National Symphony Orchestra

This weekend has much to offer those wanting to celebrate fall and Halloween! It is the final weekend of apple picking at Great Country Farms, pair it with the corn maze and fall harvest festival.

Saturday

10:00am-3:00pm: Kreeger Museum Open House
Join this family-friendly celebration of art, music, and architecture! This event is free and open to all with live jazz music and art-making activities. Food trucks will be selling refreshments for purchase. Entrance to the Museum will be free of charge and our permanent collection will be on view. Free parking is available at The Field School, located next door at 2301 Foxhall Road NW. Picnic blankets are welcome in the Sculpture Garden. Click link about to see schedule of events.

10:00am-12:00pm: Trick or Treat at Tudor Place
Wear your Halloween costume and search for treats (not tricks) in every corner of the garden. Enjoy crafts, activities and period games amid lovely autumn plant life. This outdoor event will take place rain or shine.

10:00am-3:00pm: Air & Scare at Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Join us for our annual Halloween event at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center to explore the spooky side of air and space. This year, the event will take place both inside and outside at the Museum.

11:30am-3:00pm: Dia de Los Muertos at Smithsonian American Art Museum
Celebrate Día de los Muertos with the Smithsonian American Art Museum! Bring the whole family to see exciting live performances, including traditional Mexican folk dance by Corazon Folklorico, a mariachi performance by Mariachi Aguila DC, and a showcase of different Latin American music genres and dances with Sol y Rumba. Attendees ages 12 and younger can enjoy face painting throughout the day, while visitors of all ages can participate in hands-on craft activities. Round out the day by exploring the museum’s collection with our Día de los Muertos-themed scavenger hunt.

11:30am AND 1:00pm: Family Workshop: Something Wicked: Supernatural Shakespeare at Folger Shakespeare Library
Get spooky with Shakespeare’s ghosts and witches. Join the Folger on fun escapades as we explore the play’s hurly-burly elements! Costumes not required but welcomed!

12:30pm-3:00pm: Little Goblins Parade
All boys and ghouls are invited for the 13th edition of this beloved Halloween celebration! Parade from Ross Elementary down 17th Street, trick or treating at the stores along the way, and finish at Stead Park for a Halloween party! There will be music, candy, photo ops, games, giveaways, and more. Costumes encouraged. Free! RSVP to link above.

1:00pm-4:00pm: Glen Echo Fall Frolic
Join for some Halloween fun at Glen Echo Park! Activities include decorating a Trick-or-Treat bag and other crafts, a festive fall photo-op (say that 10 times!), a costume contest (will you win for “Most Spooky,” “Most Creative,” or “Best Group?”), and Trick-or-Treating at our resident art studios and galleries. We focus on the arts-y & crafts-y more than the scary, but we love to see all the costumes – even the scary ones!

1:00pm-4:00pm: Fall Festival & Bluegrass Jamboree
The event will be held in Dupont Circle Park. The Fall Festival & Bluegrass Jamboree will feature live bluegrass by Shannon Leigh and the Good Bygones, a pumpkin patch where participants can decorate their pumpkins, games such as cornhole in the grassy areas of the Circle, and a costume contest for pets, kids, and adults with prizes.

2:00pm-6:00pm: Trick or Treat at Mount Vernon
Celebrate Halloween with 18th-century entertainment and activities. Collect candy in your special Mount Vernon treat bag around the historic grounds. Watch Halloween-themed Punch & Judy shows at 3pm & 4:30pm. See an 18th-century bake oven demonstration with Half Crown Bakehouse on the 12-acre field. Sample a rusk (twice-baked bread pieces) with chocolate cream from a recipe dating back to the 1760s and using American Heritage Chocolate. And more!

Sunday

10:00am-5:00pm: Día de los Muertos at National Museum of the American Indian
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a time for commemorating our ancestors. Rather than a period of mourning, it is an occasion for celebrating with family—both living and dead—and honoring the cycle of life.

10:00am-2:00pm: Van Ness Spooktacular
Everyone’s favorite kid-friendly Halloween event is returning to Forest Hills Playground this year. Parents and kids of all ages are invited to dress in their favorite costumes and gather at Forest Hills Playground for spooky-inspired activities followed by Trick or Treating at small businesses along Connecticut Ave in Wakefield, Forest Hills and Van Ness from 12:30pm-2pm.

12:00pm-3:00pm: Halloween at the Harbor
Enjoy trick-or-treating, a pumpkin carving competition, pet pawrade and more. This family-friendly party is sure to be a wicked good time!

2:00pm AND 4:00pm: NSO Family Concert: Halloween Spooktacular
An annual tradition! The Concert Hall transforms into a ghostly sight when ghoulishly attired National Symphony Orchestra musicians celebrate Halloween with fa-boo-lous new works and spooky old classics.

2:00pm: 28th Annual Del Ray Halloween Parade
One of Del Ray’s favorite traditions takes place along Mount Vernon Avenue, beginning at E. Bellefonte Avenue. Children, pets, and decorated strollers are invited to march and show off their costumes! This parade ends with live music and an award presentation at the Mount Vernon Rec Center field. This hometown favorite event is a must-see!

Theatre

Winnie the Pooh at Imagination Stage through Oct. 27

Doktor Kaboom: Under Pressure! at the Kennedy Center through Nov. 3

She Persisted at Adventure Theatre through Nov. 3

Saturday

9:00am-11:30am: The Children’s House of Washington Open House!
Learn about the benefits of Montessori & see if CHOW is a good fit for your Bambinos.

9:30am AND 11:00am: The Town That Cried Avalanche at National Theatre
In preparation for Earth Day, The National Theatre is thrilled to host the World Premier of “The Town That Cried Avalanche”, an interactive play that asks: how do you balance progress and the needs of the people with taking care of our environment? Controversy rocks the tiny mountain town of Avalanche as the progress everyone craves threatens to shake up their lives and reduce their mountain to rubble. What should the town do – and how can anyone make decisions when everyone disagrees with each other? The play is performed by three actors onstage with help from everyone in the audience, who become part of the action as citizens locked in passionate debate at the Avalanche Town Hall Meeting. What will the town decide? What will happen? It’s all in the hands of the audience…and so’s the fate of Avalanche!

10:00am-12:00pm: National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade
One of DC’s largest spectator events, the energy-filled National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade® presented by Events DC runs for 10 blocks along iconic Constitution Avenue. Giant colorful helium balloons, elaborate floats, marching bands from across the country, celebrity entertainers, and performers burst down the Parade route in a grand spectacle of music and showmanship seen only once a year during the Festival. From the National Archives to the Washington Monument, spectators are wow-ed by the pageantry and excitement that is the nation’s premier springtime parade. Standing along the Parade route from Constitution Avenue between 9th and 15th streets, NW is FREE and open to the public. Arrive early for the best views. $20 for grandstand seating.

10:30am: Matt Heaton at Jammin Java
Matt Heaton believes music for kids can be entertaining for both children AND parents. His songs are a mix of rockabilly, surf, american roots and Irish traditional music, delivered with a wry sense of humor and a sincere sense of fun. Children and adults respond to his musicianship and variety. The adults in the room particularly appreciate the Muppet-esque touches of humor and observations of kid behavior. Whether you call it children’s music, family music, kindie or toddlerbilly it’s sure to please listeners of all ages

10:30am-6:00pm: 58th Annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival
The Sakura Matsuri – Japanese Street Festival is the largest one-day celebration of Japanese culture in the United States and is proud to be the grand finale of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Performers and vendors travel from all over the country and the world to Washington, DC to share their love of Japanese culture and traditions with the Festival attendees. The Sakura Matsuri – Japanese Street Festival is excited to return to Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd and 7th Streets, NW – anchored at the corner of 7th and Pennsylvania, Ave, NW.

12:00pm-3:00pm: Open House at My Gym Potomac and My Gym Bethesda
Join us for FREE fun and games at My Gym! Lots of fun play time plus great discounts on Spring classes and Summer camps and parties! Featuring: From 12-1pm – Ninja Warrior obstacle courses and free pizza – best for ages 3-10yrs. From 1-3pm – Free Face Painter and Fun – best for all ages.

2:00pm-3:00pm: DC Emancipation Day Parade
Parade along Pennsylvania between 10th St NW & 14th St NW

3:00pm-8:00pm: DC Emancipation Day Concert & Fireworks

Sunday

10:30am-12:00pm: A Family Celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut
Join us as we celebrate Israel’s 70th birthday by recognizing the range and diversity of its people and landscape. Through reading and activities, we’ll bring to life the charming and colorful world created by author Leslie Kimmelman in her book, Everybody Says Shalom. This program is best for ages 3-7, but the whole family is welcome! Cost is $15/family. This program is a collaboration of Literary Programming at the EDCJCC and Jewish Life and Learning in Partnership with PJ Library.

11:00am-2:00pm: Spring in the Valley
Car seat safety check with Safe Kids DC, Spring Valley Pediatrics, Stork Childbirth Education, moon-bounces, face paint and so much more (rain date: April 22).

1:00pm-4:00pm: National Symphony Orchestra Concert at the Zoo
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo is thrilled to host members of the National Symphony Orchestra for a free, engaging musical performance for all ages. The National Symphony Orchestra will be performing two concerts held at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the Zoo’s Visitor Center auditorium, followed by Musical Instrument “Petting Zoos” at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Featured musicians include Jae-Yeon Kim (violin), Ko Sugiyama (violin), Tiffany Richardson (viola) and Sean Neidlinger (cello), Charles Nilles (bass) and Joel Ayau (piano). See details by following link for more details on how to get free passes.

Saturday Song Circle & Sunday Funday at Imagination Stage can be found here.

Parent’s Night Out THIS WEEKEND!

Mom’s Night Out to see I Feel Pretty on April 16 & April 18! FREE passes here!

Disney on Ice, Follow Your Heart is at Eagle Bank Arena through Sunday.

Robin Hood debuts on Saturday at Imagination Stage.

DC Family Weekend Fun Guide

Weekend Picks in and around Washington, DC