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Before dark — the best hours of a fall evening. Photo by Fumiaki Hayashi via Unsplash.
The last week of October splits the DMV in two, and it's worth knowing which side you're standing on.
Friday is Halloween. Pumpkin carving in Takoma Park, ghost tours in Georgetown, a costumed spectacular out in Leesburg, and at least a couple of dancefloors that will still be thumping when the rest of us have gone to bed.
Saturday is a different animal entirely — and this is where the calendar gets interesting. Día de los Muertos arrives the same weekend, and no, it is not Mexican Halloween. Different holiday. Different purpose. The dead are invited back, not mourned; the skulls are offerings, not costumes. Strathmore is giving it a full public showing this year — Coco on the big screen with a live orchestra playing the score, and Recuerdos, a Latin American arts market taking over the Music Center lobby with marigolds, textiles, and considerably better food than you'll find at a haunted house.
By Sunday the region has done both. Then the week exhales. Early November is quieter — chess boards, film screenings, the ordinary rhythm of a place that just spent four days in costume and needs a minute.
Here's what's happening October 30 through November 5, across Takoma Park and the wider DMV. Pace yourself.
20 events this week on our calendar: Friday, Oct 30 - Thursday, Nov 5
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FEATURED EVENTS
Afro-Cuban All Stars - Thu Oct 29 8:00 am
Strathmore
The Grammy-nominated Afro-Cuban All Stars will perform live at The Music Center at Strathmore on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 8:00 PM. Led by legendary bandleader Juan de Marcos González—the visionary architect behind the Buena Vista Social Club—this powerhouse multi-generational orchestra brings the vibrant rhythms, bold brass, and rich traditions of Havana directly to North Bethesda, Maryland. [more details]
Strawberry Sessions Album Release Party - Fri Oct 30 7:30 pm
Blue House Productions SoundStage
Singer-songwriter Kanysha is taking over the grid to debut her highly anticipated project, Strawberry Sessions. This isn't a passive listening session; it's a meticulously crafted multi-genre celebration. Kanysha operates with a staggering vocal velocity, architecture-building a sonic world that fluidly fuses high-octane funk, alternative textures, sweeping ballads, deep-pocket R&B, punk edge, and classic soul. Because the transmission falls on the absolute precipice of the spooky… [more details]
Eli Brown - Panic Attack Tour - Fri Oct 30 10:00 pm
Echostage
Eli Brown will perform his Panic Attack Tour in Washington, DC, at Echostage on Friday, October 30, 2026, starting at 10:00 PM. The Halloween weekend event is presented by Factory 93 and GLOW as an 18+ general admission standing-room show [more details]
Other Events
Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics Film Screening - Thu Oct 29 7:00 pm
Takoma Park Community Center Auditorium
Prepare to question every single polyester thread and takeout container you have ever touched in your entire existence. This eye-opening documentary will leave you staring blankly into your reusable water bottle with a mild existential dread. [more details]
Boney James - Thu Oct 29 7:30 pm
The Birchmere Music Hall
Three decades of unapologetic, deep-groove mastery and a signature saxophone howl that couldn't be cloned if you tried: Boney James is still absolutely refusing to plateau.
The multi-platinum saxophonist, composer, and production wizard is dropping A Simple Man—a monumental 20th studio album out October 2 via Concord Records.
This isn't just another record to spin in the background; it's a deeply personal, high-stakes milestone that proves even after thirty years in the game, Boney… [more details]
Pumpkin/Jack-O-Lantern Palooza - Fri Oct 30 4:00 pm
Takoma Park Maryland Library
Stop everything and report to the crafting trenches: We are hijacking the Program Room for a high-stakes, 3D paper pumpkin and jack-o'-lantern engineering operation.
Warning: Scissors will be flying, glue sticks will be weaponized, and your hands will be covered in orange debris as we craft the ultimate Halloween decor. [more details]
Halloween Ghosts and History Tour of Georgetown - Fri Oct 30 5:00 pm
Volta Park Recreation Center
Stroll past cobblestones while a former presidential speechwriter regales you with colonial scandals and political backstabbing that put modern gossip to shame. You will definitely check twice before walking down those steep Exorcist steps. [more details]
Burn The Ballroom's Halloween Spectacular - Fri Oct 30 7:00 pm
Tally Ho Theater
Change your Friday plans and prepare for a sonic seance: Burn The Ballroom is unleashing their Halloween Spectacular, and it’s going to be a beautifully loud nightmare.
This is a high-octane triple threat featuring the frantic energy of Trackside and the dark, seductive riffs of Scarlet Kiss—meaning your ears will be ringing long before midnight. [more details]
Baltimore Comedy Club Takeover - Fri Oct 30 8:00 pm
Comedy Shows Near Me - Silver Spring
Escape the seasonal dread by letting touring veterans tear apart modern neuroses in an intimate upstairs room. Bring your thickest skin because front-row sitters are prime targets for rapid-fire crowd work. [more details]
Spooky Stories & Sweet Treats Family Event - Sat Oct 31 12:00 pm
African American Civil War Museum
Let children under ten rule the museum floor with sugar highs, spooky folklore, and mandatory costume flair. It is a delightfully compact history lesson disguised as an excuse to consume miniature candy bars at noon. [more details]
Coco Live-to-Film Concert - The North American Tour
- Sat Oct 31 3:30 pm
The Music Center
Get set for a multi-sensory cinematic journey as AMP by Strathmore presents Disney Pixar’s Coco Live-to-Film Concert on Tour. This spectacular production features a full screening of the beloved film while Oscar- and Grammy-winning composer Michael Giacchino’s vibrant musical score is performed live by the 20-member Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México. You'll experience the rich emotional architecture of the Academy Award-winning song “Remember Me” alongside traditional Mexican… [more details]
Halloween under the Stars at the Embassy Row Rooftop - Sat Oct 31 6:30 pm
The Ven at Embassy Row
Watch over two hundred overly ambitious dancers test the structural integrity of a boutique hotel roof during a high-octane swing and salsa band clash. Dust off your vintage attire because standing still in the corner is socially illegal here.
DMV CARNIVAL - Dancehall & SOCA Halloween Party - Sat Oct 31 10:00 pm
Kaldi's Rooftop
We're not saying it's the best Caribbean night in the DMV. We're saying 100% Vibes Guaranteed and letting you draw your own conclusions.
Come ready to dance. Leave hoarse, limping, and already planning the next one.
Coco Community Screening - Sun Nov 1 11:00 am
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
Bring your tear ducts to peak vulnerability for a screening of the vibrant Land-of-the-Dead masterpiece that proves skeletons have better rhythm than most humans. At just a five-dollar entry fee for kids, it is an absolute bargain for a total emotional breakdown. [more details]
Family Chess - Sun Nov 1 12:00 pm
Takoma Park Maryland Library
Cancel your Sunday siesta and prepare for intellectual warfare: We are occupying the tables every single Sunday at 12:00 PM sharp for casual, unyielding chess showdowns.
CRITICAL CALENDAR ALERT: For this specific date—Sunday, October 18th—we are shifting from casual skirmishes to a masterclass deployment, featuring tactical Chess Instruction with our resident grandmaster-in-spirit, Jon.
Open to any and all interested kids who want to learn the art of the perfect checkmate, plus the… [more details]
Beethoven: Tragedy and Triumph - Sun Nov 1 3:00 pm
Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center
Soak in sweeping classical compositions performed by musicians who treat dynamic shifts like a life-or-death athletic event. Expect dramatic pauses so heavy you could cut them with a cello bow. [more details]
Crochet and Cozies - Mon Nov 2 10:30 am
Takoma Park Maryland Library
Monday mornings are officially reclaimed: "Crochet and Cozies" is making its triumphant return to rescue you from the standard weekday blues.
Zero experience? Absolute zero. We provide every single shred of yarn, hooks, and tactical know-how required to transform you from a confused string-tangler into a certified craft wizard. [more details]
Crossroads Farmers Market - Wed Nov 4 9:00 am
Crossroads Farmers Market
Inspect root vegetables with the sharp, unblinking scrutiny of a culinary detective hunting for peak terpene profiles. Stock up on hyper-local honey and greens grown strictly within a hundred-mile radius.
Comedy at Lincoln's Cottage (Two Faces Series) - Wed Nov 4 7:30 pm
President Lincoln’s Cottage
Sit inside grounds soaked in heavy executive history while a lineup of veteran comedians deliver punchlines sharper than a Union bayonet. Abraham Lincoln famously drafted policies here, though he likely never had to deal with hecklers quite like these.
Silver Spring Fall-O-Ween @ Veterans Plaza - Thu Nov 5 12:00 am
Veterans Plaza
A dedicated comedy lineup ready to roast your life choices on a random Thursday evening. Bring thick skin or just hide in the back row behind a massive plate of nachos.
#DMVEvents #TakomaPark #Halloween2026 #DiaDeLosMuertos #CocoLiveToFilm #Strathmore #ThingsToDoDMV #SilverSpring
You're in the loop! For more things to do, or to post your own event, visit our Community Calendar.
Painted skulls at a Halloween party — a familiar sight this time of year, and a reminder that the imagery has two very different origins. Photo by Yusuf Mahammed via Pexels.More News from Takoma Park
- Coco, a Market, and Día de los Muertos Weekend at Strathmore Coco Live-to-Film and the Recuerdos Latin American Arts Market come to Strathmore for Día de los Muertos weekend—a film with a live orchestra, and a market built around it.
- A Democratic Culture in Takoma Park Takoma Park lowered voting to 16, extended voting to non-citizens, and adopted ranked-choice voting—but expanding participation and filling the room are two different projects.
