Happy Monday, DC!
It’s a festive week around town. Día de los Muertos commemorations arrive at the Wharf and National Portrait Gallery, and there are Halloween dinners, trick-or-treating events, and spooky dance parties to attend. Beyond the holiday fun, you can browse the newly renovated Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden or watch the Washington Ballet perform to go-go beats.
Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend
October 26–November 1
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- Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden reopens. After a four-year renovation, the Hirshhorn’s popular sculpture garden reopens on Saturday. The space has been entirely reimagined by Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto with 60 artworks now on display, along with expanded green spaces, a mini amphitheater, and an area dedicated to rotating exhibitions (opens Sat, free, Smithsonian Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden).
- Go-Go 50. The Washington Ballet unveils its 50th season with a homage to DC’s homegrown sound, go-go. The new program features the world premiere of a ballet set to go-go music, including work from the soul-funk band Black Alley (Fri-Sun, $155+, Warner Theatre).
- PumpkinPalooza. Find fall cheer and entertainment for kids, adults, and pets at Alethia Tanner Park. Children can pick pumpkins, pet baby alpacas, and catch appearances from Disney’s Gru and one of his Minions. There’s a movie screening of Minions & Monsters as well as a Red Bear Brewing pop-up beer garden for adults (Wed, free, NoMa).
- Día de los Muertos at the Wharf. Move your hips to live tunes by Sol y Rumba and Mariachi Imperio by Blanca Chucuan, then head over to Recreation Pier for sugar skull decorating. To close out the Wharf’s Día de los Muertos commemoration, there’s a sunset light procession at M Street Landing (Sun, free, Wharf).
- Trick-or-Treating at Mount Vernon. Visit the grounds of Mount Vernon to collect sweet treats and discover Revolutionary War history. Kids can participate in a costume parade, gather goodies in a special Mount Vernon treat bag, learn how to make yummy apple butter, and watch a 1700s blacksmith demo. Plus, kids eat free at the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant (Sat, $26 for youth, $30 for adults, Mount Vernon).
Want More Things to Do?
Arts and culture:
- The lively 17th Street High Heel Race—where drag queens, drag kings, and community members race full speed down the street—returns to DC to uplift diversity (Tues, free, Dupont Circle).
- Botany and spy experts discuss plant-based poisons at the US Botanic Garden Conservatory (Thurs, free, registration required, Southwest DC).
- Roast marshmallows and swap spooky stories around a campfire at Meadowside Nature Center (Fri, $7, Rockville).
Día de los Muertos:
- Create calaveras and papel picado to decorate the community altar at the National Portrait Gallery (Sun, free, registration encouraged, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery).
- Celebrate Día de los Muertos at Oyamel with a six-course feast paired with vibrant cocktails (Sun, $150, Penn Quarter).
Theater and shows:
- Step Afrika’s The Fruits of Our Labor step and percussion showcase closes this weekend at Arena Stage (closes Sun, $42+, Southwest DC).
- Candlelight’s popular sensory music concert includes a collection of Halloween favorites such as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” The Addams Family theme song, and several more tunes (Fri, $58+, Northwest DC).
- Prepare for booze-inspired laughter as improv actors tell the story of the timeless bloodsucking villain Dracula at the Sage Theatre (through November 7, $25+, Downtown).
Music and concerts:
- Hard rock icons Rush perform a second show at Capital One Arena (Tues, $126+, Downtown).
- Electro music duo Boy Harsher has a sold out concert at Howard Theatre; tickets are still available from third-party sellers (Fri, $39+, Shaw).
- Retro music, ’80s costumes, and a Beetlejuice theme are highlights of Black Cat’s Halloween party (Sat, $30+, Shaw).
Halloween:
- Foodies can eat local and participate in a pet costume contest with their furry friends at The Stacks (Wed, free, Navy Yard).
- Dress in your favorite haunted—or glamorous—costume to dance across three floors of music and entertainment at Haunted Ballroom (Fri, $15+, Arlington).
- Get your face painted, decorate pumpkins, and trick-or-treat at Hill-O-Ween (Fri, free, Eastern Market).
- Supplyhouse transforms into Nightmare in Navy Yard featuring three DJs across three dance floors, food trucks, and on-theme cocktails (Sat, $66+, Navy Yard).
- Tap into your creative side with crafty fun on Halloween at Glen Echo Park. Kids (and adults) can compete in a costume contest and decorate trick-or-treat bags (Sat, free, Glen Echo).
- Dine on three courses of Spanish cuisine at Del Mar’s music-filled Halloween dinner (Sat, $70, Wharf).
- Explore Tudor Place gardens for treats and crafts this Halloween (Sat, $20 for child, $10 for accompanying adult, Georgetown).
- Have a boo-tastic night atop Sly Rooftop sipping cocktails and munching on endless apps and sweets (Sat, $112, NoMa).
Sports:
- Cheer on the Washington Capitals with your family at Youth Hockey Day. Our favorite hockey team takes on the Minnesota Wild (Sun, $56+, Capital One Arena).
- The ticket lottery is open to attend a crowd-roaring Banana Ball game this spring (free lottery closes Sat, game is May 22, 2027, Nationals Park).
If you enjoyed these events, please don’t forget to share this post with a friend on social media, and sign up for our newsletter for more things to do.
Briana A. Thomas is a local journalist, historian, and tour guide who specializes in the research of D.C. history and culture. She is the author of the Black history book, Black Broadway in Washington, D.C., a story that was first published in Washingtonian in 2016.
