Check out Route One Fun’s spooktacular guide to the many fun, free or low-cost Halloween events we’ve got going along Route One (and some a bit yonder) throughout October! Check out a couple of them and get your money’s worth out of that costume! Happy Halloween, Route 1! 🙂
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20TH
Family Fun: Things that go bump in the night!
Many of the animals at Patuxent are active at night and they must navigate to find food in the dark. Learn how they do it, and test your senses with handson activities, games and crafts for all ages. This is a drop-in program — come when you wish and leave when you’re ready.
When: 10am-1pm
Where: National Wildlife Visitor Center, 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop, Laurel
Cost: Free!
Mask Making Party
Looking for a quick and fun to make Halloween costume? Pyramid Atlantic will be leading a mask making party open to all ages! Join us for this free event and take home your own spooky mask designed by Pyramid Atlantic artists and inked and printed by you…if you dare..
When: 6pm
Where: Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, Hyattsville
Cost: Free!
Xtreme Teens: Monster Mash; Ages 10-17
Whether you’re singing with the “Crypt-Kicker Five” or doing the “Transylvania Twist,” don’t miss this freakishly good time at the Monster Mash! Wear your Halloween costume and compete to win a $25 gift card for best costume.
When: 7-10pm
Where: PG Plaza Community Center, 6600 Adelphi Rd, Hyattsville
Cost: Free! w/ M-NCPPC Youth ID
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21ST
Family Fun: Things that go bump in the night!
Many of the animals at Patuxent are active at night and they must navigate to find food in the dark. Learn how they do it, and test your senses with handson activities, games and crafts for all ages. This is a drop-in program — come when you wish and leave when you’re ready. While there, check out their Wildlife Festival (on until 3pm).
When: 10am-1pm
Where: National Wildlife Visitor Center, 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop, Laurel
Cost: Free!
Calabash Carnage Pumpkin Carving
Celebrate Halloween and have lots of fun at the Brentwood Arts Exchange! Your family is invited to join us for a Pumpkin Carving Workshop. Use your imagination and create your own designs.
When: 2pm
Where: Brentwood Arts Exchange
Cost: Admission is free, pumpkins $5/each
Xtreme Teens: Haunted Trail; Ages 10-17
Get ready to be spooked by ghastly ghosts and grim goblins on the Haunted trail at Beltsville Community Center. Feel free to wear an appropriate costume.
When: 6-9pm
Where: Beltsville Community Center, 3900 Sellman Rd, Beltsville
Cost: Residents; $5; Nonresidents: $7
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22ND
Halloween on the Farm
Join us for a non-scary Halloween and Fall-themed event. Enjoy hayrides, games, cider, crafts, creepy-crawly animals, a costume contest, and pumpkins for purchase. No reservations required.
When: 4-7pm
Where: Old Maryland Farm, 301 Watkins Park Drive, Upper Marlboro
Cost: $4
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26TH
Main Street Trick or Treat
Calling all ghosts and goblins to the Trick or Treat on Main Street! Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. This event is loved by the many businesses along the street. Some of the shop owners dress in costume greeting the 2000+ children and their parents. No Pets allowed. Bring the family and enjoy a safe way to trick or treat.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27TH
Community Pumpkin Carving
Carve your spookiest (or funniest, or most political!) design into a provided pumpkin, leave it on the stage, and then come back on Saturday night for a magical walk through the Greenbelt Forest Preserve – illuminated by hundreds of jack o’lanterns! Pumpkins are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please bring your own carving equipment. When: 5-8:30pm
Where: Roosevelt Center, Centerway
Cost: Free!
Moonlit Movie – Wallace & Gromit, the Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Kick off the Halloween weekend right with a spooky Moonlit Movie!
When: 6:30pm
Where: Greenbelt Aquatic Fitness Center (Front Lawn), 101 Centerway, Greenbelt
Cost: Free!
Xtreme Teens: Halloween Craft – Monster Slime; Ages 10-17
Creepy, crawly, or icky! Sound appetizing? Well, those are the only choices you get as we take arts & crafts to a whole new level! Prepare to get slimed and have a slick time with your friends!
Cost: Free w/ M-NCPPC Youth ID
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28TH
Oaktoberfest and 5K Fun Run
Course will showcase amazing fall foliage while winding through forests and fields, all on paved, uninterrupted paths. Stay the rest of the afternoon for a children’s tree climb, walking and bicycle tours, food trucks and live music!
When: See site for calendar
Where: US National Arboretum,
Cost: Festival is free; 5K requires registration here.
4th Annual Pumpkin Olympics
There will be relays and games for the children (10am-11am) and the adults (11am-12pm) will participate in the 4th annual Capture the Pumpkin.
When: 10am-12pm
Where: Greenbelt Aquatic Fitness Center, 101 Centerway, Greenbelt
Cost: $2 per participant; registration required.
29th Annual Pumpkin Walk!
Join us in the Greenbelt Forest Preserve’s North Woods to see our beautiful woods all dressed up for the season! Hundreds of jack o’lanterns will light your way as you follow the trail for this magical experience. You may even catch sight of the Goatman! 5-6:00- child-friendly twilight hour with no surprises; 6-8:30- a darker walk, ghouls may appear! When: 5-8:30pm
Where: The Greenbelt Pumpkin Festival, Northway at Ridge Rd, Greenbelt
Cost: Free!
Halloween Spooktacular
Come dressed in your favorite Halloween costume for entertainment, snacks and costume judging. Co-sponsored by the Laurel Lions Club.
When: 2pm
Where: Robert J. DiPietro Community Center, 7901 Cypress St, Laurel
Cost: Free!
Flick or Treat at Riversdale House Museum
In cooperation with the Town of Riverdale Park, join us for a family-friendly, outdoor spooky flick. Bring your blanket and settle in around the firepits. Movie snacks & light refreshments available while supplies last.
When: Saturday, Oct. 28th, 7-8:30pm
Where: Riversdale House Museum, 4811 Riverdale Rd, Riverdale Park
Cost: $5 adults; $2 children
Fall Fright Frenzy – Ages 8-17
Join us and enjoy a night of Fall Fright Frenzy that is sure to provide you with a night full of fun and friends!! Trunk or Treat: Enjoy the cars in our lot, see the decorations if a trick or treat will be in the trunk. Costume Skate Party: Wear your best costume and skate to some tunes with our DJ. Community Resource Room: Learn about the resources Bladensburg has to offer.
Cost: Free!
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29TH
Trunk or Treat at University Christian Church
The Trunk or Treat is a safe alternative to Halloween, allowing youngsters (with or without costume) to go car trunk to car trunk playing games and getting treats in our church lawn. We also have a live petting zoo, bouncy houses, music, and food to share.When: 3-5pm
Where: University Christian Church, 6800 Adelphi Rd,
Cost: Free!
Spooky Cellar w/ Daisy Troop 23005
Come take a tour of a haunted basement with Daisy Troop 23005 of Hyattsville/Riverdale! Wear your Halloween costumes. Stick around for games and snacks! Recommended for ages 4-8.
When: 4-6pm
Where: 4900 Sheridan St, Riverdale Park
Cost Free! (Donations welcome to cover supply costs)
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31ST!
Halloween Fun!
Catch a High Energy Magic of Speed show at 6pm then at 7pm, do some Trick or Treating in the mall (for kids 12 and under) + a chance to meet players from UMD’s Women’s Basketball Team!
When: 6-8pm
Where: The Mall at Prince George’s (Center Court – by Macy’s), Hyattsville
Cost: Free!
Block Party & Haunted House
Come join us for a night of skating & friends, and ghosts & ghouls! Enjoy your favorite music and dance the night away at the Block Party. Afterward, you can enter the Haunted House – if you dare!!
When: 6-10pm
Where: North Brentwood Community Center, 4012 Webster Street, North Brentwood
Cost: Free!
Previously Occurred (Nuthin to see here; scroll back up!)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13TH
Get ready for your scariest Halloween yet by pouring into making creepy-looking & scary Mason Jars. So, what’s it gonna be? A wicked witch? A tantalizingly terrifying tarantula? Or, maybe a ferocious Frankenstein? You decide! Create the design of your choice.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14TH
Boo Bash! – Ages 6-12
Halloween games, fun, candy bags, music, and a costume parade. Come ready because there’s no telling what other “Bootastic” things might happen!
When: 11am-1pm
Where: Langley Park Community Center, 1500 Merrimac Dr, Hyattsville
Cost: Resident: $2; Nonresident: $3
Greenbelt Fall Fest
Join for hay rides, games, amusements, pumpkin patch, live music and art activities!
When: 2-5pm
Where: Schrom Hills Park, 6915 Hanover Parkway, Greenbelt
Cost: No entry fee
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15TH
Harvest Festival at Riversdale House Museum
Enjoy fall family fun with hands-on activities in the garden and open hearth kitchen. Create autumn crafts, snack on seasonal treats, dig up some fun with interactive activities in the garden, explore the open hearth kitchen, and more! Refreshments and activities are available while supplies last. Includes a tour of the historic house.
When: 12-3:30pm
Where: Riversdale House Museum, 4811 Riverdale Rd, Riverdale Park
Cost: $5 adult; $2 student
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