Halloween celebrations on the Hill are starting to kick off! While we have some of the best trick-or-treating around: you don’t have to wait until the 31st to get into the holiday spirit. From pumpkin carving to cemetery tours to scavenger hunts, there is no shortage of events for kids of all ages.
Spooky Cemetery Fun
Our very own Congressional Cemetery is always ready to help us get into the holiday spirit. The Dead Man’s Run has already passed but there are plenty of more opportunities to explore the historic grounds … such as twilight tours, because few things are as spooky as walking around a cemetery at night. “Soul Strolls” take place over four nights, October 21, 22, 28 and 29. Tours will take place between 6 and 9 p.m., and beer and wine will be for sale. Adult tickets are $20; children 12 and under are $10. Buy your tickets . Comfortable shoes are encouraged, as are flashlights. Tours will not stay on the paths, so please be ready for uneven terrain.
Also at Congressional Cemetery, Fulcrum Property Group is hosting their annual Halloween party at Congressional Cemetery on Saturday, October 27 from 1-4pm. RSVP here.
Movies
Once again, Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market has special Halloween screenings of Hitchcock’s classic Psycho, with three showings at 7, 7:30, and 9:20pm. Tickets are just $10.50.
And the Friends of Rosedale Library will be showing Halloween H20 on Oct. 30 at 6:00 PM at the Rosedale Community center.
Halloween Events
Double up on the pumpkin fun by heading to the Capitol Riverfront for Pumpkins in the Park on Saturday, October 27th from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. The fun includes pumpkin decorating, face painting, a giant pumpkin moonbounce and more!
Also on the 27th, CHAW’s Halloween SPOOKtacular will take place from 2:00pm-5:00pm. Enjoy an afternoon of spooky tunes played by our young private music students, costumes galore, a preview performance of “A Midnight Dreary” by We Happy Few…and donuts and cider to kick off the sugar rush a little bit early! Tour the building, learn a little more about the CHAWsome community, and enjoy a truly SPOOKtacular concert. Event will take place at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th St. SE, and is FREE and open to the public. More information available on www.chaw.org, or by calling CHAW at 202-547-5839.
Over at Rosedale library, the there will be a Halloween scavenger hunt on the 31st at 3:30.
Thriller
Joy of Motion on H Street has taught hundreds of people the steps to Michael Jackson’s iconic Thriller video. This year, they are going all out with FEAR FEST, with the Thriller steps just a small part of the festivities. Read more here.
Annual Hilloween Festival at Eastern Market
Hilloween returns on Friday, Oct 26 from 5:30 – 7:30pm with food, drinks, face painting and much much more. Stop by 7th Street SE between North Carolina Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue from 5:30 and 7:30 to see the neighborhood kids dressed up and gearing up for a night of trick-or-treating. Read more about what the organizers have in store here.
Trick-or-Treat!
Trick or Treating will kick off around 5pm for the wee-ones on Wednesday the 31st. The older kids will stay out as late as 9 or sometimes later. The masses are on East Capitol Street (if you live there, start stocking up on candy now), but the side streets will offer great decorations and candy as well. And Walter Street (between 12th and 13th Streets SE) will be closing their block off to traffic again this year as they welcome neighborhood kids to trick or treat throughout the evening.
And if that’s all not enough, the party continues into next weekend, with Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan holding their annual Haunted Harvest from 6-9pm at 215 G Street NE. All are welcome and costumes are encouraged! There will be ahaunted house, mad science activities, pumpkin painting, and a groovy dance floor.
Do you have a Capitol Hill Halloween event you’d like added to our guide? Let us know in the comments!