Looking for something to do this weekend in Maryland, Virginia, and DC? Check out our selection of spooky, American, and educational events right in your own backyard!
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow – Kid Friendly Event!
Looking for some not-so-scary Halloween fun for the whole family? Check out the National Theatre’s Saturday Morning series of free live shows for kids! This Saturday, Ichabod Crane takes his fateful ride through Sleepy Hollow in a performance of the Halloween classic. But be sure to get there early -- The free tickets are distributed before the show on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Saturday, 9:30am and 11am
National Theatre
1321 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20004
Information: (202) 783-3372
Ghosts in DC?
Shadows on the wall, whispers in an empty room, pale figures in the hall…is it just your imagination or are there ghosts haunting DC’s Lafayette Square? DC Walkabout brings the most haunted spot in the city alive with their Haunted History walking tours! This free 2.5hr 
tour starts when the sun goes down and the ghosts and ghouls come out. The Haunted History tours end November 1, so don’t miss your chance to discover the secrets and scares in one of Washington DC’s most famous districts!
Thursday, 7:30pm
Sunday, 7:30pm
Wednesday, October 31, 7:30pm (Halloween Special!)
Meet in Lafayette Park at the corner of 16th St and H St NW.
Reserve your space!
Have a good story to tell?
There’s a storyteller in all of us, and the Virginia Storytelling Alliance celebrates that this weekend with a Storytelling Concert. Lead storytellers Anthony Burcher, Ellouise Schoettler, and Margaret Chatham will start off the evening with their tales. Be sure to stay afterwards for the Open Mic, hosted by Gary Lloyd, which gives audience members a chance to hop on stage and tell their best stories.
Busy that night? Catch one of the workshops held earlier that day, starting at 10 am, with topics ranging from “Weaving Music and Story Together” to “Ten Ways to Tell a Tale.” Whether you’re looking to become a professional storyteller (yes, they do exist!) or simply a better conversationalist at cocktail parties, these workshops will help you practice your speech and narrative skills.
Saturday, 7pm (Storytelling Concert)
Workhouse Arts Center
9601 Ox Road, Lorton, VA
Cost: $15 for the concert, $30 per workshop, $95 all-day pass (3 workshops + concert)/$85 for VASA & Workhouse members
Click here for more info and tickets!
Music for Uncivil Discourse
Election season isn’t over yet, so you might as well celebrate it with music. The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s music ensemble-in-residence, 21st Century Consort, will honor the democratic process with an election special concert featuring Fred Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated, Jon Deak’s Greetings from 1984, and Peter Maxwell Davies’s dramatic portrait of George III, Eight Songs for a Mad King.
Learn a little something beforehand with a pre-concert lecture and snack a bit afterwards 
with a post-concert reception.
Saturday, 4pm – 8pm
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Eighth and F Streets, NW, Washington, DC
Cost: $20 (includes lecture & reception)
Purchase tickets here!
Select films opening Friday:
Chasing Mavericks (PG)
Based on the inspirational true story of surfing icon Jay Moriarity, OF MEN AND MAVERICKS tells the story of a young man’s quest to surf Mavericks, Northern California’s most dangerous wave, and the local legend who takes him under his wing. What begins as a mentorship turns into a unique and kindred bond, which ultimately transforms the lives of both men.
Cloud Atlas (R)
Drama, mystery, action and enduring love thread through a single story that unfolds in multiple timelines over the span of 500 years. Characters meet and reunite from one life to the next. Born and reborn. Based on the best-selling novel by David Mitchell, Academy Award® winners Tom Hanks and Halle Berry lead an international cast. Each member of the ensemble appears in multiple roles as the story moves through time.
Simon and the Oaks (NR)
Based on the Swedish bestseller of the same name, written by Marianne Fredriksson. Simon and the Oaks offers a unique depiction of fate, destiny and free will and vividly portrays the situation for Jews in Sweden during World War II. Playing at E Street Cinema
The Other Son (PG-13)
In the moving family drama The Other Son, as he prepares to join the Israeli army for his national service, Joseph Silberg (Jules Sitruk) discovers he is not his parents' biological son, but that he was inadvertently switched at birth with Yassin, the son of a Palestinian family from the West Bank. This revelation turns the lives of these two families upside-down, forcing them to reassess their respective identities, their values and their beliefs. (Partially subtitled)
The Sessions
Based on the poignantly optimistic autobiographical writings of California–based journalist and poet Mark O’Brien, The Sessions tells the story of a man who lived most of his life in an iron lung who is determined - at age 38 - to lose his virginity. With the help of his therapist and the guidance of his priest, he sets out to make his dream a reality.
Last Chance!
Closing October 27 - William Christenberry: Assembled Memory at HEMPHILL Fine Arts
Closing October 28 - Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins at Arena Stage
think what life would be like without cars, buses or trains? This Saturday you will have the opportunity to show your appreciation by celebrating 
Day
present 
close to home. Attend the Fiesta de las Or-Kid-eas Family Festival for a variety of orchid related activities, such as orchid face painting, orchid tattooing, orchid mosaic-making, and plant discussions. Want to learn how to pot an orchid? Orchid experts will also be giving patrons an orchid-potting demonstration and will even allow them to take an orchid home with them.
To make this concert even more interesting, the Choral Society will perform the piece in the original Old Church Slavonic, which is a Slavonic language dating back to 9th century Byzantine missionaries. With a talented chorus and historic location, this concert will take you back in time and in peace.
