.
Dates
- Wednesday, Oct 28, 7pm — the Wednesday before Halloween
- 2026 theme: Haunted History: 250 Years of America
Tickets
Free to watch
Know before you go
- Costumed kids can march without registering
- Free goodie bags at the Caffi Field pitching lanes from 7:15pm
Who it's for
Any age, and the pick if you want Halloween without a ticket
Trick or Treat Beyond Market Street — Reston, VA
A trick-or-treat trail through participating shops and restaurants, with face painting, characters, stilt walkers and live music.
Dates
- Sunday, Oct 25, noon–3pm
Know before you go
- Free giveaways while supplies last
Who it's for
Costumed kids who would rather walk a shopping street than a farm
Del Ray Halloween Parade — Alexandria, VA
The 30th annual Sunday-before-Halloween parade, run by the Del Ray Business Association, with a stroller and wagon contest, a pet costume contest and a kids' zone.
Dates
- Sunday, Oct 25, 2pm, along Mount Vernon Avenue from E. Bellefonte Avenue
- Kids' zone noon–5pm behind Pork Barrel BBQ, 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue
Tickets
Free
Know before you go
- Contest registration closes 1:30pm at Mount Vernon and E. Howell Avenues
Who it's for
Families with a dog or a decorated stroller — both have a contest of their own
Cox Farms: two completely different tickets
Cox Farms in Centreville sells two events that share a farm and nothing else: a daytime family festival and a night haunt for teenagers. Both are online-only and both sell out.
Cox Farms Fall Festival — Centreville, VAVisit official site →
The region's biggest fall operation: giant slides (the Safari Slide runs 180 feet across eight lanes), the twenty-minute hayride, the Cornundrum corn maze, Foamhenge, a Kiddie Zone, Goat Village and milking demos.
Dates
- Sept 19 – Nov 8, open Thursday to Monday, plus Tuesday, Nov 3
- 10am–6pm in September and October, last entry 5pm
- 10am–5pm in November, last entry 4pm
Tickets
$15, $20, $25 or $30 per person by date tier. Everyone two and older pays the same — no child, senior or group 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, and re-entry is allowed with a wristband through the main entrance
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
Fields of Fear — Centreville, VA
The night event at the same farm, aimed at teenagers and adults — a separate ticket, not an add-on to the daytime 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 times are assigned at check-in rather than when you buy — arriving after 7pm can land you a 10:30 or 11:30pm slot
- The farm publishes a “Too Scary?” page routing people back to the daytime festival
Skip if
Your child is under 12 — the farm's own line. Under 14 needs an adult chaperone
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Upcoming Halloween events in Northern Virginia
The next 9 of 57 upcoming Halloween events in Arlington & Alexandria and Fairfax County, 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.
A Halloween scavenger hunt at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens begins with a book trail featuring Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden.
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.
Pajama Storytime at Glencarlyn Library features read‑aloud stories, songs, rhymes, fingerplays and flannel boards, encouraging participants to wear pajamas, for all ages.
WEDNESDAY
28
OCTOBER
Halloween Storytime at Courthouse Library features festive stories, silly songs, and a costume parade in the children’s area, all ages, free, no registration.
Mini Golf course and Climb UPton transformed into haunted Halloween attractions at Upton Hill Regional Park — all ages.
Half-mile costumed parade with floats, bands and fire trucks rolls down Maple Avenue, a rain‑or‑shine tradition since 1946, lasting about 90 minutes, free, all ages.
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FAQ
Which Northern Virginia Halloween events are free?
The three street events: Vienna's parade down Maple Avenue, Reston Town Center's trick-or-treat trail and the Del Ray parade in Alexandria. Everything run by the county parks is ticketed, at $12 to $20 a head.
Do you need to book ahead?
For the county events, yes. Ghost Town costs $5 more on the day, and Halloween on the Farm is capped by one-hour slots. Cox Farms sells online only — there are no tickets at the farm.
What's best for a three-year-old?
Ghost Town at Burke Lake: explicitly not-spooky, daylight hours, and the train, carousel and mini golf all come with the one ticket. Halloween on the Farm is the runner-up if an hour is all your child will give you.