Halloween falls on Saturday, Oct. 31, this year, and Georgetown has filled the whole day. The programs don't spread evenly across it. Almost all the daytime events fall between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the afternoon goes quiet, and after dark the main events head to one place: the Exorcist Steps at 36th and Prospect Streets NW, where a free light show runs from 7 to 11 p.m.
Plan the day around those two peaks. Families and dog owners need to make choices before lunch. Anyone hosting guests after dinner has a single destination, and one of the night's best moments comes from two separate organizers whose schedules happen to meet.
The day at a glance
All of the times below come from the Georgetown BID's 2026 Halloween guide and the organizers' own pages.
| Time | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 a.m. to noon | Trick or Treat at Tudor Place | 1644 31st St. NW | $15 member child, $20 non-member child, $10 adult |
| 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Pinstripes Halloween Kids Party | 1064 Wisconsin Ave. NW | $5 ticket, brunch extra |
| 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Wisconsin Avenue Woof Walk | Check-in at Milo & Mav, 3206 N St. NW | $25 per dog plus Eventbrite fee |
| 1 p.m. | Woof Walk costume contest | Wisconsin Avenue | Included, capped at 25 dogs |
| 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. | Free small kids' ramen with an adult entrée | JINYA, 1525 Wisconsin Ave. NW | Restaurant offer |
| 7 to 11 p.m. | Haunted light show | Exorcist Steps, 36th & Prospect St. NW | Free |
| 8 p.m. | Ghosts of Georgetown tour, about 90 minutes | Starts at Old Stone House, 3051 M St. NW | From $39 |
Three ticketed events overlap between 11 a.m. and noon. Then, once the Woof Walk wraps up at 2, the schedule has no ticketed event until the light show starts at 7.
The morning squeeze, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Tudor Place starts first and finishes first. Its annual trick-or-treat runs 10 a.m. to noon in the gardens at 1644 31st St. NW. Pricing is per child, $15 for members and $20 for non-members, plus $10 for each adult, with registration through Eventbrite. The BID describes the morning as coffee for adults while children collect treats, get their faces painted, drink cider, play games and do crafts.
Pinstripes, at 1064 Wisconsin Ave. NW, opens its kids' party at 11. The Eventbrite listing prices it at $5 and lists crafts, candy and face painting, free coffee for adults and free soda for children 12 and under. Brunch costs extra, and children under 4 eat free.
The two windows share one hour, so the order is easy to plan. A family can finish at Tudor Place by noon and still make the last hour at Pinstripes. Going the other way gives you less time at both.
The Woof Walk is new, and it runs on its own rules
The Wisconsin Avenue Woof Walk is Georgetown Main Street's first. Dogs and their owners trick-or-treat along Wisconsin Avenue from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., stopping at participating businesses for treats and water. Check-in is at Milo & Mav Coffee Shop and Dog Boutique, 3206 N St. NW.
Tickets cost $25 per dog plus an Eventbrite fee, with no tax, and every dog needs its own ticket. The organizer gives the reason directly: per-dog tickets keep the event from overwhelming the participating shops and Georgetown's narrow sidewalks. Proceeds go to Georgetown Main Street events.
The costume contest starts at 1 p.m. and has room for only 25 dogs. Five judges, including staff from Friendship Hospital for Animals and Georgetown Veterinary Hospital, will award Best Overall, Best Duo for a matching human and dog, and Most Creative. Each winner gets a prize box from local partners, and no dog can win more than one category.
Four dates matter between now and the walk:
- Monday, Oct. 26, 11 a.m.: last chance for a full refund, minus Eventbrite fees. After that, the organizer suggests passing your ticket to a friend.
- Friday, Oct. 30, noon: if rain moves the event, ticket holders hear by email by this time.
- Sunday, Nov. 1, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: the rain date. Saturday tickets carry over, and the rescheduled date has no refunds.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 1 p.m.: if rain is forecast for both days, the event is canceled, ticket holders get a full refund, and notice goes out by this time.
Each participant has to accept a liability release at checkout. It confirms that the dogs are up to date on vaccines and are good with other dogs and people. As of mid-October, Georgetown Main Street still lists its participating businesses as "coming soon," so the treat stops will be announced closer to the day.
The quiet stretch, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
After the Woof Walk ends, nothing on the BID's schedule picks up until dark. The only offers that run through the afternoon are standing ones. JINYA Ramen Bar at 1525 Wisconsin Ave. NW is giving one free small kids' ramen with each adult entrée from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and the BID guide encourages costumes there and at Pinstripes. Georgetown Cupcake is selling Halloween assortments all month. The Haunted Dozen includes pumpkin spice, chocolate toffee spider web and chocolate marshmallow, and the Sweet & Spooky box includes chocolate caramel cookie crunch and vanilla candy. Both are available for store pickup or local delivery.
The Old Stone House also fills part of the gap. The National Park Service's Rock Creek Park calendar lists its regular ranger tours on Oct. 31, including 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., though they aren't billed as Halloween programs. It's also where the night's walking tour begins, so a daytime visit gives children a first look at a building they'll hear about again after dark.
After dark, the night ends at 36th and Prospect
The BID calls the evening program new this year. It's a free haunted light show on the Exorcist Steps from 7 to 11 p.m., presented by EventLightsUSA and The Exorcist fan Andrew Huff, and visitors are encouraged to come in costume. The 75 steps were the setting for the closing scene of the 1973 film and were designated a historic landmark in 2019. The event listing puts the show at 36th and Prospect Streets NW, with access from M Street NW as well.
DC by Foot's Halloween night Ghosts of Georgetown tour leaves at 8 p.m. from outside the Old Stone House, 3051 M St. NW, and ends at the Exorcist Steps about 90 minutes later. That means the tour reaches the steps around 9:30, halfway through the light show, which the BID guide lists separately. Along the way, the BID says, the route passes the site of an old hospital and "the house that hates electricity." The BID also notes that the Old Stone House is said to host an 18th-century woman who wanders its rooms.
The BID lists the tour nightly through October at 7 and 8 p.m., while DC by Foot's Halloween page names 8 p.m. for Oct. 31. The booking page shows prices starting at $39, so check the Halloween-night total when you book.
With out-of-town guests, the evening practically plans itself:
- Before 8 p.m.: an early dinner, with JINYA's kids' offer running until 11.
- 8 p.m.: meet the tour outside the Old Stone House on M Street.
- Around 9:30 p.m.: arrive at the steps while the light show is still running.
- Skipping the tour: walk straight to 36th and Prospect anytime between 7 and 11.
One more stop on lower Wisconsin
For one more treat that isn't on the Halloween guide, Dutch Darlings held its grand opening on Oct. 2 at 1003 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Father and daughter Hans and Maaike Ravesteijn bake the stroopwafels by hand. It sits on the same stretch of Wisconsin Avenue as Pinstripes.
Halloween in Georgetown runs on the same small calendar of landmarks I follow all year, from Tudor Place's gardens to the Old Stone House to the steps at 36th and Prospect. If you have a home near any of them and wonder how this neighborhood's calendar shapes the way a house there lives, I'm happy to talk it through privately. Donna Leanos | Get Access to My Private Listings
