Halloween in Washington, DC 2026: From the High Heel Race to Boo at the Zoo

Halloween in Washington, DC is a season, not a single night, and the 2026 calendar is one of the best in years. It opens with Boo at the Zoo at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Woodley Park on October 16 through 18, peaks with the 39th Annual 17th Street High Heel Race in Dupont Circle on Tuesday, October 27, and finishes with trick-or-treating on October 31. Here is your local's guide to getting the most out of living in our Nations Capital this October.

The 39th Annual 17th Street High Heel Race

The High Heel Race has been a Dupont Circle institution since 1986, when it began as a playful bar-to-bar sprint among drag performers up and down 17th Street. This year's 39th edition, hosted by the District government since 2018, takes over 17th Street NW between P and R Streets on Tuesday, October 27, from about 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. The DJ starts around 5:00 p.m., racers check in near 7:30, and the famous sprint itself lasts barely ten minutes, rain or shine, before a crowd that lines the sidewalks and packs the neighborhood bars. Part costume parade, part community reunion, and completely free, it is one of the most purely joyful nights on the DC social calendar.

Boo at the Zoo & More Spooky Season Events

For families, the anchor event is Boo at the Zoo: three early-evening nights, 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. on October 16, 17, and 18, of trick-or-treating at decorated treat stations across the Smithsonian's National Zoo, with a free goodie bag, after-hours animal viewing, and pumpkin-patch photo ops. Members enter at 5:00 p.m., and tickets sell out, so book before you carve your first pumpkin. Grown-ups get their own night at Night of the Living Zoo on Friday, October 23, and the Saturday before Halloween, Air & Scare brings free trick-or-treating, creepy crafts, and spooky science demos to the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, a short drive from George Mason University's Fairfax campus. History lovers can also run the Dead Man's Run at Historic Congressional Cemetery or take Spooky History Tours at the National Building Museum.

The Best Neighborhoods for a Halloween Walk

Where you trick-or-treat is a neighborhood question, and DC's answers double as a housing tour. In Georgetown, the steep stone steps that drop from Prospect Street down to M Street, just below Georgetown University's campus, are forever linked to the 1973 horror classic "The Exorcist," and the surrounding rowhouse blocks glow with carved pumpkins. Families also fill the quiet porches of Brookland, home to Catholic University and Children's National Medical Center; the leafy lanes of Spring Valley around American University; the Foggy Bottom streets near George Washington University and GW Hospital; and the suburban blocks of Bethesda within reach of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Pick a well-lit, walkable block and the neighbors will do the rest.

Why Halloween Is the Most Honest Neighborhood Tour

Here is my favorite part as a Washington, DC real estate agent: Halloween is the most honest neighborhood tour there is. A block that greets you with lit pumpkins, porch lights on, and neighbors waving hello tells you more about daily life than any listing photo. If an October evening makes you feel at home, that is real data to build a home search on, and October is a strong month to be looking, since the Washington, DC real estate market stays active right through the holidays.

Your Trusted Guide to Making the Capital Home

Whether you are drawn to a Dupont Circle condo near the race, a Georgetown rowhouse with a stoop made for jack-o'-lanterns, or a family home in Brookland or Bethesda, I would love to help you find it. Email me at robert.clarke@cbrealty.com, or schedule a consultation through my calendar link, and let's get you settled in time for next Halloween in our Nations Capital.